How to Avoid Negative Eating Situations

Being in negative eating situations can break down your willpower--and your diet. If you are trying to change your eating habits, are on a diet or want to stop overeating, learning what situations trigger your urge to overeat is the first step. While it may not always be possible to avoid those situations, it's important to identify them so you can then deal with them properly.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Identify what your triggers are when it comes to food. Some people overeat when alone at home, while others need to avoid social situations involving food. If you find that a particular type of situation triggers your overeating, find specific tools to deal with that situation, from avoiding it to changing some of you habits while you are there.
2. Don't bring unhealthy food into the house. Instead, stock your kitchen with healthy snacks, quick frozen meals and low-calorie foods. It's harder to eat unhealthy food if it's not around. Most of the time, no matter how tempted you are, you won't go out to buy it, but will end up eating something healthy that you have on hand instead.
3. Resist the temptation to shop for food when you are feeling sad or anxious. Negative feelings are one of the main triggers for overeating. Feeling down can also lead to bad food choices, so if you must shop when in a bad mood, create a list at home and stick to it when shopping.
4. Avoid spending time around people with negative views about food and dieting. Instead, surround yourself with people who are active and focused on their health. Take tips from them and share ideas on how to avoid negative eating situations.
5. Offer to bring a dish to social meetings and parties rather than expecting the hostess to cook healthy options. This will take the pressure off the whole situation and give you and the other guests at least one healthy food option.
6. Concentrate on your food. Avoid eating in front of the TV or when doing some other activity. As you sit down to eat, try using the kitchen or dining room table rather than sitting down with a plate elsewhere in the house. This will make the meal an event rather than something that you do mindlessly.

Tips & Warnings

• Suggest alternatives to restaurants and coffee meetings. Instead, go to the movie theater or offer to meet friends at a local park, where you can enjoy the outdoors and get some exercise at the same time. Your friends may appreciate the creativity of your suggestions, especially if you introduce them to fun places like batting cages, bowling alleys or skating rinks.
• Avoid ordering in too frequently. Having a refrigerator full of healthy food won't do you any good if you simply order a pizza for delivery.