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Snack attack

Eight ideas to help cut down on food snacking

Frequent Eating

If you are prone to frequent snacking and feel it is something that you would like to gain more control over, here are some ideas.

1. Start the day with breakfast—have something to eat even if it is not a traditional breakfast food. Try hard not to make it something sugary that will fill you up for a short time but then leave you hungrier than ever.

2. Start thinking of snacks as treats or rewards. You have to have achieved something before you can have your snack.

3. If you usually munch your way through the day (and through the kitchen cupboard) take note of how many snacks you have. Tomorrow put aside your snacks (in a box for example) at the start of the day but have one fewer than today. Next week cut that by one more again etc.

4. Decide first thing in the morning at what time(s) you are going to have your treat(s) and stick to it!

5. Sit down and stop whatever you were doing while you eat—this will make you pay attention to your intake and be better able to monitor your diet and whether you are full really and don’t need something else.

6. If you are not really hungry, just bored: 1. Find something else to do (see number 7). 2. Just eat half a biscuit/ smaller piece of cake etc.

7. Make a list of alternative activities to eating: Pop outside for a few minutes, Play a musical instrument for a few minutes, have a glass of water instead, tidy up 5 things etc before going back to what you were/should be doing.

8. Substitute some healthier foods for snacking on: an apple/ banana/ grapes, a handful of sultanas/ dried dates/ dried apricots, a lump of cheese etc

 

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This article © Linda Faber 2006-2009.