I can’t believe it’s almost August already!!!
I’m stepping into some serious fear and growth in August. And to be honest I’m just SO excited to see what transformations come for me from it all 🙂
There was a time not so long ago that doing scary things (like travelling alone or spending big money on my growth) used to keep me scared and stuck. Now I embrace these fears and step through them towards my own growth and learning how I can make the biggest impact on this planet!
I’ll be kicking things off next week by heading down (alone) to Oregon for my very first music festival (sharing more about this over on my Facebook Page)! Then in a few weeks I’m off to the Tribe Live conference in Toronto with my incredible coach and good friend to soak in some powerful training to help me make the membership community over at the Sugar Freedom Collective even more incredible!
It’s going to be a great month full of challenges, laughter, and growth!
OK, enough about summer fun plans 😉
I’ve been having A LOT of conversations with women lately about one topic in particular.
One thing that they all seemed to struggle with…
Do you also struggle with the pull and habit of late night snacking?
You know, that late night snacking monster that sneaks up after a nice dinner when you’re winding down for bed?
Late night snacking is one of the worst things we can do for our health for many reasons. And you probably already know much of this but still aren’t able to shake the habit for some reason (Don’t worry I’ll share more on HOW to overcome this below. Stay with me as I have A LOT of really great insights and tips to share on this topic).
- Decision fatigue at the end of the day means we’re less likely to reach for anything healthy in the late night hours.
- We’re often distracted when eating/snacking late at night either in front of the TV or computer. This mindless eating often leads to overeating.
- For proper digestion and detox during the night we need to stop eating 2-3 hours before bed time. Late night snacking can inhibit our body’s ability to properly detoxify while we sleep which leads to a whole list of health problems over time.
- It can easily interrupt your sleep by either making it difficult to fall asleep or decreasing the depth and quality of sleep throughout the night.
- Snacking hangover! We’re often left feeling guilty and angry with ourselves either the morning after a night of snacking or once we notice the whole bag of chips is gone.
Do any of these reasons resonate for you?
If so, keep reading (trust me, you’re going to love what I share below)!
So, the question really is WHY, even though you know that you want to stop late night snacking, you can’t seem to stop?
I belive it comes down to TWO main reasons at play for most people. You may notice both of these or just one at play for you. We’re all different!
- It’s a habit. Most of us have developed the “after dinner meal/snack” habit right from childhood. If you grew up in a family that always had dessert or you saw your parents always eating late at night (like I did), then this habit could be deeply routed in your subconscious and no matter how hard you try to stop it can feel impossible.
- Emotional eating. This is probably the most common reason for late night snacking (or snacking at any time during the day). It’s VERY probable that you’re not in fact reaching for nourishment at that late hour (unless of course you didn’t eat properly during the day and your body is in fact craving nutrients). It’s more likely that you’re reaching for a feeling. Are you lonely and searching for comfort/connection? Are you bored and needing entertainment? Did you have a stressful day at work and just want to relax and feel happy?
Of course there are a few other reasons that could also be playing into this bad habit for you – location connection (is the couch a place you always eat at and whenever you sit on it you crave a snack?) or nutritional deficiency as I mentioned above.
As you can tell, this is one difficult habit to often re-wire and kick to the curb.
But it’s NOT IMPOSSIBLE!
Here are a few of my best tips to get you started in kicking this habit! Please keep in mind that you do NOT have to try all of these at once. I suggest picking one this week to try and see how it goes. Then trying another one next week and so on until you figure out what is going to work for you.
- Get crystal clear on WHICH of the triggers/reasons above are at play in your life. Do some reflecting and understand WHERE your habit is really coming from. This awareness is the FIRST and most IMPORTANT step. I suggest taking notes in a journal to be able to reflect on as you learn and grow.
- Prep healthy snacks and be sure to have something on hand at all times. A great place to start is by downloading your free copy of the Sugar-Free Snacks List Here!
- If you notice the snacking taking place at roughly the same time very night, set an alarm for that time (or 5 minutes before) and decide to do something else for 15 minutes to distract yourself. Get on your yoga mat, do a meditation, clean the kitchen, call a friend etc..
- If it’s emotionally connected, make a list of other ways (without food) that you can get those desired emotions that you’re really looking for.
- When you notice the snack craving kick in, go and make yourself a cup of tea instead. Buy a fancy/expensive tea that is just for your evening special occasion (make sure there’s no caffeine or sugar in it!).
- Create a “no eating on the couch” rule in your house. If you notice a snack craving come up, decide that you can have a snack but you have to sit at your kitchen table to eat it before going back to your show or movie. This simple rule can help you detach the couch from being associated with food. And it will help you actually check in to if you are actually hungry or just reacting emotionally or out of habit.
- And last but not least, find some accountability that works for you until you’ve kicked the habit! This is one of the most powerful reasons to work with a coach or someone who isn’t your friend that can actually keep you accountable and help you dive deep into the real root of this habit. If you want to know what this would look like for you, I’d love to offer you a totally free/no strings attached session with me. Come on over here and book in a time to chat!
Ok I know that was a long one, but this is such an important topic that I wanted to share as much as I could with you to help you with this.
Which tip above will you try this week ?? (POST BELOW for some extra accountability!)
I know how difficult this habit can be to kick.
I also know how LIFE changing it is once you do.
When I got off sugar and started completely reshaping my relationship with food, I noticed my “need” to snack at all times of the day completely disappeared. Now you’ll rarely see me snacking and it feels fantastic. I’ve learned to tune in to my body, nourish myself with whole foods and disconnect the habit and emotion behind most of my eating.
Nothing would make me happier than to help you get to this place too!
And I’m excited to share that I have 2 openings left for new clients starting in September!
If you’re at all curious what it would look like for you to kick this habit, stop emotional eating, and learn to eat better on a consistent basis, I’d LOVE to chat. Come on over to my online calendar HERE and book in a FREE coaching session with me before my calendar fills up for August!
I really mean it, straight from my heart, I’m here to support you in any way that I can. I would just LOVE to hear more about where you are right now, what you’re struggling with and help you dive into the root beliefs and feelings that are holding you back from your goals.
I hope this has inspired you to make some changes. To dig into where this habit is coming from for you and to start taking one small action in the right direction.
I can’t wait to hear which tip you’ll try this week and to support you even more in your free session with me later this month 😉
Here’s to stepping into the fear and going after our best life and health!
Love & Light,
Dani