1. Keep a routine

• Stick to a schedule. If you used to have a lunch break at 12:30, try to do the same. Factor in snack and tea breaks as well!
• And don’t forget to drink
• Position yourself somewhere that’s hard to get to the kitchen!

2. Check in with yourself. 

• There are so many reasons we eat beyond hunger and nutrients
• Why are you heading to the cupboard or fridge? Bored, procrastinating, stressed, emotions. Suss this out.
• Won't happen every time. But doing it sometimes might help reveal with honesty some patterns around your eating behaviours.

Strategies:

• Hunger fullness scale
• 10 minute challenge
• Put a wedge in
• During the meal - put your knife and fork down.
• Speed bump

3. Eat mindfully

• We can often find ourselves eating on autopilot, munching into a meal while our attention is on our screens,to-do lists, multi-tasking or wandering around the kitchen or house.
• Give yourself an opportunity to eat without distraction
• Serve your food for yourself how you would serve it to a special someone.
• Serve how much you want - rather than eating vita weats or crackers fresh out the packet, serve the 4, 10, however many you want on a plate! Prepare it.
• Sit down. Not at your desk. Grab a knife and fork or a drink.
• Switch off your devices, sit down uninterrupted.
• Give yourself the time and space to savour your eating experience and feel truly satisfied.
• Respect your food and yourself.

4. Just don’t buy it!

• If you struggle to stop at 1 or 2 tim tams and just end up feeling crap about it, don’t buy them!
• If you were trying to quit smoking would you have packets of cigarettes in the cupboard and fridge, in your desk drawer?
• Don’t dangle the carrot, it’s just cruel to yourself
• Nice vs kind
• Mindful eating starts well before you eat.
• Don’t shop hungry
• Review your goals - what you really want vs the quick high
• Check in at the shelves too!
• Research has shown that visual exposure to high calorie foods stimulates the striatum, a part of your brain that modulates impulse control, which may lead to increased cravings and overeating.
• Deprivation is not the answer. It is ineffective for long term weight loss and incredibly damaging to our relationship with food and our bodies.

5. Creative cooking!

• If you were fortunate enough to bulk purchase tinned tomatoes, now's your time to shine
• Home cooking vs take away = 20% fewer calories for the exact same meal
• Study of over 11000 ppl found that those who ate home cooked meals more than 5 x per week and better body comp (25% less likely to have excess body fat) and ate more veg and fruit.

6. Combat boredom

• Put a wedge in first: Walk to the letterbox, paint your nails, pat the dog, do 10 pushups...BEFORE you head to the kitchen.
• Consider why you’re bored on a larger scale.
• Online course, puzzle, book, create something (number paintings, ikea furniture), plants or home garden
• Our next episode we’ll be talking all about using your time to fuel your fire

40 meaningful things to do when stuck at home in a pandemic