Oh boy. Here we go again. My wife is out of town and I’m in charge of the boys (poor boys) as of tonight! It should be a fun weekend.
I plan on doing the usual things like tell horrible Dad jokes and going for a couple of walks.
Maybe you can relate, but when I’m stressed, my late night snacking starts to creep up.
Fortunately, I’ve found some hacks that have worked for me and my clients.
I’m going to share some strategies with you that can help you avoid mindless night snacking…
#1 – Set a Timer
Set it for 10 minutes. Keep yourself busy. After 10 minutes have passed and you’re still desiring to eat just because you’re bored, then reset that time for an additional 10 minutes. Stay busy. Read. Play. Do some laundry. 90% of the time, that desire goes away by the second timer.
#2 – Leave the Premises
That’s right. Go for a walk. Literally, walk off the desire to snack.
Lately, this has been a powerful weapon for me to avoid snacking before dinner (which drives my wife crazy). I’ll have a huge handful of cashews just before dinner not because I’m hungry, but because I just love to eat. She’s like, “Oh c’mon! Dinner will be ready in like 30 seconds!”
Me: “But I LOVE to eat!”
However, I’ve been going on a walk with Champ and I get some quality time (without boosting my calories).
#3 – Clean
Make an ultimatum.
If you choose to eat something and you’re not really hungry, you have to commit to cleaning FIRST. It could be vacuuming the house. It can be cleaning the kitchen. It can be anything that will take at least 20 minutes.
Once you’re done, you can eat. Most of the time, one of two things will happen:
A) You’ll decide it’s not worth it
B) You’ll end up cleaning, then realize you’re no longer “hungry” and you were just bored.
#4 – Try Decaf Coffee
I’ll sometimes do this at night. I can’t help myself. When an episode of The Walking Dead comes on, it just feels like the right thing to do is to munch on something.
Ha. Ha-ha. Ha-ha-ha. Get it? Munch? You know… like the Walkers? No? OK.
Anyway, I’ll make myself a cup of decaf coffee and enjoy it. It takes away my snacking and curbs my appetite, too.
#5 Read an Inspirational Book
I have a stack of books I’m trying to get through. But get this… reach for one when a snacking attack hits. It will change your mindset and get you excited that you’re doing something positive for yourself.
It sounds like a whacky trick, but it does work. I read two books at a time (one fiction and one non-fiction) so I can easily grab one when the snacking urge hits me.
Alright, it’s time to prep for my single Dad weekend. 😉
Oh yeah and if you’re thinking…
“But Mikey, can I eat more at night and still lose weight?”
Yes, you can. If you do it right. I’ll show you how tomorrow.Â
Until then…
Later tater,
