Our lives are surrounded with food and snacks. I would have to say I used to consider myself an avid “snacker.” When I was bored, sad, alone, happy, or being social, my life was and still is surrounded by food.

When I was an athlete, it didn’t matter that I was a snacker because I ran all my snacks off anyway. Now that I am not, I try to create habit of less snacking.

Here are 13 tips I used to eliminate my snacking habit:

1. Get Away From The Snacks

This one seems obvious but it really works! Go upstairs where there are no snacks, go outside where there are no snacks, just get away form the temptation.

2. Drink Water

I carry a bottle of water around and drink as much of it as possible in one sitting so I would feel full

3. Go To The Gym

If I go to the gym, it postpones any snacking and it also works off any snacking that I did earlier. Besides, a good workout is great for the soul!

4. Chew Gum

Constantly having a gum was a great tool, I would pop a piece in if I was hungry and the flavor would help. Plus it would postpone any snack, as I wasn’t going to waste my gum.

5. Paint Your Nails

This one physically prevents snacking unless you want to ruin your nails!

6. Read A Book

Reading a book is a great distraction, when I curl up with a good book it takes me into another world and consumes my thoughts; ergo I am not thinking about a snack.

7. Walk Your Dog

Being active is a great way to avoid snacking out of boredom!

8. Watch A Movie

Movies provide a good use of time! If you get all situated and comfortable, then you aren’t going to want to get up, so the snack will have to wait.

9. Color Or Doodle

Adult coloring books take a lot of focus, all those small pieces that you have to color in take a lot of time and patience.

10. Take A Nap

If you're napping, you cant be snacking.

11. Organize Your Room

Putting your mind to work on tasks that are important or take thought are good ways to distract the mind.

12. Call Or FaceTime A Friend

When you are on the phone, you aren’t going to be talking and eating because that’s just rude.

13. Dance Around To Some Music

Get up and jump around, dance the snacking away!

Basically, to avoid snacking it’s about distracting the mind. You might not even be hungry so grab some water, chew some gum, and get the mind going.