Tips to Stop You Snacking

If, like me, the majority of your work time as a freelancer is spent sat in front of the computer in the spare room, then perhaps you too will have noticed the ratio of the number of words written, to the number of snacks consumed. In my case, it’s all the wrong way round! And while working from home is fabulous in so many ways, because the commute is a thirty second walk; the dress code encompasses my polka dot pyjamas and Fred the goldfish refuses to enter into any unpleasant office politics; it is disastrous for me in terms of a diet.

The problem with being at home all day is that there is no-one to watch as you stuff in the seventh cookie of the day. No-one to tell tales on you as you just “nibble” on a piece of cheese on toast, and no that’s not for lunch. With Fred as my only witness, it means the snacking world is my proverbial oyster. With my pyjamas in danger of becoming very tight indeed, I have to work out a way to manage the munchies. So, after begging my friends for their advice, here are some of their top tips for controlling the snacking monster.

Eat Properly

Eat a proper meal three times a day and fill up on low fat protein and fibre to keep you full longer. Or, change to eating smaller meals, six times a day. This way you can incorporate a snack as a small meal, but remember to make it healthy. Four chocolate digestives do not count as a meal!

Getting stuck into a piece of writing is no excuse to grab a packet of crisps for lunch! Take a decent break and create something healthy and nutritious.

Use mind games

Think about it long and hard first. Do you really want that snack? Or do you want that summer dress more? Really think about it for two whole minutes, and if you still want to eat something, then go ahead. Or, try tricking your mouth with sugar free chewing gum so that it’s too busy to chew any chocolate.

Another trick is to try and sidetrack the snack attack and do something else. Take a break from your computer and go for a walk, get some fresh air, do a crossword or even hang the washing out. Anything that takes your mind off the craving long enough so that it passes.

You could also try cutting out a picture of the summer dress/suit/bikini or whatever it is that’s motivating you to lose weight and stick it on the corner of your monitor screen. The constant reminder (and a picture of a very slim model) will stop you dead in your tracks to the fridge.

Be Accountable

One friend of mine swears by keeping a food diary, and lists everything she eats in a day. Having to re-read it, even if only to herself, is motivation enough to make sure it’s not filled with junk! No cheating on this one though!

Snack Well

And, after all that, if you must snack, have a healthy snack. Fill the cupboards with fruit, rice cakes, low fat yoghurt pots, dried fruits, unsalted nuts and seeds and some fresh veg. That way, even if you really, really, really want a biscuit, you can’t have one if it’s not there. Not unless there’s a very convenient corner shop close by anyway. No! Don’t even think about it!

So, I have absolutely no excuses now, these pyjamas cannot get any tighter. However, the sagest piece of advice, although admittedly the most difficult to swallow, came, as always, from my mother.

“It’s easy”, she said. “All you need is a little bit of willpower and a lot of self control”.

I’ll bear that in mind next time the biscuit barrel is just within my grasp.