Eating when not hungry

bbryant573

What are some ways that you guys avoid eating when you aren't hungry, or you are eating just because 'it sounds good'?

I am having a real hard time here!!! Need help!

SLLRunner

Hi, @bbryant573!

I weigh my food, log everything a day in advance, or at least the same day, and work hard to stick to the plan. I don't want to be fat again so it's up to me to have control over how many calories I consume on a weekly basis.

Just plan ahead, keep your goals in mind and the journey gets easier!

kgirlhart

I usually try to find something else to do to distract myself. I will also log what I'm thinking about eating and often seeing the number of calories it will cost me will make me decide not to have it. How long have you been at this? It took me a couple of weeks, but then the logging and eating at my calorie goal got to be more of a habit and became much easier.

abadvat

bbryant573 wrote: »

What are some ways that you guys avoid eating when you aren't hungry,

how to avoid eating when you are not hungry?!?

deniseg31

I am an emotional eater so if I am feeling anxious for example I just start eating. What I try to do to not overeat so I have water around me at all times so I can chug here and there. I used to chew gum especially when I was cooking otherwise I'd just nibble on things while cooking and that's a big no-no for me. Now I just do water. It's definitely a struggle but it can be done.

Keep on pressing along. YOU GOT THIS!!!

Raptor2763

Eat anyway - even if it's a small something. The alternative will (1) put your body into starvation mode which will (2) make you hang onto every last calorie when you DO eat- and you'll probably overeat - resulting in (3) not losing weight - in fact, you might gain. Save yourself that frustration - set an eating schedule and stick to it. Eating is simple - what, how much, and when you eat

Bee_Le

Drink a crap ton of water. So much water that you can't eat. Works for me, haha T_T And then watch a lot of cooking shows, lol. ;( I'm eating through the judges, lol

Kullerva

Water. Jello. Carrots. Zucchini. Cucumbers. It's better to overeat by 40 calories than it is to overeat by 500. One day at a time. I've lost 40+ lbs and I'm hungry almost constantly. After a while you learn when the hunger is actually urgent and when your stomach is just complaining because it's empty. (Just because your stomach's empty doesn't mean you need more energy. )

RandiNoelle

@SLLRunner and @deniseg31 have great ideas that I implement all the time! I also suggest brushing your teeth after you eat your planned meal. It makes me think twice about snacking because I don't want to have to floss and brush again!

AlabasterVerve

I don't snack and eat larger, planned meals instead. It takes the guesswork out of it and like any other habit it's easy to maintain once you get started. That helps prevent overeating as much as anything else I do (or eat).

I like my snack foods though so every once in awhile I'll eat a plate of snack/finger foods for a meal since a lot of those foods don't really work as part of my regular meals.

Francl27

I try and make myself wait until I'm actually hungry, then I make something satisfying. Or I go for a walk or something.

Or I have it, log it, and eat less later.

vespiquenn

I will admit that I eat when I'm bored, and sometimes even keeping my hands busy doesn't last long. When I know that this mindset is starting, I make sure to eat only low calorie foods. Things like salad with low-calorie dressing or vegetables will appease my desire just to eat. I also make sure that I'm weighing all of these things, just to ensure I'm not going over.

Other days, when I'm being more sensible, I might look at the reasoning behind being so hungry. Am I over restricting? Am I not eating enough exercise calories back? Is my time of the month coming up? When I determine one of these things to be true, I accept that eating at maintenance for a few days will benefit me more mentally rather than going nuts by craving everything in sight.

MiamiSeoul

Measure & weigh everything. I always have loads of fresh fruit & vegetables clean & prepared for snacking. I also keep raw almonds, peanuts & other crunchy nut blends measured & ready in snack bags. Finally, water intake is a major factor in satiety. Drink 1/2 your weight in water daily and try to drink 1/2 of your daily intake before noon.

bbryant573

Some very good tips thank you. I do need to be more strict with myself - and prepare more foods at home and bring to work especially. I also need to get a good scale so I can weigh food...

AnnPT77

For stress eating, exercise is a good substitute.

For bored eating, one helpful strategy is a new hobby, especially one that requires clean hands (knitting, drawing, learning to play a musical instrument, others).

For habitual eating, like a tendency to munch in front of the TV, one can either budget calories for something manageable (popcorn, say), or adopt a new habit (like doing the knitting while watching TV).

Hot tea also has helped me, at times.

SueInAz

AnnPT77 wrote: »

For stress eating, exercise is a good substitute.

For bored eating, one helpful strategy is a new hobby, especially one that requires clean hands (knitting, drawing, learning to play a musical instrument, others).

For habitual eating, like a tendency to munch in front of the TV, one can either budget calories for something manageable (popcorn, say), or adopt a new habit (like doing the knitting while watching TV).

These are the things I do, too. I play casino games on my tablet while watching TV because I don't really have to pay attention to the game but it keeps my hands busy.

I also always budget 100-200 calories for an evening snack and then make sure there are reasonable snacks (and far fewer unreasonable ones) in the house specifically for this purpose. Dry, unsweetened cereal is good for this as well as air popped popcorn and raw veggies like baby carrots. I'll sometimes make a dip using Greek yogurt instead of mayo and sour cream for the veggies, too.

SCoil123

I only eat when I'm hungry usually. Occasionally I'll have a treat for an occasion, like last night. I know it's a treat though. If I catch myself wanting to eat emotionally or mindlessly I grab some water or tea and the impulse passes.

SLLRunner

Raptor2763 wrote: »

Eat anyway - even if it's a small something. The alternative will (1) put your body into starvation mode which will (2) make you hang onto every last calorie when you DO eat- and you'll probably overeat - resulting in (3) not losing weight - in fact, you might gain. Save yourself that frustration - set an eating schedule and stick to it. Eating is simple - what, how much, and when you eat

No, no no....starvation mode is a myth.

mygrl4meee

Hot tea helps me.

nowine4me

I make a container full of steamed green beans to keep at my desk and chew sugar free gum to keep my mouth busy. Not at the same time.

bbryant573

A lot of good idea.. thank you so much for responding.

LivingtheLeanDream

I make myself busy, there's usually some cupboard that needs cleared out! or I go for a walk. Its mind over matter I find, so if I do something then the notion to eat soon goes away

clh72569

I keep carrot sticks and sugar snap peas to snack on.