How to Stop Eating When not hungry

erikasharp20

I used to be really good at staying in my regime- kept weight off for 3 years straight. However, now I can’t stop putting things in my mouth, I find myself eating stuff when Im not even hungry, it’s like I just want to taste things. But even when I do that, it doesn’t bring me any joy or satisfaction: it’s like a weird food FOMO that’s not worth anything and also made me gain 30 lbs in the past two years

airesade4322

Maybe try Journaling ur days to see what ur triggers are. It took awhile but I finally figured out my eating trigger was pain. I tend to block it out until it gets over the top. I've learned to reach for Tylenol instead of food and also work on pain management routines. Find your trigger so u can manage it. If u r menopausal it could be hormones causing nutritional deficiencies. Journaling is best way to find your triggers.

Couryneyholmes

totally get that, same situation!!! Like I am my worst enemy!

skinny00001

Yes, I feel like my hormones are my secret enemy

csplatt

Sounds like you need some new hobbies! Too much time on your hands.

AnnPT77

One perspective: 30 pounds in 2 years is 150 calories over maintenance daily, on average, theoretically.

I get it. I do that, for stretches of time. But even if the theory's approximate, it isn't a lot of calories. It can be a little extra daily - truly a tiny bit, half a serving of peanut butter, 4 teaspoons of mayo, an extra dollop of creamy salad dressing - one of those, not all. It can even be one deep-fried app or rich dessert once a week or so, because it's averages that count. It's so, so easy to eat that much extra, not even notice.

Part of the problem is not watching scale weight, therefore not nipping it in the bud quickly.

But you're here. And that's not terrible, honestly. You've been averaging maybe 150 or so calories over maintenance. Average 150 under maintenance, 300 less on average daily than you've averaged eating, and you're down 30 pounds in the next 2 years. (Also theoretical. So maybe it takes a little longer. Is that a big deal?) Or cut 500, 700, something sustainable, take it a little faster.

It doesn't need to be punitively difficult.

After that, about FOMO (also one of my bugaboos). If you want to taste things, taste them. Don't go on to eat the whole blippin' thing. The first few bites are the most satisfying in the first place, IME. Have the treat, stop sooner?

Losing super slowly is almost painless, IME. It requires a level of compliance/persistence, though. It may not show up on the scale (amongst water/waste fluctuations) for a long time. But it happens with time and patience.

That's a tradeoff, in my view: Losing weight faster is rewarding, satisfying in some ways. Losing weight slowly is more painless, but takes that very-annoying patient persistence.

One thing I'm pretty sure about: The idea that "I was bad, I gained, I'm horrible, I need to suffer for my sins, I need to cut my eating to the minimum and have no treats, I need to do punitively intense exercise, I need to lose it now" . . . that's not rational, functional, and not effective in the long run.

My suggestion: Think about how to find habits that get you eating 150 calories less than you have been, and how to groove those habits in personally. Sure, you want to lose the 30 pounds quicker than that will get you there, so maybe cut a little more in the short run . . . but how to maintain is the really big deal. You haven't averaged that much over maintenance. You can figure it out, I'm betting.

Best wishes!

Unknown

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momma_rose

I am having same problem today at work. I find myself being bored at work even when I have things to do. I’m not hungry, don’t necessarily want something in my mouth, I’m just wanting something and don’t know what. So far I have snacked on things I’ve brought to work and have accounted for. But I feel it is only a matter of time before I eat a bowl of cereal or eat my lunch 2 hours an around in my 12 hour shift.