How To Stop Boredom Eating (And Maintain The Weight & Body You Want)
11 easy tips to stay away from unhealthy food
Maria wakes up every morning early to prepare her breakfast. She eats a bowl of oat with fruits and a boiled egg. For lunch, she takes a salad or a protein-rich meal. She maintains a strict diet for most of her day.
She must be losing weight and getting fitter right?
Unfortunately, not quite. On her way back from work, she often picks up a salted caramel latte or a chocolate eclair. That helps with her boredom. But destroys her progress.
I’m also guilty of boredom eating from time to time. There’s a place close to my work that makes great peanut butter shakes. I ignore the fact that it has more sugar than I take in a month. And I just go for it.
The next day when I stand on the weighing scale, I can’t even remember how the shake tastes. But I become intensely disappointed in myself.
With reduced COVID restrictions, you’re likely going out more. Stores are open after a long time. Friends and families are getting together. All of that is great. But it’s also time to be mindful of what you are eating to prevent future regrets.
Boredom Eating Affects You In More Ways Than You Can Imagine
Boredom affects your hard work
The fitness aspect is obvious. You are unlikely to get bored and have some salad.
You’d probably order that dessert you love.
Apart from the fitness & weight gain, you’d also face some problems that’d keep irritating you.
You’ll outgrow your favorite clothes
How sad it is to open your cupboard and not find anything worth wearing?
And then you find something that doesn’t fit you. It’s going to be a common occurrence if you keep up with boredom eating.
I once outgrew my favorite suit. When I sized down to fit that suit, it was too late & the suit was looking quite old. I still feel sad that I had to donate that suit.
Impulsive eating isn’t cheap either
Most food items you’d order are going to burn a hole in your wallet.
Eating out is expensive. It’s easy thanks to all the delivery services. But that just makes spending money so hassle-free.
In addition, you’d need to buy some new clothes to fit your current size.
Boredom eating gradually weakens your self-confidence
Even if you keep on exercising and eating healthy for the rest of the day, those lapsed moments will not allow you to lose weight as per your expectation.
Every day, you’d stand on the weighing scale and ask yourself — “Why can’t I lose weight? Why is it easy for others and so difficult for me?”
When you’d not see success despite putting in the effort, you’d start losing confidence in yourself.
11 Simple Ways to Manage Your Boredom Eating
When Maria saw the weighing scale going the other way, she became disappointed.
When she started spending more, she started feeling guilty.
But the turning point came when Maria opened her wardrobe. She found out that she can’t fit into her favorite clothes. That was the moment she decided to take charge by limiting her boredom eating.
And here’re 11 simple ways to do that —
- Plan sweet meals if you have a sweet tooth: Keep fruit or a healthy protein bar with you if you know you’d crave something sweet in the afternoon. I keep some cashew/almonds with me when I’m outside.
- Eat at regular intervals: Eating can be an entertaining task, irrespective of what you eat. Have mid-morning snacks (nuts) and an afternoon snack ( a boiled egg maybe?) to increase the number of times you eat.
- Don’t completely restrict your favorite foods: Love that creme brulee or ice cream? Have that occasionally. If you starve your “heart”, your cravings will come back with a vengeance when you’re bored. You don’t want to end your day with chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream.
- Shop for healthy yet delicious snacks: Granola with yogurt is delicious yet healthy. Fruit chaat is sweet and savory. Maria found her fix in Granola with yogurt. Find what works for you and shop for that.
- Remove the credit card from delivery apps: Ordering through Uber Eats or Foodpanda is so easy if you have your card stored. Create barriers for you by removing the automated payment option.
- Control what’s stored in your fridge: Of course, you can keep that delicious chocolate bar. But then you’d end up eating it. Keep what you want to have.
- Don’t keep unhealthy snacks in the open: Instead, keep healthy food on the table and in kitchen bars so that it’s easier to get them.
- Know what prompts you to do boredom eating: Is it a bad day at work? Or a long day? Or a lazy weekend? Whatever it is, once you know it, you’d be better prepared to handle it.
- Don’t Netflix & chill ( & eat): Eating while you are distracted is a recipe for disaster. You end up eating more and you miss out on enjoying the food.
- Mix things up & embrace your boredom: Try to find interesting & productive things to do when bored. Here’s a list of 18 productive things to do when bored.
- Keep some healthy juice with you: Sometimes a nice drink can act as a good replacement. Keep a good fruit juice, smoothie, or isotonic drink with you. Even camomile tea can help if you’re into it.
Final Thoughts — Take Charge of Your Boredom Eating
Boredom makes you crave sugar and salt. Once you find alternatives, you’d be able to avoid a disastrous snack or late-night meal.
Knowing what she wants has helped Maria enjoy her food more. She still does boredom eating but avoids the sugary stuff.
Find what works for you to manage boredom.
Remember what James Clear said
The greatest threat to success is not failure, but boredom.
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