Any tips to stop constant snacking?

Mahlia
Mahlia Posts: 190
edited September 19 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm finding myself snacking again, even when I don't need to. It's like every time I lose weight my brain thinks "OH GOODY, I CAN EAT MORE! OMNOMNOM!" :grumble:

So anyway, any tips? :smile:

Replies

  • Mahlia
    Mahlia Posts: 190
    I'm finding myself snacking again, even when I don't need to. It's like every time I lose weight my brain thinks "OH GOODY, I CAN EAT MORE! OMNOMNOM!" :grumble:

    So anyway, any tips? :smile:
  • kdzmom
    kdzmom Posts: 31 Member
    Make a rule that you can only eat in the kitchen and stick to it. I used to eat at my desk at work all day. We moved to a new office and my boss made a rule that there was to be no food anywhere but in the kitchen. I can't be running back and forth to the kitchen every 5 minutes, so it really helped me cut down.

    Also maybe find other things to distract you. Things that will keep you moving or keep your hands occupied, so you can't use them to put food in your mouth.

    Gum is a good option too. Just make sure it's sugar free.
    Good Luck & keep up the good work!:flowerforyou:
  • kendallalissa
    kendallalissa Posts: 249
    A ton of water! With lots of ice!!!
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    carrot sticks and grapes.

    celery too!
  • sophialittle
    sophialittle Posts: 344 Member
    take up knitting:laugh: :laugh:

    no seriously, when are you noticing snacking being a problem? at work? or at home, while watching tv? or when?

    at work, i just don't bring snackies to school (aka work, 5th grade teacher here) if it's not in my desk, i can't eat it!:wink: as far as snacking at home, i do the elliptical while watching tv instead of sitting on the couch and eating while watching tv like usual:laugh:

    and sometimes i just have to be a conscience eater and stop and make myself think "am i really actually hungry for this or am i just grazing?":tongue: i got so used to just eating because it was there that i had to recondition myself to actually not eat when i wasn't hungry . .. just a few things that worked for me, a fellow snacker:smile:
  • Lizjkp
    Lizjkp Posts: 278
    Only allow yourself a snack :drinker: IF you CAN excercise to lose the extra calories, that way you wont be eating calories above your daily allowance and will train yourself that treats/snacks mean excercise :noway: and stick to it. This is the only way that I can get over snacking (by making myself go outside in the cold -5 wet mud Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ::grumble: )

    Good Luck :bigsmile: and just keep at it.


    "Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here we might as well dance!"
  • ohthatbambi
    ohthatbambi Posts: 1,098 Member
    I am really trying to teach my brain to know the difference b/t hunger and just wanting to shove food in my mouth. It is hard to retrain it, but I have to
  • Shannon023
    Shannon023 Posts: 14,529 Member
    I chew gum when I feel like snacking. It helps. :smile:
  • jimswmn
    jimswmn Posts: 1,350 Member
    take up knitting:laugh: :laugh:



    I agree. In front of the television, mindless eating can really rack up the calories. You are more interested in what you are seeing to what you are eating. If I am eating a pretzel, I break that sucker up into many little pieces. It makes me take notice of what I am doing with both my eyes and my mouth. I have spent many a night crocheting...afghan anyone...:laugh:
  • yellow_pepper
    yellow_pepper Posts: 708 Member
    Set pre-determined times when you eat each day: breakfast, lunch, one afternoon snack, dinner and one evening snack/drink. And get in the habit of only eating at those times.

    For me, I eat breakfast at 9, lunch at 12, a snack at 3, dinner at 7 and - if i'm out - a snack/drink around 10. And while I may not have lost a lot of weight, I have lost that nagging need to go get a snack.

    Also: make sure you're getting enough sleep! We often over-fuel because we feel tired. The best way around that is getting rest! Waking up a little later and going to bed a little earlier also keep us from eating because you can't eat while you're asleep - well, at least I've never sleep-eaten.
  • Losing_It
    Losing_It Posts: 3,271 Member
    I chew gum when I feel like snacking. It helps. :smile:

    Ditto! Sugar free gum is less than 5 calories and helps a ton!
  • joann
    joann Posts: 624 Member
    Losing it you sound just like Bob:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • Jennnnnnnny
    Jennnnnnnny Posts: 373 Member
    usually whenever i want to eat i try and think of something else to do. Whether it be clean, go for a run, or just occupy my mind with something :)
  • yellow_pepper
    yellow_pepper Posts: 708 Member
    Amen to that, Lobster. :wink:

    I find that when I'm logged on to MFP and reading everyone's posts, I lose interest in snacks! Anyone else feel that way?

    And when you're done with that for the hour, find something else that gets your mind off food!
  • happy_feet
    happy_feet Posts: 175 Member
    Ha...this is some coincidence!
    I was just about to start a new thread asking for help.. I had 2 sweets(some indian stuff: each piece of the cake-like-thing is 200cals...that weighs 50gm) I already ate 1 at lunch and got 2 more at my desk.
    Found it very yumm...:love::love: :love:

    Last week I did not lose any weight and tomorrow is my weighin day, So i told myself after being good the whole last week I should not slip now.
    So I gave away 1 piece to my colleague. Kept the smaller of the two to myself...

    I have around 300cals left for the day...already counted dinner since I know what I'll be eating.
    If I eat this one piece I dont get to eat any other 'proper' evening snack... Thsi dam sweet doesnt last...it just melts in your mouth and its gone in seconds...:bigsmile:

    Can I eat it? Really?:noway:
  • yellow_pepper
    yellow_pepper Posts: 708 Member
    Steve Gullo's book "Thin Tastes Better" has some good mantras to remember when you're in this situation, including something like

    I'm not going to be told what to do by a cookie!

    I ask myself why do I want to eat it so much? Is it really so good? Am I getting something out of it that I can't get from something else?

    A lot of time, these sweets/treats that our colleagues leave out in the office are one thing: garbage. Especially by the end of the day, when they've all been picked over. How many hands have touched them, broken a piece off this one? Examined one and put it back? It's gross when you think about it.

    If I can't resist picking it up, and it ends up at my desk, the best thing I can do is just throw it in the garbage. There's no reason to treat my body like it's a garbage pail, ready to take down any calories that happen to be around. And no one else needs to eat that junk either. So I don't feel guilty about it.
  • usedtobeme
    usedtobeme Posts: 7
    I had a colleague in the summer who looked AMAZING.

    She always took one bite of a snack (cupcakes, french pastries, etc, etc) and through the rest out in the garbage IMMEDIATELY. Like, in front of everyone. I used to think she was wasteful. But now that I'm on the nutrition mind-set, it's really the best thing you can do. Have a piece, throw the rest in the garbage. It might be wasteful, but so is treating your body like a garbage can.

    It gets really expensive to do this though. lol
  • yellow_pepper
    yellow_pepper Posts: 708 Member
    That's why I try to save this tactic for FREE FOOD... which can be so damaging! I think a lot of us forget about food we didn't either prepare ourselves or pay for.

    When I have to buy a snack, I usually enter the calories before I even eat it. But when it's free, let's say something a colleague baked at home, I have no idea what I'm eating!

    Of course, if I throw it out, I do it in the privacy of my office so they won't be offended.
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