Be ready when those urges come calling.
The urge to snack is a powerful siren call. It’s what forced me to consume half a pack of limited-edition sherbet-flavored Oreos back in college, and I still rank that as one of the absolute worst decisions I have ever made in my entire life. When you’re sitting around with nothing to do, snacking becomes a lot more tempting. It’s fine, right? Have a cookie, you’ll work it off later. Maybe two cookies. Maybe three! And soon enough, you’ve eaten half the pack and have the mother of all tummy aches. Before it comes to that, take some measures to keep your snacking habits in check.
First, try to keep snack time to a designated hour of the day. After a while of doing this, your body will start to only crave snacks at that particular time. To aid in this, prep healthy snacks ahead of time. Sliced fruit, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese; stuff like that. Have it ready and waiting so you feel less tempted to go for the sweet stuff.
Secondly, don’t keep snacks within easy reach. If you notice that you’re eating more just because you’re bored, then having a bowl of chips nearby isn’t doing you any favors. Leave everything in the kitchen. If you really want something to nosh on, you gotta get up for it.
Finally, don’t be too harsh on yourself. If you’re having a really bad day and need a pleasant pick-me-up, it’s okay to have a cookie. Sweet things are nice. Be responsible with your sugar intake, but don’t make yourself miserable. There’s no harm in treating yourself once in a while. Reasonably.
