Food: 5 ways to deal when your kitchen is full of delicious snacks

my Four Pillars of healthy weight loss

• Food • Activity • Mindset • Sleep

• Food

5 ways to deal when your kitchen is full of delicious snacks

So much to eat, and not enough PersonalPoints™ to make it all work? Use these tactics to stay on track.

By Rachel Morris

Figure out how you’ll fit the snacks into your Budget. Reminder: On WW, everything is on the menu—including those ice cream sandwiches that you bought on your last shopping trip. The key is to pre-plan and work the eats into your Budget. For example, will you put a chunk of your daily PersonalPoints toward the ice cream and then focus on ZeroPoint™ foods at meals? Or will you lean on Weeklies and rollovers?
Make your own single-serving portions. More bags of chips than normal in your pantry? Intentionally controlling portion sizes is important. Research shows that when people serve themselves from larger packages of foods, they tend to dish up and eat more. So what to do with all those cookies? Zoe Griffiths, WW's global director of nutrition, suggests making your own snack-sized packs. Divvy up the contents of the larger bag into single servings of chips then label them.
Choose where you’ll eat. Aim to enjoy the food somewhere you’ll be less likely to take more servings than you planned. For example, you could take the portion of chips to the kitchen table or your desk.
Decide when you’ll eat. Consider when you’ll be most likely to enjoy the food and be least likely to overeat. It might be best to avoid eating the food when you’re very hungry or while watching TV and distracted by the show.
Practice mindful eating. Slowing down and paying more attention to your meal or snack can help you stick to your Budget.

A few strategies to try:

Keep your phone and electronics out of sight.
Spend the first couple of minutes eating your meal with your non-dominant hand.
Pace yourself with the slowest eater at the table.
Cut your food as you go, instead of all at once.
Alternate between focusing on the conversation and how your food tastes.

Getting Together? Here’s How to Stay on Track

Weekly Technique

By Kristen Fischer

Try this!

Go ahead, get social! Follow the steps below to enjoy the holiday season and keep moving toward your goals.

Imagine an upcoming event or meal. What could make it hard to stay on track? What can you do to make sure that you do?

Choose a strategy. Pick one or two from the lists below to address any potential hurdles you think you may face.

Spring into action. Come up with a plan for when, where, and how you'll use the strategy.

^{Before You Go}

^{Pile up Points®:}^{Save your weeklies or rollovers for the big event, lean on your ZeroPoint™ foods during the rest of the week, or grow your Budget by adding PersonalPoints™.}

Mentally order ahead: Take a peek at the menu in advance and decide what you'll get.

Bring in balance: Reserve Points to spend on something specific like an appetizer, the meal itself, a dessert, or a drink. Then select other options heavier on ZeroPoint foods.

^{While You're There}

^{Step up:}^{Order first so you aren't tempted by what everyone else is getting.}

Eye up portions: Choosing a smaller plate can help you pace yourself at a buffet.

Savor the experience: Eat slowly and relish the taste, aroma, and texture of your meal.

(And enjoy the conversation, too!)

Let’s dive a little deeper...

No matter what your weight-loss or wellness goals look like during this time—or any time—of the year, you can (and should!) still RSVP “yes” to dinners, parties, and whatever other festivities you want. Staying on course is totally possible.

By identifying any potential obstacles that may come up and having a go-to plan, you can spend more time with friends or family and way less time worrying about what you’re going to eat or drink. In the long run, it can make your journey that much more liveable. Definitely something worth toasting to!

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