Eating out of boredom and binge eating!

emilyseay997

a lot of times I binge eat, eat out of boredom, or just flat out don't do well. How can I stop this?

SueInAz

Stop buying the foods you binge on or tend to snack on mindlessly. That's really the easiest way to stop it. Stock your house with plenty of fruit and vegetables instead. You might also try pouring out a single serving of a snack and taking it into the other room to eat it. Once it's gone, you don't go back for more.

shrinkingletters

Get a hobby that involves keeping your hands busy and mind focused. I've mostly got a handle on my mindless snacking (mostly), but when it's tough I read, I walk, or I'll paint my nails so I won't go shoving my little hands in the fridge or in boxes or containers of food.

SueInAz

I play mindless games on my tablet or phone while I watch TV. I'm talking about games like slot machines that I just need to push a button. I can still completely focus on the show I'm watching but my hands are busy. I also have a stationary bike that I can ride while watching TV.

All of this assumes I actually have time to watch TV which I really don't anymore since I went back to school.

Moddingspree

Don't stay at home, it's the easiest way.

Merkavar

*puts on an old man/father hat*

How can you be bored? You have TV internet books movies all at the touch of a finger.

Back in my day I had to walk 20km through snow in 40 degree heat just to see a black and white movie.

middlehaitch

You really just have to decide if you want to lose weight, or mindlessly consume food just for the sake of it.

Once you have made a decision, act on it.

Write a list
- I want to continue mindless eating because:-
- I want to lose weight and be healthy because:-

And see which list you like best.

Count calories; don't count calories.

Cheers, h.

PinkPixiexox

The only way I can really suggest stopping this boredom and binge eating is by questioning how important it is for you to reach your goal. Of course, every one is allowed a treat every now and again but only you can stop the binge eating and boredom eating. If you want to achieve badly enough, you won't sabotage yourself

KANGOOJUMPS

when I start to feel like that, I head out for a walk, bike , run or roller blade, get busy.

cathliz71

PinkPixiexox wrote: »

The only way I can really suggest stopping this boredom and binge eating is by questioning how important it is for you to reach your goal. Of course, every one is allowed a treat every now and again but only you can stop the binge eating and boredom eating. If you want to achieve badly enough, you won't sabotage yourself

I understand what you are going through. I tend to do this as well, especially after quitting smoking 8 months ago. It is the evenings that are the worst for me. Thanks for the great advice, Pink Pixie and everyone else. All great ideas.

cupcakesplz

I drink water or make a coffee. It helps me since I am home all day long with little rug rats! Sometimes I give them food and watch them eat!

1shauna1

These are my biggest hurdles as well. My job is good but can have really slow days, and all I want to do is munch and surf the web lol. At night at home, I just want to snack too. Things I try to do to stop it:

- really think if it's actual hunger or just boredom. Sometimes I can stop myself when I realize I'm just bored.
- drink a big glass of water. Sometimes it's actually thirst, and it fills you up for a while
- try to find something else to do. I now go to the gym many nights after work, so that takes time, and I have to come home, shower, look after my dogs, etc. Then I don't have as much time to just sit around eating. Plus, I'm having dinner later, so I AM eating, but I'm eating healthy stuff that my body needs.

Burtonbj1991

This has been a big problem for me as well especially when I am stressed. I was also given the advice to take a walk when I felt that way but the problem for me was that Im a student and I would binge eat while studying and had "no time" for a walk. Also, living where I do it can be as cold as -50 in the winter so motivation for a walk was slim. Things I have tried are:
1. Force myself to wait 20 minutes before grabbing something to eat meanwhile drinking a large glass of water and after that if I still wanted to eat something I would ask myself if I would be content eating something that isn't my favorite (for E.g. Raw broccoli) if the answer was no then I knew I wasn't truly hungry
2. Always take a portion with you not the entire box
3. Try eating something that takes longer to chew and fills you up more
4. Keep track and be cognisant of how much of what you're eating

refuseresist

Maybe find some pictures that describe how bored you are and post them on another thread.

Domicinator

I just find something, anything, to get me out of the house and doing something. Or at least to get my mind on other things. I clean, or do that thing I have been meaning to do for weeks, turn on the PS4, whatever it takes to get my mind off of eating.

When I have really awful cravings for sweet stuff, I eat a piece of fruit to take the edge off. If I have cravings for salt, I eat a serving or two of Veggie Straws.

It's funny--my worst urges to binge on snacks are when I'm not even hungry. My brain wants to eat so badly, but my stomach feels fine.

jgnatca

I got lots of tips from my weight loss therapy group. I collected them here.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/jgnatca/view/halting-a-binge-session-715131

toe1226

I had this problem for SUCH a long time. It became debilitating and depressing, and sometimes I really worried about my health. I started looking for "triggers" or seeing if there was something that would happen to me during the day that made me want to binge, it turned out to be bigger than that. I realized I had anxiety about the relationship I was in as well as the career path I was in. Once I left my unhappy relationship, I started bingeing WAY less, (from a few times a week to maybe once a month), but I still wasn't happy with my career, and particularly on tough work days I would binge. I decided to switch careers and have been binge free ever since. For me, it was about dissonance, if I wasn't happy with what I was doing, I put that anxiety into bingeing...worth checking out for yourself.

kshama2001

@emilyseay997 - what are you eating?

I no longer have the munchies, but don't know whether that's due to:

- reducing carbs and increasing protein and fiber
- increasing fluids
- increasing exercise

afatpersonwholikesfood

I have not eliminated any foods from my diet, but my home environment is very controlled. Produce and more produce! The other things that are easy to grab are nuts, plain yogurt, whole wheat bread, lean lunchmeat, and reduced fat cheese. Anything else requires preparation and isn't easy to mindlessly eat - I have the ingredients to bake cookies if I wanted to, for instance, but no boxed snacks in the house. We buy bland, whole grain cereal or just plain oatmeal. Hubby is more of a salty snacker, so we do keep chips around, but those aren't very tempting to me.

Aside from that, you can make yourself a list of alternatives to eating. You can try brushing your teeth. I can't promise that always works, but some people swear by the clean mouth feeling. You can get a shoebox and fill it up with ideas or little activities like craft kits from the hobby store. Pull it out when you have fake hunger coming on. Another idea is to fight a food craving with exercise. All you need is some music to move to or Google (tons of free exercise videos out there) or just a place outdoors to walk. I tend to go with exercise or video games.

Also, diet soda. Maybe it's all in my head, but a glass of diet soda makes my stomach happy and feel less empty. A glass of water never does.