Ways to Stop Constantly Eating? The demi-season periods, when spring replaces winter, and autumn replaces summer, are the most stressful for our body. It adjusts to a new temperature, mood, product, and light regime. At this time, you constantly want to snack, drink tea with cookies and sweets, and crunch on something. If you recognize yourself, then our 5 tips will help you not only cope with this hamster syndrome, but also improve your relationship with your body, understand your daily diet, and speed up your metabolism.
Tip 1: Forget about snacking once and for all!
Remember the moment when Meg Ryan in the movie When Harry Met Sally refuses grapes saying, “I don’t eat between meals”? And how do you like her slender legs and thin waist in the movie? Do you want the same? Then forget about snacking! The fact is that even a small meal raises insulin levels, which is why the body does not have time to use up accumulated fat as energy but only adds new fat to it. In addition, snacking is rarely healthy. The results of a Chicago study conducted in 2011 confirm that snacking slows down weight loss. Yes, the news is not the most pleasant, but now you can save on chocolate bars.
Tip 2: Lunch is the main meal of the day
When we wake up, we remember two strict rules that we have been told since childhood: brush your teeth and have breakfast. But it turns out that our body, awakened by an alarm clock and bright light, has no time for that. It really starts to demand food as a source of energy only at lunchtime. Therefore, you shouldn’t stuff yourself with sandwiches in the morning. It’s better to have a light snack of fruit salad, a small portion of homemade granola, or a bright smoothie, and organize a real feast for yourself at lunchtime.
Tip 3: Don’t eat 3 hours before bed
Let’s face it: you’re unlikely to want healthy Brussels sprouts or an orange slice at half past midnight. For some reason, that’s when you always crave something unhealthy and crunchy. Don’t give in to temptation! According to Japanese research, people who indulge in late-night snacking start to suffer from excess weight and related diseases after a few years.
Tip 4: Drink some water before you eat anything
Just not cold, which weakens digestion, but warm or hot, to which it is better to add a little lemon, ginger, and honey. American scientists are convinced that 8 sips before a meal can help you lose extra pounds. Water, of course, will not save you from folds on your stomach with a diet of cheese lasagna, burgers, and pasta, but you will want to eat 2 times less. Do not confuse hunger with thirst and every time you feel that your hands are reaching for snacks, it is better to drink a glass of water. After all, your 2-liter balance probably needs to be watched and watched.
5. Keep a food diary
If you find it difficult to assess your diet and understand the reasons for your evening appetite, start keeping a food diary, where you write down everything you eat and when, as well as the main symptoms and emotions during the day. A few days of such observations will help you see your habits and some patterns: for example, on days when you have a full lunch, the feeling of hunger in the evening is significantly lower than on days when you only have a salad during the day. Or you want to drink tea with something sweet every evening after everyone goes to bed, because this time is the only opportunity to be alone and “treat” yourself. When the reasons are clear, it is much easier to understand them.
6. Plan your evening
Once you understand the reasons for your nighttime hunger, planning your evening can be an effective tool in forming new habits. If you have changed your daily diet to be nutritious and eliminated snacks, but the desire to eat at night does not go away, think about what you can replace this habit with. This could be yoga , a bath, or evening herbal tea that will calm your appetite, relax your nervous system, and stabilize your blood sugar levels.
Recipe from How to Green: Evening Tea
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp peppermint leaves,
- 1/2 tsp. dried chamomile,
- 1 small cinnamon stick or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon,
- 1 tsp fennel seeds.
Pour boiling water over all the ingredients and let them sit covered for 10–15 minutes.
Eating late at night can be part of a healthy lifestyle if it doesn’t cause discomfort or negatively affect your figure or well-being. But in most cases, nighttime eating is an unhealthy habit and a consequence of our food choices during the day, which are fairly easy to change. Food should support your lifestyle and nourish your body, not serve as an emotional outlet and be reflected in extra inches on the waist.
