Mindless Eating

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kamewuv
kamewuv Posts: 6 Member
Mindless Eating: Unintentionally eating for reasons separate from that of hunger.

Unfortunately I find myself eating mindlessly more so now that I am in school.
Beside the fact that my classes are all online so I spend my days solely at home, I find it much easier to just take a hot pocket from the freezer and heat it up in the microwave rather than cook myself food, it is less time consuming nonetheless unhealthy. Being in school and focusing on getting my schoolwork accomplished has lead me to pay considerably less attention to what and how much I did. As a result of my lack of care to my nutrition I have now gained over 15 lbs in 2 months.
My weight gain has led me to pay more attention to what I eat on a daily basis and I have realized that the time when I do my daily class readings is the time when I mindless eat the most. In my family/culture the most common unhealthy food item in our home is 'pan dulce' which means sweet bread in English. These pastries commonly consist of white bread and the large varieties provided including fillings, syrups and chocolate are not healthy to eat when managing your weight . When I read my chapters I, for no justifiable reason, head to the kitchen and grab myself a pan dulce then before I know it I have already finished it yet I do not feel any lack of hunger throughout my regular meals. Mindless eating is a major cause to my weight gain and so if you are having similar issues how did it begin for you and did college play a key role in the issue?

Replies

  • ApocalypticFae
    ApocalypticFae Posts: 217 Member
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    I know your pain! First, remember that sugar is an addiction. It will take a lot of effort on your part to resist the pan dulce. But resisting your urges is like exercising - the more you are able to successfully resist, the stronger you will become until the cravings cease to exist. Soon enough, you will no longer feel yourself walking zombie-style to the kitchen.

    Also, try not to allow your mind to become "mindless". Although schoolwork often takes up most of our brain energy, try to force yourself to be mindful and completely aware of what you're eating at all times.

    Last, but not least, always have a big glass of water or low-cal beverage at hand when studying/reading/writing. If you are going to consume something mindlessly, make sure it is low-cal. And portion it out beforehand, so that you can add it to your food diary.
  • Shanellz
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    Every break I have from college I try to lose weight and I do but it all comes back during the semester. I never had an online class. My problem was not eatting at home and getting fast food in between classes and during class I was eatting chips & drinking soda sometimes. Most of the time I ate was to stay awake lol! Now this year is my last at a JC then I'm going to transfer and I am going to start packing my lunches.
  • kat_beverly91
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    I did this too, all the time! It got to the point where I HAD to have a snack in order to study. I couldn't concentrate without having cheez-its or popcorn or some little thing to eat one at a time. I'm just finally breaking the habit. I make myself some tea instead and sip it when I need something to distract myself. Try replacing your snacks with water, or even a healthy snack like celery.
  • kamewuv
    kamewuv Posts: 6 Member
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    Agreed, sugar is such an addiction. I know that I was never really much of a sweets person, it wasn't until the past year that my grandparents came from their home country that my parents regularly bought sweet pastries to the house that I started eating an abundance of sugar. It was until then that I suddenly started having cravings for more sweets, for more pastries, and lots of chocolate, then pan dulce started to become my regular snack.
    Recently I have been taking a wellness class which led me back to this site, it was a successful tool for me when I first started losing weight. Through the reading I have been learning a lot about myself and my overall wellness, which needs improvement, but one of the chapters that I was able to relate to the most was the one that went over mindless eating. I can see a lot of situations in which I would eat mindlessly and I am glad to know there a methods to tackle mindless eating. Thank you!