6 WAYS TO AVOID UNNECESSARY EATING

Many people have to deal with false hunger, (aka head hunger) on some level, for some it is a battle that they have to wage combat on constantly during the day and it can be even worse during the evenings when we tend to become less active. The following list is things that can be done to help avoid this excessive eating.

1. Drink unflavoured water – by filling the stomach, then the mind thinks you are full. For most people if they drink sweetened drinks (even if low calorie) they will be more tempted to eat, instead of reducing the desire.

2. Chew sugarless gum – your mouth is busy so you cannot eat, plus the flavours for most people are enough to satisfy the desire to eat.

3. Floss and brush your teeth – then you will not want to spoil the clean fresh feeling. The side benefit your dentist/dental hygienist will appreciate your increased dental care and ultimately you will have better teeth and lower dental care bills.

4. Suck on sugarless high intense flavoured mints or hard no sugar added candies – they keep your mouth busy and at the same time adds only a few calories (mints are the better choice as hard candies do have more calories that can start to add up) to your daily diet, the side benefit to the mints is that you have fresh breath.

5. Go for a walk when you have a desire to eat – it diverts the mind and takes you away from the food that is beckoning you, with the side benefit of extra exercise.

6. Find a hobby that keeps your hands busy – besides keeping your mind busy and off of food thoughts, your hands are busy and not reaching for food. I.E.: knitting, sewing, stitching, woodworking, clay modelling, painting/drawing, metalwork or model assembly, you do not have to be an expert at it (you never know, you may become one).

Author: Jean Hamilton, 3rd year post-op Roux-n-Y gastric bypass patient who has maintained a 300+ pound loss and author of A Fat Girl’s Butterflies: A True Story of Extreme Weight Loss. –www.wlspublishing.com

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