Advice to avoid mindless snacking?

Well I don't recommend smoking. It fixed the mindless snacking but it was harder to quick smoking than snacking. XD

Seriously though, when I have the urge to snack I snack on something I don't like that is super healthy. Like Celery. I hate the stuff. Nothing makes me lose the urge faster than three bites of a celery stalk.

Alternatives is something that keeps you too busy to snack. House chores aren't great because you can snack while you do it but trying to snack while riding a bike hurts. I tend to exercise when I have urges to snack because usually by the time I am done exercising I have enough calorie for a snack. I am a snacker at heart so I make sure I can work it in.

Also chose snacks wisely. I have special K snack packs. 100 calories. I also have jello, and bananas to snack on. If I have to stuff my face I make sure I'm being reasonable.

Whatever you're thinking of eating stop and put it on a plate. Seriously. Even some fruit or a few kernels if popcorn.if you have to put it on a plate, you'll think twice. Somehow instead of taking from the package or eating ice cream right out of the container--putting it in a bowl or formal plate puts it in perspective

self-control

I'm bad about snacking, too. Especially at work where there's always stuff to munch on. I started chewing gum a lot, especially mint flavors. I gave it up a few year back because it seemed like a nasty habit, but it's better than constantly snacking. I like 5 gum because the flavor lasts a good while, and it doesn't get gross if you chew it for a few hours.

Alternatives is something that keeps you too busy to snack. House chores aren't great because you can snack while you do it but trying to snack while riding a bike hurts.

This is true. It does hurt to snack on a bike. I was once eating pretzels while cycling around my neighbourhood and I dropped one and it actually got stuck in the gear and wheel for long enough that I toppled over and scratched my knee and leg up pretty good. And I bent the handle bars on my bike.

You know.. as I was typing that.. I was like... "Even I can't believe one little pretzel did all that".

Instead of avoiding junk, try to fill up on healthy stuff instead. Snack on baby carrots.

Pound back the water.
And change your snacks to anything on the "negative-calorie" list.

Cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, apples, etc.

Look it up, those will help. And then tell yourself "No food tastes as good as thin is going to feel."

If that doesn't work, glare at the refrigerator when you walk by it. Seriously. Make stupid faces at it. Sometimes that helps, lol.

I know this is easier said than done, but I've found it helps to understand WHY I want to snack and then deal with that.

These reasons can include: I'm bored, I'm lonely, I'm thirsty, I had a bad day/week/month/year/life sucks, etc.

If you can address WHY you want to snack you can better control the snacking. in the meantime, snack on something like baby carrots or blueberries or popcorn.

water! i have a bad habit of smoking and giving into munchies mindessly what helps me is a fill a huge glass of lemon water and drink it while i smoke and finish it when im done usually ill be to full to eat if its still an issue i make a vegan protien shake

I eat a lot of grapes, cucumbers, carrots and stir-fry veggies. I also eat 25g of vanilla Greek yogurt mixed with 75g plain Greek yogurt as a snack. I used to eat way too many almonds sitting at my desk. Now I try to limit myself to 10 per snack. The main thing is to log everything, and if you go over, do the cardio to make up for it. When I was losing, there were many nights when I was walking at bedtime to get rid of the red numbers.

Find something you like that is low calorie and healthy, and snack on that.

Good luck with your lifestyle change.

Larro

I would start by trying to identify why you are eating and why you are choosing to eat the foods you eat.

I have a number of thoughts/considerations about this, but they may not be applicable depending on what you find.

I'm always eating, even when I'm not hungry, and I don't know how to stop. I've been doing my best to avoid snacking but it's so hard, and at times, impossible as I'm so overwhelmed by the urge to eat. I have issues with self control, moderation, and I am emotionally stunted to a point so I do realise that to some extent I eat to deal with complicated emotions, however I have been unable to deal with such under professional (medical) circumstances. I have tried everything I know possible, removing myself from the situation, getting out the house, drinking water, distracting myself, talking to someone, even giving in a little. Does anyone have any advice on what to do or other ideas to stop the urge to eat when I'm not hungry?

Thanks for your time, it's so appreciated!

I found a couple things to work for me. Allow my laziness to actually get up and walk to the kitchen to become greater than my desire for junk food. This worked but made it hard to get myself to the gym(which when I am not swamped with school it is my life so you can see my dilemma)

Next, I found a lot of times distracting myself worked. Because I would eat out of boredom. So I found something to distract myself. Be it the gym, video games book homework tv etc. For me this can be a bit hard since I cant sit and do the same thing for very long without getting bored(partly do to adhd lol).

Third, replace "snacking" with micro snacking. Dont keep the chinese with you put it in the fridge or trash it. Instead grab a little bit of something sweet or salty or both(i find trailmix with m&ms is perfect) because sometimes the need to snack is bc the body is saying in needs salt or sugar etc so a little every now and then doesnt hurt. Just make sure its a small a bit.

Lastly, mix this with number 3, but try this first, drink a gatorade bottle of water before eating(i mean in 5 minutes-ish) sometimes your body is mistaking hunger for thirst. Throw this in combo with a handful of trailmix(not even 100 cal) and you give your body what it is most likely craving.

Your snacking doesnt have to be healthy in the since fruits and veggies but it shouldnt be mass amounts of grease, salt or sugar. Make it healthy in the since it fits with in your calorie(and macro if you are sticking to that) goal. Otherwise, you will go over board.

The #1 most effective thing for me is to not buy the snacks. If you're snacking on leftovers, and can't find success by making a rule against this, don't keep leftovers. Really, throw them out. Give them away. Pack them in a bag marked "tomorrow's lunch". Order less next time, etc.

The #2 most effective thing for me is to plan what I'm going to eat in advance. This is partly because I get a lot of anxiety around food -- making food decisions (especially when hungry), having to prep (especially when hungry), etc. In my ideal situation (which I am not in right now), I schedule my meals AND snacks. I find which time intervals work best for me, so I can schedule them well. I decide what I'm eating in advance and do as much prep in advance as I can -- I make the decisions and do the work when I'm not hungry.

So it becomes a) there's nothing handy to snack on and b) it's not snack time right now, anyway and c) today's snack (at snack time) is X amount of Y, and not anything else.

It's weird at first, but takes almost no thought or effort once you're used to it. (It also might be too restrictive for some people -- I, however, benefit tremendously from the structure.)

#3, have backups. Your appetite and needs will fluctuate, and you may get cravings that just won't quit and what-have-you. You have to have some flexibility, just don't set yourself up to be able to exploit the backups constantly.

Example, I used to make a hot cocoa latte (using cocoa powder, 1 serving of agave syrup or brown sugar, fill big mug about halfway with water, and foam about 1/2 cup milk) for a treat. I love lattes, and I love chocolate, so this worked super well for me. I also had a local bakery that I loved, that was about a 20-minute walk away -- if I got super antsy, I'd made a deal that I'd go THERE and get any 1 thing that I wanted (not 2, or 3, or 4) and not just say, go to the corner store 2 mins away and grab candy. This way, I had a walk, an outing, and a really high quality treat -- it wasn't a bingefest.

I'd recommend finding some alternatives that you can snack on -- both healthy substitutes and treats that are truly treats and also not more caloric than the value they provide for you -- and make plans and rules. Expand and change the rules (when you're clearheaded) as you need to, in ways that will help you when you're emotional. If you get cravings when you PMS, make a plan when you're not PMSing that will help you when you are but not derail you totally, as an example. Food is really personal, so what works for me may not work for you.

#3.5 I doubt that ALL fruits, veggies, nuts, etc would make you throw up. Don't mimic other people's snacks, find something that works for you. I'm pretty picky about veggies and how they're prepped. Like, I hate uncooked carrots, so... I can't "just snack on baby carrots." But that's not an excuse to never eat veggies -- I need the nutrients, even if I have to up the calories a bit by roasting in controlled portions of oil or something. Your palate will also change in time, so meet yourself where you're at now and don't worry about what others are doing or what some article says on the web is the best thing.

#4. Figure out non-food alternatives. Painting my nails works really well for me -- between clipping, filing, buffing, base coat, 2-3 colour coats, top coat, dry time, I can easily be 1-2 hours. A good video game is another way to lose time.

#5. Force yourself to weigh and track your snack before you eat it. Meaning, it actually *can't* be "mindless". You can't eat it and input it later and be like "oops...". You'd have to face the numbers and the portions before eating them, which gives you some room to make a mindful choice to cut back or avoid entirely.

#5.5 When I'm off-plan (it happens), and I know on some level that I've just given myself permission to eat something that will likely result in too many calories that day (like free-snacking from a box of cookies, which is around right now because I don't buy the groceries right now), then forcing myself to log ahead of time doesn't help because I'm sort of off logging, for whatever reason. To curb things, I force myself to glance at the calories per serving size and do the math (say 2 cookies is 140 cals, or 70 cals each). I'm unlikely to let myself keep eating past a certain point if I have to keep adding 70 for every cookie I have.

#6. I have rules about the contexts in which I eat. My main one is that I eat a) at the table with people or b) all settled down nicely in front of a show or movie (which might not work for everyone). I eat off of dishes (everything is plated, and if I'm on-plan, weighed and logged). This way, I am relaxed, and paying some attention to what I'm eating. I'm enjoying it, it isn't mindless. If I allow myself to graze in the kitchen, I'll eat way more and pay way less attention and enjoy it less. If I eat "on the go" or "in a hurry", I get indigestion because I'm tense.

Alternative: Consider eating less at meals, and finding snacks (whatever they may be) with decent macronutrients (protein & fat, not just carbs). Meaning... if you KNOW you're a snacker, and you seriously can't fathom stopping, just plan for it better by eating smaller meals, and making sure your snacks have some nutritional value. (Ex, your leftovers would benefit you more than cookies)

But honestly, it's also just... committing. It has to be a change you want to make on all levels, that you're ready to make. So even if you're hangry, or sick, or emotional, the commitment is still there underlying it all. And if you're just not feeling that right now, work on that first, and tackle the snacking issue once you're ready.

Futuremanda - thanks for the great tips - I especially like the walking to the bakery for a treat!