Healthy Living
Snack Attack? 5 Tricks to Tackle a Tempting Kitchen!
Have you found yourself filling up your shopping cart with unusual items lately? Maybe stress-eating snacks that you normally wouldn't indulge in (hello, Bagel Bites and Nutella)? Or, stocking up on supersized bags and boxes of whatever you can find to minimize trips to the store? Now you're left with a pantry and fridge full of foods you don't typically consume, and you're wondering how to fit it all within your Points Budget.
Don't worry, you're not alone! Currently, only 30% of WW members are eating their usual foods. However, this change in your eating habits doesn't have to derail your progress. And you don't need to rely on willpower alone to avoid overeating - research shows that willpower can diminish over time, making healthy choices more difficult. Instead, try these science-backed strategies to manage a kitchen full of food.
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Figure out how you’ll fit the snacks into your Budget.
Reminder: On WW, everything is on the menu—including those ice cream bars that you bought on your last shopping trip. The key is to pre-plan and work the eats into your Budget. For example, will you put a chunk of your daily Points toward the ice cream and then focus on ZeroPoint® foods at meals? Or will you lean on Weeklies and rollovers?
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Make your own single-serving portions.
More bags of chips than normal in your pantry? Intentionally controlling portion sizes is important. Research shows that when people serve themselves from larger packages of foods, they tend to dish up and eat more. So, what to do with all those cookies? Instead, try making your own snack-sized packs. Divvy up the contents of the larger bag into single servings of cookies. Take it a step further by labeling the bags with the Points value of the serving.
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Choose where you’ll eat.
Aim to enjoy the food somewhere you’ll be less likely to take more servings than you planned. For example, you could take the portion of chips to the kitchen table or your desk.
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Decide when you’ll eat.
Consider when you’ll be most likely to enjoy the food and be least likely to overeat. It might be best to avoid eating the food when you’re very hungry or while watching TV and distracted by the show.
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Practice mindful eating.
Slowing down and paying more attention to your meal or snack can help you stick to your Budget. A few strategies to try:
- Keep your phone and electronics out of sight.
- Alternate between focusing on the conversation and how your food tastes.
- Cut your food as you go, instead of all at once.
- Spend the first couple of minutes eating your meal with your non-dominant hand.
- Pace yourself with the slowest eater at the table.