Help me stop! I keep nibbling on my kids' food!

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2

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  • nklunk
    nklunk Posts: 149 Member
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    I am the same way...I was worse about eating what he didn't finish but now I have my little one throw away the food he doesn't eat. It takes a lot of self control....Just stop and think before you even start pouring things.
  • meredith1123
    meredith1123 Posts: 843 Member
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    Acknowledging the problem is the 1st step.
    Fixing the problem is the 2nd stop.
    so just stop doing it! There's no other solution.
  • jolene_ca
    jolene_ca Posts: 91 Member
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    Gotta yank it off like a bandaid. Make a conscious effort to stop completely. I am bad about wanting to snack while cooking dinner, so I make it my goal to drink a whole bottle of water while cooking instead.
  • eag264
    eag264 Posts: 116
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    Becoming aware of it is the most important step! Mindfulness is the key to permanent change!

    I have the same problem with nibbling but I don't have kids, I do this while cooking. And not just taste testing- I go a little over and nibble a few bites. It's a terrible habit and I think being aware is the first step. It's up to me to stop myself before having a few more bites than needed before sitting down to a meal.
  • RLeighP
    RLeighP Posts: 232 Member
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    I agree, you just have to make a conscious effort to stop eating the leftovers. My daughter rarely leaves much of her dinner, so I don't feel too badly about tossing it. Nibbles throughout the day add up!

    Like a Weight Watchers leader I had once said, "If you bite it, write it." Anything that I eat gets logged. And I don't want to spend all my time logging nibbles.
  • Sunnyjb
    Sunnyjb Posts: 220
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    If it's not unhealthy food, don't stop, just put it in your log and count it towards your calories
  • A_Fit_Mom
    A_Fit_Mom Posts: 602 Member
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    It is as simple as making the choice to not do it. Same choice as to not eat fast food, to exercise...etc.


    You have made the right step to know you shouldn't be eating it. This is how a lot for people do not count the extra calories. When you are nibbling, you could easily eat hundreds of calories without even knowing.


    Why not make yourself a plate of fruit to eat with your kids.
  • bergpa
    bergpa Posts: 148 Member
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    As soon as you pour the cereal, immediately fold the inside bag down and put the box away. Put all snacks away as fast as possible too. Make this a habit and your hands won't reach for the food nearly as often.

    If you find that you have put anything in your mouth that you didn't intend too, spit it out and throw it away. (Presuming that you are at home and don't have guest.)

    Put partially eaten food in the trash immediately and put leftovers straight into the refrigerator.

    If all else fails, buy single serving snacks and cereal for a while.
  • siany01
    siany01 Posts: 319 Member
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    Just think of all the disgusting places your kids' hands have been. Turns my stomach every time.

    Yep. Especially boys. YAK!!!
  • jmsharp1
    jmsharp1 Posts: 29
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    I'm a stay at home mom of 3 and this has been a problem for me too. I've recently started either sitting down with them with something small for me fruit, veggies my shake or salad whatever and eating with them or go do something else, laundry, clean something. However the more problem I have is my daughter wants to drink my shakes or eat my salad, even though I made her one too, and generally hers is smothered in homemade ranch while mines tossed in evoo! They have to clear the table when they're full, scrape the food off, throw the dishes in the sink. Even my 17 month old chips in granted some of the time half her food ends up all over the floor...she's helping right and I'm definitely not eating it then!
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
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    How old are the kids? Are they old enough to pour their own Cheerios (or scoop them with a measuring cup, which helps teach them portion size) and bag up their own pretzels for snacks? If they're preparing their own food, you won't have the opportunity to piece on their food, as well as it gets them involved in the food process which is good for them.

    I also wouldn't cut the crusts off the bread. If they really don't like it, cut the sandwich in half and they can eat their way to the crust and then you won't want to eat the leftovers after they've eaten off of it.

    Other than that, will power. You have to be conscious of what you're doing and purpose to not do the things you don't want to do. "If it's important to you, you'll find a way. If it's not, you'll find an excuse."
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
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    force yourself to LOG. EVERY. SINGLE. NIBBLE. before it passes your lips. EVERY TIME. Eventually, the nibbles won't be worth the effort, and you'll stop nibbling.
  • oceanblue6
    oceanblue6 Posts: 76 Member
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    Hi all,
    Thank you so much for all of the wonderful ideas and support! I really appreciate it! Just to clarify, I'm pretty good about not eating the leftovers, but food prep is what I find it most difficult (I prepare all of the meals/snacks for our family). I think, as many of you have mentioned, that mindfulness is the key. While I can appreciate the "just don't do it" mentality, if it was that easy for me, I wouldn't be doing it! I am going to really work on the awareness and I am good about recording the calories of all these nibbles and bites. It just is frustrating at the end of the day when I see calories I have eaten that I haven't really enjoyed!
    Thanks again for the feedback.
  • oceanblue6
    oceanblue6 Posts: 76 Member
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    Yes, I think mindfulness is so key-- need to work on this!
  • traceyfunk
    traceyfunk Posts: 86
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    May I suggest a book? You could try any mind-body literature but here's a start. "Women Food and God" by Geneen Roth.
  • dominoid747
    dominoid747 Posts: 33 Member
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    I eat while I'm cooking because I know that I'm not going to be able to stop myself anyway. It helps me to prepare the veg first, then I can have a little pot of pepper or carrot or something to munch on and it stops me munching on stuff that's higher in calories and wasting them.
  • His_Buttercup2015
    His_Buttercup2015 Posts: 114 Member
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    I have issues nibbling while cooking, and since I have a concentration on less sodium and calories for my diet I have a separate meal than the kids most days (not always) so I eat first.
    As far as grabbing snacks like you said, maybe simply reminding yourself "this is for the kids" will help you not grab some for yourself.
  • oceanblue6
    oceanblue6 Posts: 76 Member
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    Sorry-- I can't figure out how to reply to individual messages. I'm new here. So when I said "thank you" and "so many great ideas" in my general message-- just assume I was talking to you! :smile:
    p.s. if anyone wants to explain how to do this, that would be great, otherwise I'll head over to the tech forum to figure it out.
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
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    Start composting then you won't feel bad about wasting food. Just immediately toss it in your compost bag to go outside, or better yet have them do it. This and all other kitchen scraps (except meat).
  • staceypunk
    staceypunk Posts: 924 Member
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    I feel your pain hun! Finishing my kids plates was one of the reasons that I got to my heaviest weight. I just didn't realize how many calories all those bits here and there add up to. I hate wasting food. Do you have a dog? I do. When I am making their lunches my dog stands right at my feet (annoyingly!) and I cut the crusts and then feed them straight to her. I love peanut butter so much, and Jelly, well I could never fit jam into my MFP calories so those stupid PBJ crusts were a real challenge. Pathetic I know!

    Anyhoo, if you have a pup feed the food directly to him or her. If you don't have a dog I like waht someone said about running water over the plate immiediately- no turning back then!

    You will just have to battle yourself when it comes to grabbing a few pretzels or goldfish. It's hard I know.

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