How to stop craving comfort foods

When The Kids Are In Bed The Pantry Beckons

 

If you’re trying to work out how to stop food cravings at night you’re not alone. Many mums report to me that the worst time for comfort food cravings is when the kids have gone to bed.

You may have managed to stay on track all day but as soon as you’re alone you make a beeline to the kitchen. It’s especially hard because most kids love all those sugary, fatty treats.

As a good mother you don’t want to deprive them, but late at night when these little treats are beckoning to you from the pantry with their bright and shiny packaging it can be very hard to resist the temptation to indulge.

 

The Comfort Food Isn’t The Problem

Why people eat to comfort themselves

In a perfect world we would banish all comfort food from the house – that way when the temptation arises there’s nothing to satisfy that temptation. But we’re not living in a perfect world, are we?

Night time can be a very vulnerable time for mums, especially single mums. When all the hard work is done and there’s just you and the television it might get a bit lonely.

Food, and in particular, high fat, high calorie food can become an unnecessary ‘companion’ that leaves you with a guilty conscience and a bulging waistline.

 

Find Something Else To Do

Some of my weight loss hypnotherapy clients have devised really interesting solutions to the late night overeating dilemma, such as taking up a hobby like knitting or cross-stitch. Let’s face it, when your hands are occupied you can’t eat can you?

Well not without getting everything around you all sticky. If you’re not a person who enjoys crafts, I suggest you do a puzzle or crossword instead. Find something to occupy your hands (smokers often do this when they are trying to quit smoking hypnosis Melbourne).

Be wary of the TV – it can be mind-numbing and you may find yourself seduced by those ads for yummy fatty foods. Also, when you’re watching telly you’re more likely to go into an eating trance. If boredom eating is a problem for you, you might find my Stop Boredom Eating hypnosis MP3 useful.

 

Secret Eating

Another reason why many people eat at night when there is no-one else around is because it becomes a kind of ‘naughty secret’. The concept goes something like this: ‘If nobody sees me doing this then I’m not really doing anything wrong…am I???’

But hop on the scales the next morning and they will tell you a different story! This kind of behaviour often goes back to childhood.

Some kids develop a ‘secret eating’ habit that becomes a game of comfort, especially for kids who are perhaps a bit overweight and therefore denied the foods that the rest of the family are allowed to eat freely.

 

You Can Stop Night Time Snacking

No matter where it came from, you CAN overcome night-time overeating with the help of a qualified hypnotherapist. Losing weight and keeping it off is about thinking outside the square.

If night time is a vulnerable time for you, become conscious of your behaviour. This is how to stop food cravings in their tracks.

The next time you get a craving, try saying something like: ‘I’ll just wait half an hour and if I still feel like it I will eat it then’. Once the craving has passed you can often move through the initial urge and keep your waistline intact.

Want to know more about hypnotherapy to help you with your food cravings? Get in touch with me on my contact page and I’ll tell you how I can help.