We all get those boredom munchies when we are sitting home alone. Trying to stay away from the refrigerator can become complicated. Most of the time, you are not even hungry when you search for food. There are ways to avoid excessive eating out of boredom. Continue reading for 5 ways to keep yourself from boredom eating.
How to Stop Bored Eating Tip #1: Water & Exercise
Drinking water can actually curb your hunger. Dehydration can also be mistaken for hunger. Make the choice to forego that sugary snack for a big glass of water. After you drink the water, see if you are still hungry. If you drink the right amount throughout the day, you can avoid so many extra calories. Water is a natural appetite suppressant. It also increases your body's ability to burn calories. Along with water comes exercising. Take a break from sitting on the couch and do some small exercises in your house instead. This is an easy way to avoid unwanted calories and will also ward off some of those other calories that you encountered throughout the day. If you enlist a friend, you may even last longer. Odds are if you are sitting home alone and bored you had nothing better to do anyway. So start exercising and work on your hydration.
How to Stop Bored Eating Tip #2: Hobbies
Being bored encourages so many bad habits. To keep boredom away all together, you can take up a new hobby. Let your mind wonder into a new world with the help of a good book. This can help the time pass much quicker and keep you distracted from wanting to eat. You will be focused on a good story and not fixated on food or munching out. You can also try other mind working activities. Things like coloring, drawing, or puzzles can stimulate the brain and keep you from thinking about food. This is your chance to try something new with your spare time. You may even find something that you really enjoy. Food will be the last thing you think about.
How to Stop Bored Eating Tip #3: Healthy Snacking
If you really do need a snack, try to go for something a little more healthy. There are many healthy options that will not set you back a ton of calories. Things like fruits and veggies can hold you over until you are ready for your next meal. If you are following a special diet, when you are bored, it can become easy to fall into bad habits. If you are avoiding the healthy snack all together and going for something a little less healthy, you should try to control your portion size. Taking a small portion and placing it into a bowl is better than taking the entire bag with you. Eating out of boredom in front of the television also makes you prone to eat more.
How to Stop Bored Eating Tip #4: Call A Friend
You can stop yourself from being bored all together by calling a friend. By chatting for a few minutes, you can distract yourself and forget all about eating. You should also make plans to go out and do something. Making plans will get you out of the house and away from the refrigerator. You can plan activities to do together such as exercising or going for a quick walk. Being with a friend can allow you to make better choices and not give in to your boredom hunger. When you are with someone else, you can help each other be better and avoid bad habits.
How to Stop Bored Eating Tip #5: Change Your Habits
Humans are creatures of habit and fall into them very easily. By recognizing your bad habits, you can stop yourself from boredom eating. One way to stop this is when you feel like eating, pause and really think about if you need to eat. Most of the time we sit home and we have a snack here and there. But this can really hurt us because we're actually not hungry just in the habit of eating out of boredom. A problem that most people have is eating while they watch movies or television shows. Cues like rumbling stomach or emptiness are signs that you should eat. If you do not have these symptoms, it is best to step away from the kitchen and not eat anything.
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-Franki
