Distracting yourself from overeating/snacking

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soccerkon26
soccerkon26 Posts: 596 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am a big snacker Throughout the day, but I find myself eating a lot of my snacks/foods early in the day. Even when I allot a good amount for my dinner and the night, I still seem hungry and want to snack. I think that during the day I'm not hungry, just bored at work.

How do you distract yourself from overeating, or just snacking too much? I already drink a lot of water to try and combat this.

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  • martyqueen52
    martyqueen52 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    If you're at work..... actually work?

    Drink flavored water, eat light snacks. 1-2 servings of carrots. Eat leafy greens since you can get a lot of volume for low calories.

    sugar free / fat free jello made with pop = only 20 calories for the whole box... pretty filling too.
  • Lezavargas
    Lezavargas Posts: 223 Member
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    Im a chronic snacker! Its not neccessarily a bad way of eating. The key is finding snacks that are healthy and low cal that you enjoy. Plan them out for the day so you know what you can snack on all day! If you are a sweets lover, add a little salt. Salt magnifies the sweet taste dramatically. A dash in your coffee will cut down how much sugar you need by half! A dash on an apple will magnify the sweet taste making it more satisfying for that sugar craving! I know it sounds crazy but it works! Also, focus on snacks that are nutrient rich, other than empty calories that do nothing for your body.
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
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    martyqueen52 wrote: »
    If you're at work..... actually work?

    Drink flavored water, eat light snacks. 1-2 servings of carrots. Eat leafy greens since you can get a lot of volume for low calories.

    sugar free / fat free jello made with pop = only 20 calories for the whole box... pretty filling too.
    This. Gum also helps.
  • NaurielR
    NaurielR Posts: 429 Member
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    Try painting your nails (if it's possible; if you're at work you may not be able to). You'll focus your mind on something not food, and then have to wait for your nails to dry. Also the smell of nail polish on my hands overwhelms the flavor and aroma of whatever I'd want to eat. Usually by the time I've painted my nails and let them dry, the craving has passed
  • peter56765
    peter56765 Posts: 352 Member
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    Snacking is a habit, and a good one to simply break. I used to snack all the time too but quit cold turkey when I got serious about losing weight. After a few weeks, your mind will find something else to focus on.

    If all else fails, drink water. Make that your habit instead.
  • roxielu0422
    roxielu0422 Posts: 102 Member
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    PROTIEN PROTIEN PROTIEN!
  • maroonmango211
    maroonmango211 Posts: 908 Member
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    I drink a lot of water/tea/infused water. I chew sugar free gum a lot when I'm out and about to not stop and get something (nothing tastes good after chewing minty gum). Get up and walk a bit. Like peter said though snacking itself is a habit and if you really want to break it then pre-log your day and stick with that for a couple weeks to break the habit. most likely by then you'll realize the difference between hunger and just boredom.
  • gretch23
    gretch23 Posts: 32 Member
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    I'm the same way with snacking but after dinner / before bed time is the worst for me! I've been getting better and making better choices of what I'm snacking on but it still adds up! Argh.. I should probably just go to bed instead of staying up so late!
  • phoenix8633
    phoenix8633 Posts: 137 Member
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    I can be terrible with snacking sometimes, I eat normally throughout the day when at work but I finish at 4pm & we usually have dinner at 6:30am ish & between that 4pm & 5pm mark I can feel myself wanting to snack on something so I have to either make a hot drink distract myself with something like housework or I give in, thankfully we have nothing really sugary in our household so I might just go for a cracker biscuit thing
  • knitnrunmj
    knitnrunmj Posts: 5 Member
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    I am an abysmal snacker. My biggest problem is that I work nights, so I come home and eat breakfast and then go to bed around 8-9 am. I wake up anywhere between 1-5 pm. The earlier I wake up, the more I tend to eat.

    So my number 1 distraction? Sleep *LOL* I try to not look at my phone for anything other than the time until at least 3 pm. This does not always work.

    Other than that, I try to find something to do to keep my hands busy. I'm a pretty big knitter, so that really helps, especially if I'm starting something new. Other things...crossword puzzles, cleaning/organizing boxes, reading. Sometimes I like to just get out of the house, because that's where the food lives *LOL* Since I've banned myself from fast food for the time being, that's not an issue.

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