Restless at work and I turn to food...help!

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azdanni130
azdanni130 Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've noticed that when I get restless (bored, fidgety) during the workday I turn to food -- LOTS of food and not the healthy kind. Wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions for replacing the food I turn to with something else. I can't just walk away and go for a walk since it's during the workday...any ideas would be appreciated!

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  • Fedup23
    Fedup23 Posts: 80 Member
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    Always have a bottle of water on hand and and some healthy snacks available .. fidgety and thinking of food? ... slug down some water and have a few nuts or grapes or carrot sticks or something. Or have junior sized candy bar and repay your calorie count later with a jog.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    it's a horrible habit I used to have as well (still do technically, some habits die hard and pop up their evil heads now and then when you're not paying attention). Boredom/procrastination is a huge trigger for me both at work and at home. For me, it was mostly a matter of becoming mindful. When I had those thoughts of wanting to eat, I stopped myself, asked if I was really hungry or just bored and most of the time the latter was true. So I found things to occupy myself.

    It's tough at work but you're allowed breaks, right? So take a few minutes to get up and walk around your floor and/or up and down the stairs a few times. If you think your boss might have an issue with you getting up more often, give them a heads up. They don't need to know the whole story about you working on losing weight, just let them know you're trying to be more active. It's a good thing and hopefully they'll support it.

    And if you're just trying to put off what what should be doing, pull up your big girl pants and just do it.

    At home, I occupy my time by playing games on my tablet, reading a good book or sometimes even doing crossword puzzles. Find what works best for you. Good luck!

    P.S. Pack all your food/snacks and/or keep some on hand in your desk drawers. There's nothing wrong with snacking persay but if you're going to do it, make them healthy, low cal choices. I like cocoa roast almonds, dry cereal and 100 cal packs of popcorn.
  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
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    How readily available is junk food? It was harder for me when I worked in a grocery store and could just go buy somehting to munch on...now I work in an office and I only have access to what I bring with me...so I only bring healthy choices!
  • FinFoxPT
    FinFoxPT Posts: 106 Member
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    Get a new job?
  • blupanda12
    blupanda12 Posts: 54 Member
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    I pre-plan my snacks for work so I have something to eat when I get fidgety. I also drink a lot of tea to try to ensure I'm not feeding a thirst. I also listen to books on tape during the boring parts of my job to have something other than food to focus on. Librivox has a lot of audio books available that are in the public domain in the US (and thus legal to download here - not sure about other countries).

    When these are not working, I take a break and go for a quick walk around the office, and if all else fails, I have a mini reeses peanut butter cup as a way to soothe my craving for food without totally blowing my calorie count.
  • mave34
    mave34 Posts: 109 Member
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    I tend to want to snack while at my desk out of boredom. I always have water, I plan my food out ahead of time, the hardest part is avoid the lunch room where there is a wall of vending machines full of overpriced delicious morsels. (Some days I am willing to pay 3 bucks for a Snickers bar!) Now that I am on a better routine it's easier to control those cravings. For me they are still there I just don't let them control my day. Replacing with something crunchy, carrot sticks, almonds, rice cakes, crackers and hummus, apple slices can help and they are sweet and satisfying.
  • jannthompson
    jannthompson Posts: 23 Member
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    I bring in my lunch/snacks just enough for the day and planned ahead. I don't keep a stash - if it's not there I can't eat it. I typically know what I will be eating for the day in advance (meals & snacks) which helps from going over my goal and let's me know what wiggle room I have.

    My biggest struggle is all the goodies brought into the office; especially this time of year! I don't always turn down the goodies ... I just watch my portion size. If I am trying to avoid for the day I will chew a piece of gum to fight off that sweet tooth.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    I've noticed that when I get restless (bored, fidgety) during the workday I turn to food -- LOTS of food and not the healthy kind. Wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions for replacing the food I turn to with something else. I can't just walk away and go for a walk since it's during the workday...any ideas would be appreciated!

    Just waste time on the MFP forums instead of eating.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Get a new job?
    my thoughts exactly
  • azdanni130
    azdanni130 Posts: 6 Member
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    Thanks everyone, these are great suggestions. :-)
  • daydreams_of_pretty
    daydreams_of_pretty Posts: 506 Member
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    I totally used to have this problem. Breaking the habit is the most important thing, especially if you're not really hungry. I used unsweetened herbal tea and gum. After you get out of the habit of snacking when you're bored, it's easier to avoid it.

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