Tips on how to stop mindless eating?

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healthyhappyme143
healthyhappyme143 Posts: 6
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all! For some reason I can't stop mindless eating. I find myself nibbling on random foods, anything in sight. I'd have a few dates, then some nuts, then some cookies, sips of chocolate milk,fruit and cereal. Even though I'm not hungry i still do this. I've gained back 20 pounds from doing this. My out of control eating is usually after college or work and not so much on the weekends. Any advice?
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  • dakotababy
    dakotababy Posts: 2,406 Member
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    Yes - only eat when you are physically hungry. Focus on when you are hungry and ask yourself "am I REALLY hungry, or am I just pretending to be hungry?"

    Typically, feelings associated with mindless eating is often boredom, anxiety, fear, or you are tired...just to name a few.
  • mengmoua2010
    mengmoua2010 Posts: 11 Member
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    Here are three things that helps me the most.
    Force yourself to eat something really nasty to turn off your appetite (this helps me the most). Don't buy food that you nibble on. Drink zero calorie drinks such as crystal light, diet soda, etc.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,020 Member
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    I find committing to logging everything I eat helps stop me from "mindless" eating. If I think about having some snack just because it's there or I'm bored or I have a momentary urge for something, I remember I'm going to have to measure or weigh it, go on to MFP, find a matching entry or create a new entry -- and it doesn't seem worth it for something I don't really want or need.
  • Gingerspice45
    Gingerspice45 Posts: 137 Member
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    Maybe planning ahead with where your going to spend your calories would help. Log everything you plan to eat for the day and then stick to it. If you feel hungry then stop what your doing and change activities to distract yourself.
  • fruttibiscotti
    fruttibiscotti Posts: 986 Member
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    If you eat it, log it. Track everything. You cannot fix or improve what you do not measure.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    If you eat it, log it. Track everything. You cannot fix or improve what you do not measure.

    ^^^This. The act of logging every bite will cure it. There's no such thing as mindless eating when you log everything.
  • FitnFeistyLyness
    FitnFeistyLyness Posts: 757 Member
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    look up beck diet solution.. she helped me so much..

    the other posters are right on.. you bite it you write it.

    seeing it in a list is eye opening.

    be active. join a group for support.. feel free to join mine

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/18785-motivation-support-and-accountability
  • WonderChicana
    WonderChicana Posts: 11
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    Try drinking ice water through out the day instead of room temperature water. :)
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    Plan the following day the night before.

    Log everything before you eat it.
  • caffeinekandie
    caffeinekandie Posts: 40
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    I have a rule: I eat nothing out of a package (and the packages never leave the kitchen), I need to at least put in on a plate or bowl. Also I don't snack in the kitchen, as I'll just snack on things while trying to figure out what I actually want.
  • CaliforniaAJ
    CaliforniaAJ Posts: 196 Member
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    I find keeping busy helps. If I go to the kitchen for food, I clean something instead.

    If I am sitting on the sofa and I feel like a snack, I reach for my laptop and send a friend an email, or log on here at MFP!

    Weekends when I am home alone with my elderly dog (OH is at golf), I tend to do chores, crafts or workout at home to keep busy.

    A good phrase to keep in your head "Little pickers wear big knickers". This is a British phrase, knickers = underwear. There is nothing like that image for motivation not to snack!
  • madaleingericke
    madaleingericke Posts: 49 Member
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    Have you ever tried analyzing exactly what triggers the "mindless eating?"
    There is usually a cause - boredom? frustration? - and once you identify the cause and deal with that, the mindless eating can become controlled.
  • dejamos
    dejamos Posts: 53 Member
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    I have a rule: I eat nothing out of a package (and the packages never leave the kitchen), I need to at least put in on a plate or bowl. Also I don't snack in the kitchen, as I'll just snack on things while trying to figure out what I actually want.
    This works for me! And I have one other rule - I don't do anything else when I eat at home. No TV, no reading, no computer, nothing. I give myself a few exceptions so I don't go crazy, but it's only foods I know I can control. The best way to stop mindless eating is to start mindful eating. This is what got me started: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/dining/mindful-eating-as-food-for-thought.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&ref=dining&adxnnlx=1387380058-u/BuA7kGvuDnfsRpB3kzaw
  • NRSPAM
    NRSPAM Posts: 961 Member
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    Make sure you're not confusing mindless eating with cravings. Mindless eating is when you eat things without really even paying attention, and possibly without even noticing that you're doing it. Don't eat in front of the TV. Don't leave food sitting out, like chips or cookies. Put the high calorie foods up and out of sight. You can put lower calorie, healthy foods in sight, so you will be more likely to eat them, like baby carrots, or other cut up fruits and veggies. Make sure you log everything, and weigh your foods. Once you become more mindful of what you're eating, it will become habit, and mindless eating will become less of a habit. Good luck! :)))
  • chelstakencharge
    chelstakencharge Posts: 1,021 Member
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    Just say no!
  • 1ZenGirl
    1ZenGirl Posts: 432 Member
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    Are there certain things that cause you to do this? Things like stress or boredom or stuffing your emotions down with food (my personal nemesis) may be a culprit. Once you become mindful of what is happening in those moments inside your head space it may change how you use food.
  • Abilene_Stars
    Abilene_Stars Posts: 4
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    I have this problem, too. Especially if I don't feel SUPER full after a meal I'll just keep snacking and snacking without really thinking about the calories involved.

    One of the things that helps me is to make sure there are no high calorie snacks in the house. I have no ice cream, donuts, cake, cookies, nothing like that in the house right now. Because of this, when I did my after-dinner snacking I had three rice cakes with jam and about 15 baby carrots. If I'm being honest, the reason I don't have any of those things is because we're dirty poor right now and I simply can't afford the non-essentials.

    But here's my main point: I realized a long time ago that if I keep my hands busy I'm less likely to do the mindless snacking. I found crafts that required the use of both my hands to keep me busy. I did latch hook for a while and I currently have a cross stitch I'm working on. Though, I'm getting a little bored with it and need to find something else to work on.

    Is there a specific time of day that you find yourself snacking? Perhaps set aside that time as craft time (or reading time, or something else you enjoy time). Focus on that. Put a laaarge glass of water next to you to drink so that you can satisfy the hand-to-mouth impulse. Give it a shot :) See if it works :)
  • dianed1974
    dianed1974 Posts: 6
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    What i have done in the past is to keep things out of sight. I am less likely to go digging through cabinets and the refrigerator to find something to eat but if it out in plain sight the temptation is greater.
  • uconnwinsnc
    uconnwinsnc Posts: 1,054 Member
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    You can try logging what you were going to eat before you eat it, just to see how badly it will destroy your diary for the day. Or you can try to keep busy. I know if I get bored for an extended period of time I will start munching on food.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    Here are three things that helps me the most.
    Force yourself to eat something really nasty to turn off your appetite (this helps me the most).
    That's silly to eat something nasty to turn your appetite off.

    OP, start logging everything you eat into MFP and you will have a visual of how much you are eating. Once you do this, you can decide what to stop eating so much of. It really helps to weigh and measure all food and to log every single thing you put into your mouth.

    Once you have the logging down, work very hard to stay within your calorie goals. Soon it will become an old habit to eat whatever you want while staying within your calorie goals.

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