Overdoing it on snacks-how to stop?

parrotthead
parrotthead Posts: 19 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm having issues with snacking after work. Yesterday I managed to eat almost 1,000 calories in snacks alone between the hours of 4-7 and then ate a regular dinner after that. It's not typically that high but I would guess that 500 calories worth of snacks just during those hours is not abnormal for me.

Sometimes I'm hungry and a snack is warranted but it doesn't need to be a dinner sized snack. Yesterday was really bad because I wasn't even hungry to begin with. I think a lot of it has to do with being bored and being comforted by food. Sometimes eating feels like a hobby! I do have healthy snacks around (fruit, vegetables, bean dip, protein) but I typically don't choose them and when I do I still overeat by a lot.

So pals, what do you do when struggling with too much snacking? My weakest muscle is definitely my will power so I'm struggling but not willing to give up. I'm working on making better choices with my other meals but the snacking is really throwing my whole day and all of my efforts off. There is always room for improvement. Any tips or tricks or words of wisdom would be helpful.

Replies

  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
    Eat more protein during meals. Eat more protein during snacks. Eat more protein in general. Protein makes me feel fuller and makes me snack less.

    Eat bigger meals so you feel full.
    Or, you can eat more snacks and smaller meals.
    Food is food. It doesn't necessarily have to fall into a category of a snack or meal. If it falls within your goal, you're fine.
  • healthy_lovez
    healthy_lovez Posts: 36 Member
    I literally could have written this post. I get off work at 3:30 and my husband gets off and is home by 6:30. While I wait for him I seem to go crazy in the kitchen eating everything that isn't nailed down. Then I make dinner and eat that too. I have found I have to keep myself busy doing something else. I've tried making that my gym time now, and if not that then I try cleaning the house, listening to music, or getting sucked in to something stupid on Netflix. I am a pure boredom/emotional eater and it's even worse when I've had a rough day. It's just something I've had to recognize and plan accordingly.
  • parrotthead
    parrotthead Posts: 19 Member
    ValerieMartini2Olives wrote: »
    Eat more protein during meals. Eat more protein during snacks. Eat more protein in general. Protein makes me feel fuller and makes me snack less.

    I definitely agree on the protein and I'm working on upping that. I also understand what you mean about it being fine if the snacks fit into my overall goals. Food is food. But the snacks are putting me way over what my goals are and are usually eaten when I'm not hungry or eaten even after I've satiated my hunger with something.

    Definitely going to continue to focus on protein as that is usually where I have macros leftover. Thanks for your reply!
  • parrotthead
    parrotthead Posts: 19 Member
    lavonne0678 wrote: »
    I literally could have written this post. I get off work at 3:30 and my husband gets off and is home by 6:30. While I wait for him I seem to go crazy in the kitchen eating everything that isn't nailed down. Then I make dinner and eat that too. I have found I have to keep myself busy doing something else. I've tried making that my gym time now, and if not that then I try cleaning the house, listening to music, or getting sucked in to something stupid on Netflix. I am a pure boredom/emotional eater and it's even worse when I've had a rough day. It's just something I've had to recognize and plan accordingly.

    Yes!!! I just started a new job and am now getting home about two hours before my boyfriend and this is exactly when the excessive eating occurs. I fully admit that I come home, get out of my work clothes, and plant myself on the couch even though that only keeps me bored and running back and forth to the kitchen. I'm not stupid, I know what I SHOULD be doing but I'm still making these bad choices that are only hurting me instead of choosing exercise or working on some sort of household or personal project. It's very frustrating when I know exactly what I'm doing to myself and still continue to make the unhealthy choices.
  • farfromthetree
    farfromthetree Posts: 982 Member
    I am pretty sure I would eat 1000 calories in cheez-its after a full dinner. I had to learn of ways to distract myself, I would try and stay busy drinking tea, hot cup-a-soup, low calorie hot chocolate, sparkling flavored water, bath, a good book...It took me a good year to where I dont crave the snacking anymore.
    Learn to feel the difference between real hunger and boredom hunger. If it is real hunger, eat. I always have a snack around 3:30. I will eat yogurt with granola, cottage cheese, turkey or chicken slices, even a measured out portion of chips (if I really want them)
    I now know when I want "comfort" and try some of these other things first! Good Luck!
  • parrotthead
    parrotthead Posts: 19 Member
    farfromthetree wrote: »
    I am pretty sure I would eat 1000 calories in cheez-its after a full dinner. I had to learn of ways to distract myself, I would try and stay busy drinking tea, hot cup-a-soup, low calorie hot chocolate, sparkling flavored water, bath, a good book...It took me a good year to where I dont crave the snacking anymore.

    The suggestions you gave for staying busy are good ones. I've gotten into a habit of planting myself in front of the TV even though I don't really like to watch too much of it and I really think that is making a big difference. I'm reading a good book right now too so I'm going to plan to read that while enjoying some flavored sparkling water. I think it will help if i pull into my garage with that plan already in my mind instead of going through the motions and ending up on the couch again.
  • farfromthetree
    farfromthetree Posts: 982 Member
    parrotthead wrote: »
    farfromthetree wrote: »
    I am pretty sure I would eat 1000 calories in cheez-its after a full dinner. I had to learn of ways to distract myself, I would try and stay busy drinking tea, hot cup-a-soup, low calorie hot chocolate, sparkling flavored water, bath, a good book...It took me a good year to where I dont crave the snacking anymore.

    The suggestions you gave for staying busy are good ones. I've gotten into a habit of planting myself in front of the TV even though I don't really like to watch too much of it and I really think that is making a big difference. I'm reading a good book right now too so I'm going to plan to read that while enjoying some flavored sparkling water. I think it will help if i pull into my garage with that plan already in my mind instead of going through the motions and ending up on the couch again.

    Yes...TV was my downfall also. I also have one of those neck wraps you heat up in the microwave and put that around my neck. I'm not sure why that worked lol but it did!!

  • Vampire81
    Vampire81 Posts: 27 Member
    When I get like this I try to drink a pint of water and wait and see if im really hungry I get something small and stay on the move and away from the kitchen lol
  • becky10rp
    becky10rp Posts: 573 Member
    ahhh, the dreaded Cheez-Its.......! Yep, same problem here - fine all day while I'm at work - it's when I get home that things can slide. I have to stay busy - no parking my butt in front of the TV - and I have to stay OUT of the kitchen - it's just too easy to open up those pantry doors........I also like to make a cup of mint tea, drink ice water or chew gum while I'm cooking so I don't nibble. It's a daily struggle.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    parrotthead wrote: »
    I'm having issues with snacking after work. Yesterday I managed to eat almost 1,000 calories in snacks alone between the hours of 4-7 and then ate a regular dinner after that. It's not typically that high but I would guess that 500 calories worth of snacks just during those hours is not abnormal for me.

    Sometimes I'm hungry and a snack is warranted but it doesn't need to be a dinner sized snack. Yesterday was really bad because I wasn't even hungry to begin with. I think a lot of it has to do with being bored and being comforted by food. Sometimes eating feels like a hobby! I do have healthy snacks around (fruit, vegetables, bean dip, protein) but I typically don't choose them and when I do I still overeat by a lot.

    So pals, what do you do when struggling with too much snacking? My weakest muscle is definitely my will power so I'm struggling but not willing to give up. I'm working on making better choices with my other meals but the snacking is really throwing my whole day and all of my efforts off. There is always room for improvement. Any tips or tricks or words of wisdom would be helpful.

    When I get home from work I have a smorgasbord of snacks waiting for me. Too much temptation, too many options that I don't need.

    Instead of waiting to snack when I get home, I bring the snack to work with me. Then I eat my snack on the drive home.

    When I get home, I've already had my snack. Brush my teeth or have a cup of hot tea, either way I'm done until dinner.

    Planting yourself in front of the TV is okay, but eating in front of the TV can cause trouble (mindless eating). I crochet, or play solitaire when sitting in front of the TV. A little distraction helps.
  • gaelicstorm26
    gaelicstorm26 Posts: 589 Member
    I just have to stay busy. It helps me to think about other things, especially during that late afternoon time.
  • kat_princess12
    kat_princess12 Posts: 109 Member
    I threw out all my junk food and that was the first time I opted for the healthy snacks I had always kept around on principle. Not that I never eat junk food any more, but it's a lot harder to mindlessly graze on what's not there. As far as portion sizes, I found that even with healthy snacks I had to start buying individual portion sizes (serving-size packets of trail mix or almonds, for example) in order to limit the amount I would eat. It's just too easy to eat your way to the bottom of a family-size bag of something in one sitting.
  • Steff46
    Steff46 Posts: 516 Member
    I do this too! Or at least I do it a few times a week........ I hate when I do it too. It is definitely when I am alone between the time I get home and my fiancé gets home. When he gets home first and is waiting on me to change for the gym I don't snack. This is something I am working on too:( It's almost like without supervision I snack!!!
  • pie_eyes
    pie_eyes Posts: 12,964 Member
    stop buying them
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
    Instead of waiting around the house/apartment for your significant other to get home; go for a walk, hit the library, do the laundry, go shopping (not buying, shopping ;-), vacumn, clean, dust, virtually ANYTHING other than sitting around the TV doing nothing but taking a snack. That and stop buying the snacks you are finding difficult to avoid.

    Have an apple, celery, banana?
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    My strategy is to plan all my meals in advance. I have snacks built in, and all I choose is when in the day I eat them. I find it much easier to follow a plan I made earlier rather than improvise meal to meal.
  • betuel75
    betuel75 Posts: 776 Member
    I agree with a lot of posts on here about being home alone and being bored and/or in front of the TV. That is when i snack the most. Continually, hundreds and hundreds of calories. I consumer A LOT of protein and it does not stop my snacking any. If i dont have any plans i stay at the gym longer just so i dont come home and have hours upon hours of time to continually snack. By the time i get home eat dinner, prep my next day meals etc, its almost time for bed and i dont have down time to snack. At least that is my plan...
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Bigger meals, then keep busy until the next meal. Just tell yourself that you can't snack.
  • lyttlewon
    lyttlewon Posts: 1,118 Member
    I like salty crunchy things as snacks, so instead of buying chips I will pop a huge amount of popcorn at the beginning of the week. I keep that around for snack crazy moments. You can eat quite a bit of popcorn for the same amount of chip calories. Goldfish crackers too. I've accepted this is a behavior I continue to gravitate towards, so I keep an alternative. Seems to work.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Great set of tips. I also eat just before I go home to prevent the mindless hungries. After supper it's boredom eating.

    Based on Duhigg's book on Habits, the trick would be to figure out what the trigger is, and redirect the habit to a more productive path.

    After work, I AM hungry. So now I stave it off with an appropriately sized snack BEFORE I get home.

    After dinner, I AM NOT hungry. I'm in zombie mode, easy to slip in to old routines. I find different ways to keep my hands busy. Plants vs Zombies, knitting or crochet, go out and DO something, or read a book.
  • 7elizamae
    7elizamae Posts: 758 Member
    Don't buy snacks. Then you can't eat them.
  • corrymeela
    corrymeela Posts: 24 Member
    as others have said,if it's not in the house,removes temptation.
    also drinking a pint of water is great,you wont want to but worth the effort.
    have to remember body takes 20 mins to feel full after eating/drinking.
    looking at most food diaries,they mostly consist of energy dense highly refined foods.
    this kind of diet will be lacking a lot of essential nutrients and is most likely going to result in relapse.
    majority are devoid of fresh fruit and vegetables and other wholefoods which should be the mainstay of diet.

  • parrotthead
    parrotthead Posts: 19 Member
    I really appreciate everyone's suggestions. I had a quick bite to eat before I left work yesterday and that helped because I didn't walk in the door immediately ready to head to the fridge. I also had a few activities in mind (not involving sitting on the couch and watching tv) before I walked in the door which also prevented me from immediately hitting the kitchen. In addition, I checked my water bottle when I got home and told myself that I needed to drink X amount of water before dinner and that helped too because my mind was focused on the water and not food.

    Keeping the trigger foods out is a process since my boyfriend brings most of those into the house but he's willing to try out healthier options and I think that will be good for both of us. In the meantime, I'm just going to work on thinking of those foods as his since they really aren't my preferred foods anyways; they just happen to be quick and convenient ways to cheat on my diet. I need to keep interesting options around for myself that do fit in with my nutrition goals.

    Thanks to everyone who left suggestions! I felt very negative about my behavior when I posted and now I'm feeling much more positive and able to work on the problem instead of just wallowing in my own self pity.

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