How to stop snacking?

I have a huge problem with snacking. I will snack on every little thing I can get my hands on, whether it be while cooking, when I get home from work, or out of pure boredom. I try to chew on gum as much as I can, but I still snack! It's a really bad habit... any suggestions??

Thanks!

Replies

  • musenchild
    musenchild Posts: 182 Member
    Snacking, for me, has triggers. I have eliminated most of my triggers, but when I went back to school, I realized that reading/studying is still a trigger for me.

    To break the habit I had to figure out what I was really getting out of snacking, which allowed me to either fix the problem or find a better alternative. For instance, if you snack when you're bored because you want something to do with your hands, you can learn to knit. If you snack while you're cooking because you're too hungry to wait for the meal, you can plan that snack into your calories for the day.

    Part of what I wanted out of snacking while studying was to get up and take a break. So, I started drinking tea instead. Every time I ran out of tea, I got to get up and make another cup of tea. Voila - urge to snack gone.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    Have lots of veggie sticks cut up ready so hopefully you'll go for them instead of junk.
  • zytah
    zytah Posts: 153
    I keep a large sports bottle with me at all times filled with ice cold water. I drink instead of going for a snack. between the drinking, refilling and the multiple bathroom breaks, it usually keeps me occupied long enough to forget I want the snack. if it doesn't work, ill have a snack, then resume with the water.
  • lesgiam
    lesgiam Posts: 21 Member
    I don't think snacking is a bad thing. I couldn't get through my day without snacking. But I just have to figure it into my calorie goal. I make my meals a little bit lower in calories and try to eat a snack that's healthy. I find that if I don't snack then I will be starving by meal time and overdo it.
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
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    Don't stop snacking, change what you are snacking on. right now i am eatting celery with Hummus. veggies and low calorie snacks are a great way to keep your sanity while cutting calories. Best of luck.
  • vlmay1955
    vlmay1955 Posts: 100 Member
    Get away from the food. Go into the yard, go to the gym, walk around the block, just get away from it. I live in the country and in the summer spend all day outdoors (if it's not raining). I rarely snack. If there is no food there you can't eat it. also, here is one of the best pieces of advice I every got - don't have any food in the house that you can just grab and eat, except healthy stuff like fruit and vegetables. No chips, candy, cookies, etc. If it's not there, you can't eat it! And NEVER EVER EVER go grocery shopping when you are hungry. That's when you buy the junk snack stuff.
  • misssophieleigh
    misssophieleigh Posts: 55 Member
    Get away from the food. Go into the yard, go to the gym, walk around the block, just get away from it. I live in the country and in the summer spend all day outdoors (if it's not raining). I rarely snack. If there is no food there you can't eat it. also, here is one of the best pieces of advice I every got - don't have any food in the house that you can just grab and eat, except healthy stuff like fruit and vegetables. No chips, candy, cookies, etc. If it's not there, you can't eat it! And NEVER EVER EVER go grocery shopping when you are hungry. That's when you buy the junk snack stuff.
    I agree! Keep yourself busy. And make sure the most accessible food is healthy, so when you do snack, it's things like fruit in vegetables instead of chips and whatnot.
  • LolasEpicJourney
    LolasEpicJourney Posts: 1,010 Member
    I too am a snackaholic.
    If I'm out of the house being occupied I cant snack so I try to stay busy.

    If I'm home I raid the cupboards.
    I think I checked my cupboards half a dozen times looking for sweets.... but I never found any
  • PaleoPath4Lyfe
    PaleoPath4Lyfe Posts: 3,161 Member
    I have a huge problem with snacking. I will snack on every little thing I can get my hands on, whether it be while cooking, when I get home from work, or out of pure boredom. I try to chew on gum as much as I can, but I still snack! It's a really bad habit... any suggestions??

    Thanks!

    Simple!! Just tell yourself NO and don't pick up the snacks.
  • DatMurse
    DatMurse Posts: 1,501 Member
    drink a protein shake and let me know if you are still snacking
  • i am SUCH a snacker. and before i actually planned/plugged in my meals into the food log i would snack on anything anytime. since i've been pre-logging a day in advance i haven't been- and i've been much more satisfied