How to Stop Impulse Eating: 5 Strategies That Work

Nikkiey: You're picking up the Doritos and you're like, pause, right? Ask yourself, why do you want to eat this? Are you really hungry or are you bored? And it's always going to be that you're bored.

What's up, you guys? Welcome to The WarriorBabe Show with Nikkiey Stott, co-founder and brand personality of WarriorBabe, where we talk about mindset, methodologies, and tactics that will help you lose body fat, build muscle, be strong, and feel insanely confident. I am your host, Nikkiey Stott, and welcome, my friends, to episode number three.

Today, I'm going to share with you five strategies to help with impulse eating. As a New Year's resolution of yours, it may be to get into shape, it may be to lose weight, it may be to feel better about yourself. And one of the biggest ways that you are going to do that is by learning to be in control of yourself around food.

Maybe you're struggling with this, maybe you have struggled with this, maybe you do really well for X amount of time, then all of a sudden you find yourself falling back into these old habits. And you just don't have a grip on how to control yourself around food and how to manage your impulses, and impulse control is a big part of how you're going to do that. And that is what we're going to talk about today.

Let me remind you guys, too, that I have been in your shoes with this. And if I can learn how to control it, so can you. Prior to my journey, I shared with you guys that I was obsessed with sweets and candy. And you know what, truthfully, I still am. I just have better impulse control and mental discipline to stop me from following through on the impulse.

And let me tell you this, too. It will take you time, practice and dedication to your goals. So don't get mad at yourself if one time you mess up. Don't beat yourself up. Don't tell yourself you suck. Don't tell yourself you're a failure, because that narrative in your head, you're going to start to believe that and you're just going to stay stuck in that low energy and low vibe. And you're going to stay stuck in letting the impulses control you rather than you controlling the impulses.

So when you do mess up, and it will happen, give yourself grace. Get back on track the next day. Don't let it spiral. Just be like, OK, today is a new day. You have the control of going about the day how you want to. Right? Failure and mistakes are and will be a part of your journey. So just remember that.

All right. Let's dive into these five strategies to help with impulse eating.

So number one, and this is probably the most important one that you can do, and it's also one of the hardest: it's to be aware and to identify the triggers that lead to impulse eating. That's one of the first steps to reducing impulse eating. So identify the situations or the emotions that trigger the desire to eat. Maybe you're somebody that eats when you're stressed. Do you tend to snack when you're stressed or when you're bored?

An example that I will probably use a lot in this podcast is the one where at nighttime, you're at the end of the day, you're tired, you're maybe just chilling out. Maybe you're bored. You find yourself in the kitchen, the pantry, and you're snacking on things, or you're watching Netflix and you're snacking on things. So identify these triggers that lead to the impulse eating. And then by identifying the triggers that lead to it, you can start to develop strategies to manage them.

For example, if you snack when you're stressed, you might start to find alternative ways. We have to be aware of this. So when you're in the kitchen snacking, it's like, whoa, here I am in the kitchen. And I'm going to get to this in a second as another strategy, but it's bringing to light the action and bringing awareness to the action that you're about to take. And then you may start to find alternative ways to cope with that stress or to cope with that boredom, and to be like, I'm watching TV, but I'm not going to do this. Right?

So in an instance with the stress one, for example, an alternative way to deal with that is: OK, here I am. I'm identifying the trigger that's leading me to impulse eating, or wanting to be an impulse eater right now. I'm stressed. So instead of going here for food to relieve that stress, I'm going to go here, which is going on a walk, or just sitting down, being aware of the trigger that you're dealing with, and then breathing through it, practicing a relaxation technique. Right? So instead of doing this, I'm going to do this. Instead of going to eat because I'm stressed, I'm going to go walk out my stress.

Or this is a really good one that I used to do when you are bored at night. Instead of going to eat, I'm going to go brush my teeth. Because I personally will never eat anything after I brush my teeth. That just bothers me. My mouth is clean. It's fresh. Why would I go eat something?

So the first one is identifying the triggers that lead to impulse eating.

The second strategy is plan ahead. Another way to reduce impulse eating is to plan ahead and have healthy snacks and meals ready when you need them. This is why I love tracking macros so, so much, because I plan my days ahead of time. So my whole day is planned and I have control of what I'm going to be eating the next day. And I'm going to share a little secret with you towards the end of how I still incorporate treats and candy almost every single night.

But my healthy meals are already planned. So it's like a conscious interruption of, oh, I could go get a burger or a bad lunch with my co-worker Linda. And then making that decision that I'm in control of. Or it's like, no, I've already planned ahead. I'm not going to go do that, because I have my meals planned ahead of time and I'm going to stick to it.

This can help reduce the temptation to make unhealthy food choices when you're hungry or feeling snacky. Seriously, it's a game changer. Say I want to walk down the hallway and, you know, my co-worker Bob has these Hershey's Kisses that I just find my hands in all the time. But instead, I have a healthy snack that's in the fridge that I can walk towards, and it's carrots, celery and ranch dip, with some tuna on the side, right, for your protein.

So consider packing healthy snacks to take with you when you're on the go, or preparing healthy meals in advance so you have something to grab when you're short on time. Another perfect example: instead of being like, oh, I need to run into Wawa, which is a gas station that has a convenience store inside of it here on the East Coast, instead of running in there and grabbing something that's probably not the most healthy, it's like, no, I'm actually going to plan, pack my meals and prepare in advance so that I have something to grab when I'm on the go, or a protein bar. I love Condition One protein bars. They're so freaking good. And it's a great thing to grab instead of being like, oh my God, I'm four hours in, I haven't eaten, I'm starving. And then you just resort to something that's not healthy for you to get the fix.

So plan ahead. Plan ahead is number two.

This third one I just touched on when we were talking about number one with identifying the triggers. The third one is practicing mindfulness. When you feel the urge to eat impulsively, try to take a moment to pause and ask yourself why you want to eat this. Are you really hungry, or is something else going on?

I used the example of pausing in the moment when you're walking. And this is cause for so much mindfulness, so much conscious awareness, conscious interruptions, being aware of your surroundings and your situations and being aware of you. You have to learn how to control yourself around food, and these are all really important strategies.

So it's like, OK, here I am in the kitchen at night watching Netflix. I'm bored. I just had a really long, stressful day. And you find yourself in a bag of Doritos. Well, before that, you're picking up the Doritos and you're like, pause. Right? Ask yourself, why do you want to eat this? Are you really hungry or are you bored? And it's always going to be that you're bored.

And if you are really hungry, but you've already eaten what you're supposed to eat for the day, just chug a bunch of water. And then 10 minutes later, ask yourself, are you really hungry again? Or was it truly something that you were feeling emotionally?

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OK, so practicing mindfulness can help you become more aware of your eating habits and make more intentional choices moving forward. It can also help you recognize when you're eating for emotional reasons, like I just spoke to, rather than actual physical hunger. It's like, hey, I'm going to down these 16 ounces of water because I'm feeling hungry. There's a control in your brain, the hypothalamus, that controls hunger and thirst. So you could just be thirsty. Right? And you down the water, and 10 minutes later it's like, oh, that was totally an emotional trigger as to why I was hungry, or the feeling of hunger.

So practicing mindfulness can be an absolute game changer, second to identifying the triggers that lead to impulse eating. It's like, here I am in the moment. Why do I want to eat? Am I stressed? Is it an emotional reason, or am I actually physically hungry? Great questions to ask yourself, you guys. Always be asking yourself questions like that, because you're going to get answers right away, and then it's just up to you to control the way that you're acting.

So that was number three.

Number four is find alternative ways to cope with negative emotions. It's super natural, you guys. I think the majority of the world turns to food to cope with negative emotions. But we know this can lead to unhealthy habits and unhealthy eating patterns, and we want to break that. That's why we're here and why I'm speaking to this.

So instead of turning to food to cope with negative emotions, try finding other ways to manage your feelings, like I spoke to earlier. It's like, OK, here I am. I'm emotionally wanting to eat. I am triggered. Instead of the stress that I'm feeling making me want to eat, maybe I can have the stress and go for a walk. Or I can go and work out. Or I can phone a friend, talk to a friend. Or I can brush my teeth. You're engaging in something else that takes you away from it. You know it's an emotion. You're aware. You're learning to be aware.

And when you do learn to be aware, it's like, OK, how can I replace this with something else that's supportive? How can I release a negative emotion through going for a walk or through a workout, and not turn to food to cope with this?

OK, so that was number four: finding alternative ways to cope with negative emotions.

And then the last one, which I love, and this is what we always speak to inside of WarriorBabe at first when we're coaching women, or when I used to coach women: keep unhealthy foods out of reach. Out of sight, out of mind, right? It's so true. If you have a hard time resisting certain unhealthy snacks, try keeping them out of sight or out of the house altogether.

I love this at the beginning of someone's journey. Maybe this is for you. This could literally help you. It's New Year's, you have these resolutions for yourself, you have these goals in mind for yourself. So a system you put in place is: I'm going to throw out all of my shit in my house that is unhealthy or doesn't support me.

And I'm going to talk to this in a second. You're not creating a bad relationship with it. You're not restricting yourself. You just know this does not serve you in the moment, because it has control over you right now. You don't have control over it. So until you get control over it, you have to just eliminate it right now, out of reach.

So you're moving unhealthy foods out of reach, out of sight, throwing out everything inside of your house altogether. And this can make it easier to avoid impulse eating, obviously, because it's not there. So at the end of the night, when you're bored and you're watching Netflix, which is always my go-to example, you find yourself in the kitchen. I use this example because so many people deal with this. If this happens to you and you go into the kitchen at night, you're going to be like, oh, nothing's here for me to eat, so I can't eat it. You know what I mean?

And this might also help you to consider replacing unhealthy snacks with healthier options. So when you go grocery shopping, it's like, no, I want fruit, vegetables, whole grains and protein. I want this in my house, not this other junk.

So that's the fifth one: keeping unhealthy foods out of reach. Throw out the shit that doesn't support you, guys, and then bring in the new that does.

I'm actually going to talk a little bit more on that kind of methodology and tactic, mindset-wise, in another podcast to come. But it's like, OK, this type of food does not serve the person I want to become. So what is a food that does serve the type of person I want to become? And you want to act on that latter one, because that's who you're working towards. That's the person you want to become, who's going to get the goals that you want to accomplish with your body composition. But that'll be in a later podcast.

So those are the five strategies to help with impulse eating. If you start breaking down at least one of them and applying it daily, making small wins for yourself daily with just one of them. Take practicing mindfulness. Now you've heard this, so it's consciously at the top of your mind. At night, if you find yourself in the kitchen, interrupt: why do I want to eat this? Ask yourself that question. Are you really physically hungry, or do you have an emotional response that you want to fill with this food? And practice that. Practice that today, tomorrow, the next day, for a week. And then start incorporating other things, like plan ahead.

It doesn't have to be, oh, I'm going to apply all five of these strategies at once. No, that's a recipe for failure. It's like, let me take one, break it down, apply it for two or three weeks, build a habit on it. And then I can add in another one and start habit stacking all of these. Literally, you guys, if you do this, and I ask that you do and you take this action, you will drastically see a difference with impulse eating, if that's something that you struggle with, in the next two to three months if you apply it.

OK. And I'm going to shut it down with this for the podcast today. Remember that it's OK to indulge in treats occasionally, but it's important to have a healthy relationship with food overall. That's what I'm trying to deliver in this podcast today. It's OK to indulge in treats occasionally. But again, you have to control your impulses. You have to control food. You can't let food control you.

And that's why, like I already spoke to before, and you're going to hear me speak to it more, I love tracking macros so much. Macros, to me, aren't another diet. It's literally a skill set, and a habit stacker, all of the things that can serve you for the rest of your life.

I told you I was going to share with you earlier how, when I plan ahead, I always incorporate two to three pieces of Dove dark chocolate at the end of my night, because I'm able to fit them into my macros. And it's enough for me to curb my cravings for candy, yet still be in alignment with my goals. When I only allow myself this, I'm curbing it, and it stops me from wanting to eat the whole bag. That's the skill set that comes, and the mental discipline that also comes, with tracking macros, and you build upon this stuff.

And I know that you can do this too. You just have to first take one step. You have to learn to control yourself around food and implement a couple of these strategies for yourself. And then your ultimate end goal is to be like, wow, I can have two to four pieces of chocolate and not have the desire to down 15. Right? That's your ultimate goal. Learning the balance, and learning how to have treats occasionally, and ice cream and things like that. And then that end goal is a healthy relationship with food overall. All right?

All right, you guys, I love speaking to that: the five strategies to help you with impulse eating. I truly, truly hope that this podcast has helped you, has served you in some way, and that you can turn this stuff into actionable takeaways and apply it in your everyday life, leading you to the ultimate goal that I just spoke to: being able to have a healthy relationship with food overall and learning to control yourself around food.

So if this has served you and helped you in any way possible, please share this. Take a screenshot of the podcast on your phone, put it up on Instagram or social media, anywhere, and then tag me in it so that I'm able to see it. All right, guys, appreciate you, and I'll see you in the next episode.