For anyone that has children you know that the stress of raising little people can definitely send you looking for an escape and for many of us it's the comfort of food. Not to mention the fact that kids can be eating constantly which means that you're constantly surrounded with things to eat. In order to eat less when you're a parent requires approaching things from two angles.

     1. Find ways to stay calm and manage stress better.

You might be saying, "Sure that's easy for you to say, you don't know MY kid." As the 24/7 single mother of an active eight-year old boy trust me, I know how hard it can be. I've had to get good at things that don't come easily to me. The things that have helped me the most are asking for help, knowing my limits, getting enough sleep, great friends and meditation/walking. What are the things that keep you calm and lengthen your fuse?

     2. Employ some little tricks so that you don't end up eating your food AND theirs.

Once you're managing your stress levels better, you can make some rational decisions about food. There are little practices that you can put into place so that you don't double up on portions, calories and subsequently guilt. Here are some tricks that have worked for me. When I have kids at my house I ask them to clear their plate into the garbage so I'm not tempted to pick on their leftovers. Dessert is something that we go out for instead of eating at home. This means we have sweets once or twice a week instead of everyday (Then, after my son has gone to sleep I can't raid the cakes, cookies, and ice-cream and I'm safe since I can't go out for a drive to get a sweet either). At restaurants, there are a few things that have worked. When my son was younger, I ordered one meal and split it with him to avoid eating all my portion and his, too (this also helped save money). Now, that he's older and has a bigger appetite than me he orders from the adult menu and I order from the kid's menu (another way to save money and calories). What tricks have worked for you?

Just because you're a parent doesn't mean you can't control how much you eat.

	Make emotional eating, food addiction, overeating, and binge eating a thing of the past! Not only will you see a difference in your body, you will see a difference in how you relate to food and everything else in your life. Click here to join now.

4 Comments In the order they were posted.

Jesse said...

Dudu said...

Jennifer said...

Jen said...

Share With a Friend