Help! Bad Eating Habits once I'm at home

madeleineld wrote: »

I suffer from this too! Here are a few things I've found:
- Plan your dinner in advance, and once you're done, brush your teeth.
- Throw out foods that trigger a binge. I was fine for a week without eating any nutella, and then I realized I had some in my cabinet. I had it on toast. And then again the next night, and then a second helping on a rice cake, and then started eating it with a spoon. I know people say to fit treats in, which I understand, but if there are particular foods that you can't control yourself around, it might help to not keep them in the house for a while.
- How do you feel when you come home from work? Tired? Sad, frustrated? Happy to be home? Maybe if you get a handle on how you're feeling, you can figure out how to stop. If you're overeating because you're tired and it's too much effort to cook a healthy meal, think in advance about what easy and healthy thing you can have around. If it's emotional eating, try to find another release--a TV show you like, a walk, yoga, journaling. Is it just that you're so good all day and you really feel like you deserve a treat? Maybe try to plan in advance and know that you'll want something. Might help you feel less guilt about it if it's part of the plan, and might be easier to stop. If you've decided you'll have a chocolate bar, and you've fit it into your macros, that's great--if you get home, guiltily eat a chocolate bar and feel sorry, you might end up going further and further.
- Don't put yourself in a situation where you're surrounded by snacky food. Like--don't bring out a whole bag of chips or cookies or whatever and eat until you're full. Keep your food put away, decide how much you'll eat, and only put out that amount. When I'm on the couch at night watching TV, I will literally eat everything on the table in front of me, whether it's 10 carrot sticks I picked out or 10 of my roommate's hannukah cookies (sigh).

1. Throw out the junk food and/or your trigger foods. If there's food you can't have just one or two of don't buy it in larger quantities. If it's not in the house, you can't eat it, right?
2. Buy healthy snacks for eating at home. Pre-plan that snack and log it into MFP in the morning so you know you have it coming. Pre-portion those snacks and only take that portion with you into the other room when you eat it. Don't eat in the kitchen and don't go back for seconds. Once your portion is gone, it's gone, so eat it slowly and enjoy it.
3. Try to determine if you're actually hungry or just eating out of habit or boredom. If you aren't hungry try to find something else to do with your hands. I play a slot machine game on my phone while I watch TV. It occupies my hands and it's not distracting enough to interfere with the show I'm watching. You could also do crafts. Some people find that it helps to get up and drink a glass of water or go for a walk or do a few jumping jacks or anything that will distract them for a few minutes until the urge to eat something goes away.