how do you stop eating when you are home alone?!?!

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anna11033
anna11033 Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Its so easy for me to have a good diet if I am not home. I love going to school and just staying there all day because I can control my portions :X I exercise almost every day but with a BAD diet you barely see the results. I am just so fed up of me coming home and then doing whatever it is I do and at some point I just get hungry and I go eat and I eat a LOT. like a TON. :( i really don't know what to do. I;ve been online researching tips about this - I never watch TV when I eat, its not like that. just I munch on stuff. but I munch a lot :( I used to clean my house when I felt like eating in such a moment but now that my whole house is clean I really don't know what to do. My friends are writing their exams these days and I recently left my job and so theres not much I can do besides staying home and just doing my own thing but I just find it so hard to stay home and not eat. anybody else has that problem?
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Replies

  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Sounds like you need a hobby to occupy your time.
  • MrsCZM138
    MrsCZM138 Posts: 116
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    If I'm home and I'm "bored hungry", I read. I've read a lot of books this year. :laugh:
  • Nadal1991
    Nadal1991 Posts: 13
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    Maybe you can stock your house with low cal high protein snacks? Or join a gym? Try to learn a language. Read a book series. Watch a tv show? Just find fun or productive or fun AND productive ways to occupy your time.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    Drink plenty of water and find hobbies.
  • missbirrell
    missbirrell Posts: 133
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    I find I eat more when I'm at home. It can be a hard habit to break but I find the following advice useful:
    - Drink more water. Flavoured water tricks the body into feeling less hungry.
    - Keep distracting yourself from food, do ANYTHING else. Read, draw, dance, have a bath, call a friend, anything.
    - Don't keep higher calories foods in the house.
    - If that's not an option or a desire, keep them in but portion them out. I get big bags of sweets, nuts, crisps and weigh them out into portions so they're instantly accessible smaller calories.
    - Keep a note on the kitchen cupboards/fridge/freezer saying why you want to lose weight, or an encouraging slogan or a goal/start photo, anything to keep you from opening the cupboard.
    - Work on your willpower - remind yourself why you want to lose weight. If you eat those extra calories, will you workout for longer next time? Will you beat yourself up over it? Is it worth it? This doesn't always work because Hell, snacking is nice but sometimes it does.
    - Come online when you go to grab a snack, utilise the forums and your online friends. Lean on us, that's what we're here for.
  • onefortyone
    onefortyone Posts: 531 Member
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    I am a stay at home wife and my husband has two jobs so I know about home alone! I pre-plan my meals so I choose what I will eat that day and put it in MFP, then cook it, eat it, tidy it up and feel good about sticking to my goal. I made a mini-goal this week to stop snacking in the evenings because that is when I make my worst food choices. So I go to bed feeling victorious.

    If I am bored-hungry, then I sit down and draw, or read, engage my hands and brain. If I have done all the cleaning and reading and drawing that I want to do, and I am STILL hungry, and I have no calories left, then what? It hasn't happened yet - for me there's always something to do instead of eat, but if it happens, I'll take a walk. Burn off enough for a treat - which for me is a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

    There's no real 'trick' to prevent yourself from eating. Eating is a thing we do as organic matter. You just need to choose what and when and how often you eat, and not let food choose you.
  • margannmks
    margannmks Posts: 424 Member
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    Put on my teeth whitning mouth trays they are on for 30 min. Then i dont want to mess them up. Some people will just brush there teeth but its something about that 30 minutes that takes my mind off the food. Of course you cant do that all the time and ive thought about just putting the trays in empty. Kinda weird but hey whatever works.
  • anna11033
    anna11033 Posts: 13 Member
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    last 3 posts! thank you guys! ill keep working at it, i loved all your advice. especially the teeth brushing and whitening. Ill def try this one next time I feel like grabbing something to eat.

    as i said already i do have a gym membership, i go almost every day :) i have gym equipment at my place too and on a lazy day that i don't feel like going to the gym i find how to be active at home and do some cardio outside (theres a track in front of my place), just that every 2nd or 3rd day i slip big time and oh i don't know how to not slip as much. (ironically, i am doing a personal training certificate and next year ill be working on another exercise related certificate)

    my mom tells me i am not normal because i am on extremes. I either have the perfect diet where everything is planned to the dot or on days that i eat because of who-knows-what reason when i am at home my diet is totally bad. and I've been fighting with this since january . i keep a good diet for two, 3 days and then the 4th one comes and i eat like a pig.

    yes I've tried not having snack foods at home. usually we don't buy many prepackaged stuff but then i eat all kinds of weird stuff. like my mom had a jar of honey and ill eat honey with bread. (like wtf??) now that the honey finished, I've been munching on crackers with icing sugar. like WEIRD stuff. if you ask me i am not even hungry. just that when i am home alone and theres food i just go for it. :(

    thanks again :)
  • ahoier
    ahoier Posts: 312 Member
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    interesting. my problem is the opposite....when I go "hang out" with people, or people come over, all they wanna do is drink beer/liquor or order pizza, go out to eat, etc......

    So when I'm alone, I don't eat.

    Best bet is gonna be to get rid of the junk food. That's what I've done. Gotten rid of chips, dips, salsa, crackers (I keep some wheat thins on hand.....hey they got wheat in there they're healthy haha).......if I get the urge for a snack I mix up a protein shake using just half a scoop of weigh (if It's a rest day.....)

    Go pick up some fruits and veggies, good snacks. At least it'll fuel your macronutrients when you snack ;)
  • anna11033
    anna11033 Posts: 13 Member
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    generally it is more likely for people to be like you. i am just beyond weird :)
  • siratlas
    siratlas Posts: 239 Member
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    I've had issues with this in the past...and I also have issues when I go out with friends. If I keep myself busy, I feel more in control and I can listen to my body's needs instead of eating out of boredom or *insert other emotion*. When home alone I will listen to music, read or interact on MFP when I find myself circling the cupboards/fridge. If I really am hungry, I will grab a quick snack. Candy crush helps too....it frustrates me so much that I don't want to even look at food/treats.
  • margannmks
    margannmks Posts: 424 Member
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    Oh yea the game thing works but i cant do candy crush its too appetizing.lol. i have some variation of that game but its christmas themed (yea its getting a little old now )and lots of the levels are timed so theres no way you can snack.
  • sshintaku
    sshintaku Posts: 228 Member
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    I drink tea, or I take a walk, or do something else to distract myself. I eat more at home because I get restless and bored. I don't even BUY snack food, but I'll eat apples and string cheese all day if I let myself :D
  • ccf_trainer
    ccf_trainer Posts: 86 Member
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    What you are going through is normal. Many people have this issue, so trust me when I say you're not alone. However, something CAN be done about it. All you really need are a few things. You need:

    -A good nutrition plan
    -The mindset to stick to this nutrition plan you've developed
    -Accountability
    -Maybe an accountability partner
    -Maybe a health coach
    -DISCIPLINE!!!! This one is very important.

    There are certain foods that make you hungrier, and those are the foods that you should avoid. Comfort eating is not good, and eating junk will not satisfy hunger at all. I'm not sure if that's what you do, but that's what I've heard from the majority of my clients before I got them set up on nutrition plans.

    The best way you can control your hunger is to consume your vitamins and supplements, eat plenty of protein, the right amount of carbs, and drink more water. I don't know how much water you're drinking, but water does help control hunger (and thirst) for a couple of hours. I help my clients with this issue with the nutrition programs I have for them, and there are other options. Meal replacement shakes work, meal replacement bars are good, and protein snacks (hard-boiled egg, protein bars, peanut butter with fruit or raw veggies), or snacks like pita chips and hummus. Realistically, you do need five meals per day (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks).

    Remember, there is no goal that can't be reached. All it takes is commitment to your nutrition program, and a positive mindset. You got this!
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
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    Take up something like knitting, cross stitch or embroidery, or get into playing something like Second Life, or drawing, or do some bodyweight exercises at home instead, read a good book, do some colouring or puzzles...
  • anna11033
    anna11033 Posts: 13 Member
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    ccf_trainer I drink usually plenty of water. thats also one thing i can't actually control. when i am thirsty i can drink like half a litter in just one sitting, after cardio usually i am also thirsty and I REAAALLLY TRY not to drink a lot of water at once but sometimes I just go for it anyway. usually in the morning i drink half a litter just to "cleanse" myself if that makes any sense. lol not sure if thats what it does but i feel more energetic if i drink water when i wake up. on average i have days in which ill drink 3L of water.

    as for what it is i snack on, i don't have chips in the house. i snack on crackers (which are usually the healthy ones, the ones i buy have only flour and water in them) and fruits or bread (my mom makes home made bread). okay i know, its healthy. fine. but nothing is healthy when you eat too much of it. and sometimes when i am home i can munch and crunch on apples and bananas all day long and at the end of the day when i try calculating how many calories I've had, just the thought of it gives me a mini-heart attack. I can control myself in the morning and after 6-7 (because I never eat after 7 THE LATEST) but between 2-6 if I am ever home during this time I just go "bored" or whatever it is and I eat like crazy.

    btw Graelwyn75 i did started knitting :D i wish i could upload a picture on what it is i am working on now :D .. but for some reason it doesn't help me when it comes to food at home ;(
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    Set a reasonable deficit. According to your profile, you have 9 lbs. to go. Set your goal to .5 lb. per week, and be patient.

    Eat "healthy" (whatever that means to you) 80% of the time. Fit yummy, portion-controlled treats into your calorie goal. Deprivation can lead to bingeing.

    Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • happykate2
    happykate2 Posts: 13
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    sugar free gum :)
    ...and willpower.
  • 1948sixty
    1948sixty Posts: 24 Member
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    You have had your "aha" moment...you know in your heart that it isn't "hunger" that is the reason for the eating...good for you. There isn't a magic bullet...only a deep desire on your part to change the behavior and the realization that continuing this habit will prevent you from being successful with weightless and feeling healthy.

    Make yourself a priority, make yourself a promise to track every bite. I found that the practice of tracking my intake would help prevent that next bite. Do it for one day and feel how accomplished you feel and know that you can do it for another day, and another day.

    Make sure you have protein at every meal and drink plenty of water...this may keep you feeling sufficiently satisfied to make not snacking that much easier.

    Believe in yourself.
  • sdps745
    sdps745 Posts: 33 Member
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    Great suggestions!...Bump for future reference!

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