1. Don't Skip Meals
Create set meals and snack times for yourself throughout the day and stick to them. This will help you to stick to better schedule, and will also fight the urge to keep opening the fridge or biscuit tin to nibble on unhealthy foods by keeping you full on healthier options.
2. Don't Buy Too Many Unhealthy Foods
Create a shopping list and stick to it. Write a list before you go to buy and live by it. This will help you to avoid getting to the checkout and wondering how 70% of your basket isn’t what you went there for! Also, be label conscious when shopping. Don't buy anything that has a fat content which is over 5% per serving. Replace your favorite foods that contain a high fat or have a high calorific value with something better. It doesn’t have to be perfect... switching double choc chip cookies for chocolate chip Snackajacks for example is smart and effective, switch your family bag of Doritos for a less fatty / calorific oven baked crisp or better still - buy some potato’s and set aside some time to make your own! Better choices is a good start to make progress...
3. Drink Water, and Lots of it
Most people confuse thirst with hunger and will start to snack when their bodies are just trying to tell them they're thirsty. Before you reach for that snack, have a glass of water first. Then give yourself five minutes and see if you are still hungry. Listen to your body!
4. Keep Busy
Who else finds themselves opening the fridge repeatedly even though we are aware of exactly what’s in there? Boredom! Find a task to do around the house, go and get some fresh air, keep busy. Activities will help to keep your mind off of food so that you aren't eating out of boredom. Drink that glass of water, go and do something for ten minutes and 9 times out of 10 your cravings will disappear!
5. Disassociate TV with snacks
A family bag of crisps can be devoured before you’ve even had a chance to get through the opening scenes of a film. So get out of that habit and set some boundaries!
6. Treat Yourself
Depriving yourself of the foods you enjoy the most means you are more likely to binge on them later. Every now and again, enjoy your favorite foods in moderation to avoid destructive behavior in the future.
No matter how diligent you are about your diet, everyone has their moments of weakness. If you notice yourself having difficulty controlling your snacking, keep a food diary, writing down everything you eat and how you feel before and after you've eaten it. This will help to create a better picture of when and why you tend to snack.
