6 reasons why you can't stop eating snacks and how to overcome it! | Dunnebells

When it comes to food self-control can be a struggle for many of us. I am so thrilled to provide you with 6 reasons why you can’t stop eating snacks and then some easy ways to kick this unhealthy habit for good!

Aren’t you sick and tired of being held back from reaching your fitness goals because of your emotional well-being? I know when I was trying to lose 65 lbs breaking the cycle of overeating so I had a chance of reaching my goals was so hard.

If you struggle with an Eating Disorder, the #1 thing I recommend doing is reaching out for help.

As someone who overcame an eating disorder, I am always here for you.

For medical/professional help around Eating Disorders visit http://nedic.ca/

The following six strategies have changed the game for me — now I’m healthier, enjoy my meals more and I never feel hungry because I am fuelling my body the right way.

Here are 6 reasons why you can’t stop eating snacks and how to overcome it:

1. DON’T BAN FAVOURITE FOODS

One of the biggest reasons that I used to binge eat, was because my diet was so restricted and my body was deprived. Instead of banning your favourite foods or trying to cut bread and sugars, focus on consuming as may whole, unprocessed foods as possible. However, leaving room for those treats and favourite food items is perfectly healthy.

It is unrealistic to think that long term you will never have ice cream, pizza, or chocolate again. If you tell yourself this is what you are going to do, the second you have even a bite of one of those things you will feel like you failed.

Instead, focus on providing your body with mostly healthy, nutritious food while also giving yourself the freedom to truly enjoy your favourite foods and snacks here and there.

2. PRACTICE MINDFUL EATING

At our Meditation, Mindful movement and real talk workshop, we will be guiding all guests through a very helpful 3-2-1 mindful eating exercise. Adopting this mindful eating technique is one of the best ways to stop overdoing it on the snacks.

Why does mindful eating help so much? It allows us to focus on the present moment and brings our awareness to our thoughts, emotions and heightens our senses while we consume food.

Don’t believe me? That is okay. Check out these 3 Trusted Sources showing how effective mindful eating is when it comes to reducing binge eating behaviours, overeating or emotional eating.

How do you get started with mindful eating? Take small bites. Eat slowly. Chew your food. Smell your food.

3. EAT REGULAR MEALS

If you are trying to lose weight by cutting out meals, STOP RIGHT NOW. PLEASE.

Intermittent fasting has become widely popular and in some instances works great, however, for the most part cutting out meals and reducing meal frequency is not the way to go when considering your overall health. Skipping lunch to save calories? This is one sure way to overeat snacks after dinner. Instead, focus on eating regular meals and satisfying your hunger all day so you are much less likely to binge or eat too much later on.

4. DITCH THE DIET

Fad diets work for a short amount of time, why do you think they are so popular? Short-term, restrictive diets can yield huge weight loss results. The diet and the results are often unsustainable and 9/10 will result in gaining the weight lost back, and then some. At least this was the case for me every-time I lost about 30 lbs. I was so good at losing 30 lbs. It was quick(ish). Manageable. Felt good. But here is the thing, I was never ever making long-term lifestyle changes that promoted health and wellness. I was looking for the quick fix. I disrupted my relationship with food to the point that I developed an eating disorder. I was overeating snacks and had no idea how to overcome it. I was restricted and miserable.

That is why inside my 8-week program we focus on macronutrients. This means you learn about the amount of protein, fats, and carbs your body needs to perform. To reach and exceed your fitness goals.

Instead of jumping on the latest fad diet, I recommend finding a sustainable way of eating. Focus on nourishing your body and the results you will experience will be completely different.

5. BREAK OLD HABITS

We are creatures of habit so it is no wonder when we are trying to break habits around food it is insanely difficult.

Identifying unhealthy habits is half of the problem. When I am talking about unhealthy habits, I mean the ones that may lead to overeating snacks and bingeing on food even when you aren’t hungry.

It is worth the effort to notice what some of your unhealthy habits may be. For example, maybe you are eating in front of the TV distracted, not even allowing your body to send the “full” signal to your brain. Switch this up and eat at the dinner table. Developing new habits while breaking old habits will be uncomfortable and painful at first, but will make a difference when it comes to overeating snacks.

6. GET HELP

If you regularly binge on large quantities of food or feel any sense of loss of control around food, it may be time to seek professional help.

Inside my 8-week program, we focus on our relationship with food and the feelings we have around it.

Eating disorders are very serious and not something to take lightly. Eating disorders affect millions of people and the first step to recovery is to reach out and ask for some help.

It is time to stop eating endless amounts of snacks and then feeling guilty about overeating.

Be sure to join this free group BE THE FIRE FITNESS FAM full of real talk on eating disorders and other useful tips like this one!

Over to you.

What one tip are you taking away from this article when it comes to improving your relationship with food?