Driving and Weight Loss
Whether it is a short commute or days on the road it is important to be mindful of our eating habits while in the car. Reminder: what you eat in the car counts toward your daily calorie consumption.
Spring and summer are definitely the times of year we’re likely to enjoy more quality time with our car – day road trips, family vacations, etc. But, how will that time effect your weight loss plan?
Here are a few directives on weight loss and driving that can be helpful to you.
Use Your Car Time Wisely. Start by planning ahead. The number one reason we overeat on short and especially long trips is boredom. Some of us actually think what we eat in the car does not count toward your daily calorie consumption guideline or we conveniently do not include it. Rule one is to find what works best for you so you engage your brain vs. your mouth as this is the healthiest and safest way to spend car time wisely. What about a book on tape or studying that foreign language you’ve been wanting to learn. Visit National Public Radio and Public Radio International websites to see programming lists and times and find topics that are of interest to you.
Avoid Dashboard Dining: Dashboard dining is defined as any food or drink consumed in the car, whether the car is in motion or not. However, when you engage in eating while driving it is not only dangerous, it is also unhealthy for the following reasons (1) you are likely to consume high-calorie, high-fat foods with little nutritional value. (2) if you do select healthy foods your digestion is likely hampered by fast or erratic eating. (3) You lose touch with the entire process of eating which means you won’t totally enjoy or savor your food which leads to overeating since you are not paying attention to if or how hungry you are or how much you have eaten.
Watch For Danger Zones. Too often when we have not planned we succumb to poor choices like a drive through the fast food lane which we pass each day on our way home from work. When you know you are tired and it will be easy to give in take a different route home or have packed some healthy snacks and just say ‘no’ to fast food. Remind yourself you are in control and having a plan will help you stay out of the danger zones.
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