Do You Suffer From Impulse Eating?
Do You Suffer From Impulse Eating?
I know I have! It’s happened to all of us, assuming you are human.
Do this sound like you?
You are away from home running errands. You are late because you had to stay at work. Regardless, just like that, you realize that you are hungry. Ok, not just hungry, but starving! You have been so busy you haven’t eaten for hours, your head is starting to throb, and you can’t even think straight.
Bottom line: you have to eat. Now!
As you “look” over your options, you realize that getting something to eat that is even remotely healthy is going to be nearly impossible. So what do you do? You grab the nearest, easiest thing available. You grab a burger or a box of crackers, maybe chips, or whatever you can find. And just like that you have put food into your body that will lower your immune response, raise your blood sugar, reduce your energy and contribute to weight gain. During the moment you could care less….I imagine.
It is a tough situation, and like I said, we’ve all been there. Sometimes you really do have to eat ‘right now.’ But over time, these eating emergencies add up and significantly impact your health and fitness achievement. Ater the moment has passed you do care, especially if you want to remove the jiggle in your middle.
What You Can Do! Habit 1 – 3
The answer is to stop having eating emergencies, and I will show you how to do this. It does take some planning, but it isn’t as hard as you might think.
The first step – Habit 1 Planning is to make a list of healthy, on-the-go foods that you enjoy eating. Make sure that you include things with healthy fats, protein and carbs (if it’s around your workout time). When you are very hungry, you need to have all the macronutrients covered in order to get quick energy, satisfy your hunger and clear your brain fog. This does not have to be a complete meal, but it needs to be balanced enough to substitute for one if needed.
Here are some ideas to help you get started.
- Unsalted nuts. Walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts. (These will provide protein and good fat), BUT NOT the whole jar.
- Raw Veggies. They are crisp, juicy, cold and sweet and full of the micronutrients your body craves.
- Cheese. If you eat dairy, having a small slice of your favorite cheese will give you a complete protein, a little fat and be very comforting. Remember: the goal is to tame the beast inside you that is calling out for a hotdog from the nearest drive through window. This is a mental exercise as well as physical!
- Nut butters. Cashew, almond, peanut…find your favorite. Almond butter is great on a banana; cashew butter is perfect on whole grain crackers. Go ahead and put 7-8 chocolate chips on top if you want. This is a tiny indulgence that will go far to settle your craving.
- Boiled eggs. Do you like cold, salted boiled eggs? They are a powerhouse of protein.
- Sardines. Yes, you read that right. If you like fish, you can buy small packets of wild caught sardines that travel very well.
- Water. You have to drink water.
The second step – Habit 2 Buying the food on the list. Seems obvious, but it has to happen if you are going to eliminate impulse eating: buy the food on your list. You have to get it in your house, so you have it when you need it.
The third step: Habit 3 Prepare. This food has to travel with you, and you have to decide how you are going to transport it. The secret is convenience. If you only have five minutes to grab your kit on your way out the door before work, it has to be streamlined. Ideally you will leave yourself more than five minutes, but life happens.
More on that tomorrow.
Now go and be awesome!
