My hand wants to eat more than my mouth

DiscoReptile
DiscoReptile Posts: 2
in Food and Nutrition
Hi everybody, new member and first time poster on the message board here. I'm relatively slim for my height but I've never taken much time into measuring myself. As it is, I don't have the means. (No scale)

What I'm here to ask all of you lovely people about is the strange eating habits I seem to have. You see, let's say I'm eating from a bag of something I'm sharing, eg crisps or sweets. I have the urge to grab far more than I actually want to eat, and I eat a lot faster than my body is capable of handling and I feel sick after snacking for too long.

I know that I want it to stop (it's affecting my health, I'm feeling tired when I shouldn't be) and I don't know how my willpower isn't seeming to affect my binge eating habits, especially when it comes to sugary food.

Anyone else have this problem when they don't want to eat but can't seem to stop their hands from grabbing more?

Replies

  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
    Yes, I do that when I keep my focus elsewhere, when I'm bored, when I don't pay attention to the food I'm eating.

    Solution 1: buy portion sizes only, leave it in the store, don't stock up, do grocery shopping in a controlled way (list with planned purchases, avoid at all cost certain shelves, don't buy stuff not on the list, don't shop when hungry, do shop as few times a week as possible). Recognise exactly every step where you can set yourself up for failure and patch those, make it as difficult for yourself as possible to give in to temptation.

    Solution 2: create things to do.

    Solution 3: leave bag in kitchen, take only a serving to wherever you're eating (in case you did the silly thing and bought a huge bag).

    Solution 4: enjoy and eat slowly, try mindful eating too.
  • DiscoReptile
    DiscoReptile Posts: 2
    Yes, I do that when I keep my focus elsewhere, when I'm bored, when I don't pay attention to the food I'm eating.

    Solution 1: buy portion sizes only, leave it in the store, don't stock up, do grocery shopping in a controlled way (list with planned purchases, avoid at all cost certain shelves, don't buy stuff not on the list, don't shop when hungry, do shop as few times a week as possible). Recognise exactly every step where you can set yourself up for failure and patch those, make it as difficult for yourself as possible to give in to temptation.

    Solution 2: create things to do.

    Solution 3: leave bag in kitchen, take only a serving to wherever you're eating (in case you did the silly thing and bought a huge bag).

    Solution 4: enjoy and eat slowly, try mindful eating too.
    Thank you, this seems to be my problem. The thing is I'm in a student flat right now and if I leave my food anywhere but my room (even if it's labelled) my roommates will probably eat it anyway. But other than that, thanks so much for your advice!
  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
    You're welcome. If you buy mostly "health foods", maybe it will be boring enough for them not to get sticky fingers? Another thing I thought of just now is that when I keep eating regularly throughout the day, starting with even a bit for breakfast, I usually tend to have much less of a need to just munch on something. And if I still feel like munching, I now might chop up a carrot or similar into sticks, then grab those instead of the not-so-healthy stuff. Go easy on yourself and try to find replacements and work-arounds, it's doable.
  • parys1
    parys1 Posts: 2,072 Member
    Spread your fingers.
  • cadaver0usb0nes
    cadaver0usb0nes Posts: 151 Member
    Measure stuff out, put the rest of the bag away and then go eat your meal in another room. Focus on eating, do not eat while watching tv, doing work, etc.. Get healthier snacks, like veggie chips or baked chips, carrots and hummus, granola bars, dried fruit, nuts, etc.

    Just read that you have to store food in your room, maybe get a cabinet or something you can put the food in where its out of sight, out of mind? Or label your food, and speak with your roommates that this is your food, they can ask if they would like to eat some or if they eat it without asking they can pay you back for it/replace it. You have to set boundaries when you have roommates and they most likely will be understanding and accommodate that you ask them not to eat your food.
  • basslinewild
    basslinewild Posts: 294 Member
    I went through the whole roommate thing a few years ago. I ended up keeping all my nonperishable food in my desk drawer.

Categories