Snacking Out Of Boredom

dmlas777

Hi all,

I recently realized that when I am working at my desk I tend to want to eat food and snack on things. Obviously, this raises the amount of calories I eat in a day, and it causes me to gain weight. Does anyone know how to get rid of this? I have tried taking breaks from work to excercise, play music, or sketch. It initially worked, but then I just got ised to it and kept snacking. Please help me!

Thanks in advance!

lorrainefriend

Just try to keep focused on how much you really want this !! Nothing tastes as good as being at your goal weight feels !!! Lorraine

lrobson555

I really struggle with this issue too. I spend all day at my desk at work, and often don't have much to do, so I eat!
I find the best way to combat it at the moment is to work in little steps. I set certain times in the afternoon and only eat a certain thing at that time. Planning ahead means I have to stick to eat. I might eat grapes at 2pm, a yoghurt at 3pm and then a cheeky snack bar at 4pm just before I leave work.
That way I always have something to look forward to
My next step is to only have two snacks in the afternoon instead of three snacks!

furry226

I work in an office and what i do to make sure im not snacking is the following:

Eat breakfast at work
Pack own lunch

Leave all money and at home for the day, this way i cant buy any extra food!

HappyStack

I make sure I'm full and have planned times for snacks, so they work out as mini-meals, rather than "snacks".

For example, yesterday I ate half a tub (125g) of quark, mushed up with a medium-sized banana, with a tablespoon of peanut butter mixed in (looks like banoffee pie!), for a snack and that held me over until I had a full meal.

If I don't really want to eat, it's easier for me to ask myself, "Do I really want to eat that?"

p.s. I find Post-It Note origami really helps with the idle hand & mind problem.

Whiskybelly

If work is a little quiet at the moment, then you need to either ask your boss for something to do to keep you occupied or start doing something new to pass the time at your desk to go alongside your sketching. Like you said, you got used to the other stuff, so add new stuff!

Just keep your mind on other things, chances are you may also be snacking because it's become a part of your normal routine.

OfficerFuzzy

...Gum? Keeping the mouth occupied always helps combat grazing for me.
Maybe even a sucker or a hard candy.

lee91356

I know this may not be the most helpful advice but dont keep any snacks around. I find the more access I have to snacks the more I am likely to snack. I stopped keeping popcorn, hard sugar free candies and even yummy vitamins (indulgence calcium with vitamin D - chocolate that is actually good for you! check it out its awesome) because I would eat those in excess. I now pack a lunch with ONLY my breakfast, lunch and one fruit for a snack. Anything else that I may want as a snack stays in the car - that way if I want some cheeseits or special K chips I have to take my break, leave my desk and go to the car for it, and since it breaks from the work and takes time I generally dont want it that badly.

Also I keep at my desk an assortment of teas and spelenda, and crystal light packets for different drink options and gum to avoid mindless eating.

The challenge I will admit and for that I have no real advice is when someone brings something in - then all bets are off lol

Hope that helps. :happy:

vineet34

Foods like asparagus, broccoli, and lettuce have under 40 calories per cup. Lettuce only has 5 calories per cup so if you really want something to eat when you have the munchies, eat these vegetables. They barely raise your daily calorie intake so you wouldn't really gain any weight.

recordrustle

hi, just a beginner here but the only way i can not snack is by not having anything around me that is unhealthy.
i tend to snack at night, i've only been trying for a week not to snack at night and it is made way easier by not having anything in the cupboard that isn't nutritious.

i definitely feel the craving or twitchiness to eat at first but after 20 minutes i forget that i wanted to eat something.
at work i only have the option of fruit, yoghurt or nuts.

colortheworld

I work midnights, and there's not always a lot to do so I've had this problem too...

I quit bringing snacks to leave at work. Everything stays at home, and so if I want it, I have to pack it and bring it with lunch. When I bring my lunches, I don't eat them all at once. I usually bring something like a small salad, soup or a half sandwich, and then a side of steamed veggies or a boiled egg or whatever snack-y food I feel like eating. Then I'll eat something every couple of hours and I am not tempted to snack as much. I also drink a ton of water and tea. This helps keep me full and I don't want to snack if I have hot tea to sip.

Capt_Apollo

do push ups out of boredom instead.

Kegsey55

I have the same, so I plan all snacks and build them into my day and my calories. I don't have breakfast but I have a snack about 10, half of lunch at 12, the other half at 1.30, snack at 2.30 and another at 4pm. I bring nuts (carefully measured!), carrot sticks and cauliflower, fruit (particularly berries) so they are all good and most low calorie. I also make sure to drink plenty as that helps too.

staystrong_314159

Put a sticky not on your desk with a quote/picture/whatever to keep you motivated to not snack.

thepetiterunner

Lots of people have given you some good advice above. I'd try the following:

- Leave motivational post-its/reminders around your desk
- Ask yourself if you're really hungry or just bored. How will you feel emotionally/physically/psychologically after snacking?
- If you must snack, choose low calorie things (i.e. baby carrots, veggies, etc)
- Or plan snacks in between your meals and just make part of this snacking as a timeslot in your eating plan

I think the hardest part is just being aware of the problem - and you're already doing that, so that's half the battle. The rest is finding a strategy. Good luck!

dmlas777

Thanks guys!

I'll be sure to try all of these! Especially the puships out of boredom haha

bob_day

If you're that bored with your job, it's time to change jobs.

bethannien

If you're that bored with your job, it's time to change jobs.

It's definitely that easy :laugh: