Friday Focus: What to do instead of eating

This week's Weight Watchers topic is all about what to do when you're bored or procrastinating instead of turning to the fridge and looking for something to eat.

We've all been there! I'm bored, what's to eat? Sound weird when you say it, but that's literally what goes through our heads. I can totally relate. Not eating out of hunger, but eating out of boredom is something that I've struggled with, and continue to struggle with, for the last 18 years of being a weight watcher.

So what to do? Some strategies I've used over the years include:

• Distraction - walk away from the kitchen and do something else. Read, get outside, do a craft, clean something up - as long as it's not the kitchen lol.
• Hunger check - I ask myself, "Am I hungry enough to munch on an apple or some baby carrots?" If the answer is no, I know that I'm not really hungry.
• Eat a healthy option first - If I think I really am hungry, I make myself eat the healthy option first. I'll say to myself "You can have X snack after you've had the carrots." Most of the time once I'm done with the carrots, I'm not in the mood for the snack. 
• Own it - Sometimes I look at the points and it fits into my plan, so I'll just eat the snack. Or sometimes I'll eat first and track the points later, but either way I'm tracking it and owning it as part of my day.

What do the almighty Weight Watchers officials say? In this week's Weekly (found here) and on the website there are some pretty good tips.

• Pause - stop and tell yourself that eating won't solve the boredom or finish the task for you. After you eat you'll still be bored, or the task will still be there, and you'll feel bad about over eating.
• Activity - going for a walk and/or getting outside can help you avoid the eating and add to your daily FitPoints.
• Mindfulness - take a few minutes for some deep breathing or other meditative activities. Even just taking a 3 minute break to listen to your favorite song can  help.
• Distraction - call a friend, play a game on your phone, do another task, read a book/magazine, etc...

All of these are great strategies. I think what is important to remember is that we are going to fall into this trap from time to time, and it's ok. It happens to even the best and most seasoned of weight watchers. What's important is that we don't use it as an excuse to throw in the towel and start a snacking free-for-all. What matters is that we get right back on track. I once read that every meal is a new opportunity for success. So even if we succumb to boredom snacking, we just need to make the next choice a healthy one that aligns with the plan and with our goals.