Stop the Mindless Snacking!

You know, nobody's perfect. I'm certainly not! A lot of times I get ideas about what to post from things that happen to my clients, but also things that happen in my own life that I think could use some work!

Speaking of the latter, yesterday my fiancé Chris and I drove about an hour south of where we live to run some errands. While we were down there, we went to the store to get some drinks and grabbed a few other essentials while we were at it - one of them being a box of cereal...

Although I'd made sure to eat a good-sized, healthy breakfast before we left, we'd been out for a long time and I was starving, so I decided I'd open up the cereal "just to have a few bites..."

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Wanna guess how this story ends?

Well I'll tell you... Cereal is delicious, I was hungry, and we were (as is typical for us) absorbed in conversation, so before I knew it I came to and realized that I'd crushed a TON of cereal, when I'd only intended to eat a little bit to curb my hunger until I got home. Damn it!

While this isn't a typical occurrence for me, it does happen. I do my best to be mindful, but I don't always nail it!

I can say from experience with lots of clients though, that this practice of mindless eating can literally be the single and absolute undoing of an otherwise healthy lifestyle. If you're not paying attention, SO MANY extra calories can very easily find their way down the hatch.

We space out, we lose touch with the experience of eating food, and we start to lose the ability to appropriately gauge when it's time to stop eating - so this isn't even a fun way to overeat, because you're not even taking the time to realize how delicious your snack or meal is!

This happens while driving, watching TV, reading, even hanging out with friends... If there's something else to occupy our attention, it's much easier to eat wayyyyy more than we intended!

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When we're bored, when parents take bites of their kids' food or finish the leftovers, when we eat chips straight out of a big bag during a movie... There are countless ways this can manifest, but it's all basically the same thing and ultimately has the same effect - extra, dumb, mindless caloric intake that you don't really need, and you probably don't want!

So turn off the TV, put down the newspaper, or toss that box of cereal in the back seat after you've grabbed your handful (that one's probably just for me)...

But most importantly, practice MINDFULNESS. Make it a habit. Savor the smell of your food, the flavors, the texture. Don't rush, take your sweet time.

Notice the times or events that trigger this behavior in you so that you don't let it become a pattern. Chris and I were out shopping a lot longer than I had thought we'd be, and usually I pack myself snacks but I didn't realize I had forgotten to put some into my mega huge purse when I switched over from my smaller bag... Not an ideal situation, and definitely no excuse!

Now I've taken note of these circumstances that got me into this cereal-eating bind so I can plan better the next time I think I could get into this same situation. Try things, likely make mistakes, learn, improve - that's life.

Even the times that don't go as well as you wanted are just an awesome opportunity to learn, and everyone's fitness journey is a work in progress... Even those of us who make it our job!

So stay conscious of your behaviors, make good choices, and try to get around your own potential road blocks. Mindfulness is key, and awareness helps EVERYTHING.

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( Get it? :D )

Are you prone to mindless eating? How do you keep it under control?

Please feel free to comment, upvote, or resteem if you'd like! :)