Stop Snacking to See Better Weight Loss

How to Interrupt Snacking Patterns

How are you doing with your quarantine snacks? These days, when you might be home more than you’re used to, might be challenging your weight loss goals. If you want to avoid the “Quarantine 15,” let’s take a closer look at the physiology and psychology behind snacking.

Reasons are not excuses. Addressing the cause of your behavior helps you understand what’s going on and helps you make deliberate choices about what you really want to do. If you’re ready to take responsibility for how you’re coping with quarantine, here are some things to consider.

Physiological and Psychological Reasons for Cravings

1. You are seeking a dopamine response.

   When you’re dealing with something uncomfortable, your brain looks for a quick fix, and that quick fix is most often a dopamine response. Dopamine is a chemical released in your brain in response to pleasure. It’s fast and doesn’t last long, but it is an effective distraction from frustration, anxiety, irritation, and tiredness. Feeling any of those things recently? That might explain why it’s so hard to resist the salty, sweet, or fatty foods in your pantry. Sugar causes a dopamine response. The problem with a dopamine response is that your brain just wants more and more and more. Once you’ve established snacking as a coping mechanism to deal with those uncomfortable emotions, your brain will demand that quick fix every time you feel those things. 

2. You might have a candida overgrowth.

   Candida is a fungus that lives in your gut. Most of the time, healthy gut bacteria keep the candida in check, but eating too many simple carbohydrates (simple sugars or starches that our body reacts to like sugar) can cause an imbalance. If you have an overgrowth of candida, it actually causes you to crave even more sugar, because that is what it feeds on. The craving you feel might not even be yours!

3. You might have a nutrient deficiency.

   Your cravings might be your body’s way of telling you it needs something, but the message gets confused. You may be deficient in some nutrients but that comes across as a craving to eat everything in the cupboard in an effort to fulfill that need. Eating a balanced and varied diet of whole, nutrient dense foods, and supplementing those things you can’t get enough of (most often Vitamin D3, Omega 3s, and probiotics) can help curb cravings.

4. You might be dehydrated.

   It is easy to confuse the signals for thirst and hunger. Especially by the end of the day, your body may be needing more water.

Three Tips to Break a Habit Pattern

So if you find yourself in a night time snacking pattern, or any other pattern that causes you to stand in front of your pantry on a mission for chips or candy, try these three tips to interrupt that habit and get yourself back on track.

1. Acknowledge that this is an issue.

   The first step in breaking a habit is to build awareness around that habit. Notice what you’re doing and direct your attention to the causes. Think through the psychological and physiological reasons listed above, and address the things you need to address. Acknowledge uncomfortable feelings. Take stock of your nutrition and hydration patterns. You may want to try a simple spit test to see if you are dealing with a candida overgrowth.

2. Interrupt the pattern.

   Now that you’ve identified the pattern, think about what you can do to interrupt that pattern. It might help to put boundaries around your eating by planning your meals and your snacks. You could also turn the light off in the kitchen after supper and tell yourself, “The kitchen is closed until breakfast.” Limiting your consumption after 7 or 8 PM to a cup of tea or a glass of water might help. Try tying your craving to a different behavior. If you find yourself gravitating toward the cupboard, drink a full glass of water and move your body. Do ten squats or push-ups or jumping jacks, or a quick lap around the living room. That might be enough to shift your attention and let the craving pass. If you are actually hungry after doing those things, you can choose something that will fuel your body. 

3. Rewire your attitude toward food.

   Get clear in your mind what food is for. Do you eat to live, or do you live to eat? 

The small choices and daily habits that form the foundation of your day can either support your health and nourish the one body you have to live in for the rest of your life, or they can undermine your health and your goals. Make some shifts today that will make an impact on your health in these coming weeks, months, and years. If you’re seeking more support, all TruBalance Health offices are equipped for virtual appointments, or visit DrTraciKiernan.com for information on the Lifestyle Mastery for Health virtual course or the TRIBE membership