When home is the danger zone

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missnelso04
missnelso04 Posts: 111 Member
in Motivation and Support
Generally during the weekday, while at work, I eat pretty great. The cafe here has a salad bar with fruit and protein choices and they often also have some healthy stuff on the hot line. I also bring healthy snacks to tide me over those hard times of the day (after my coffee and between about 1:30-3:00 PM) - apples, string cheese, and fiber or protein bars.

And then I get home. And all that pride I felt at being good throughout the day falls by the wayside and I freak out on our pantry. Goldfish. Oreos (my husband buys those, I don't). Animal crackers. We have a 3 yr old and I pretty much binge on her snacks, poor thing.

Home is not my happy place when it comes to food. I am triggered right when I walk through the door, and I have a ridiculously hard time talking myself out of "ruining" my day with those awful food choices. Last night for dinner, I made my daughter a nice ham and cheese plate with carrots, peanut butter, and grapes. I had oreos dipped in caramel sauce for dinner.

Any good advice on how to conquer this trigger? Anyone else have all their inhibitions flee once they get home?

Replies

  • TXHunny84
    TXHunny84 Posts: 503 Member
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    I do the same thing! I binge on crap at night after being good all day long. Weekends are the worst! I wish I had advise.... I have two kids so I understand having all teh snacks around. Maybe try buying them only junk/snacks they like that you don't... That worked for me for a while and with certain things. Or maybe put Post-its all over the junk foods or your pantry reminding you not to eat it.... IDK though.... I suffer the same food frenzy at home. It makes me happy when Monday rolls back around. :-/
  • Overboard_Eater
    Overboard_Eater Posts: 105 Member
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    Maybe try switching it up. Bring a few of those "naughty" snack to work in a portioned control bag and save the healthy snack for when you walk in the door. This way you can satisfy the need to eat as soon as you get home. It also might lead to you being able to eventually switch back to something healthy at work in time. It sounds like you are depriving yourself of things during the day which leads to overeating at home. Just my thoughts.
  • missnelso04
    missnelso04 Posts: 111 Member
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    @overboard...That's actually kind of brilliant. I do love me some goldfish. I think I will try bringing some tomorrow!! Even though during the day I don't consciously think, "Man, eating this healthy stuff sucks" but apparently my body is telling me otherwise since I dominate snack foods upon getting home.

    And hunny...*hug*
  • katilynnegray
    katilynnegray Posts: 98 Member
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    Kids aren't a part of my life yet but I do the same thing with my husband's snacks. Yesterday was peanut butter and a pop tart.
    Fail :(
  • Overboard_Eater
    Overboard_Eater Posts: 105 Member
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    I hope the new strategy worked/ works for you.
  • ktmmom189
    ktmmom189 Posts: 132 Member
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    I have this same issue and with dinner. My husband and 18 yr old are all about beef and no vegetables. So I have been making basically 2 dinners. Generally mine is chicken, zucchini, ect. I don't particularly like to cook and now adding exercising on top I am trying really hard to avoid the fast food trap . Didn't make it last night. I had 2 graham crakers and few frozen banana chips. The frozen banana chips way satisfied my sweet tooth
  • oOMusicBabii
    oOMusicBabii Posts: 494
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    Generally during the weekday, while at work, I eat pretty great.

    And then I get home. And all that pride I felt at being good throughout the day falls by the wayside and I freak out on our pantry. Goldfish. Oreos (my husband buys those, I don't). Animal crackers. We have a 3 yr old and I pretty much binge on her snacks, poor thing.

    This sounds like my house. My parents insist on keeping yummy and delicious and so bad for you snacks around all the time and I can't resist.
  • Boolietta
    Boolietta Posts: 12 Member
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    It can definately be hard to stay on track when you get some freedom at the end of the day. The only way I can do this when the urge to snack creeps up is to make sure that there is nothing REALLY bad in the house to snack on. I have a 3 year old but keep fresh and dry fruit as snacks instead of buscuits, crips or sweets & that keeps us all healthy (my partner is being very good about eating healthy with me - thank goodness) - can drive up your sugar intake but better natural doses from fruit than something artifically sweetened and processed I think. I love raw veggies too so happily much away continuously without worrying about too much sugar. Sugar free jelly (jello) pots are great to give either you or the kids a sweet fix as they are low fat & low call (approx 10) but still feel like a sweet treat and flavoured rice cake bites etc can give you a savory boost.

    I also try to drink plenty of water to keep me feeling full and also log your snack into MFP before you eat them so you can see the damage before it's done and decide if it's worth it. Good luck.
  • jmac4395
    jmac4395 Posts: 3
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    Been ther. Try this. A friend told me about Satiereal Saffron she saw it on Dr. Oz and tried it and it cut her cravings. I have been using it for 2 weeks now and my desire to munch "just because" is completely gone. I did not believe her when she told me, but after a weekend of working out on my eliptical and burining 1200 calories and then eating about 4,000 calories. I just broke down and said what the heck. I am very happy, it is very inexpensive and in health food stores, all natural. It might help you :wink:
  • camiah
    camiah Posts: 146
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    Home is strongly linked to boredom, which is a significant trigger for me to impulsive eat or binge. I've had to really focus on not giving in to the temptation, to do something different, or even to go take a nap, when the urge to eat when I don't need to really gets strong. And I'm not always successful at controlling it, to be sure. But I'm doing much better than when I just sort of threw up my hands and pitied myself and failed to really hold myself accountable.

    You have to learn to replace those habits with something else. It has become a danger zone for you because you have this entrenched habit of eating in a particular way at home. Sometimes it does take sheer force of will, one day, one decision at a time, to break the habit. Keep trying, knowing you will occasionally fail, and eventually you will have replaced your old habits with new ones.

    Get rid of the crappy foods you eat, like the Oreos and caramel sauce. You can't eat them if they aren't there. Is there a favorite show you like to watch at night? If you eat a healthy dinner, you get to watch the show. If not, you don't. Find the mix of positive and negative motivators for you to change the habit, and make the decision that you really want to change. Really change. Not just saying you wanted to change, without putting any effort into it, which is what I did for a long time.

    You can do it!

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