How to Stop Impulse Eating at Home, Work and Social Events

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Throw out everything in your home that does not support this next journey you are going on to being a healthier version of yourself, to build muscle, to lose fat.

What's up, you guys? Welcome to The WarriorBabe Show with Nikkiey Stott, co-founder of WarriorBabe. On this podcast, 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 to episode number 66.

Today, I'm going to talk about the role of environment in impulse eating. I want to give you guys five tips to help you manage your home, your workplace, and social settings when it comes to feeling the impulse of wanting to eat things that are right in front of you, which tend to be unhealthy snacks or options, when you're trying to fuel the result of building more muscle, or even just eating healthier, decreasing body fat, and all of the things that come with your fitness journey. You're in these environments, and they're not conducive to supporting those things, and you tend to give in to impulse.

A lot of people struggle with this. A lot of people struggle with caving to the environment rather than being strong, overcoming those impulses and temptations, and carrying on with taking the actions that are necessary for them to take in order to stay in alignment with the goals they want to accomplish.

So I'm going to talk about the environment of home. I'm going to talk about the workplace environment. I'm going to talk about social settings and those environments. And wrapped up in those, I want to give you guys five tips that will help you manage yourself when you're in those situations.

And what's really cool, you guys, or not really cool, but very empowering is the word I want to use: it's very empowering to yourself as a human when you are able to recognize these impulses and see them for what they are, see what emotion is attached to them, and then not go into a lower vibration action. Rather, you see them for what they are and then make a conscious decision. Because a lot of what people do when they impulse eat is unconscious. It's fueled by stress or boredom or all of these things. But when you're aware of that, you're able to make a conscious decision to take a different type of action.

And that action will be in support of the goal, like the goal of you building muscle, decreasing body fat, feeling more confident in your skin, all of the things. That's your higher self. That's the person you want to become. Like James Clear says, every action that you take is a vote for the person you want to become. I said that a little bit wrong, but you get the hint, right? I talked about this in episode number four, which was a big one, about who you are becoming and what you need to do to stay in alignment with that person.

Also, one of our biggest, most popular podcasts to date is episode number three, where I gave you guys five strategies to help with impulse eating. So, mixed in with today's episode, I would highly recommend going back and listening to episode number three and the strategies I shared in there. Because what I just said is a very quick synopsis of that entire episode: helping you identify what you're experiencing and then taking those five strategies and implementing them.

Today, we're talking about environment, which I think is so important, and the role of environment when it comes to impulse eating. Because not many people recognize that your environment is stronger than your will. Each place you're at during the day brings different types of perspectives or realities, but most importantly, triggers. You have triggers in your home, you have triggers in your workspace, and you have triggers in social settings.

So let's dive into it. First of all, our physical surroundings can either support or hinder our ability to make the correct choices we need to make to stay in alignment with our goals. So for this entire podcast, understanding the impact of environment is essential for developing strategies that help you not only make empowering decisions, but create a supportive environment, so that you don't have these temptations, these triggers, these things staring you right in the face every single day. You are in control of this. You have the ability to control the environment and make it supportive for you as you go about this journey for yourself.

So let's first talk about home environment and the accessibility of food. What I tell people all the time when they are starting out on a journey is this: before you worry about what your workout program is going to look like, before you worry about going grocery shopping, I would highly encourage you to throw out everything in your home that does not support this next journey you are going on to being a healthier version of yourself, to build muscle, to lose fat. That can literally be a huge game changer for you. I know because I've done it for myself, and I know clients who've done it as well.

So literally, before you worry about anything else as you embark on your journey, throw out anything in your home that does not support you. Because of your home environment as it is right now, if you're just starting out on your journey, or even for me, for example: I had Crumbl this past weekend. It's Friday when this is airing, but I had it last weekend, and it just sat on my counter, right? I had a couple pieces here and there throughout the weekend.

Then come Sunday, I was like, I'm throwing this sucker out. This is done. In the trash, down the trash chute, gone. Because there were still pieces up there, and I was like, dude, I can see that if I don't control this right now, it's going to control me. So I need to take action so I'm able to control myself for the rest of the week, and that means throwing this in the trash. You need to control your home environment in a way that it's not going to control you.

With accessibility of food, or even food visibility, a lot of the things in our homes influence impulse eating. If you have unhealthy snacks or processed foods, your brain knows where they are inside your home. And if they're easily within reach, you are more likely to give in to those impulse cravings. For me, perfect example, the Crumbl was right there. In the middle of the day, I had a piece of Crumbl. It controlled me. I needed to control it. Therefore, I threw it away.

So with your home environment, and this is a tip I'm throwing in right now: throw away the things that don't support you, then go to the grocery store and stock up on nutritious options at home that will help you minimize unhealthy temptations and maximize the healthy ones.

So make sure you guys do that. That's home environment. Anything that is visible, or that you know in your mind is in the cabinet: you're bored, or you're stressed out after a stressful day at work, you come home and it's couch time, it's Netflix time. What do you think you're going to be doing? You're going to go to where you know that food is in your kitchen, and you're going to get it.

Or even, and this is a good example I shared in episode number three, you could unconsciously walk into your kitchen and not even recognize that you're going for this food. You know it's there, and unconsciously, you're bored, you're stressed, and you're just going to grab something that's going to make you feel better. So your best bet is to control what's going on here, consciously, with pattern interrupts that make you aware: why am I sticking my hand into this? It's really important to question your actions that aren't in support of what you want.

So it's like, why am I sticking my hand in this? Oh man, I'm either stressed or I'm bored, and that's what's happening. And then you take control: done, I'm not going to have this anymore, throw it away, get it out of my sight. That's you controlling your home environment.

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Now, let's talk about workplace environment. There are so many stories that come up in my brain about this one. For example, when I was working in the emergency room, and you've probably heard this story so many times, especially if you listen to the podcast, you're a WarriorBabe, or you've been following me for a long time: those break rooms are a danger zone for temptations. You walk in, there's donuts, there's bagels, there's pizza, there's soda, there's junk food. Mainly a lot of donuts is what comes to mind from when I worked there. And I'm sure you can resonate with that. Your break rooms have all of these shitty options.

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Side note, little rant: be the person who does the opposite. Bring the fruit. Bring the healthy options. Bring the protein powder. Bring the protein bars. Start setting a new type of habit within your workspace. That's an added tip, I would say.

But going back to the workplace environment past that story, there are so many things that are readily available for you to cave to temptation. Like vending machines. I remember this too, along with all the snacks I just talked about. The hospital has a ton of vending machines, and I remember numerous times going to that vending machine and getting a piece of candy or something that was just shit. Vending machines are all shit. Chips and all that stuff. Maybe there are some peanuts in there. But anyway, these break rooms and vending machines are all stocked with unhealthy snacks.

So when you're stressed at work, it's the same thing as the home environment. You're going to go there, and that's going to lead to impulse eating. So first of all, and most importantly, in each of these environments, because environment is stronger than will, like I said, you need to be aware of the actions you're taking. It is so important for you as a human to think consciously and not allow unconscious pattern behaviors to control your situations.

So in this instance, you need to be aware of these types of surroundings: the vending machines, the break rooms, clients and patients bringing in food for you, all of that stuff, man. And make conscious choices. Either, like I said, be the person who brings in healthy options and gives them something opposite of what's normally in there, or make conscious choices for yourself to stay in alignment with what you know is going to support you.

Most importantly, your energy, you guys. People who cave in to these break room situations or vending machine temptations, and that includes me, because it was part of my past: your energy is shot afterwards. After you eat junk food, your body's trying to metabolize all of it and get it out as quickly as possible, and your energy gets drained in that process. So think about that too. The next time you want to go indulge in a donut in the middle of your work day, think about how you're going to feel afterwards. You're not going to be able to show up for your coworkers or the people you're trying to help in the best way you possibly can if you're indulging in those things.

The second thing when it comes to the workplace is the social influence that happens there. Colleagues and work culture have a huge influence on your eating behaviors. If your workplace norm involves unhealthy food or food-related celebrations the majority of the time, it can make it more challenging to resist impulse eating.

So what I would say, like I mentioned before, is to encourage this: instead of bringing a 24-count of donuts or Munchkins from Dunkin' Donuts, let's bring a fruit tray with some yogurt and peanut butter, right? You're in control of making that decision. You can encourage a supportive work environment that promotes healthier choices, which can help combat these types of things.

Okay, so that was your workplace environment, and there's a tip within a tip. I mentioned advocating and bringing in healthier options for your colleagues and all that. But on top of that is you making the conscious choice and being consciously aware of an action you're about to take. It's as easy as I can say it: in the moment, always try to be internal with yourself. It's easier said than done. But in the moment, ask: does this support my future self? Am I taking an action that supports what I'm trying to accomplish for myself? Those are great questions to ask yourself. Like, why am I sticking my hand into the M&M jar? Be aware of your surroundings and self-aware of yourself so you can make a conscious choice.

Number three now is social settings. A lot of this carries over from what I just talked about with social influence in the workplace, but you have peer influence with your friends. The eating behaviors of your friends and your social circles have a significant impact on your own food choices.

So if you have a group of friends who constantly eat McDonald's every single day, that is going to have a significant impact on your food choices, and you're going to be eating fast food every single day. When you're surrounded by individuals who engage in impulse or unhealthy eating habits, you may be likely to follow suit.

So make sure you guys, and it's a lot easier said than done, communicate to your friends what you're trying to accomplish. Make sure that you have, or that you're trying to create, a network of supportive individuals who prioritize healthy choices and understand what you're choosing to experience for yourself and stay in alignment with, and that these people can positively influence your eating behaviors. Because man, you are the five people you surround yourself with. That is so true. And if those five people are eating unhealthy, you're going to be doing the same thing.

So this is a tip, and by now this is the fourth tip: make sure you're in a supportive network of individuals. If you are trying to create a healthier lifestyle for yourself, make sure you're creating space from the individuals who don't live that lifestyle. And if people say things and don't understand what you're doing, remember, they're only speaking through the lens of their own experience. They wish they could be doing the same thing you're doing, but they have their own limiting beliefs and their own stories inside their heads.

Another thing with social settings is dining out and social events. These obviously involve food, and the types of food available can influence impulse eating. More importantly, be aware that if you eat in social settings because you're nervous about being in social settings, a lot of that food is comforting that type of emotion. So, like I said earlier, be aware of the emotion you may be experiencing, question that emotion, and then question the actions you're taking.

With social events and going out with your friends, I'm all about balance and moderation. I love looking at menus ahead of time. I love looking at restaurants and being like, okay, they have this option. I can plug this into my day. This is in alignment with my macros and my numbers. This is in alignment with my goals. This is the entree I'm choosing when I go there. Not only does that help you stay on track with your goals, it also takes thought out of the process when you're sitting at the restaurant looking at the menu trying to decide what to eat, when you could be engaging with your friends and being more present with the people around you.

Then with social events, you could be aware of what's going to be there, or you can ask a friend what's going to be there. If it's a barbecue or something like that, you can plan ahead. You can work those foods in so they're in alignment with your day. Or if it's just junk food, man, bring your food. There ain't nothing wrong with that. Okay? If anyone looks at you like you have four heads at a baseball game because there's just hot dogs and shit, again, it's your own experience. It's your own goal, not theirs. So eat that food being proud of yourself. Eat that food in confidence, girl. That's also a tip within the tip.

So those are the five tips. In your home, make sure you're throwing out the things that don't support you and stocking up on the things that do. That is the first thing you should be doing, hands down, point blank, when you're starting a journey: throwing out the things that don't support you, then going to the grocery store and getting the things that do.

In a workspace, make sure you are consciously aware of the actions you're taking. This also goes for social settings and the emotions that may come up and fuel that impulse eating. Be able to consciously interrupt that pattern and take an action that supports the goals you're after.

Then also, be an advocate for your coworkers, for yourself, for your workplace environment, for your friends, for the people you work with. Bring healthy options to the table. Do the opposite of what people normally bring in.

Number four was social settings: again, being consciously aware, but also surrounding yourself with individuals who support and positively influence healthy eating behaviors.

And then when you're dining out and at social events, plan ahead. Always be five steps ahead of yourself, or one step ahead of yourself. I like being five steps ahead of myself. Because you are truly in control of all of the things I just talked about. You are fully in control of making the right decisions and taking the right actions that keep you in alignment with building muscle and burning body fat, and with creating a healthier internal side for yourself too, mentally and physically, working through these patterns and emotions and recognizing, with conscious awareness, why these things are triggering to you and how you can make better decisions in support of your goals.

So when you understand the impact your environment and physical surroundings have on impulse eating, and you implement these very practical strategies I just talked about, you can not only create an environment that supports healthier food options, you can control it. And that empowers you to make decisions about your eating habits that are in alignment with the goals you're striving for.

I hope this podcast helped you guys, because I know a lot of people struggle with impulse eating, and it's more so the unconscious pattern people are stuck in. The whole premise of the podcast today is that the environment is way stronger than will, and people will act according to their environment. So if you can not only be aware of what I just said about self-awareness and conscious awareness, but also recognize the environment you're in, how it is or isn't supporting you, and what you can do to change it, that's an absolute game changer. It's so important to be consciously aware of this so you can stay at a higher perspective, a higher level, and a higher vibration for what you and your goals require of you.

All right, you guys. I hope you enjoyed that podcast, and I'll see you in the next one.

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