How to Curb Late-Night Snacking in just 21 Days

“How do I stop the cycle of binge snacking?” is a question that I often do not feel adequate myself to answer seeing as I still struggle with it, working from my 650 square foot apt where my desk is also my kitchen counter top. It is a problem many of you have. I know this because you told me on Facebook when I asked for video suggestions last month.

This video is part of the LISTERINE® 21 Day Challenge. Studies have shown that it takes 21 days to form a new healthy habit. Believe it or not, oral hygiene effects your overall health which is why I’m participating in the #swishselfie contest, too. Submit your own photo, and share with a friend on Facebook for a chance to win $500 every week right here. Listerine is also donating $5 to Oral Health America for every submission! Swishing Listerine around in your mouth is not one of the tips in my video below, although it could have been!

If you do not have sound on your computer, here are the tips below:

1. Eat enough calories throughout the day through balanced meals. Many of you try to eat 1200 calories a day, end up starving and eating 1000 when you get home at night… after dinner! Don’t skimp on your meals. Load up on veggies, protein, heart healthy fats and good carbs!

2. Ban trigger foods from cupboards. Out of sight, out of mind. I’m not saying to never have these foods, but only enjoy when in the company of others so you don’t binge. Stock up on healthier options like fruits and veggies or air popped popcorn. I also love hummus, almonds, low sugar/high protein bars and string cheese. Keep them in plain view, already washed and ready to eat.

3. Distract yourself after a meal to avoid the urge to eat out of boredom or habit. Occupy the next 20-45 minutes after a meal with a Hollywood gossip magazine, paint your fingernails or call a friend. You could even try oil pulling – which I have yet to test.

4. Do some light exercises like walking, yoga or meditating. It will help you realize if you really are hungry or not and help you focus on what it is that your body wants.

5. Write down everything you eat and note how it makes you feel! Take note of when the urges to snack occur and prepare yourself with healthy snacks or by eating bigger meals. Maybe it’s a certain food that always makes you hungrier after you eat it. A journal will help you figure this out.

Don’t forget to submit your own #SwishSelfie to be entered to win $500 each week. Listerine is also donating $5 to Oral Health America for every submission.

Side note: I had a disgruntled reader leave a comment about my relationships Aldi and now Listerine. When I first started working as a full time blogger, it was hard to turn down sponsorship opportunities because I was barely making enough money to pay my rent. Now that my blog has a few legs to stand on, I am very selective as to who I work with and I decided to share with you the criteria as to how I decide who to work with.

#1. Many brands featured on my blog and in my videos are not sponsoring me, have never paid me or sent me any free product.

#2. I am not perfect and neither is my diet. I don’t expect you guys to be either. I do not promote products made with sucralose. That is a hard limit for me. I do not promote products that use aspartame either but I do chew gum that is made with it. I wish I didn’t and I stop for months at a time but I do chew it.

#3. I wish I could eat all organic but I’m too frugal to always eat that way. When roomie goes grocery shopping to make us dinner and he buys the regular sausage, the crazy in me wants to go return it for the organic but it’s not going to kill me (or you!) once in awhile. I try to eat 75% of the time an organic diet but it doesn’t always happen. I eat out a lot, and I highly doubt my meals are always organic living in Boston. If I don’t do it, I certainly don’t expect all of you to do it – therefore, I feel like doing a grocery haul with all organic products is not helpful or realistic which is why I buy a mix to balance my own budget and why sometimes I work with a brand that some of you question. My viewers who live in “food deserts” rarely have the ability to buy some of the affordable items I feature from Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. These products are often their only options.

#4. Even if I agree with the ingredient list, if I don’t like the product or wouldn’t recommend it to my mother, then I won’t promote it. For example, I was sent a breakfast item to try. Every time I made it, I was hungrier after eating it and wanted to eat sugar the rest of the day. I respectfully declined the offer. This happens often.

#5. Sometimes, a brand comes along and you would be stupid not to want to get involved with like Aldi. I didn’t know much about Aldi before my campaign, but I have honestly gone 5 times since the middle of April. That place is amazing. If your location is “dirty”, I’m sorry, mine isn’t all that great either but I did get a week’s worth of groceries on Sunday for $50 for two people. Clearly my YouTube viewers love their Aldis by reading the comments.

This is my business. I do not sell products like my peers. Blogilates has her bags and fashion line, Tone It Up has their meal plan, etc. Would I like to change this business model, yes? Do I have time to create a product that I think you guys need to buy, not exactly. My book is pretty amazing though and the reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. If you like my videos and workouts, I hope you trust my opinion that the products I choose to work with are genuinely amazing. You don’t have to agree with me, but if you respectfully disagree, tell me why and I’ll probably write back a heartfelt response.