Do you ever walk up to the pantry door, open it, almost grab something and then decide at the last minute to close it again? Then, five minutes later you find yourself right back at the pantry door, staring at the same row of pantry shelves? Now that I work from home (WFH), I do this more times than I honestly care to admit. Work from home snacking is a real-life, constant battle and today we’re focusing on ways to help you combat that issue.
As you read through this list, remember that you’re also working to change a habit. You are working to fill up that pantry staring time with something else. So keep that in mind as you try to battle the work from home snacking cravings!
How to battle WFH snacking
1. Pack your lunch
Just because your office is now your home, doesn’t mean you can’t continue to pack your lunch. If you take the time to pack your lunch the night before a work day or first thing in the morning, you’re doing two things. First of all, you’re using portion control. Secondly, you’re preventing an issue of poor time management. Instead of making time to fix a lunch, there are times where you may end up endlessly snacking on whatever is around the house. Being more efficient and having your lunch packed ahead of time can help prevent a day of snacking.
2. Set alarms
When we don’t have a fellow colleague around to randomly walk up to our desk and interrupt us throughout the day, we can potentially sit in front of our computer for the majority of the day. Without having built-in interruptions throughout the day, it’s important we still take time to take breaks.
Whether you need to be reminded to stand up, or take a walk or drink some water, try setting alarms to remind you of a particular task. It can seem silly to set 8+ alarms a day to remind you to do these different things but it’s simple and effective. Not to mention, water consumption helps to combat that WFH snacking.
3. Write it down
Sometimes we don’t realize how much (or in some cases, how little) we do something until we start keeping track of it. How often do you find yourself snacking during the day when you’re working from home? Tracking or keeping a tally of how often you’re snacking can help you be more aware of the frequency.
4. Shop smart
Got a sweet tooth? Can’t resist snacking on a certain flavor of Cheez-its if they make it into the house? When you’re at the grocery store, try and shop smartly. I’m not saying don’t by snacks at all because let’s be honest. If push comes to shove, I’m going to figure out how to make some kind of random snack out of the ingredients I find in the pantry.
Instead, shop with filling snacks in mind that you actually want to eat. Depending on what your body needs, some filling work from home snacking options could include:
- a hard boiled egg
- a banana or apple with some nut butter
- a snack portion sized smoothie
- popcorn is a light snacking option for those that like to feel like they’re eating more of something
- hummus and crackers (try a gluten-free option like Simple Mills crackers)
Also, don’t forget about your sweet tooth. For some, eating less sweets is more practical than the willpower it takes to cut out sweets altogether. One way to cut down is by getting a bag of mini dark chocolate chips and keeping it in the freezer. Eating just a few of the frozen chocolate chips can help curb that sweet tooth. But if you’re really looking for something that satisfies your cravings, try some SmartSweets! To learn more about the candy and their flavors, check out our post on all things SmartSweets.
5. Chew on it
Keep gum nearby for when the urge to snack hits you. When you feel like you want to go look around for a snack, first try chewing some gum. Delaying the act of snacking can help you to decide if you’re actually hungry or just bored. Boredom is a huge culprit for work from home snacking.
6. Be nice to yourself
Cut yourself some slack friend! Working from home can sometimes be lonely. Those 5 minute “water cooler” chats with co-workers are a thing of the past (at least for now) and we all need a little break in the day. If you find yourself with your head in the pantry (yet again), it’s ok. You’re human. But every day, try to start implementing some of these ideas to help you curb that snacking appetite in the future!
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