Those new to tracking can have a real wake-up call when it comes to seeing just how many calories they are actually consuming.

That little taste test before dinner, a handful of trail mix on the way out the door, finishing the leftovers from your kid’s plate – those calories all add up at the end of the day.

Mindless snacking can quickly derail your progress. As you dial in your eating habits, addressing those previously unaccounted for calories becomes even more crucial.

Here are 7 tips to help avoid mindless snacking.

Tip #1: Take Back Control

Believe it or not, you control your environment. You might come across the breakroom donuts, host your kid’s pizza party, you might even bake a cake or two. The important thing is that you are aware of your macro budget and how it fits.

This is where the calorie planner comes into play to keep you on track.

Tip #2: Be Intentional!

Changing your life to no longer be at the mercy of whatever your day throws at you is what being intentional is all about. It can be beneficial to plan your day of eating ahead. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to meal prep; however, that’s one way to be intentional. It might just mean entering all your meals at the beginning of the day to keep you on track.

Tip #3: Make It Difficult for Yourself

Remember what we said in our last email – there are no bad foods! But we all have our triggers. One way to limit those triggers is by simply making it more difficult to eat them.

For example, don’t buy every snack food you see in the store. Maybe just buy one you love and pre-portion it to limit how much you consume.

Tip #4: Don’t Turn to Food in Stressful Situations

There’s a reason the term ‘comfort food’ gets thrown around – many people find just that from their meals, comfort. Leaning on food as a coping mechanism to deal with stress can really disrupt progress and become a bad habit.

Find a new habit you can lean on in stressful times, like walking or meditating.

Tip #5: Keep Yourself Busy

I’m sure you can remember a time when your day was so busy that you might have forgotten to eat. I bet you can also remember a time when you had nothing to do and found yourself elbow deep into a bag of chips. Trying to keep yourself busy while in a calorie deficit will help distract your desire to snack.

Tip #6: Don’t Leave the Water Bottle at Home

Thirst is often mistaken for hunger and can lead to grabbing a snack that you didn’t plan. Not only does water have its benefits from a hydration standpoint, but it also helps fill the stomach in between meals helping you stick to the plan.

Tip #7: Get Better Sleep

Low energy can quickly cause you to reach for food as a jolt to keep you going. Do your best to develop a good sleep schedule, aiming for 7-8 hours of sleep a night. It will aid in your progress and give you the recovery needed to press on toward your weight loss goal.

Use the tips above, and don’t let mindless snacking be what keeps you from success!

That’s it for now. Keep a lookout for the next message in this series – dealing with hunger while dieting.