Tips for "mindless" eating

Maryaly40

While I'm at work (I'm in the cube all day) I find myself mindlessly eating mostly mints, not all sugar free as I have developed an addiction to wintergreen tic tacs and lots of em! Yeah, and the calories are sneaking up on me-sabotaging my good efforts. I also mindlessly eat at night. After I eat dinner, I normally eat later in the evening too, I'm right back in the fridge/cupboards looking for something. So, what I'm looking for are your tips or helpful hints on how to break these habits, or find something better to do with my time. I would greatly appreciate any advice!

lstnlondry

Boy I can't wait for your responses....I have my pencil & paper ready.

salcala

Well you should be eating throughout the day but it should be good foods. Pack some snacks; granola bars, fruit, something to that effect. If after a snack you still want to snack, I would pop in a piece of sugar free gum!

stefchica

first...get rid of them in your office! take out everything that holds empty calories and replace them with fiber rich, filling, low calorie snacks!!! you can also try sugar free gum..... and i hope your drinking lots of water, i always have a water bottle filled and i keep filling it while i'm at my desk, keeps me from getting hungry. also, eat a protein rich breakfst and snacks too.

sim247

I'd love to know too!

wellbert

Gum. Also I found that buying a pro-hands grip master helped a ton with my eating-as-a-result-of-needing-to-fidget.

UponThisRock

Don't keep the stuff around

demonid

stack your fridge with snacks that you won't feel guilty about eating. There's some 0 calorie foods (foods that apparently take more energy to digest than they provide) that you may like.

I don't know if Zero Calorie foods are a myth, or not, but I keep some celery and cucumber sticks in the fridge as some go to foods, and I bring a container to class with me as well.

This list is from

http://www.squidoo.com/zero-calorie-foods-negative-calorie-foods

Asparagus, apple, beet, blueberries, broccoli, cranberry, cantaloupe, carrot, celery, chicory, cauliflower, cucumber, dandelion, endive, garden cress, garlic, grapefruit, green bean, honeydew, hot chili peppers, lemon, lime, lettuce, mango, onion, orange, papaya, peach, pineapple, radish, raspberries, spinach, strawberries, tomato, tangerine, turnip, watermelon, and zucchini

strohst

I work in an office to so i found it best to get rid of anything and everything I could possibly get my hands on .... I bring gum and healthy snacks , fiber bars , carrots , celery anything that is going to give me the same effect of eating but healthier! I have to keep my mind on other things... at night I find it good to read a book , look at the news paper , ..... just keep my mind busy and WATER !! honestly between water and gum I'm set !! Good luck!

madubil

So... my trick (and I have a bunch of them) for night eating- I brush my teeth at 7pm. I also don't keep snacky stuff on hand if I can help it. On nights when I am around for dinner- I will eat dinner and prepare some kind of desert- last night I cut up a pear and left it in a bowl in the fridge for me to come back and "discover". That sort of handles the need to open the fridge and hunt for snacks.

I also try to do something enjoyable in the evenings- like a bubble bath, reading or watching tv- I wont (usually) eat in the bath- so that's a good one for me.

At the end of the day- I found alot of this for me was habit- or reactions. When things get tough at work- I would forage for food- now I wont keep any food in my office- and I go to the bathroom, walk outside, go get a glass of water etc but not food. Or have a piece of gum- it does help.

And many of these habits were learned early on- what time did you get home from school growing up? around 3 right? what time do you start snacking at work in the afternoons? Around 3 right? Probably the same time you got home from school and received some kind of food to tide you over to dinner.

I also bought some silly putty from crazy arons putty world (not a plug I promise) and I keep a tin in my desk drawer to occupy my hands- which keeps me from eating out of boredom.

_Peacebone_

I work in a cubicle too. I usually keep something around to sip on (coffee, tea, water) and that seems to keep the munching at bay. Also, I'd throw out all of your tic tacs and such and stick to sugar free gum if you need to chew.

bcattoes

Don't keep mints in your desk. Try chewing gum instead.

If you are eating dinner early and snacking later, maybe try eating dinner later. Or plan a healthy snack ahead a of time and have it ready rather than mindlessly hunting for something when you want the snack.

REStone66

I have been in that same scenerio and I find that when I am in the middle of a project that has my interest I do not think about snacking. Maybe it is boredom? I give myself little challenges like I can only have another mint if I drink 8-16 oz of water, or give myself a certain amount of mints, then when they are gone I'm done for the day. Another challenge could be a work goal. Out of sight-Out of mind helps as well. You just need to break the cycle. Keep some healthy veggies on hand or fruit(becareful about the fruit it packs more calories because of the sugar content) I was amazed to find that one cup of grapes had 100 calories.

As for the snacking after dinner...it could just be a bad habit. Break the cycle with some activity to keep you busy. Choose healthier snacks too. My husband is a snacker but I think his problem is he eats to little during the day and makes up for it at night. Balance your meals better during the day this may help eliminate the drive to eat more at night.

Also eating is a pleasure, no doubt about that. Maybe you are looking for a "happy" boost. Is there another hobby that would bring that boost you are looking for? If I know I have to add it to my count for the day I am more mindful of the calories it is going to add and that seems to make it easier for me to say no not worth it.

Maryaly40

I wish I could chew gum! That's what I did before....before the crowns on my teeth :sad: Until I get the permanents, around February, I can't chew gum. I miss it terribly too. But, I never thought of something for my hands when I'm fidgety...that is definetly something I need! I will rid myself of all mints, well not all. I'll keep the sugar free cause I'm a freak about bad breath lol