Boredom eating is a struggle for many of us. If you’re a human, chances are you think eating is a lot of fun. Especially in America, eating food is one of the most common activities we engage in while having fun. Think about it. Birthdays equal cake and ice cream. Date nights are dinner and a movie (with popcorn and candy!). Even television shows are dedicated to watching people prepare and eat food. Hello, Food Network! But boredom eating can result in unwanted weight gain because our brains get bored way more frequently than our bodies need food.
Here is how to stop boredom eating:
Check in with your body
If you are bored and want to eat, the first thing you should do is take a few minutes to check in with your body. Then ask yourself “Am I really hungry?” If your answer is yes, then ask yourself “How do I know for sure?”
Many of us have spent years ignoring our body’s cues for hunger and fullness so that second question is really important. Asking yourself how you know prompts your brain go deeper and look for your body’s signals. For those of you who can’t tell if you are hungry or not, check out this blog post on How to get back in tune with your hunger.
If you can’t find evidence that you are truly hungry, then find something else to do. There is nothing wrong with eating for entertainment as long as you are hungry. Food is a solution for hunger. Food can also be entertaining. As long as both problems need to be solved there is no issue with eating for food for entertainment.
Track your day and your eating habits
Taking the time to jot down when you are eating each day will reveal your eating habits. Maybe every day at 3pm you find yourself snacking because the workday is almost done, energy and motivation are lacking so you eat for a distraction and a little pick me up. Perhaps after another long day of taking care of the kids, you finally get them to bed and need something to do so you head to the pantry. Whatever it is, track it.
So often we go through our days on autopilot that we miss the little bites and snacks we have throughout the day. Committing to tracking each thing you eat and when, will allow you to gain insight into these habits and plan for something different.
As the old saying goes “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Without knowing what you normally do and making a plan for something different, you’ll continue to do the same thing you’ve always done.
Learn something new
If you’re bored, you probably need a hobby. Seriously! If the most entertaining thing you can think of is eating a snack, then it’s probably time to try something new. The world is full of amazing things. The next time you are bored, write a list of 20 things you would like to learn about or try. Then the next 20 times you get bored, you have a list of 20 solutions for your boredom.
Don’t worry, these don’t have to be long and involved things. They could be as simple as googling your favorite singer and seeing how their career started. You could fill in a few lines of a crossword or sudoku puzzle. Try a new makeup technique. Find a drawing tutorial on YouTube. Organize a drawer in your home. Write a letter to someone you love (maybe yourself!). The possibilities are endless.
Remember to keep the list handy. May I suggest putting on the fridge or the pantry?
Get a change of scenery
One of my favorite ways to bust through boredom without eating is going outdoors. During the COVID pandemic, I noticed that I was eating quite often simply because I was bored of looking at the same people and the four walls of my house all. the. time. I think we can ALL relate to that.
Going outside allowed me to give my brain new things to process through all of my senses. The sun on my skin, the chirping of birds, new smells of grass and dirt, and the sight of beautiful blue skies. Just walking around my neighborhood was enough to distract me from my desire to eat. It wasn’t about going for a long walk. It was simply about changing the scenery and giving myself something else to think about and experience for a moment.
Which of these techniques will you try? Comment down below.
Your Coach,
Andrea