5 Snack Habits Sabotaging Your Slim Down. PLUS 5-Day Summer Snack Challenge starts July 15!

Thinking about postponing your clean eating efforts until September or even January? Think again. Here’s how you can enjoy summer’s treats while still slimming down & having fun!

 

July 4th has come & gone, leaving you feeling grateful for your time with family & friends, but also a tad bloated and ready to clean up your eating habits. Sound about right?

But how can you stick to your health goals this summer AND avoid summer dieting? Easy peasy, lemon squeezey – by focusing on WHY you’re eating instead of obsessing over WHAT you’re eating. And you’re gonna do that by learning 5 snacking habits that are sabotaging your slim down efforts.

 

Below is a high-level breakdown for you to read. But to see & feel REAL BENEFITS in transforming your health by transforming your snack habits, you need to listen to the education, watch the live workshops, and TAKE ACTION in making your appropriate changes!

Do this by joining the free 5-Day Summer Snack Survivor Challenge starting July 15 to listen to the daily workshop lessons & get the quick-hit actionable homework each night. So pause your reading right now, sign up here, then scroll down for the top-line transformational tips.

 

5 Snack Habits Sabotaging Your Slim Down

1. Before Dinner

   • WHEN YOU DO IT:
     It can feel relaxing to have a glass of wine or 2 & maybe some cheese & crackers before dinner. Maybe you’re hungry. Maybe you could wait. But oftentimes, you end up eating a second, unintended meal.
   • WHY YOU DO IT:
     Habit. Waiting around for the real meal to be ready. Filling the void. In urgency mentality. Stressed. Anxious. Convincing yourself that you need food immediately.
   • HOW TO MANAGE IT:
     Step 1: Decide whether you feel that these sneaky bites happen often enough that they’re holding you back from your personal, ultimate vision of health.

     Step 2: If so, make a decision to simply NOT do it. Don’t make it restrictive. Keep it fun & positive. Remind yourself that these bites are simply extra & unnecessary.

     Step 3: Fill the void with something else. FaceTime a friend. Drink infused water. Chew gum. Remind yourself that you’ll enjoy the meal so much more intentionally & thoroughly if you simply wait to sit down for it.

     
     

     

2. After Dinner

   • WHEN YOU DO IT:
     Dinner is done. You’ve been nourished. (Sometimes even more than you needed.) But there are those few hours before you go to bed. Does couch time always have to equal snack time?
   • WHY YOU DO IT:
     Habit. You’re used to it. It’s become a thing. Your brain has become comfortable with it. You don’t know what else to do!
     
   • HOW TO MANAGE IT:
     Step 1: Decide first if you’re genuinely hungry, or if you’ve had enough food & have trained your brain to think it’s always hungry at this time.

     Step 2: If you’re genuinely hungry, add more healthy fat to your dinner. Olives, avocado, healthy oils, nuts will keep you full. Drink more water too!

     Step 3: Try to phase out of a nightly snacking routine by cutting down by 1 day each week. Acknowledge how you feel the next morning. Nbd?

     Bonus Step 4: The few nights you do intentionally choose to snack, make it as healthy as possible. Nuts, homemade chia seed pudding, 1/4 cup no sugar added trail mix. But be sure the rank your hunger and determine whether that snack is truly necessary.

     

3. At a Party or Event

   • WHEN YOU DO IT:
     Even if you already ate prior to the event, or even if the food isn’t that great, you still seem to gobble up hors d’oeuvres & appetizers. You also may tend to “save up calories” before an event so you can go to town on apps there.
     
   • WHY YOU DO IT:
     It’s habit. You’re anxious. Everybody else seems to be doing it. You think it’s expected. You want to try fun foods. You need something to do with our hands. Or you’re truly are hungry and eat all the things available to you in the moment.
   • HOW TO MANAGE IT:
     Step 1: Map out your parties for each month. Are some more social than others?

     Step 2: In your planner, circle at which events you will be eating, and X out at which ones you will not be eating.

     Step 3: For the eating parties, write down your protocol. How much? Only certain foods? For the non-eating parties, how will you hold yourself accountable? Will you give yourself a prize for sticking to it?

     

4. Weekends

   • WHEN YOU DO IT:
     You’re off your normal schedule & routine. Sleeping in. At home longer. More fun plans!
   • WHY YOU DO IT:
     You don’t have a set schedule so you’re just eating when you get a moment, or when you’re bored, or every time you come home, or every time you walk in the kitchen.
   • HOW TO MANAGE IT:
     Step 1: Begin with the beginning in mind. Note the time you first eat. Is it later than usual? More than usual?

     Step 2: From there, count ahead 4 to 6 hours. That’s the next time you should be ready to eat depending on the size & quality of your first meal.

     Step 3: If you feel like you want to eat 2 hours later, remind yourself what time you last ate, and challenge yourself to determine if you’re truly hungry or you’re just bored/eating out of habit.

     This way, you don’t have to create a set meal plan to follow on the weekend.

     

5. Travel 

   • WHEN YOU DO IT: When you’re away from home. Traveling with family, friends, solo or work.
   • WHY YOU DO IT: You want to have fun! You don’t want rules. You want to try new foods. YOLO!
   • HOW TO MANAGE IT:
     Step 1: It’s up to you to decide before your trip what type of trip you want to have. No regrets? Keep it clean for energy? 50/50?

     Step 2: Whichever you decide, before your trip write down what your choice means to you. If you say 50/50 or 80/20, what exactly does that look like? What indulgences are you looking forward to? How much do you want to drink every night in order to thoroughly enjoy the next day?

     Step 3: When you’re home from your trip, bust out that journal. Write down all of your favorite memories from your trip. Fave restaurants, meals, morning activities. Get out all the goodness.

     Then, decide whether you’d change anything about your eating habits for your next trip. Would it change your time there? Would it change who you were on that trip and who you are now?

 

Do any of these mindless snacking habits click with you? 

Reading this action plan is one thing. Listening, watching and actually taking action is quite another. Watch the free workshops, listen to the guidance and TAKE ACTION by joining the Summer Snack Survivor Challenge! Sign up via email here or Facebook Community here. Here’s a quick rundown of the 5-day Challenge:

• 5 Days of Transformational Wellness Education & Support
• Specific Tactics to Overcome the Snacking Habits Sabotaging Your Slim Down Efforts
• Daily Live Workshops (plus access to replays) starting Monday, July 15 through Friday, July 19
• Action-Taking Homework each day to get your results immediately
• BONUS: Engage & comment during the live workshops and/or replays to win bonuses, such as a FREE 45-minute Breakthrough Session with me!

It’s free. It’s effective. It’s supportive. It’s life change. What have you got to lose?

Questions on the challenge? Email me here or message me on Instagram or Facebook!

Let’s get you back on your health track together in a fun, positive, extremely supportive way.

I wholeheartedly believe in you,
Katie Hardy / @WholeHardy