Why is it that when we mess up once on our diet during the day, we allow ourselves to mess up not just once but for the rest of the day… or months if that?

I have had those days where I end up eating a few cookies for a mid-morning snack and then find yourself at the end of the day allowing myself to have eaten a few bags of chips at lunch, a slice of cake, a burger with fries for dinner, and a huge bowl of ice cream for a late night snack . . . just from that one cookie!!!!

I like to call this the snowball effect. One bad decision leads to a multitude of bad decisions. Have you ever experienced those snowball days in your diet? If so, do you end up throwing the diet out the window for the day or do you find yourself working harder towards your diet?

When times like these hit, don’t freak out! One mistake is not going to make or break your diet. IMMEDIATELY pick yourself up and start over. Don’t allow one mistake of eating an extra 300 to 400 calories lead to an extra 2,000 calories by the end of the day. Why let everything your worked so hard for fly out the window because of that one mistake? If you find that you gave into temptation throughout your day, forgive yourself and continue to stick with the game plan you already mapped out!

The reality is, we are humans and it’s easy to make mistakes, but it’s how we respond to those mistakes that will determine our success.

I have find that the kitchen has become my best friend lately. I guess it might be due to the fact that I am not in school, waiting to hear back from a possible job, and my husband is at work. Boredom… it gets me every time.

Between days of boredom, feeling like a bottomless pit other days, or being full and just desiring every cracker box in the cabinet, I have found the kitchen never lets me down to meet my needs. Can anyone relate?

Here are a few ways to prevent those binge eating kitchen dates:

Water

Sometimes we confuse hunger with thirst. Before you reach for that box of crackers, drink a bottle of ice-cold water and wait a few minutes. Then ask yourself if you are still hungry. If you truly are hungry you will feel it in your stomach, where as if you are thirst you will feel it more in your throat.

Gum

Pop a piece of gum into your mouth busy to prevent mindless munching or right after a meal to prevent further eating. Mint gum has also been known to suppress the your appetite and keep your mouth busy during those slow boring days.

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Blog / Read Blogs

I have found inspiration from other bloggers by simply reading about their  dedication and motivation to lose weight. Blogging is also an outlet to hold  you accountable, knowing that people will be reading your post and giving  your encouragement to say no.

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Get Away

Is the kitchen calling your name? Get away from the kitchen. Either go into another room where the kitchen is not visible or if that isn’t even enough, go window-shopping with a friend.

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Exercise

Did you know that exercise affects two hormones, ghrelin and peptide YY, which suppresses your appetite? Not only are your beating boredom but you are suppressing your appetite and getting in a good workout.

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Hope these 5 tips help during those binge eating times! It’s not easy to say no during those moments… it’s a battle and you just got to push through and not give in!

What do you do to prevent the mindless munchies?