Boredom or emotional circumstances in our life – such as stress, family, and work, can lead us to eat when we are not physically hungry.
The Mayo Clinic writes an informative article on Emotional Eating.
1- You are moving significantly less, and 2- Run the risk of putting your body into a caloric surplus.
First you need to make a rule not to be eating during these 2 activities. If you do watch TV, or work on the computer, limit these activities to what is only necessary and then move on to something else. These activities (and any others) you find yourself partaking in which contribute to poor lifestyle habits, need to be modified or replaced with more constructive activities.
Luckily, I have complied a list of things you could be doing with your time when establishing a lifestyle shift. Plus the benefit of NEAT – Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis – in layman’s terms –> moving more. PubMed defines NEAT as – Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is the energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating or sports-like exercise.
Along with diet modification – you need a shift in focus that includes keeping busy. You need a distraction. You need a hobby. You need to put your energy into something else besides putting food in your mouth. You need to keep moving.
Here is a list of things that can help you shift your focus from food to something else.
- Purge your closet
- Purge/organize your dresser
- Iron clothes
- Do laundry
- Do the dishes – not the dishwasher
- Plant flowers
- Prep your meal plan for the week
- Do your nails
- Wash the windows of the house/car
- Organize your bookshelf
- Organize your photos
- Design a photobook online
- Phone your mother
- Phone a friend
- Write a letter
- Go for a walk
- Read a book
- Write thank you cards
- Research a vacation
- Go workout
- Read a magazine
- Research going back to school
- Visit a friend
- Start a book club
- Mow the lawn
- Weed the garden
- Get your hair done
- Make a dentist appt
- Get your nails done
- Research competing
- Clean out the fridge
- Shop for groceries
- Wash the car
- Brainstorm for a project at work
- Window shop
- Have coffee with a friend
- Play with your kids
- Play cards/board game
- Attend a festival
- Dust the entire house
- Download new music for your iPod
- Organize your phonebook
- Organize your music on your iPod
- Start a blog of your journey
- Journal
- Read the newspaper
- Sign up for a dance class/lesson
- Do the horizontal mambo
- Sign up to volunteer
- Tutor/mentor
- Scrapbook
- Clean the gutters
- Paint
- Have your pictures framed
- Coupon – find coupons online
- Play a video game
- Polish the silverware
Changing your dietary habits does not have to be viewed as a punishment or restriction. You do need to be mentally ready to make this life change, and to make strategic eating part of your plan. Keeping busy is one strategy to stay on track with your goals. You might be surprised on how much you actually accomplish when you shift your focus from food to something more productive and non food related. You might be surprised on how much you accomplish in your life, and with your fitness goals.
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