Six Ways to Stop Automatic Eating and Being Your Own Mom

Whether you are fighting with your weight or................wait just one minute.  Is that even possible???
It means we are fighting ourselves.  Now that is just plain outrageous when you think about it.  It is not the WEIGHT that is the problem.  So what is then?

It could be that there is some automatic eating going on.  You know what I mean.  Eating without really thinking about it.  Eating stuff because it is THERE - the candy dish at the office, the snacks at the party, the left overs in the fridge, the soda that will go "flat" if you don't finish it, like now.  Grazing can actually be a healthy way to eat if it involves good nutritious food, like apples, a few nuts, a handful of seeds.  But come on.  Who grazes that way?  Not the person who is "fighting a weight problem", that much I know.

So here are some practical suggestions to help take control of mindless munching.

1.  Declare your home a junk-free zone.  If it isn't there, you cannot eat it.
2.  Clean up the office.  Talk with coworkers about reducing the unhealthy food at work or at least confine these foods to a break area or put snacks in cabinets to keep the temptation out of sight.
3.  Stop and THINK.  As you reach for that candy bar or soda at the check out counter, stop.  Consider what you are doing.  Becoming aware of the automatic triggers and the nature of automatic eating will help give you a change to interrupt this cycle.
4.  Restrict TV.  Commercials showing food (and let's face it, they are not showing you apples) cue people to eat and feel hungry.  Kids are especially susceptible so limit their viewing to commercial free programs on PBS or DVD's.  If you ARE going to eat a snack while watching TV, put it in a small bowl and never eat out of the box or bag.  Count the pieces you put in the bowl.  (Eating 10 almonds, for instance, will help fill you up and give you some great nutrients.)
5.  Reflect on your habits.  Just think about your eating habits and develop a few personal rules to thwart mindless eating.  In essence you will discover you are not fighting your weight, but fighting your habits.  Make new ones!
6.  Use automatic eating to your advantage!  Because we usually eat what is available, keep healthy foods (carrot sticks, trail mix etc) in easily reachable spots.  (Example - I'll put a small bowl of sunflower seeds on my kitchen counter and take a few here and there throughout the day.  Next day I will chose something else, like dried apples.)

There are times we have to parent ourselves.   If mom doesn't buy the junk food and soda, the kids cannot consume it. 

To sum it up, be kind to yourself.  Don't fight with yourself because you are not the weight you want to be.  Love yourself enough to be a really really good parent to yourself.  Make mom proud!

Happy Mother's Day to all, whether you are an "official mom" or not.