7 Easy Ways to Stop Boredom Eating
Do you consider yourself a snacker? You’re not alone! I snack all the time, and it’s so darn hard to stop!
I snack when I’m not even hungry sometimes which in turn can lead to autopilot responses of reaching for random snacks throughout the day! This can lead to your favorite pair of jeans being a bit snugger than normal.
Snacking when we are bored certainly helps pass the time and also happens when you’re avoiding something, stressed out or we simply have too much time on our hands.
Boredom eating is considered a form of mindless eating where you tend to eat to cope with this emotion of being bored in a particular moment.
There can be some negative impacts of boredom eating and you’re more than likely begin to notice:
- Energy levels decrease
- You start to not enjoy the food because it’s more of a subconscious motion
- Your mood is impacted in a negative way
- Clothes become tighter
- More often than not, you eat when you’re not even hungry
So, how do you end this vicious cycle?
In simple terms, you need to get yourself out of autopilot mode. You need to be more aware of what is going on around you. It’s creating simple habits that benefit you and kicking the bad habits such as not keeping foods within reach that you know you’ll snack on when you become bored.
1.) Allocate Your Eating Times
The easiest way to combat boredom eating is to create to ab eating schedule plan. Commit to not eating outside of the scheduled eating times. Set eating boundaries and incorporate this into every part of your day.
Example:
- 8:00am: Breakfast
- 9:30am: Morning Snack
- 12:00pm: Lunch Break
- 2:30pm: Afternoon Snack
- 5:30pm: Dinner
- 7:30pm: Evening Snack
2) Plan out your Snacks
Plan out your snacks each day to ensure that when you snack, you’re at least snacking on healthier options. Try to avoid sugary foods because the more you eat, the more you’ll crave. Try packing healthy options such as:
- Greek Yogurt
- Cottage Cheese
- Lunchmeat
- Almonds
- Fruit (apples, bananas..)
3) Get Up and Move
One of the easiest way to combat boredom is to get up and move. By moving, it helps take your mind off of eating and distracts you from snacking. Get up and go for a walk, stretch a bit, lift some weights or take the dogs for a stroll.
4) Drink your H20
When you feel the urge to snack, reach for some water first. Aim for 6-8 glasses of water per day. Keep a water bottle on your desk or with you at all times because this will ensure that you get your water intake. Plus, it will help minimize snacking. Set up a reoccurring reminder in your phone to drink water.
5) Find some Inspiration
When you start feeling bored, instead of reaching for that bag of chips and jumping on TikTok, flip on an inspiring podcast, book or TedTalk. Maybe it’s flipping on your favorite playlist, or a meditation/calming sequence is more your jam. Whatever it is, reach for that verses the snack!
6) Express Gratitude
Every morning, for quite some time, I write about the things I’m most grateful for. When you find yourself getting bored and the thought of snacking pops into your head, grab that journal or pad of paper and write about all of the things you’re grateful for. It is a healthy distraction.
7) Incorporate New Mini Rituals
Be mindful of when you’re experiencing boredom and when you’re starting to crave snacks. Work on creating a healthier routine such as putting a reminder in your phone around that time to eat a piece of fruit or a cup of cottage cheese. Maybe a cup of coffee is all it takes. Understanding and then creating a plan around the “problem” times will greatly help decrease boredom snacking.
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Boredom eating can be controlled if you consciously make efforts in doing so. Be mindful of the situation and time frame when your cravings start happening and create the rituals, listen to that podcast, go for a walk or try one of these other tops to help combat boredom eating.
