Tips to lose weight

If dinner is over but you find yourself back in the kitchen, figure out why and what you can do to avoid overeating.

Are you really hungry?

Don’t reach into the fridge before asking yourself if you really do feel hungry.

If yes

You probably didn’t get enough calories during the day, so choose a light snack to satisfy your hunger. Remember, it’s a snack, not a second dinner. Small portions of low-calories foods will satisfy your desire to snack without leaving you feeling overstuffed and guilt ridden. Keep a variety of fresh fruits on hand. Fruit is a sweet treat that doesn’t pack on the calories. An apple, peach, or orange has good nutritional value and fewer than one hundred calories.

If no

Ask your self and get to the bottom of your desire to eat. Are you tired, lonely, bored, or just snacking is your habit?. If you’re tired, go to bed. If you’re feeling kind of lonely and blue, call a friend. If you’re bored, tackle a project or read a book. Or if it’s just a hard habit break, keep reading for some helpful suggestions to get your mind off food.

Stay Busy

Boredom is often the reason for evening snacking, so plan activities to keep you busy. Learn to play a musical instrument, write poems or letters, clean your house, paint your nails, play with your kids or even surf the net. Or choose to do something active after dinner, such as taking a walk, going for a bike ride, or signing up for swimming lessons. After all you’ve accomplished, you will feel great and probably won’t want to snack anymore.

Set snacking guidelines:

• Eat only at the kitchen or dining room table. Consider all other areas of your as snack-free-zones.
• No snacking in front of the TV, that may leads to mindless eating.
• No munching while on the phone, it also leads to mindless eating and can be really annoying to the person you’re talking to.

Serve all snacks on the plates. No picking while standing in front of the fridge and no digging into the half gallon of ice cream with a spoon. If you are going to have some ice cream, it must be scooped into a dish first.

Close the kitchen

Once dinner is over, wash the dishes and turn off the lights. Consider the kitchen closed for the night. This may be good enough to keep your mind off food.

Drink up

Keep a big glass of water, diet soda, or unsweetened iced tea on hand. Liquids can fill you up, which may subdue your urges to surf the cabinets for late-night-snack.

Remove temptation

Don’t keep food in the house that may be hard to resist in the evening hours. Stock your fridge with healthy snacks, such as veggies and fruits, that won’t leave you feeling guilty.

Brush your teeth

Once dinner is over, brush and floss your teeth. Food may not be as tempting if you have minty, fresh breath.