Eating when bored?

JDAlder
JDAlder Posts: 153 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Pretty new to MFP and not sure if this topic has been beat to death...Butttttt, are there any people out there that eat when they're bored? I find myself wandering around my kitchen too often when I have nothing to do around the house. Any advice/tips to help avoid this? Generally, Mon-Fri due to work, this isn't an issue. However, the weekends are killer for me :/

Replies

  • ctroxell2004
    ctroxell2004 Posts: 56
    Uhhh yea, I have the same problem. I'm still trying to figure out how to avoid it...I've been chewing gum and drinking water. I find if I eat even a little bit I keep eating and eating....DAMN BRAIN!
  • Janelle173
    Janelle173 Posts: 396 Member
    this is my kryptonite. I have this same issue. So, I would like to hear other people's advice.

    I will say that I have started getting ice water and sitting back down and drinking it before deciding to eat lately, when i know I may be "bored eating."

    I think it is helping. And, I have started stocking my fridge and cupboards with healthier snacks, so if I do snack, I don't have like cookie dough, butter cream icing, or any other horrible choices available. I have apple slices, grapes, baby carrots/ff ranch dressing, cucumber slices, granola bars for something sweet, salad, etc.
  • Sarahsue94
    Sarahsue94 Posts: 96
    Ive been away at college for the past 5-6 months and have noticed that I don't do a lot of snacking because I just keep it out of my dorms. But since I have been home I've been playing a lot of Xbox and have noticed that any time I play I feel like I HAVE to be eating something. I seriously need to break this habit!!!

    My advice is that anytime you find yourself doing that, try to just drink a glass of water. A lot of times you feel "hungry" because your dehydrated.
  • JDAlder
    JDAlder Posts: 153 Member
    Yeah, I have heard about the whole water thing to help with hunger. But it's weird, I'm not actually hungry..Eating just gives me something to do? X.x;

    Maybe I need some new hobbies :P
  • Janelle173
    Janelle173 Posts: 396 Member
    get on here and write in the forums? :)
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    try gum...it helps me to stay away from boredom eating. I like Extra dessert flavors
  • JDAlder
    JDAlder Posts: 153 Member
    Hah! I have actually found myself doing that alot more since I joined a few days ago :P
  • TrueBlueBruin78
    TrueBlueBruin78 Posts: 311 Member
    Idle time is a killer for me as well. That is why i try to keep myself busy with household chores, cooking my meals for the next day, or go out and take a walk with a bottle of water. I will try to keep this in mind the next time i mindlessly dip my hand in to the cookie jar.
    Thank you for the reminder.
  • annepage
    annepage Posts: 585 Member
    Yeah, this was how I gained 20 lbs over a summer a few years back. Being at home on the weekends, I usually eat more and more frequently as well. I chew a lot of trident in general which helps. Having the sweetness of the gum in your mouth in addition to having something to do by chewing seems to help.
  • jmkmomm
    jmkmomm Posts: 3,247 Member
    Believe me, if I am bored water and gum and healthy snacks don't do it for me. I want good ol' sugary food. Food that has been my downfall, food that has made me put back any weight that I have been successful in getting off many times before. I was hoping that this diagnosis of diabetes would help me but today was awful. I up until today didn't have any of that food in the house. I removed it all 2 months ago. But it was here today and now it's on my hips. :(
  • Revupy
    Revupy Posts: 8
    I brew herb teas and then bottle them. Green Tea, Black Tea, Weight Loss Herb Tea, or any others. I use the glass bottle from mineral water purchased at the store and use 2 tea bags per 750ml. When you have like four flavors stocked and you open the fridge go for the herb teas and choose the right one for the time of day.

    I also use cinnamon sticks to chew on. The challenge with the sticks is you try not to chew them or break them into pieces. See how long you can keep the stick in your mouth between meals to avoid snacking.
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,722 Member
    tea and coffee are good appetite suppresants... just busy yourself...
  • glitteredgrave
    glitteredgrave Posts: 194 Member
    I tell myself I can't eat until I clean my house, wash my dog, etc... because it always snowballs and I end up going on a cleaning spree lasting for hours. That's just me though :) or I'll sometimes get a giant plate of fruits and vegetables and lounge in front of the TV. It beats eating the unhealthy crap for sure.
  • natashalynnx
    natashalynnx Posts: 34 Member
    When I get bored and start doing that I say to myself that
    I have to do 10 "extra" minutes of cardio, etc before I can eat anything.
    Usually after I work out I feel too tired to eat so it works for me.
  • JDAlder
    JDAlder Posts: 153 Member
    Lol, good idea!
  • 2essie
    2essie Posts: 2,851 Member
    I usually go to the low calorie hot chocolate. I make it a special time. I sit down in front of the television and really enjoy my time with my hot chocolate. If I feel energetic I try a workout instead. Both work for me but I know which I would rather have ;)
  • justme9717
    justme9717 Posts: 104
    I am new to MFP too...and not only on weekends, but on weekdays too I feel bored and I tend to attack snacks! I did some research for avoiding this on net and found the top most answers to be gum and water! I tried gum, but it only made me more hungry (can't explain why...u can google it) ..and drinking water I Hate during winters! So none of these are working for me...wanna know what others have to say...cz I'm really craving to chew down things!
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
    Define bored. By bored did you mean to say mindless eating while you watch TV or play video games because I used to do that and for me the best solution was to keep water near and me and sip at it the entire time. It really becomes a habit easily and before you know it you're drinking liters and liters of water daily
  • newyorklover91
    newyorklover91 Posts: 77 Member
    I have gotten used to drinking heaps of water when I 'think' I'm hungry but I'm not really hungry.. It works a charm. It's hard to start off with though, but you get used to it.
  • RobynLB
    RobynLB Posts: 617 Member
    Go out and do something.
  • dangerouscurvesNZ
    dangerouscurvesNZ Posts: 23 Member
    I have a theory - and I test it a lot: skinny people don't emotionally eat. Ask a skinny person - if you're really stressed do you eat much? And they'll say "No way, I can't eat". Ask a bigger person and they'll say "Yes, I can't stop." Now that I've figured that out I try to be mindful of emotional eating, watching what my triggers are, make sure there's nothing tempting in the house and find alternatives.

    I read this on someone's facebook page "The alternative to boredom is exercise, not food!"

    And this on a poster at work "snack for fuel, not for comfort"

    Try sticking these on your fridge/pantry.

    And hang in there, it's a lifelong journey, good luck!
  • akj_25
    akj_25 Posts: 244 Member
    i have the same struggle if i am busy all day then i don't snack at all but as soon as i go to sit down for a while... - i work nights so i find my self mindless eating jsut for something to help keep me awake,
  • JingleMuffin
    JingleMuffin Posts: 543 Member
    i do something similar. im not actually bored cause i almost always do 2 things at once. i generally only eat when im hungry or when its time to eat. or when I just want something in particular. like something sweet.
  • kristen6022
    kristen6022 Posts: 1,923 Member
    I find an easy way to combat "bored" eating is to plan what you'll eat each day, the day before. When I was losing I'd do that and only eat what I planned. If it wasn't on my log, I didn't eat it. Kept me sane and gave me willpower...

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