Constant snacking while home alone

SuperheroSadie · May 2016

Hey guys,
So my current schedule paired with my boyfriend's means that I get home around 9pm, and he gets home somewhere between 11pm and 1am, depending on how late he has to work. The issue with this is, from 9-11/1, I'm home alone, and between being absolutely exhausted, my anxiety about him getting home so late, and just pure boredom (We don't live in a city where I can go out at night by myself... Manchester, NH, everyone!), I end up eating the whole world. We had a box of cereal, and it lasted maybe 2 days because I would eat one bowl.. and then another little one.. and then a few more sprinkles of cereal... and a bit more milk... you see where this goes.

This has caused a complete STOP to my weight loss progress! I'm so frustrated, yet I don't know how to curb it. It's about to get worse, too. Next week my schedule shifts so I'll be home alone 6:30pm-11-1pm, which means 2.5 more hours where I'm bored and probably snacking.

Help! Does anyone have any suggestions for food (no kale, please...) I can keep around, or how to avoid the constant snacking? I wanna see the scale move again!

Krissi1330 · May 2016

You need to address the emotional issues that are causing you to overeat. For example, why do you feel anxious about him coming home later than you do? And what changes can you make in your own thinking or habits to lower that anxiety? If, for example, you don't feel safe when you're home alone, pour that energy into security or setting/meeting goals to help you move to a new neighborhood (or whatever - the point is to put yourself in more control over the situation in a healthy way). Also, avoid carby foods like cereal when you have the munchies - they don't satiate, so you never really feel satisfied when you binge on them.

NorthCascades · May 2016

Find something to keep you from being bored, ideally something engrossing that will take up all your attention.

Francl27 · May 2016

If you want it enough, you'll stop.

NaturalNancy · May 2016

If you know u want to eat at that time, save calories for it and enjoy.

peleroja · May 2016

Have you thought about a hobby that requires constant use of your hands? Knitting or something like that that won't really allow you to snack mindlessly while you do it might help.

Barring that, if I'm having a day where I'm determined to snack my way through the evening, I try to keep it to watery vegetables like cucumbers or bell peppers. It's hard to exceed my calorie allowance with a pile of cucumber (I like them with dill and vinegar or lemon, which doesn't add much to the calories, or hot sauce, which is the same, often less than 10 calories per tbsp.)

You can also try making it a rule that you weigh and log everything before you eat it - it's a lot less appealing to go back for more and more if you see it adding up on your screen and the numbers turning red.

Meganthedogmom · May 2016

I can relate all too well, especially with the cereal. I find I get bored and eat when I'm alone, plus I realize I would feel guilty if my boyfriend (or anyone) were there watching me scarf down a bunch of food, so I do it alone. I try to keep busy (clean the house, work on a project I've been putting off, exercise - you can do fitnessblender.com videos so you don't have to leave the house)

Meganthedogmom · May 2016

I've also done white strips once when I felt the urge to eat like crazy. That kills an hour!

helene4 · May 2016

Just a thought - certain foods may be triggering your constant snacking. I know I have certain foods I can't stop snacking on (nuts/chips) and had to remove them from the house.

Maybe snack on food you know you can be disciplined about! Good luck!

macgurlnet · May 2016

I agree that you should try to deal with the anxiety as best you can. Find something that keeps both your mind and hands occupied. Consider making yourself a cup of tea to sip on while you do whatever.

My boyfriend recently gave me an adult coloring book and I generally will lay on the floor with a movie/tv show in the background and color for an hour or so. Then, I'll do a Sudoku. That kills a good 1.5 hours if I'm feeling particularly unsettled.

~Lyssa

ganzelly · May 2016

I'm the same way; but I'm usually doing something (cooking dinner, cleaning) and still keep grabbing handfuls of peanuts or chocolate chips. I already got rid of the worst triggers for me and now it's good food (when eaten in moderation) or things that I eat with plain yogurt (chocolate chips). I didn't always to this, it got worse during pregnancy and now my baby is 14 months old and it's worse then ever. I know it's a mental thing and I need to just stop doing it but I haven't gotten there yet. Feel free to friend me and we can talk about our issues!

SuperheroSadie · May 2016

I'm dealing with the anxiety as best I can, it's been an ongoing struggle for upwards of two years at this point. My s/o has been a point of security through it, so when he's gone and I'm in a situation I'm uncomfortable with (like being home alone where we live.. everything makes me jump!) my anxiety is particularly high.

However, we're moving out to Austin, TX soon, and we'll have a roommate there (one of my former roommates who is our mutual best friend and I love dearly.) So hopefully with him around, I won't be so anxious with my s/o gone.

The boredom.. and the size of our apartment.. I think are the issues. It's 375sqft, so I'm either in the bedroom or in the kitchen! And the kitchen is only a few steps away, and there aren't any doors... I'm making excuses, I know.

I'm looking to get back into my scrapbooking (I have about a year and a half to catch up on) so I'll try busying myself with that after my PIIT28 tonight. Maybe go to walmart after work and grab some more supplies, or something.

SuperheroSadie · May 2016

ganzelly wrote: »

I'm the same way; but I'm usually doing something (cooking dinner, cleaning) and still keep grabbing handfuls of peanuts or chocolate chips. I already got rid of the worst triggers for me and now it's good food (when eaten in moderation) or things that I eat with plain yogurt (chocolate chips). I didn't always to this, it got worse during pregnancy and now my baby is 14 months old and it's worse then ever. I know it's a mental thing and I need to just stop doing it but I haven't gotten there yet. Feel free to friend me and we can talk about our issues!

I do the same thing! Little bits of food that eventually add up to way too much to keep a deficit for the day!

sammyantics · May 2016

I eat when I'm anxious too. I'm personally considering meditation as a way to try and calm myself down, but that doesn't necessarily cover the eating aspect of it.. what about something you can do with your hands? if they're full, you can't reach for a snack as easily, lol. and things like painting, knitting, puzzles, etc are also mentally stimulating, letting you focus on something besides the anxiety.

hope you find something that works for you, sweetie. good luck!

ReaderGirl3 · May 2016

I'm a stay at home mom and I'm around food pretty much all day/night. One of the issues I had to address was mindless night time snacking. There's nothing wrong with eating at night, but I wasn't keeping my snacking within my calorie parameters. For me it was just best to eliminate nighttime eating all together (with a few exceptions). I started by cutting my eating off at 10pm, then 9pm, then 8pm and after a few months my eating window was closing at 7pm. Funny thing is, now I don't even have a desire to eat at night because I broke the habit and it's now a non-issue. The only time I eat at night is usually because of a social situation, and then a weekend beer type of thing.

It might work for you to just start cutting back your eating window and see if that helps? Boredom eating is really just a habit, and can be modified with a bit of time and diligence

Queenmunchy · May 2016

Chew some gum so you can't nibble at anything. When you finish eating your planned meal, chew another piece.

Constant snacking while home alone

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