I ate at least half a dozen Oreos on Tuesday while passing through the kitchen. I really didn’t keep track. It was mindless grazing.
Monday was Victoria Day here in Canada and I did a big spread for our extended family. 30lbs of beef, pork, and chicken on the smoker. Lots of side dishes and dessert.
Tuesday was a regular working-from-home day, and our kitchen is full of leftover snacks from the long weekend, including potato chips and those Oreo cookies that whispered my name from the pantry as I passed by.
I’ve had “snacking from home - my Achilles heel” in my notes for many weeks as a topic to write about but when I sat down to write something, I didn’t know what to say. I don’t have wisdom or best practices to share. Despite a lot of experience working from home, I’ve yet to master this weakness. I share the kitchen with my family, including teenagers, and apparently we still have to feed them, so there are easy-to-pack food items for lunches. Easy-to-pack means easy-to-snack.
Maybe I’m just looking for commiseration. 🤷
A few Google searches reveal that I’m not alone. A lot of headlines, especially from the pandemic, were about food and weight gain while working from home (e.g., “the COVID 15”). Plenty of reminders to not eat because we’re stressed or bored even though we were definitely feeding our feelings the past few years. If you work from home to any significant extent, you are going to face stress and boredom.
I’ve been the most successful at managing WFH grazing when I’ve tried intermittent fasting or low carb eating - making decisions in advance instead of in the moment. See https://jamesclear.com/willpower-decision-fatigue.
If you struggle with this, know that you are not alone. If you have routines or practices that are working for you, feel free to share them!
- Derek