7 Ways to Break That Frustrating Mindless Eating Habit ...

One way the mindless eating habit can get you is if you don’t really have set times that you eat. Without them, you just sort of munch your way through the day without paying attention to how much or how often you're eating. Have a time for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If a snack is part of your eating plan, have a set time for that as well. This way, you won’t find yourself eating without conscious thought.

One way to make sure you don’t catch yourself mindlessly snacking on cookies or chips is to not bring them in to the house. If you stop temptations at the door, you'll be much more successful. Choose healthy snacks instead. Chances are, you aren’t as likely to be tempted by those. If you must have some treats on hand, purchase them as individual portions or portion them out on your own.

Staying out of the kitchen will help you with the mindless eating habit. I try to tell myself that the kitchen is closed between meals. After a meal, clean it up, turn the light off and stay out of there. The kitchen can hold many tempting goodies. Busy yourself in other rooms until it is time to eat.

This may not work for everyone. But I have found that for me, out of sight is out of mind and it might be the same way for you. If a tempting goodie is out on the counter, you may be more likely to munch on it. If it's up in a closed cabinet, you can almost forget it is there. It takes a lot more thought to find it than just walking by and it catching your eye.

Sometimes you aren’t really hungry. You just want something in your mouth. For those times, try mints or gum. Even a glass of water can quell this feeling. Mints, gum and water are all low-cal or no-cal options. Brushing your teeth is another healthy option.

Sometimes we eat mindlessly because we aren’t paying attention. It’s easy to eat more when you have your mind on something else. Make a conscious effort to pay attention when you eat. This means put down your phone, turn of the TV, and put the book away. Pay attention to your food and you'll most likely eat less and enjoy it more.

Before you grab a bag of chips or a candy bar, ask yourself some questions to figure out what's really going on and what your motivation is. Am I hungry? Am I just bored? Am I just craving the taste of this food item? These questions can help you to determine if you really need that snack or not.

The mindless eating habit can be broken. Have you dealt with this? What helpful hints have you discovered?