A grazer...especially when bored! Snack ideas needed, please!!

jaysgirl092516

My big downfall is "grazing" at work; especially, when I am having a slow day!

Since starting MFP, I stocked up on healthy snacks at work. Baby carrots, celery sticks, 100 calorie microwave popcorn, almonds, fruit & nut mix.

Can you offer suggestions for healthy snacks?

Thanks!

MarieRosekenji85

Those sound pretty healthy to me. you could also add protein shakes, the Atkin ones are pretty tasty at about 160 calories and you can pack any fresh fruits and sliced veggies. hummus and veggies are a good combo. Also make sure you're staying hydrated, sometimes we confuse hunger for thirst.

debtay123

veggies and hummus
fruit(not too many pieces-still have calories)
100 calorie packs of nuts or cookies or chips
sf jello or sf pudding
herbal teas

yayamom3

I can very easily fall victim to boredom eating. Instead having lots of snacks on hand to ease the boredom, why not find ways to be "un-bored"? When I find I'm bored and tempted to eat when I'm not really hungry, I know I need a change of scenery. I go for a short walk, get a cup of coffee, drink a large glass of iced tea, read, take a nap, call someone, balance my checkbook, clean. etc. I know not all of these are appropriate for work, but surely you could try some of them. Just this morning, I almost gave in and ate my "emergency" pre-portioned snack at a time when I'm usually not hungry. I really, really wanted to save those calories for later this evening. So I got up and did something different, and soon my fake hunger pangs had passed and I forgot all about eating until lunch time. I was so happy with my choices.

MichelleSilverleaf

I noticed my grazing curbed when I made an effort to keep my protein up, about at least 70g. That might be something to think about.

SuzySunshine99

If you’re not really hungry, just bored, maybe some coffee or tea might help.

quiksylver296

I use different flavored packs of sugar free gum.

kshama2001

MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »

I noticed my grazing curbed when I made an effort to keep my protein up, about at least 70g. That might be something to think about.

Yup, once I upped protein slightly, stopped having foods made from flour at lunch, and exercised at lunch, my urge to bored-eat went away.

kemoon0915

I like dry kix cereal or honey nut cheerios for something carby to munch on, usually half a serving is a good snack for me. Also a variety of raw veggies in lowfat ranch (a cup of buttermilk, a cup of fat free greek yogurt and a packet of ranch dressing powder)

kittycatsinunderpants

You could try something that takes effort to eat, so it takes you longer and you won’t eat as much. Like a pomegranate, roasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds, or nuts that are still in the shell.

TonyB0588

jaysgirl092516 wrote: »

My big downfall is "grazing" at work; especially, when I am having a slow day!

Since starting MFP, I stocked up on healthy snacks at work. Baby carrots, celery sticks, 100 calorie microwave popcorn, almonds, fruit & nut mix.

Can you offer suggestions for healthy snacks?

Thanks!

Those are healthy snacks, but why not structure your day so you have less inclination for snacking?

Many days I go all the way from breakfast (6:30am) to lunch (1:00pm) without snacking. Sometimes I may have a cup of coffee, but since the new year started I've been substituting water instead. My lunch is a bit more like dinner usually, and then its back to work until 4:30pm with no snacking. I eat very little in the evening after work. I get home around 5:00pm and may go back out until 8:30pm. A sandwich and a cup of green tea ends my day most times.

AnnPT77

If the problem isn't hunger/nutrition, the best solution probably isn't food, in terms of long term good habits.

Others have had some good ideas (walk around, coffee or tea, gum etc.)

Or, depending on the type of work you're doing, ask if you can (gasp!) have some extra assignments to work on that are challenging and interesting, or a topic you can study and learn more about that will help you progress at work. In some jobs, if you just have to be there waiting for something to happen, your employer might even let you do something like knitting or sketching. If you work at a computer, maybe you could write something (journal, letter, whatever).

If you're bored, the solution is engagement in something interesting/distracting, ideally, not food.

wilson10102018

Hand held video game.

shaumom

While it might be nice to figure something else out to do if you are bored, I would assume that's also, well, not too practical. If the habit has persisted into adulthood, it's likely there to stay, you know?

But one thing you could do is figure out what appeals to you about snacking while bored. Like, do you like the feeling of chewing something, or putting something in the mouth, or the feeling of fullness after the snack, that sort of thing.

If it's chewing, gum might be a good one to give you the same satisfaction, or even an adult chew toy - they make necklaces for people with big needs to bite on things as a stress habit, and they are just little pendants and such that are also silicon chewies. Just, adult ones. :-) I think they can be found places that have stim toys.

If you need something to do with your hands (like if your job is something hands off), maybe something you have to fiddle with while eating could be good, like unshelled roasted peanuts that you have to shell yourself.

Or could fiddle with straws in the mouth, or if feeling full is what helps, maybe just make sure to eat more before work, or during breaks, so that you don't get too hungry.

kshama2001

wilson10102018 wrote: »

Hand held video game.

At work?

shira324

I'm with you. I've been trying to find activities to make me forget my hunger for years, and have yet to be successful.

I like popcorn, pita chips and dry cereal. I do keep a set of measuring cups in my desk at work to help with my portions. Or I buy the individually portioned boxes of cereal. I'm a big fan of individually wrapped items. I feel a little bad about wasting plastic and killing the planet and whatnot, but I need that extra help to stop me from eating the whole bag/box.

I also find that if I'm craving sweets, the only thing that will fulfill that need is real, actual, chocolate. I keep small, individual wrapped chocolates in the freezer at work and at home. They take longer to eat when they're cold, and ease my cravings.

amfmmama

string cheese, or laughing cow, sliced meats ( ham and cheese roll up), hard boiled eggs, cooked eggs.... Protein is my theme

psychod787

Only keep lower calorie foods in sight... or... just don't graze. I am currently working on establishing extremely consistent meal times.

psychod787

AnnPT77 wrote: »

If the problem isn't hunger/nutrition, the best solution probably isn't food, in terms of long term good habits.

Others have had some good ideas (walk around, coffee or tea, gum etc.)

Or, depending on the type of work you're doing, ask if you can (gasp!) have some extra assignments to work on that are challenging and interesting, or a topic you can study and learn more about that will help you progress at work. In some jobs, if you just have to be there waiting for something to happen, your employer might even let you do something like knitting or sketching. If you work at a computer, maybe you could write something (journal, letter, whatever).

If you're bored, the solution is engagement in something interesting/distracting, ideally, not food.

I love you ann.... stay busy... and never have time to eat.

jaysgirl092516

MarieRosekenji85 wrote: »

Those sound pretty healthy to me. you could also add protein shakes, the Atkin ones are pretty tasty at about 160 calories and you can pack any fresh fruits and sliced veggies. hummus and veggies are a good combo. Also make sure you're staying hydrated, sometimes we confuse hunger for thirst.

Thanks. I definitely need to up my intake of "water". I think you may have just opened my eyes to something.

jaysgirl092516

quiksylver296 wrote: »

I use different flavored packs of sugar free gum.

I just stocked up! Thx

jaysgirl092516

shira324 wrote: »

I'm with you. I've been trying to find activities to make me forget my hunger for years, and have yet to be successful.

I like popcorn, pita chips and dry cereal. I do keep a set of measuring cups in my desk at work to help with my portions. Or I buy the individually portioned boxes of cereal. I'm a big fan of individually wrapped items. I feel a little bad about wasting plastic and killing the planet and whatnot, but I need that extra help to stop me from eating the whole bag/box.

I also find that if I'm craving sweets, the only thing that will fulfill that need is real, actual, chocolate. I keep small, individual wrapped chocolates in the freezer at work and at home. They take longer to eat when they're cold, and ease my cravings.

@shira324 -- Someone that gets it! Thanks for your support. I am an Executive Assistant, so pretty much on the computer at my desk all day. We do not get scheduled breaks, lunch is only a half hour and not in the best area for me to go out for a walk. Unfortunately, this habit has been with me even as a child. It was easier for me to quit smoking than it is to break the habit of grazing! Ugh. I am getting a little better, but still a struggle. I am going to make a serious effort to increase my water intake when I feel hungry to see if it helps.

ritzvin

• something to sip that has no calories, such as a mug of tea/coffee or a bottle of water/diet something.
• Come up with a work project that will keep you mentally engaged (re-organize something, design improved database layouts, fix some other thing that is currently stupidly inefficient...)(may or may not be a possibility -- if work days often involve short simple tasks that pop up with high frequency, then something requiring longer segments of concentration might not be doable with constant interruptions).
• Short non-work tasks while waiting between work tasks (reconcile/categorize recent receipts, organize a/multiple to-do lists, something to read,..)

lawson6291

Roasted almonds

dsboohead

Alot to do with eating personality too.
I despise sit down meat and potato meals.
I like "eat with your hands" appetizer like meals.
My perfect wedding reception is one with nothing but tables of appetizers and small plates with no cutlery.
Incorporate this style throughout the day within your calorie range.
This is my style😁

reachout3444

a brisk walk or a few trips up and down stairs, lost 10 pounds by doing that and quieted snack monster. Also eating carbs led me to cycle of getting hungry more often, like telling my brain, you snacked an hour ago time to snack again. So nicked the carbs, popcorn, carrots, fruits, etc. and replaced with a brisk walk, or a few (in private and no wheels on chair and chair with back to wall to prevent slip) hands on edge of chair and drop butt to floor like upsidedown push ups, also gum or caffeine makes me ravenous. Organic celery sticks satisfy the crunch need, if I have calories to spare I'll mash avocado onto the celery. A half cup cooked ground beef or an boiled egg with a celery stick can hold be off for hours, if truly boredom then pick less carb crunchy veggies, the carbs will start another craving in about 20 minutes.

nationalvillage3215

I eat sugar free jello

keemee9

Fudge bars!! 100 calorie treat always feels like a treat

April8114

Homemade, lacto-fermented sauerkraut. Incredible stuff!! Kills the urge to graze and feeds your gut trillions of beneficial microbes that heal the gut which has an incredible ripple effect. I grab a forkful and munch. Instant and lasting gratification. It’s my secret weapon.