bored at work - leads to unhealthy snacking

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whouwannab
whouwannab Posts: 350 Member
in Motivation and Support
I am not busy at work and have two days in a row now fallen victim to candy bars, etc. I have healthy snacks with me, but for some reason I reach for the bad stuff. I know it is because I am bored. What do you do to occupy your mind? My eyes are all dried out from staring at the internet. Any suggestions?
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  • tlcAK
    tlcAK Posts: 671 Member
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    bump
  • fuminator18
    fuminator18 Posts: 89 Member
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    can you go out for 10 min break to walk around the block?
  • kbryder
    kbryder Posts: 2
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    I do the same thing at work. Can you get out for a walk? Or maybe keep an exercise band at your desk and do some light workout?
  • ande2994
    ande2994 Posts: 136
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    I keep hard candy in my desk drawer. If I have regular candy, I'll eat a couple of M&Ms, and then a couple more, and then a few more, until I've gone through half a bag. But if I have a hard candy, a single piece usually lasts long enough to satisfy my craving without needing more.
  • whouwannab
    whouwannab Posts: 350 Member
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    I should post sticky notes on my monitor that read "back away from the candy you big fatty boobalatty!"
  • Mixmode
    Mixmode Posts: 332
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    Gum and walks during breaks & lunch.
  • hottamolly00
    hottamolly00 Posts: 334 Member
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    Chew some gum. It'll keep your mouth occupied.
  • Dinob661
    Dinob661 Posts: 251 Member
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    What I do is chew gum. It works for me. ( I work at a grocery store so I am SURROUNDED by food. bad food. constantly). So sometimes it's hard for me to resist, but whenever I chew gum it seems to help subside the need to eat something else.
  • Vkoons3
    Vkoons3 Posts: 122 Member
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    I totally feel your pain on this one. I too more or less have a desk job that just requires an extra body to be there for whatever reason so I get very bored too but I have learned to stay away from the crappy stuff. This is what I do and it seems to help. For starters I always have water and when I start to feel like I think I want to snack I take a drink or two and it either goes away or it at least keeps me from resisting and I will log onto mfp and look at some success stories with pics and think I really want to get where these people are and if I eat all this junk I may never make it there. It doesn't always work but it does help alot!
  • RCKT82
    RCKT82 Posts: 409 Member
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    I sit at a desk all day too. I always have water sitting on my desk so I take swigs often to keep me occuppied. I also make sure not to carry pocket change while work to remove the option of hitting up the vending machine. The last thing I'll do is spread my snacks and lunch out during the day. I won't actually have a full meal during lunch, because I'll eat a little of it before and after my break. Between, not having pocket change for the vending machine, sipping on my water all day, and eating a little bit of the food I brought from home (I'm eating something every 1-2 hours), I never have the urge to eat of of bordem.

    I found this to work well for me... it may or may not work for you. But it's worth a shot.
  • fsugirl26
    fsugirl26 Posts: 207
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    I won't even buy anything I'll eventually regret eating later. Do I love cheetos?? YES! Can I eat an entire bag by myself? YES! But will I ever buy them?? NO! I'll always go for the unhealthy snack before the healthy snack. You just have to train yourself to only leave healthy options available so you won't be tempted to put something in your mouth that you know you'll regret, especially when you're bored! I make a fruit salad every Sunday and bring it to work for me to snack on throughout the week. Otherwise I know I'll be going to the vending machine to get something super processed and full of carbs, fat, and sugar...

    Stay strong - you got this!! :)
  • iAMaPhoenix
    iAMaPhoenix Posts: 1,038 Member
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    In this economy, who has money for snacks!!! Probably what will also help is to do a reverse food diary, where you plan your meals in advance and what time you will eat them. This will start you to become accustomed to eating right all the time, and not to deviate from it, regardless of how good that twinkie looks, or how loud the snicker bar is calling your name...."huh, ya, I hear you Almond Joy and Baby Ruth, I will be there as soon as I finish posting this reply..." Oh well, I gotta gooooo....
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
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    If boredom leads to snacking, deal with the cause of the problem, not the symptom. In other words, get busy!

    If you have so little to do at work that you end up eating, request a meeting with your manager and tell him you don't feel challenged by your role and ask whether there is a project you can take on to keep you busy during your slack time.

    Being proactive may have other benefits too - if they have to let someone go in this tough economic climate, it's far more likely that they'll keep the person who has been asking for work, and ditch the person who spends all day online.
  • LLaDonna
    LLaDonna Posts: 126
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    OMG! I totally feel you on this! Yesterday I bought TWO granola bars AND a bag of trail mix from the vending machine. Even though I saved one of the granola bars for today that was still 500 calories of snacks :ohwell:

    Today I'm using all of the above mentioned tricks and I'm still thinking about chocolate. Some days are just like that. Hang in there and keep sipping that water ....
  • iAMaPhoenix
    iAMaPhoenix Posts: 1,038 Member
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    If boredom leads to snacking, deal with the cause of the problem, not the symptom. In other words, get busy!

    If you have so little to do at work that you end up eating, request a meeting with your manager and tell him you don't feel challenged by your role and ask whether there is a project you can take on to keep you busy during your slack time.

    Being proactive may have other benefits too - if they have to let someone go in this tough economic climate, it's far more likely that they'll keep the person who has been asking for work, and ditch the person who spends all day online.
    Just curious, Are you a manager?
  • kdudz
    kdudz Posts: 39 Member
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    I'm at my desk most of the day as well. There are times where I have to be here but I won't have any work to actually do. It's so easy to get bored and feel hungry.

    I try to bring healthy snacks, drink lots of water, get up and walk to the pantry just to get away from my desk for a moment.
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
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    If boredom leads to snacking, deal with the cause of the problem, not the symptom. In other words, get busy!

    If you have so little to do at work that you end up eating, request a meeting with your manager and tell him you don't feel challenged by your role and ask whether there is a project you can take on to keep you busy during your slack time.

    Being proactive may have other benefits too - if they have to let someone go in this tough economic climate, it's far more likely that they'll keep the person who has been asking for work, and ditch the person who spends all day online.
    Just curious, Are you a manager?
    No, I'm an engineer with a strong work ethic.

    EDITED TO ADD: I also hate the way that the day drags on and on if I'm not busy, I'd much rather have a lot to do and have a nice surprise when I check the time. :smile:
  • iAMaPhoenix
    iAMaPhoenix Posts: 1,038 Member
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    Just curious, Are you a manager?[/quote]No, I'm an engineer with a strong work ethic.

    EDITED TO ADD: I also hate the way that the day drags on and on if I'm not busy, I'd much rather have a lot to do and have a nice surprise when I check the time. :smile:
    [/quote]
    I also see you are English because of the reference to stones instead of pounds. I hate days where I have lots of free time myself. It makes the day drag on. Cheers.
  • jackiekjames
    jackiekjames Posts: 89
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    Just curious, Are you a manager?
    No, I'm an engineer with a strong work ethic.

    EDITED TO ADD: I also hate the way that the day drags on and on if I'm not busy, I'd much rather have a lot to do and have a nice surprise when I check the time. :smile:
    [/quote]
    I also see you are English because of the reference to stones instead of pounds. I hate days where I have lots of free time myself. It makes the day drag on. Cheers.
    [/quote]
    @pa2b32: You have the cutest ticker!!
  • whouwannab
    whouwannab Posts: 350 Member
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    If boredom leads to snacking, deal with the cause of the problem, not the symptom. In other words, get busy!

    If you have so little to do at work that you end up eating, request a meeting with your manager and tell him you don't feel challenged by your role and ask whether there is a project you can take on to keep you busy during your slack time.

    Being proactive may have other benefits too - if they have to let someone go in this tough economic climate, it's far more likely that they'll keep the person who has been asking for work, and ditch the person who spends all day online.

    I KNOW! I have spoken to a couple managers about my work load, or lack thereof and have gotten no where. I am actually suprised they even hired me. There is not enough work for me to do. I love being here, love the people, and I get paid well. So I just have to find ways to occupy my time. Unfortunatley I have little interest personally in my field of work, so reading up on it is enough to make me fall asleep. (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, yuck)

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