[photo by Vladimir Guculak]
I don?t know about you, but I am one of those people who really, really likes to snack after dinner. I have discovered that it started as a coping mechanism to distract myself from anxiety and worries as I start to wind down at the end of the day and just turned into a habit. I guess it wouldn?t be a big problem if the foods I chose to snack on were the kinds of food that are good for you, but no, it was always something high in sugar or high in fat. It tasted better and seemed to do the trick.
Of late, I have been making huge changes to my diet, the way I think about food and the way I use food to self medicate [read more here] and as part of that I have been trying to limit my after dinner snacking. At first I went cold turkey, totally denying myself any food after dinner. It wasn?t working and I simply felt like I was going out of my mind with cravings. A couple of people suggested I try a hot drink to try to ease the craving. I nodded politely and gave the impression I would think about it, but to myself I thought that there was no way a cup of tea or coffee was going to solve the problem.
One day when I was doing my grocery shopping, I found myself in the tea and coffee aisle and I thought that maybe I should just have a look at what was on offer. I have never been much of a hot drink drinker. I love cold drinks, flavoured milk, soft drink, ice tea and the like, but they aren?t the kinds of things I want to be putting in my body right now. The only hot drink I ever really drank regularly was hot chocolate, and very, very occasionally I would drink tea, or vanilla tea. I don?t like coffee, so I figured tea it was going to have to be. The question was which tea? After spending what felt like an age staring, a little bewildered, at all the packs lining the shelves I came across sachets of 98% fat-free Vanilla Chai Latte mix. I thought that sounded good and bought it.
So that night when the cravings kicked in I brewed my first cup. The first few sips were a little strange. I wasn?t sure if I liked it or not, but then, halfway through the cup I discovered I actually really loved Chai tea, and even more to my surprise was the fact that the tea actually was satisfying my cravings! I haven?t looked back! I am at the point now where the cravings are lessening and I don?t even need the tea every night anymore, but the best part is I can now enjoy a hot drink when those around me are sipping their tea or coffee. The funny thing is it makes me feel like I am all grown up!
In other news I am very, very excited to give a weight loss update: I have now lost 9kgs! I have passed my first goal of getting under a certain weight [which I'm not brave enough to share the actual figure with you yet] and I am only 1 kg away from reaching my second goal of losing 10kgs! The absolute best part of the whole thing has been the fact that I am losing weight without having to be totally all-or-nothing with my food. I still eat less healthy foods from time to time and, in fact, each Friday night I allow myself to each whatever I feel like. I really feel that this time things are different. The change in my mind is the biggest breakthrough by far, even though I know I have a way to go!
What are your tips for curbing the after dinner munchies cravings? I?d love some more suggestions!
Source: http://www.amandafullerblog.com/2011/07/a-solution-to-the-after-dinner-munchies/
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