Moms and Mindless Eating

The days I am home with the boys (and not working my part-time job), I have a tendency to do a lot of mindless eating.

Mindless eating can include but is not limited to:

• Fixing your child a snack and having a little handful of his/her goldfish.
• Getting a little “snack” from Starbucks when you are getting your coffee while running errands. (FYI – even their new line of de-lic-ious new “minis” are usually close to 200 calories!)
• Getting a couple of spoonfuls of yogurt while fixing your child a bowl.
• Grabbing a piece of cheese out of the refrigerator…just because.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  It is not horrible to engage in these activities occasionally.  The question is….is it occasional or everyday?

I am convinced that as moms, we are always preparing foods for our families, running after little ones, driving kids to soccer practice, or whatever it is that keeps us so busy.  It is so easy to eat hundreds of “handfuls” or “bites” of calories every day without even realizing it.  Trust me. I know firsthand.  Whether you want to lose weight or just simply be healthy, we must fight this tendency.

So…how do we stop this madness?

• Have structured, planned snacks for yourself and eliminate taking bites of your kids’ snacks
• Do not buy things that you feel you have no control over.  For me, this is milk chocolate anything!
  
• Eat filling meals that are a good balance of good carbohydrates, protein and healthy fat
• Drink, drink, drink….water!

For me, this is a constant battle that is not just magically fixed one day.

Busy moms, take it one day at a time!

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