Boredom eating

I used to boredom eat so much too!

Drinking water? I always find that helps.

I also have an elastic band round my wrist that I snap when I get tempted/cravings.

A combination of the two seems to work for me. Maybe also lower your calorie limit? (I don't know what it is now). I find if I have a harder target to aim for I'm more sensible with my eating.

Good luck

Yeah it gets hard at times.
Try to invest in healthy options instead of the regular ones, to ween your wanting of the bad stuff.
Like "lean" labeled dinners and cottage cheese and fruit instead of chips or whatever you'd like.

i always used to eat while bored but now instead when i fell bored i get up and do some exercise and then i feel way better and dont eat, if im working and im bored then i just grab a cup of green tea try and take my mind off food ) ( easier said than done tho i think) )

if i'm feeling munchy, i eat frozen blueberries. they're great, and pretty cheap. and you can always have them in because they don't take up much room. also, i get my hubby to put all the crap on the high shelves where i can't see them. hubby isn't coming on the health kick with me either.
i also keep ice blocks in- there's some lovely ones for about 70cals each - fruju sorbet ones. super! they're good to eat at night. but be sure to monitor everything- that really keeps me on the straight and narrow. i haven't gone over on my cals once yet, and that's only because i know that if i eat something that will take me over the limit, i'll feel terrible with myself. so i try to load things as i go.

I've not long started using MFP - what a great tool. I used to try and keep a spreadsheet based on the same principle, but this is so much easier and more accessible on the smartphone too.
My downfall is snacking in the evening and probaly stress eating as well, although I would never admit to colleagues that I am stressed. I am going to try some of the suggestions people have made and see if that helps. Good luck everyone.

I know exactly what you mean... I sit in a quite office on my own most of the time and it gives me time to get bored. When I'm bored I need something to nibble or snack on. I have tried to switch what I snack on from crisps and biscuits to blueberries, grapes, ryvita thins that sort of thing. Also, I have invested in a radio to keep me entertained!

I also think that it helps to have something you are aiming for. For example, I am getting married next year so my mantra at the moment is 'teeny tiny wedding dress' everytimr I crave something to eat just because I'm bored.

Don't get me wrong I still have weak moments where I have a blueberry muffin instead of blueberries but nowhere near as often!!

Good Luck

J

I eat out of boredom too...it's amazing how many reasons there are for why we eat, that have NOTHING to do with being hungry or actually NEEDING calories.

Have any of you read any of Genene Roth's books? The one i'm on right now is called "Breaking Free From Compulsive Eating" right off the bat she gets to the issue of hunger and retraining your body to remember what pure hunger is like.

I haven't tried her exercise for relearning hunger because i worked so hard to get on a regular eating schedule (breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, evening snack) I used to only eat lunch, dinner and evening snacks - you can guess this lead to WAY too many calories before bed, so i had to change.

Now i'm thinking of trying Roth's exercise and actually allowing myself to get hungry and feel hunger. I'm hoping it will help with being able to identify when i'm hungry and when i'm just bored, or emotional.

Thanks for posting this topic it's a good one!