How to stop snacking after dinner with this 1 oddball hack

If you struggle to stop snacking after dinner, a new ritual may be the thing to get your eating under control and have you feeling great about yourself.

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If you work from home, you know job duties can creep into the tiniest crevices of your day.

A quick check of email between cutting the broccoli and tossing it with olive oil and spicy red pepper flakes. Another quick check to see if you got a reply before you put the pan of veggies in the oven to roast. And finally, a quick 30 minutes back at your desk after loading the dishes into the dishwasher, so you can cross off those few things still gnawing at you. Don’t you know you’ll sleep so much better if you rid of a couple more things from your long list?

Maybe I didn’t describe you, but I described myself perfectly.

It’s not just about working from home

I bet you can relate even if you don’t work from home. Maybe you have plans to play with the kids, read the new mystery from the library, or soak in a hot bath. But instead, laundry, yard work and the pesky phone interrupt you.

Best-selling author of Effortless Gregg McKeown reins in work-from-home hours with a simple, and somewhat silly, ritual. And it’s also a perfect way to stop snacking after dinner or protect your time with your kids, your book, or Mr. Bubble.

Here’s what he does …

According to McKeown, every work day at 5:00 he walks out of his home office and calls out to his wife and kids, “It’s five o’clock!”

Standing outside his office and crowing like the town crier is his shutdown ritual – his way of saying the work day is over, and now it’s time for play, rest, and other activities.

I especially like this idea because I too have a silly side. (I picture him wearing a town crier hat or silly clothes.)

How I stopped snacking after dinner

After hearing McKeown talk about his shutdown ritual, I realized I do something similar – albeit not at all goofy – in the evening that stops after-dinner snacking. It can help you too.

Once I have the kitchen tidy, I sit down to a cup of decaffeinated Earl Grey tea. While sipping, I read, write in my journal, or chat with my husband about my day.

That’s my shutdown ritual. It’s my cue that the day has ended and so has the opportunity for eating.

I do it every night, and I have for a lot of years. I look forward to it.

But once I was a nightly snacker

Years ago, I craved – and ate – chocolate as soon as my girls were tucked into bed. My time! They didn’t know I snacked on candy every single night until they were old enough to stay up until 8:30 pm. I couldn’t hold out any later than that.

But now, I have my tea ritual. And I never snack after dinner. It doesn’t even enter my mind.

How YOU can stop snacking after dinner

Find your shut-down ritual

What can you do nightly to signal the end of eating? You wouldn’t be the first to hang a belt across the kitchen entrance to signify the is kitchen closed. I’ve also heard of people who put a “kitchen closed” sign on their counter each evening.

Will brushing your teeth do the trick? It stops a lot of people from opening the fridge at night.

I suppose you could crow like the town crier, “No further eating until tomorrow!”

Or try out my tea ritual or other routine that suits you best. You can turn journaling, reading, even chit-chatting on the phone into a ritual that cues you to stop eating. It’s a matter of how you look at it.

For my take on how your morning ritual influences your eating habits, check out 5 steps to starting meaningful morning habits.

Shake up your current routine

If you typically snack in front of the TV, take a walk, play a game, or listen to music instead of watching television. Go to a different part of the house and do something you don’t associate with after-dinner snacking.

Examine your daily eating habits

Run through your usual food intake. Do you typically eat well – meaning a good-sized protein source at most meals, lots of fruits and veggies, adequate fiber? If you’re not sure, check out the plate method for meal planning. Balancing your meals during the day might help tone down evening cravings.

Examine other lifestyle habits

How you sleep, manage stress, and talk to yourself also affect your eating habits. Take an honest appraisal.

• Do you stay up late to get more done or have more fun?
  • It’s terrible for your health and here’s why.
• Does too much caffeine keep you awake?
  • Get a better night’s sleep
• Do you gift yourself short breathers during the day?
  • Find out how to reset your day in 5 minutes or less.
• Do you shame yourself for eating the “wrong foods?”
  • Time to stop that! Here’s how.

Any of these problems – and so many more – can get in the way of healthy eating and make it hard for you to stop snacking at night.

So what do you say? Are you ready to don your town crier hat and announce, “Eating for the day has ended?”