Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Mindless Nibbling

Do you know how many calories you consume each day in mindless nibbling?

  • The eating you do as you make dinner ... tasting for seasoning, "tidying" up the ugly pieces when you're chopping or assembling, scarfing down the remaining two spoonfuls when you go to wash the dishes.
  • The grab-snacking you do on your way past the candy dish or pantry ... for me it's shoving a couple of pretzels in my mouth before I head to my workout room out of habit. 
  • The "just-a-bite" noshing you do, telling yourself that since you're not eating the whole cupcake, it doesn't count . Do you lick the spoon when you make brownies, but then refuse to eat an actual brownie? I do. 

It's exactly that kind of eating that's killing me right now.

I grab a handful of crackers here, a piece of chocolate there, just a few chips when the urge strikes me.

When I sit down and add it all up at the end of the day, I'm taking in an additional 200-500 calories from sun-up to sun-down.

I can't out-exercise that kind of consumption. Which means it's time to change the habit.

Eat when you're hungry. Think about what you're shoving in your mouth before you actually put it there. Decide if it's worth the extra 30 minutes on the treadmill to bring you back to net neutral.

Remember, your hand doesn't find it's way to your mouth by itself. Your brain is the hardest muscle to train, but it's possible.


No comments: