I can’t stop eating EVERYTHING in the kitchen!!! Don’t lie, I know you’ve thought that exact phrase probably 7 to 8 times already during quarantine. You’re stuck at home, surrounded by all of the shelf stable foods you bought (AKA SNACKS!!!) and you just can’t control yourself. It feels like every 5 minutes you’re walking over to the fridge or pantry hoping that you change your mind about not wanting baby carrots or that the magical grocery fairy has dropped you off some goodies.
But, NOPE! The chips and dip are still there and they are still calling your name.
AND, this is where I come in. You are not alone with feeling this way, in fact, when quarantine started, a lot of my clients were saying the same things. But together we can change that and help you feel better with just a few simple steps.
The biggest thing you need to work on is keeping a schedule, especially with your eating. When you were at work, you had a set time for everything, meetings, bathroom breaks, coffee runs, and meals. The trick is there should be no difference with working at home. Set up time for your breakfast, your snacks, lunch and dinner. Unless you’re actually hungry and using the hunger scale to determine your hungry, then stay out of the kitchen! I know it’s hard but chances are you are just bored not really hungry when you venture to the pantry for the 10th time that day. I do it myself, too but now is the time for us to practice self-discipline.
The second priority is to focus on how balanced your meals are as well. Even if the fresh fruits and veggies are slim pickings, that doesn’t mean that you can’t grab the frozen options! They are just as nutritious, picked at the peak of freshness and less costly than the fresh options. You can even make a big salad, that will give you 2-3 servings of vegetables right there!
The third tip to help quit eating EVERYTHING in the kitchen is to make exercise part of your daily routine. You don’t have to set aside a solid 30 minutes to an hour each day, but if you can piecemeal together smaller sessions of movement, like 15 minute walk at lunch, playing yard games like Frisbee or other outside sports , take the dog around the block rather than just letting them run out back. Make separate trips between the levels of the house to get more steps and cardio work in.
At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself "Why am I doing this?" and "Am I really hungry right now"? Discipline and motivation are going to be the key to keep you going and prevent you from messing up and ruining all of the hard work you have already put in!