Top 5 Ways to Stop Nighttime Grazing in Its Tracks
You start off the day with the firm intention of following a healthy eating plan. The nagging reminder from your doctor to drop those pounds lurks in the back of your guilty mind. Breakfast went well: some eggs and toast. Lunch is a healthy salad with grilled chicken and veggies. About 3:30 p.m. you spy a brownie. Down it goes, without much thought. Dinner is larger than usual, but after all, you’ve put in a busy day.
A little later, you respond to an irresistible siren’s call that beckons you to those prohibited food groups. You know the ones: the potato chips, the ice cream, the chocolate cake. Inexplicably, that chocolate chip cookie is firmly in your grasp. Your brain is shrieking, “No! Put it down! Remember, you’re losing weight.” Your mouth is watering. Your hand is moving closer to your lips.
“Stop!” the brain begs. “You’ve already devoured three of these tonight. And before that, you polished off some Kung Pao chicken and that leftover pizza. Put that cookie down!” By the end of the evening you are in despair and coming to your senses. Once again, the diet demons have visited, successfully derailing your dream of a slim body.
Any of these excuses sound familiar?
- You are bored, or lonely, or angry, or tired, or frustrated, or (fill in the blank). You deserve that donut.
- You learned to clean out the refrigerator when you were a kid. But didn’t realize the idea was to toss out old food not become a personal garbage disposal.
- Once you give in to that first bite of cheesecake, overeating is your companion for the evening. This friendship triggers more stress, guilt, depression and emotional emptiness. And so the cycle continues.
The top 5 ways to stop nighttime grazing in its tracks are:
- Get up from the couch or recliner. Go for an evening walk, or jump rope for 60 seconds. Polish all the mirrors in the house or do a bit of spring-cleaning.
- Ride it out. A craving is like a wave. It builds; it crests, then fades away. Generally a craving will last for 3 minutes or less. Ride it out.
- Create a distraction. Call a friend, take a bath, read a book, do handwork. Dance if you’re listening to music.
- Eat something other than that piece of leftover pizza. Quite often a drink of water or small handful of nuts can eliminate that hunger pang.
- Talk to yourself. Am I really hungry? What am I feeling right now? Is this what I really want? How will I feel after eating this? 10 minutes later? Tomorrow?
If you have been-here, done-this repeatedly with nothing ever working very long, Unstuck Living can help you finally kick this old pattern in as few as 1-3 sessions 90% of the time. Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) is not therapy. It is an easy and tested method to help people move through old patterns and get unstuck. Everything you need to change your life is already within you. All you need is to have the tools to tap into that wisdom.
If you’re ready to stop that craving in its tracks in 1-3 sessions with an investment in you of $90 per session, call me at (928) 367-8208 or email me using the Contact Form on the website. Bringing over 30 years of experience to my practice, I am a highly qualified NLP Practitioner and a certified clinical hypnotherapist. Many have found my friendly ways and precise techniques to be the easiest road toward a better life.