Grazers... :-(

deniseg31

For those of you that do a lot of cooking...how do you NOT graze while preparing meals?

I was always so busy with work that I usually never made it home until well after 6pm. By them my MIL had already cooked and cleaned my house. I would get home and just eat whatever she had prepared. Well, the MIL is now gone and my work schedule has changed so I now have time to cook. I am usually starving by the time I get home with my kids and even though I eat a fruit, yogurt, carrots something on the healthier side I'm still starving so I end up grazing in a very awful way. Aside from eating my healthy snack I end up having some of these....couple of chips, cheese wedge, cookie, jello, crackers, pretzels, candy...

I do VERY well at work (breakfast/lunch/snacks). It isn't until I walk in the door at home and start preparing meals that I begin to graze like crazy and I'm just so upset with myself... :mad:

What snacks to you eat that keep you filled up? Any suggestions welcome....THANK YOU! :flowerforyou:

candeebandland

I've started packing a "bigger lunch" and trying to eat it half during my scheduled time and the other "half" an hour or so later. I think my lunch is too early 11;30 and like you even with a snack I'm STARVING on the way home. This strategy has been helping me.

castle88

If I were you I would get rid of all of those little tempting things in my kitchen and replace with fruit and nuts and healthy snacks, so if you do need something you are at least not tempted by the naughtier things!! The snacks themselves may be less tempting then also, and you may then be able to make it until dinner!

However, I haven't had a look at your diary, but you do have a very long and very busy day, and if your feeling that hungry by that point perhaps you need more calories than MFP is suggesting?? Just try to swap them for healthier alternatives!

A good <100cal treat that I love is either a few strawberries dipped in 4squares of melted dark chocolate or half a banana dipped in it, yummy and satisfying!

ElizabethRoad

How do you have time to eat all that while cooking? I don't graze because I'm busy preparing the food...

Lesa_Sass

I find that if I eat a snack an hour or 2 before I make dinner this helps a great deal. I also know that if I allow myself to get to a starving state, I make very bad choices.

I would carry 100 calorie packs, nuts or gram crackers and eat them before I headed home from work if I were you. The key for me is not allowing myself to get hungry and stay hungry. Even if it is a bite or two of something.

spud1316

I eat pecan and brazil nuts or cucumber, celery, carrots and peppers with a small amount of philadelphia extra light for dipping. Always works for me and tastes yummy.

MyaPapaya75

I graze when I cook something but I also log it...grazing does not mean having half a plate while you cook...if you log 1-2 teaspoons u will be fine

sms1986

I've never really had a problem with this, and since I've started logging my food, I always make sure everything is logged before I eat anything.

deniseg31

Thanks you guys! I will definately try snacking on more veggies and such. Oh and BTW, I guess I should have mentioned that I don't do the grocery shopping. My husband is usually the one that goes shopping and of course he brings home all these things and when I complain about it he usually says "I'm not the one on a diet...you are."

I'm going to try to keep a jug of water right next to me so everytime I feel like eating something "bad" I'll drink some water.

linnettbenson

When I pack my lunch for work the next day, I always include a drive home snack. I drink a V8 low sodium 11.5 oz. can, 2 cheese sticks and a small apple. When I walk in the door, I have my hunger under control and can make dinner without grazing. Took awhile to figure out what and how much of a snack works for me but it is working.

vanillasugar

I don't graze so much while cooking dinner (but I usually crock pot it or other fast and easy fixes so not a lot of time spent in the kitchen) but I found recently that I was getting myself into trouble when visiting my mom's house because my step-dad keeps a huge bag of peanut butter m & m's around and I kept getting into them. I discovered that I like being able to keep munching on something, so recently I started taking a pint of blueberries with me, or popcorn. That way, it's low cal and healthier and it's something small and bite sized that I can keep popping into my mouth and enjoy for a while. It's helping me.

thepetiterunner

Here are my "preventative" grazing techniques:

- Eat a late afternoon snack (healthy) before I head home
- Drink water and wait 10 minutes before I eat for any meal just to make sure I'm hungry and not thirsty
- Cook healthy foods that "snacking" on won't derail me (veggies, etc)

As far as the below comment regarding your husband:

Oh and BTW, I guess I should have mentioned that I don't do the grocery shopping. My husband is usually the one that goes shopping and of course he brings home all these things and when I complain about it he usually says "I'm not the one on a diet...you are."

It's true he's not on a diet, but you can tell him you're trying to make healthier LIFESTYLE changes for yourself. Also, if you're cooking for everyone, it's only fair that you have the ingredients you need to make healthy meals, right?

CrazyDaisysMommy

I save my afternoon snack for right before I leave the office to go home. If I am still hungry, when I'm cooking, I'll have a spoonful of peanut butter, and that usually calms the bear within.

garnet1483

The water is a great idea! The only real issue I have in the kitchen is tasting the food I'm preparing...and sometimes that's necessary. But I do usually keep a cup of water with a straw around, so that if I get the urge to put something in my mouth, I have that. It works a charm! And especially if I'm cooking for the upcoming meal, it's not bad to wait 20-30 minutes before eating something. If I'm cooking ahead, like on the weekends when I'll make meals for the whole week, I make sure to stop and actually eat real meals in between, as well as keeping the water handy. It helps to learn when you're really hungry, and when your mouth is just bored.

UpEarly

I actually do most of my cooking and meal prep the night before. For example, after I finished eating dinner and exercising on Monday, I got into the kitchen and cooked dinner for Tuesday night. I portioned everything out onto plates, so all I had to do when I got home was pop the plates into the microwave to reheat. It saves so much time and stress! (and you don't have to graze, because your actual dinner is ready to go!)

I also set aside a block of time on Saturday or Sunday to cook and do food prep. I might cut up a bunch of veggies to have with dip, or make a big salad, or cook a giant pot of soup to have for lunch throughout the week.

Goosiesnougs

I shove 2 pieces of sugar free gum in my mouth!

jmmbrent

This is a huge problem for me-- but let yourself eat-- but record everything in MFP. I have been doing this and it is such a pain to record a small amount of food it usually makes me not want to eat while I am preparing food. This works for me.

whitleynoel

While cooking I normally try and do some cleaning while waiting.... If something has to simmer for 20 minutes or boil. I can empty the dishwasher, refill it, wipe off the counters, clean the floor, wipe out the fridge, or anything to keep your hands busy. And as a bonus that means that you have almost all of the dishes done and the kitchen cleaned up even before you eat!

caroldot

I shove 2 pieces of sugar free gum in my mouth!

That's a great idea! I will try this

Bentley2718

1) I don't keep junk food in the house. I know it's harder when you're not the only one who lives in the house, but try to work with your husband and whoever else you live with to compromise. My husband has some snacks around that aren't super healthy (e.g. nutrigrain bars), but also aren't things I like to eat, so it works out.

2) I keep carrots, celery, cucumber, etc. out when I cook something I don't want to graze on. If they're sitting there staring at me, I'll eat those instead of something less healthy.

3) Try to figure out if you're missing something from your diet. Are you getting enough fat and protein to keep you full?

heyghoge

i chew gum/suck on a piece of hard candy (ok, this can be upward of 20 cals but that's better than 100+, right?), or i portion out something in a bowl beforehand that i can dip my hand into instead of whatever i'm preparing: veggies, some grapes, that sort of thing.

Bentley2718

I shove 2 pieces of sugar free gum in my mouth!

That's a great idea! I will try this

I'm getting jaw pain just thinking about that, but I'm a half-stick sort of girl.

cloud2011

Have a few snacks on hand that satisfy you.

Some of mine are:

1/4 c. almonds (low salt from Trader Joe's) with some semi sweet morsels.

or

1 Tablespoon nutella -- it keeps me satisfied for a while (oddly enough, I saw Dr. Oz recommending 1 Tablespoon of peanut butter for the same reason - he said it'll keep you full for a wihle until dinner is ready).

or

fruit smoothie - there are low calorie recipes.

or

hard boiled egg

I can relate...it's hard to control yourself if you're really hungry.

Good luck!

Featherwood_Barbie

I am terrible with the "grazing" I don't like to eat big meals in 1 sitting like most people because I always walk away feeling sick to my stomach, so I tend to eat a lot of little meals throughout the day. I prepare my food the night before on workdays so that I am not rushed and simply throwing things in the bag to get out of the house & to my office on time. My "difficult" time is at night after I am off work...if I do not eat something healthy the moment I get home I tend to resort to snacking aka grazing on stuff that is not really good or healthy for me. Easy to fix that one would say, right...just eat when I get home...not so easy when your habit is to graze on snacks after work. Overall I have lost 150lbs (heaviest I weighed 350lbs) but I have dieted off & on and yo yo dieted for years...now that I am over 40 it's time to stop all the nonsense and simply live healthy. Dieting is out the window and portion control and wiser food choices are my current goal.

LittleFootHafner

Chew Gum!

_VoV

It sounds like you are under the gun when you come home to prepare dinner. Would it be possible to do some food prep at a less stressful time? This obviously works best for some sorts of meals and not others. How about using a slow cooker?

One way I stop myself from sampling a lot while cooking is having cut up veggies right there on the counter. I also do not consider eating a few mouthfuls of raw veggies as I'm prepping them 'grazing.' A gazelle might, but I don't. :^)

LoseSyra

I have the exact same problem on work nights when I cook instead of my hubby. I make sure I have a later afternoon snack, lately an apple at 4, then I eat a bag of baby carrots during the drive home. I still struggle with this when I cook on weekend nights and I really have to work on preparing dinner early enough so I am not too hungry. I am glad I am not the only one with this issue, thanks for sharing.

kristina0206

bump

Heaven71

I only graze on the veggies I chop up but I do taste test and add it as part of my meal. My plates are always smaller when I cook.

albali

Hiya honey. How about snacking on some chopped up veggies and light dip, and once they are gone, chew on a piece of gum? I do know how you feel though. I graze at the weekend when preparing food, and not because I am hungry, just because I am in the kitchen! aRghhh!