when you want a snack... or to eat ...

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Megabot
Megabot Posts: 173 Member
in Motivation and Support
when you want a snack... or to eat ... (when you're not supposed to) what do you do, instead?

I've been having a hard time controlling myself this week. Today I tried to be online a lot. Yesterday I read a lot. (Yeah I could go work out a whole lot, but I'm recovering from an exhausting month of work, so I can only work out so much.)
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  • Synapze
    Synapze Posts: 499
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    I eat .Something low calorie and filling like fruit.

    I didn't know there was a 'not supposed to' rule. :ohwell:
  • sunman00
    sunman00 Posts: 872 Member
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    like most people on here I've been battling weight most of my life so it's my head that's been telling me I'm hungry rather than my stomach; I've only just begun to recognise the odd message from my stomach :-)

    when I get the pang I drink half a glass of water & see what that does, it often fills me; if after 15 minutes I still feel hungry, I snack :-)

    and I eat minimum 5 times a day now, snacking between the main meals

    my rule is 'don't be hungry',

    btw, I bought some protein bars recently & eat half of one of those for snack; full of protein & very tasty :-)

    good luck!
  • Megabot
    Megabot Posts: 173 Member
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    I eat .Something low calorie and filling like fruit.

    I didn't know there was a 'not supposed to' rule. :ohwell:

    Well there isn't any rule. I'm just home all day, and just can't eat all day.
  • Megabot
    Megabot Posts: 173 Member
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    like most people on here I've been battling weight most of my life so it's my head that's been telling me I'm hungry rather than my stomach; I've only just begun to recognise the odd message from my stomach :-)

    when I get the pang I drink half a glass of water & see what that does, it often fills me; if after 15 minutes I still feel hungry, I snack :-)

    and I eat minimum 5 times a day now, snacking between the main meals

    my rule is 'don't be hungry',

    btw, I bought some protein bars recently & eat half of one of those for snack; full of protein & very tasty :-)

    good luck!

    Yeah, sadly It's all definitely in my head; I *know* I'm not hungry. It's just getting through that feeling that's the hard part. Thanks for the tips, I'll try to get some water and wait at least 15 minutes next time... maybe if I just think I'm postponing a snack!
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
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    I eat .Something low calorie and filling like fruit.

    I didn't know there was a 'not supposed to' rule. :ohwell:

    Well there isn't any rule. I'm just home all day, and just can't eat all day.
    Find something to do.
  • pixish
    pixish Posts: 79 Member
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    My boyfriend makes me a cup of tea after dinner :) That's helped a lot...because that's my worst time!
  • RhiannonLeighh
    RhiannonLeighh Posts: 46 Member
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    Like the others said, drink water! It might just be habit to eat and your not actually hungry. If that doesn't stop the cravings, I find warm liquids are filling. Green tea is 0 cal, or perhaps try cup-a-soup (reduced salt), most are around 100-130 cal, and are quite filling. Eating slowly might help you not snack on so much either, It give your body more time to realise it's full, and you become more aware of how much you're eating.
    Or a tablespoon of hummus and a carrot or other healthy low cal snacks.
  • Megabot
    Megabot Posts: 173 Member
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    I eat .Something low calorie and filling like fruit.

    I didn't know there was a 'not supposed to' rule. :ohwell:

    Well there isn't any rule. I'm just home all day, and just can't eat all day.
    Find something to do.

    yeah, uh, that was actually my question, what do other people do?
  • Megabot
    Megabot Posts: 173 Member
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    Like the others said, drink water! It might just be habit to eat and your not actually hungry. If that doesn't stop the cravings, I find warm liquids are filling. Green tea is 0 cal, or perhaps try cup-a-soup (reduced salt), most are around 100-130 cal, and are quite filling. Eating slowly might help you not snack on so much either, It give your body more time to realise it's full, and you become more aware of how much you're eating.
    Or a tablespoon of hummus and a carrot or other healthy low cal snacks.

    this is probably true - probably is a habit. I usually don't eat while I'm working (my brain is fully engaged) but I definitely eat when I take breaks. Maybe when I'm here without being fully engaged, my brain thinks I'm resting, which goes with eating. As this is the 2nd 'drink water!' recommendation, I think I'll try to divert myself tomorrow, and try this on for size.
  • Megabot
    Megabot Posts: 173 Member
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    I eat .Something low calorie and filling like fruit.

    I didn't know there was a 'not supposed to' rule. :ohwell:

    Well there isn't any rule. I'm just home all day, and just can't eat all day.
    Find something to do.

    yeah, uh, that was actually my question, what do other people do?

    and sorry if that sounds outright snarky - I'm looking for help, and looking to understand why I eat as a habit/event/when I'm not doing things. Trying to just go do things clearly hasn't worked for me. I'm also recovering from a very tough bit of time, and have a *lot* of free time. So when I don't have energy to resist temptations, and just "find something to do" doesn't work, I need *something* to grab on to. I hope you can understand why I am fishing for people's actual suggestions.
  • Megabot
    Megabot Posts: 173 Member
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    My boyfriend makes me a cup of tea after dinner :) That's helped a lot...because that's my worst time!

    do you just want dessert? I'm curious why it's your worst time? I'm actually OK right after meals, it's a couple hours later when I'm like OHHHH I could just...snack... on ...something.

    Maybe I should drink more hot teas, you're the 2nd one to suggest that too!
  • RhiannonLeighh
    RhiannonLeighh Posts: 46 Member
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    I eat the most when I am home alone, or home with no direction so I usually:

    - I find gross things turn me off food, so I might clean the bathroom and toilet, or empty the bins or kitty litter tray, or clean out the bottom of the fridge.
    - Have a tea or warm beverage
    - Read a book I'm really into (this could also be watching a movie, playing a game, knitting.. anything that floats your boat and really gets your attention and distracts you)
    - Go for a walk/exercise (this give you extra calories too! So you can have that snack and not feel so guilty)

    Maybe sticky pictures that inspire and motivate you to the fridge and pantry so you're not as tempted to snack?
    Keep food in the kitchen only! If you keep biscuits or treats at your office area/bedroom/coffee table, you're more likely to snack on them without thinking too much about it because you don't need to move anywhere to get it.

    And also if you really cant help yourself and need to snack, get healthy alternatives:
    Chocolate = carob, sugar free hot chocolate
    sweet biscuits = digestive biscuits, muesli bars (watch the sugar content), homemade healthy recipes
    lollies = frozen grapes, fruit salad
    Ice cream = sugar free FoYo, greek yoghurt with cinnamon
    Potato chips = vege chips (you can make these yourself!), nuts (roasted, unsalted)

    Also instead of leaving everything in the original packaging, try putting them into ziplock bags. For example, put biscuits individually or 2 a piece (depending on recommended serving size) into bags, and only take one bag when you want a snack.

    Sorry for the lecture hahah, I just get really passionate and I think a lot of people issues with weight loss is't the food its the habits surrounding food.
  • Megabot
    Megabot Posts: 173 Member
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    Sorry for the lecture hahah, I just get really passionate and I think a lot of people issues with weight loss is't the food its the habits surrounding food.

    No that's awesome!! It's totally not the food, I don't even really want food half the time, I just eat it cause it's there and seems nice, then I feel guilty. These are all great suggestions, I've been reading and trying to pin things and trying to keep myself out of the way of the kitchen. Yeah I wish I could do more walking/excercise the past week I just was too exhausted. I know that sounds like a cop-out, but I really was burned out this past week beyond what is really physically good for you.

    Onward! Thanks :)
  • RhiannonLeighh
    RhiannonLeighh Posts: 46 Member
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    I know what you mean, I definitely need to exercise more!
    I'm 50% real excuses (college, work) 50% excuses (college, work... the weather haha)
    I have a massive sweet tooth, so I find not eating the whole cupboard hard :/
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,454 Member
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    I found it helped to make it a rule that I don't eat between meals on weekdays. One thing that I've found has helped me to stick with it is having a hot drink instead of a snack, something with not too many calories (could be tea, coffee, low-cal hot chocolate, hot milk, bovril, etc.). Hot skimmed milk is particularly foody. I know that these still have calories, but the point was to get out of the habit of snacking on solid food, and it seems to have worked because I rarely do it on weekdays now, during the day. Evenings are more difficult and I often keep some calories back in case I "need" them last thing at night. But again, something like hot chocolate works quite well (there are a lot of 40 calorie hot chocolate drinks out there).

    It's now habit not to snack during the week, and even my colleagues have got in the habit of not offering me food when it's going around!
  • RhiannonLeighh
    RhiannonLeighh Posts: 46 Member
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    Yes! I have warmed milk with a sprinkle of cinnamon, it's bliss! So toasty and surprisingly filling.
    I'm getting better at controlling myself, I use all the tricks I gave to you and more (mostly weird 'close eyes and count to one hundred' stuff lol)
    I'm the opposite, I try to break my meals up into smaller serving, so instead of 3 meals, I might have 5 or 6 throughout the day. Keeps the metabolism going and stops me from getting to the point of my stomach screaming for food!
  • theblondetrick
    theblondetrick Posts: 192 Member
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    I've had a problem with this since forever and that is pretty much the reason why I'm overweight.

    But,now I try to stop myself for a moment right before I reach for food.Then I try to explain to myself how important it is for me not to binge.I tell myself that I've worked way too hard to just throw it all away.If I screw up today,my weight loss journey will last a day longer and if I screw up tomorrow and the day after and so on,I will never ever lose weight.

    Just try to motivate yourself and if that doesn't work, reach for something healthy, like fruit, Greek yogurt or something like that.

    P.S. I know that talking to yourself might sound a little bit crazy,but if it works,then it's like who cares.
  • Lynne4906
    Lynne4906 Posts: 15
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    I struggle when I'm at home too. The kitchen is RIGHT there, and it's so easy to just snack all day. My advice is to try to drink some hot water with either a tea bag or lemon..it can distract you...sometimes this doesn't work, but it's woth a shot!

    People always say, oh just eat then! Well, we know where that gets us..

    People say, go for a walk! find something to do! But if it was that easy, nobody would be snacking!

    I say, try the best you can...if you do snack, do low cal..

    Good luck :)
  • Megabot
    Megabot Posts: 173 Member
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    ... the point was to get out of the habit of snacking on solid food....

    that's great! thanks!
  • Megabot
    Megabot Posts: 173 Member
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    P.S. I know that talking to yourself might sound a little bit crazy,but if it works,then it's like who cares.

    hahah I have no problem talking to myself. :)
    a good pep talk ...good idea!!

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