This article is primarily for people who eat without giving much thought to what they eat & mostly succumb automatically to the hand to mouth motion. Of late I have observed that most people who are stressed, tend to move on an autopilot mode, when it comes to eating.
Over the years I have observed that people tend to get a third of their food consumption through snacks and not necessarily the healthy ones. On the contrary most of the snacks that people consume are invariably loaded with Tran’s fats & sugars. This is a “nutritional disaster” since man made snacks have a double whammy, which makes one not only gain pounds but worse plays with your emotions.
Not many realise that this has a similar effect or worse, compared even to Nicotine & Alcohol. I have observed and noted that this is a pattern which usually develops with both men & women. I will try and detail a strategy for healthy eating if you are getting stuck with some of these.
You tend to slip up in the late evenings: Most of the people tend to be more than disciplined during the day but somehow the feeling of the day ending makes one drop their guard. More often than not I have seen the maximum overindulgence of unhealthy food happening at this point of time.
The effective way to ensure you do not fall in this trap is to begin your day with a healthy breakfast and ensure you keep eating every 2-3 hours throughout the day. Also remember your last meal which ideally should be at least a couple of hours before you do hit the sack.
You slip up at work: With most of the companies well equipped with treats for the employees, it is not a surprise that most mindlessly indulge in unhealthy eating during meetings or impromptu coffee breaks during the day. The most effective way to get over this is to carry healthy treats with you to work, say dark sugar free chocolates, fruits or even dry fruits.
What I have seen with many of my own clients is that, once there is an alternative to junk food around our workplace, we are conscious about it. Then it is just a matter of time before we dig into our own carry bag rather than polishing of the snack in the cafeteria.I too feel in this trap couple of years back, and effectively overcame this with this one strategy.
You work from home: Companies offering the work from home option, will make one grab anything and everything from the home kitchen. I have seen this more often than not, when people work from home. The most effective strategy here is to ensure that one maintains a journal of food intake which makes one more accountable and conscious of their food habits.
Once you realise where you are slipping you can take corrective steps before it does tend to become irreparable.
Your family does not eat healthy: More often than not I hear this one liner & by now I already know what is coming. I have seen more than enough people who get foodstuffs for the kids at home and eventually end up eating more than the kids. Well the logic which is most effective is “out of sight- out of mind”.
Therefore make an effort to ensure that all the sugary treats are out of reach of your family and try to work on eating healthy as a team. This works only when you make the conscious decision to not stock any more junk food at home. There are loads of healthy choices available and it just requires a little bit of ingenuity from your side to make it work.
Breaking a habit is not difficult but as with all new habits there has to be an effort internally as well as externally. I am sure you would have been able to relate to my thoughts here. I come across people struggling to overcome their food habits but through a step by step approach, most of them will eventually move on to eating healthy.
As usual I would love to hear from you on my mail id coach@satishrao.in or Facebook Fan Page