Not sure what it is.....

Iansmommy123011

I don't know why but I am trying my hardest to eat right and not over eat. I am still doing this. Every time I walk into the kitchen I am always oping my refrigerator, pantry door, and my other cabinets looking for food. I look at the time and say what am I doing? I just ate couple hours ago. I try not to snack to much as well since everything is filled with high calories. Does anyone do this as well? Why is it so hard trying not to snack so much.

Superchikanthem

I love eating all the time so I plan my day to have 2-3 "snacks". I quote snacks because I have so many most of my meals are about the same amount of calories as my snacks. As long as it fits into my calories for the day I see no reason not to snack.

joejccva71

It's probably because:

1. You don't have goals set for yourself so you have nothing to work towards.
2. You don't track the food you eat so you don't know how many calories you are eating.
3. You lack self discipline and motivation to reach both short and long term goals.

One step at a time. First, figure out a realistic goal to reach and write it down. Then find out what your TDEE is from the numerous threads and guides in this forum. Then, lay out a meal plan for yourself. Then, go to the gym and start some kind of resistance training program.

You're either 100% into this or you're not. Only you can stop yourself from opening the refrigerator every time you walk in the kitchen.

Justjoshin

^ Best Advice you're going to get.

Sp1nGoddess

I cruise the kitchen when I'm either bored or looking for a diversion. I try not to buy any junk food so that my only choices are healthy. The advice above is great! Goals are really important and you have to commit to eating healthy when you are ready. Mind over matter.

KatFierce

When I first started, I cut up fruits and veggies, stuck them in bowls right at eye level in the fridge along with water bottles and a pitcher of black iced tea. If I opened the fridge it was the first thing I saw, Id grab one of those things or shut it. No one ever got fat from carrot sticks and grapes!

Tracking eerytign you eat helps, and planning out when/what you will have and allowing for snacks as well.

Iansmommy123011

It's probably because:

1. You don't have goals set for yourself so you have nothing to work towards.
2. You don't track the food you eat so you don't know how many calories you are eating.
3. You lack self discipline and motivation to reach both short and long term goals.

One step at a time. First, figure out a realistic goal to reach and write it down. Then find out what your TDEE is from the numerous threads and guides in this forum. Then, lay out a meal plan for yourself. Then, go to the gym and start some kind of resistance training program.

You're either 100% into this or you're not. Only you can stop yourself from opening the refrigerator every time you walk in the kitchen.

That is thing because I do have a goal. My goal is to weigh 135 lbs. I track everything that goes in my mouth on this web site. I just think its my depression taking over. I am taking meds. and seeing a counselor. My problem is that I need something to make me feel good and I think it has to do with food. Food that has sugars, chocolate and mostly likely high calories. I also work out 7 days a week. When my husband and I get a date night I rather go to the movies then going out to dinner. The reason I have a goal is because I want to get rid of my pregnancy weight and don't want to look or feel fat anymore. What is TDEE? I can't live with out chocolate lol. I was really bad last year. Every time I went shopping I couldn't leave the store with out a candy bar. Now I don't do that anymore. Its like people have to have sex all the time. I am just trying my hardest not to do this. I leave this web site up 24/7 so every time I eat something I track all the food I eat and it drives my husband nuts lol. He tells me can you close the internet off when you are done. I rather track my food right after I eat them or sometimes what I do is before I eat and want to stay under, I put the food I want to eat first and see how many calories it will add up. If it ends up going over my calorie intake I tell my self okay can't have this today maybe another time. My goal is to stay under my set calories.

tinlee

I think being stuck in the house all day can make it much worse. On days I work outside the home, I'm busy and there are no temptations around. But my home workdays can be really difficult. Try to at least get outside into the sunlight for a nice long walk. I think that's very helpful.

slightner

I also suffer from depression and know exactly how you feel. Especially because my kids are 2 and 4 and they have snacks. I like the advice to keep fruits or veggies ready to snack on and when you need chocolate, try to do a healthier form. I like weight watchers dark chocolate raspbery bars, 80 calories. sweet freedom mini ice cream cones are mini drumsticks fr 120 cals. or teddy grahams. they are whole grain and you can eat 24 for 130 cals. On days where I cant control my snacking, I will eat 6 bears 4 times. chocolatey chip ones are my favs but the chocolate ones are good too. Keep on the meds and counseling. Post partum depression is serious buisness! Good luck and feel free to add me as a friend!

lynette111

I'm not sure how many calories you are trying to stay under per day but with only 14 lbs to go to your goal weight please make sure to set your deficit so you are only losing half of a pound a week. That may give you a few more calories. Also there are a lot of things going on with your body right now after just having a child three months ago. I had horrible post partum depression after my first son was born. Thank God I was fine with my other two. I also noticed that your husband is in the military. If you are away from your family and friends because he is stationed somewhere else that is more stress. Please try to get out of the house regularly. Go on walks with your son. Meet up with others around you at a park, etc... It really helps just to talk things out. I could see turning to the frig out of boredom or lonliness. I feel for you. Try to keep your goals in front of you and don't worry about the occasional mess up. We all have those days. Maybe put a note on the outside of the frig? I put up bible verses on my frig and bathroom mirror that helped me know I have value in God's eyes even when I was down on myself. Good luck!

Iansmommy123011

When I first started, I cut up fruits and veggies, stuck them in bowls right at eye level in the fridge along with water bottles and a pitcher of black iced tea. If I opened the fridge it was the first thing I saw, Id grab one of those things or shut it. No one ever got fat from carrot sticks and grapes!

Tracking eerytign you eat helps, and planning out when/what you will have and allowing for snacks as well.

I use to not buy fruit anymore because they are expensive and they rot quick. Couple months ago I would buy fruit and not eat them because I would forget about them. The time I come to eat the fruit they are rotten. So I would end up throwing them away. The reason is because they would be on the bottom shelf. My husband remembers the fruit but not me, so I eat yogurt. Starting the beginning of this month. I started to buy fruit again and doing good again remembering the fruit and have been eating them this month. I should cut all the fruit and store them in the first sight few like you said.

sherronh

Throw away/dont buy any snacks high i n calories. Things like wheat thin and other crackers are easily over eaten.

Start buying low calorie snack such as sugar free jello veggies and fruits.

Cut them up into snack packs, in baggies that way your more likely to go straight to them because there is no prep time.

Put a sign on your refrigerator and cabbinets reminding yourself why is this important to you, or a motivational quote.

quixoteQ

That is thing because I do have a goal. My goal is to weigh 135 lbs. I track everything that goes in my mouth on this web site. I just think its my depression taking over. I am taking meds. and seeing a counselor. My problem is that I need something to make me feel good and I think it has to do with food. Food that has sugars, chocolate and mostly likely high calories.

This is my first post on the forum here and honestly I'm not as familiar with the rules as I should be, but let me just say there are some extremely healthy chocolate shake products on the market that should absolutely kill your chocolate/sweets cravings. Like people have said here already, the trick is to plan your diet for the day ahead of time, and set it up so you're eating five to six meals a day. I work from home, so I know the feeling of seeing the fridge non-stop. I look up from my computer, and there it is: a cool box filled with delicious eats. But when you plan it out ahead of time, your largest window without food will probably be around 2 to 3 hours (not including sleepies).

My schedule, food included:

* 7am: wake up
* 8am: breakfast - huge egg white omelet (1 cup) w/spinach, turkey, and salsa, whole grain toast
* 10am: workout
* 11 or 11:30am: recovery drink (think: nonfat chocolate milk)
* 2:30pm: huge healthy chocolate shake (again, you can find some good products and a cheap blender) - two large cups of shake w/ straw means happiness that leaves me very full for a long time
* 3:30pm nice hour long walk if I have completed most of my work
* 5pm: some raw almonds and/or beef jerky
*7:30pm or 8pm: nice piece of meat (pork, chicken, salmon) and a huge green salad and/or steamed veggies.
If you get that after dinner sweet craving: have a healthy shake! Just try not to drink it down within an hour or two of bed time.

Plan out the meals. And if your spouse gives you grief about tracking the calories, tell him to STFU. He'll get the message. But again, I highly recommend knowing what you're going to eat at the beginning of the day. Tracking calories is nice, but you can track them into a hole if you're not careful.

Finally, tweak the diet for your particular needs. Mine is majority protein, but when my workouts go into overdrive, I up the carbs (whole grain bread, oatmeal, maybe a banana in my shake) and I get my fats from natural pb or raw almonds. But I try not to eat my carbs for dinner or after dinner.

And you can make a nice tuna salad with spinach for lunch, and save your chocolate shake for later - it doesn't matter how you do it, just plan it out in the morning (or better yet, the night before).

Seriously - you're going to be eating all day if you plan it right.

MamaWannaRun

I use to not buy fruit anymore because they are expensive and they rot quick. Couple months ago I would buy fruit and not eat them because I would forget about them. The time I come to eat the fruit they are rotten. So I would end up throwing them away.

Old habits are hard to break. PERIOD. Opening the door is a habit. AND now you know this, you recognize this (along with all the other insights you have about yourself) so you are in the RIGHT PLACE! Great suggestions here. I'll add just a couple more. I am not a fruit/veggie fan so I mix my 'treats' up.

What I LoVE:
- I keep pre-washed baby carrots and apples on the eye level of fridge at all times. They take a long time to go bad.
- In the freezer, I keep lowcal/low fat frozen yogurt. Lots of flavors are only 100 calories a cup (same a fridge yogurt) but to me it is much more like having a special treat so I LOVE this!
- In the freezer, I also keep a HUGE bag of frozen strawberries. I let them defrost, use Truvia for a little 'sugar' taste and then I can have 3 cups for 150 calories! It is awesome... and they also blend well with the frozen yogurt for a smoothie!
- I have a basket on the kitchen counter with all kinds of 100 calorie snack bags in them, and ALWAYS keep the 100 calorie bite size brownies in there .. (you can get at any store)
- I also keep Crystal Light 'Energy' mixes (small little packs you mix with bottle water)

WHAT I AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE:
- I do not keep any kind of Mt. Dew or sugar soda in my house
- I do not keep any kind of cookie or treat that I like in the house (especially real brownies)

I know some food folks will be unhappy that I eat processed foods, but that is my reality and it works for me. I've lost 22 pounds being diligent with all this, you can too.

As to the depression, it is tough. New baby, staying home, etc., all that adds up. Consider setting a NSV (non-scale victory) goal for yourself? Maybe one that MAKES you get out of the house? Some thoughts:
--- Have you ever considered walking/running a 5k? (sign up, then train with the stroller! babies LOVE to be outside)
---- Join a new Mom's group?
--- Join a Mom and Stroller class?

Take any of these ideas you want. Ignore the rest. Just know you have support here. Hang in there. YOU CAN DO THIS... BEST of luck!

kealambert

It's probably because:

1. You don't have goals set for yourself so you have nothing to work towards.
2. You don't track the food you eat so you don't know how many calories you are eating.
3. You lack self discipline and motivation to reach both short and long term goals.

One step at a time. First, figure out a realistic goal to reach and write it down. Then find out what your TDEE is from the numerous threads and guides in this forum. Then, lay out a meal plan for yourself. Then, go to the gym and start some kind of resistance training program.

You're either 100% into this or you're not. Only you can stop yourself from opening the refrigerator every time you walk in the kitchen.

tough love is tough

but loving

MamaWannaRun

Here's a link to a great thread on TDEE..

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/512956-tdee-what-is-it-and-why-you-should-not-eat-below-your-bmr

Iansmommy123011

I think being stuck in the house all day can make it much worse. On days I work outside the home, I'm busy and there are no temptations around. But my home workdays can be really difficult. Try to at least get outside into the sunlight for a nice long walk. I think that's very helpful.

I think that has to do with it too lol. I am stuck in the house today. Yesterday I pretty much used all my gas for driving an hour far away fro my sons drs appointment. So I can't go anywhere for awhile. Hubby is at work.

Lesa_Sass

There is nothing wrong with eating every couple of hours, the issue is WHAT you eat every couple of hours. I eat all day long, but the thing is, MOST of the time, I am eating healthy foods.

Prep work, have things that are healthy and handy ready to eat. Prewash and cut your fruits and vegetables and have them handy, have some yogurts, apples and nuts handy to much on. I will send you a link to a page where you can get some good nutrition ideas.

Another thing is, drink a full glass of water when you go in to the kitchen to search for a snack. This can help fill you up, and drinking that water is super good for you.

Good luck!

stellaskies

It sounds like you need something to keep you busy so you don't have time to go into the kitchen. I'd also suggest brushing your teeth so snacking doesn't taste good. Try chewing gum, too.

MinnieInMaine

Could be boredom - that's one of my big triggers. What helps me is to distract myself with other activities - go for a walk, read a good book, work on some sort of project. Could be procrastination, if there's something you should be doing but would rather not - this is another big one for me. I'd much rather eat something because it's more fun/enjoyable than cleaning the house. In these cases, I play little games with myself. I'll start heading to the kitchen and say "no, you can't have that yummy snack bar until you finish all the floors". It works and it feels more like I'm rewarding myself for getting the job done. Food rewards aren't the best idea for everyone but I figure if you were going to eat it anyway, what's the difference?!

That being STUCK in the house feeling might be part of it too. Why not take baby for a few walks on days like this. You probably don't want to go far but a quick walk (or even run) around the neighborhood for 10-20 minutes. They say breaking workouts up into small chunks is just as effective as if you did a whole 30-60 all at once.

rmhand

I kitchen cruze all the time when I am bored. Even at other peoples houses. My BF is like "What do you need?" or "What are you looking for?". I say "Nothing, I'm just bored.". I have stopped stocking my place with junk food so I open my fridge and cupboards and find nothing so I just go back to what I was doing, or find something new to do.

Iansmommy123011

When I go food shopping and it comes to snacks. I buy those 100 calorie snacks from Keebler. I get cookies, crackers, brownies, etc. I get the 90 calorie chew granola bars, pretzels and try to eat the total count of calories on the back of the bag. I stop eating chips, cookies, candy bars. Once in awhile I do that, but try to eat it very rare. Before we go food shopping hubby and I create a meal plan for dinner for two weeks. We but Sunday - Saturday and we create the plan till we get payed and its time to go food shopping. Once we do that and created our meal plan for those two weeks, then we create our shopping list. After I see what our meal looks like and see how many calories etc it has then I decided which food to buy to snack on. I am eating Greek yogurt. I also have to watch how much sodium I eat as well. My body doesn't handle it very well if I eat too much. I stay away from soup as much as I can. Soup has so much sodium that I end up getting head aches. I found out when my son has his 2 month check up in March, they found out his blood intake is really high. I have to stay away from BF and give him formula because there is Iron in it. He is like me. Have to watch what we eat because it can affect our stomachs. So starting this month I started to buy fruit again. As for Veggies we buy them frozen or in a can. They are affordable and they last longer. The fresh ones are expensive and they go bad too. My birthday is coming up next month and all I want to do is check out Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, instead of going out for dinner.

greybeh

I can relate. I'm doing this less and less. What works for me is to grab water. Truth is, I don't drink enough water and I think my signals get crossed. Part of it is boredom sometimes, though. Part of it is just "old habit."

If I am kinda hungry... sometimes I'll grab a pickle slice. Banana pepper would work, too. Or fruit. I wish I could munch on celery or something, but it just doesn't interest me.

Iansmommy123011

I can relate. I'm doing this less and less. What works for me is to grab water. Truth is, I don't drink enough water and I think my signals get crossed. Part of it is boredom sometimes, though. Part of it is just "old habit."

If I am kinda hungry... sometimes I'll grab a pickle slice. Banana pepper would work, too. Or fruit. I wish I could munch on celery or something, but it just doesn't interest me.

I know same here. I have a really hard time drinking water due to a small bladder. I can't have more then one glass of water because I would end up going to the bathroom every 2 mins. There isn't much drs can do about it because it runs in my family. I think it got worse for me after having a baby. As for veggies go, its hard to eat because some of them don't interested in me as well. Just now I opened my veggie drawer and found some red radishes. I washed them and now I bit into one and it taste okay but I can't have anymore after just one. When we went food shopping last weekend I got my self some cantaloupe since that is one of my favorite fruit, it didn't taste the way I liked it. I think it had to do that fact it wasn't in season yet. So I ate most of what I could and had to throw the rest away in the trash. I think rainy days are the worst like right now since being trapped in the house. I think it doesn't help when you are SAHM and there is only one income and tight on money. Since I lost 4 lbs last week, I wouldn't mind go clothes shopping and get new clothes but its so hard since we are always tight on money. If I had a job I would think it would help my issue as well and I wouldn't have to think about eating lol.