Control Those Nighttime Cravings

You stick to your diet all day and eat healthy, well-balanced meals. Then, the evening comes and you find yourself making trip after trip to the refrigerator or cupboards to eat food that you don’t really need. Does this sound familiar? If it does, you’re not alone. I’m Wendy Corr, and in today’s wellness tip I’ll help you identify ways that you can control your nighttime cravings!

Extra calories are a struggle for many people who are trying to lose weight, but can’t seem to stop eating after dinner. But if you are trying to lose weight, the snacking you do in the evening could easily negate the smart food choices you’ve made the rest of the day. If you’re serious about getting healthy, here are some tips to help you stop eating so much at night.

The best way to curb your nighttime eating is to replace snacking with a healthier habit.

For example, going for a walk after dinner! Even if it’s only for 15 or 20 minutes, that physical activity helps to break the urge to grab something to eat. And many times exercise gives us the incentive to resist grabbing a bite when we get back, because we don’t want to ruin the good we just did for ourselves!

You’re more likely to eat too much at night if you are always around food. So, after dinner, move away from the kitchen. You may need to postpone clean-up tasks, so that you aren’t tempted to eat leftovers – or, even better pass off the clean up to someone who isn’t prone to nibbling!

A smart habit to start is to replace after-dinner snacks with something that diminishes your desire to eat after the meal – like mint-flavored gum, or a cup of tea. You could also brush your teeth, which does the same job – and boosts your dental health!

Eating while watching TV is a bad habit that de-rails a lot of people. A trick to keep you from munching during your favorite series is to keep your hands active. Fold laundry, do a crossword puzzle, crochet or knit – those simple tasks keep your mind AND your hands busy!

Remember, snacking isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But eating when you’re not hungry is a good way to get de-railed on your health journey!  When you create healthy habits, which include only eating when you’re hungry, you’ll reach your goals faster and keep your weight off for good!

Thanks for tuning in to Wellness with Wendy! I love sharing tips and tricks to help you live your best life – so for more health and wellness news and advice, follow my blog on mybighornbasin.com. See you again next time for Wellness with Wendy!