Associating junk food with my happy, relaxation time?
drrae65
Posts: 29 Member
I always crave crappy food when I come home because I think I've grown to associate my relaxation time with junk food so it helps me wind down. So I'll usually want to have a soda, popcorn and some candy while I chill out on the couch after work. I've basically conditioned myself to crave those foods when I want to relax and unwind. How can I quit this habit? I plan out my meals and eat so well through the day then give in and pig out once I get home in the evening.
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Replies
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Bump! I struggle with this too. It's not mentally "a vacation" or "relaxing" unless I can eat whatever I want and however much of it I want.0
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To be honest - I don't. When I finally get to chill out on the sofa I do want chocolate or crisps. Recognising this I always add in a treat for my evening snack and it gives me something to look forward to.
My advice weigh it , log it and mindful eating x10 -
Skip chilling on the couch after work and go to the gym, for a walk, run, bike ride, etc. Kill 2 birds with one stone, get out of the sitting on the couch eating junk and get some exercise.
Win-win.9 -
I have the same problem. Even on the way home. If i stop at the store. I am picking up chocolate or chips. For the past two days i have been getting the 100 calorie snack packs. Not to sure how it will work in the long run0
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I'll have to agree. You can work on it but in the meantime you should plan for it. For instance, split your popcorn bag into small ziploc bags and know the portion & cals it contains. I would try avoiding soda entirely and replacing it with infused water or cold tea, or sparkling water, etc. About the candy, same as the popcorn, count a portion, put it in a little bad and prelog those portions every working day of the week and eat around that. I would also try to have half of my snacking as fruit cubes, cherry tomatoes or something. Or if you want salty: olives, jalapeno, etc. can work. Also, cashew, etc. instead of crisps? Just ideas... But if you don't want to eat in front of the tv when you get back from work, do something else like painting your nails in front of the tv, or brush your teeth right when you're back and maybe the minty taste will make you not want to eat right after? Good luck!3
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Tea or coffee! Or just have dinner instead.1
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You can also work around it by sticking to options which aren't that unhealthy - for example the popcorn I sometimes make (the ones you pop yourself in the microwave) are only something like 88 calories for a sizeable portion so if you go with diet soda then you'd not be taking in all that many calories.1
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Packerjohn wrote: »Skip chilling on the couch after work and go to the gym, for a walk, run, bike ride, etc. Kill 2 birds with one stone, get out of the sitting on the couch eating junk and get some exercise.
Win-win.
This. Make some new habits. Take a little bag of popcorn with you, if you like.
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Packerjohn wrote: »Skip chilling on the couch after work and go to the gym, for a walk, run, bike ride, etc. Kill 2 birds with one stone, get out of the sitting on the couch eating junk and get some exercise.
Win-win.
This ^^0 -
I totally get that and have swapped all my junk to something more disciplined. I allow myself two squares of 85% dark choc when I'm in and chilling - I factor it into my calories for the day.2
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Well, you can eat that stuff in the right amounts to fit your calorie goal, choose different drinks and snacks like tea, vegetables, fruit, yogurt or change your habit of sitting on the couch to relax.
Do some yoga or walk. Meditate. Go soak in the tub.1 -
I can't relate. Minute I get home, there is only the opposite of relaxing. Dinner has to be made, showers taken, laundry done, dishes put away. No relaxing until dinner and then I am eating dinner.2
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If the junk food is not in the house you can't eat it. and I certianly agree with the posters who say Change Your Ways-don't sit on the couch. Try undwinding with a walk after work, or even a slow stroll. Grab a water bottle-have one ready in the fridge-and off you go. At least around the block. The weight will go, really.2
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stop buying it. have a hot cup of tea or coffee.
if you dont buy it, you cant eat it.0 -
It is just that: an association, a habit. Switching to lower calorie food and drinks may be an option for you, but I'm in the camp of either don't go home and sit on the couch OR replace the habit with something non-food related.
Is there a book you've been wanting to read? Or music to listen to or a video game? What else do you enjoy or look forward to? Try doing that as soon as you get home. Create a new "craving".3 -
this is why i only eat 2 times a day. I eat a small (300-ish) meal during the day and then the rest of my calories after the gym at night. That way i can go to town
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I find the "just exercise instead" advice almost laughable - like if you enjoy relaxing by sitting on the couch, the suggestion of exercising instead to relax is the opposite of relaxing. That's the equivalent of saying "just stop relaxing ever" for someone like me who relaxes by....relaxing my muscles instead of using them!
I would do a mix of strategies - I keep a bag of chips in the house of my favorite flavor. When I get hungry for that flavor, I measure out exactly one serving as a treat. Then, I alternate it with a less calorie-dense snack, like some kind of veggie without a strong flavor. I get the action of eating, and the flavor of my favorite snack, with a much lower calorie count. Air-popped popcorn can be regulated with spray-on butter and make the calories a lot lower. Or try to switch to lollipops - they are sweets so they satisfy a craving, but they take a long time to eat and keep your mouth busy so 1-3 lollipops a night shouldn't destroy your deficit if you plan for it.
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OP, is the eating interfering with your weight loss?2
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I always crave crappy food when I come home because I think I've grown to associate my relaxation time with junk food so it helps me wind down. So I'll usually want to have a soda, popcorn and some candy while I chill out on the couch after work. I've basically conditioned myself to crave those foods when I want to relax and unwind. How can I quit this habit? I plan out my meals and eat so well through the day then give in and pig out once I get home in the evening.
It's actually easier to replace one habit with another than it is to just "quit" something!
You can figure out what a reasonable portion of your junk food is, pre-log those calories and make them fit into your day.
You can figure out something lower calorie that you can eat while you chill and over time make THAT a habit.
Or you can make a new habit of doing something entirely different as soon as you get home so the "relax & snack" at a specific time doesn't happen.
Pick one, set your mind to do it, put sticky notes in your car, in the hallway, in your bag reminding you, if someone else is home at that time ask them to help you stick to your plan. Good luck!1 -
I find the "just exercise instead" advice almost laughable - like if you enjoy relaxing by sitting on the couch, the suggestion of exercising instead to relax is the opposite of relaxing. That's the equivalent of saying "just stop relaxing ever" for someone like me who relaxes by....relaxing my muscles instead of using them!
I would do a mix of strategies - I keep a bag of chips in the house of my favorite flavor. When I get hungry for that flavor, I measure out exactly one serving as a treat. Then, I alternate it with a less calorie-dense snack, like some kind of veggie without a strong flavor. I get the action of eating, and the flavor of my favorite snack, with a much lower calorie count. Air-popped popcorn can be regulated with spray-on butter and make the calories a lot lower. Or try to switch to lollipops - they are sweets so they satisfy a craving, but they take a long time to eat and keep your mouth busy so 1-3 lollipops a night shouldn't destroy your deficit if you plan for it.
To be honest, very few people in industrialized countries use their muscles in their work so probably not a physical need to "relax the muscles instead of using them".
The OP feels she has a bad habit, developing a better one like moving when one gets home instead of being a lump on a couch. She may very well like the moving after work better.0 -
Packerjohn wrote: »I find the "just exercise instead" advice almost laughable - like if you enjoy relaxing by sitting on the couch, the suggestion of exercising instead to relax is the opposite of relaxing. That's the equivalent of saying "just stop relaxing ever" for someone like me who relaxes by....relaxing my muscles instead of using them!
I would do a mix of strategies - I keep a bag of chips in the house of my favorite flavor. When I get hungry for that flavor, I measure out exactly one serving as a treat. Then, I alternate it with a less calorie-dense snack, like some kind of veggie without a strong flavor. I get the action of eating, and the flavor of my favorite snack, with a much lower calorie count. Air-popped popcorn can be regulated with spray-on butter and make the calories a lot lower. Or try to switch to lollipops - they are sweets so they satisfy a craving, but they take a long time to eat and keep your mouth busy so 1-3 lollipops a night shouldn't destroy your deficit if you plan for it.
To be honest, very few people in industrialized countries use their muscles in their work so probably not a physical need to "relax the muscles instead of using them".
The OP feels she has a bad habit, developing a better one like moving when one gets home instead of being a lump on a couch. She may very well like the moving after work better.
You're right, it's not physical, it's just the way I relax. It's not about "need", it's about what makes me feel good and relaxed and if my way of relaxation was "sit on the couch and eat candy" and someone told me "just take a walk to relax instead".....hahahaha 3 -
I find the "just exercise instead" advice almost laughable - like if you enjoy relaxing by sitting on the couch, the suggestion of exercising instead to relax is the opposite of relaxing. That's the equivalent of saying "just stop relaxing ever" for someone like me who relaxes by....relaxing my muscles instead of using them!
For me, the relaxing part wasn't necessarily the sitting part. I sat all day it work. I liked watching TV to give my brain a break. So I killed two birds by setting up a the big tv in my basement with headphones and a swivel mount so I could watch it while walking on my treadmill.1 -
So in some ways I've changed habits and in other ways I still let myself enjoy my relaxing time with snacks. I used to always come and eat junk food after putting my baby down for a nap. Instead I go work out at that time and eat s healthy snack afterwards. But at night when my kids go to bed, I do indulge in popcorn and a cookie or something while watching tv. I think it's ok to do those things sometimes just less than what you were doing! I prelog it all and weigh out my m&ms or whatever and sit and relax. I don't feel like I need to give that up. But I no longer eat a huge bowl of ice cream every day at nap time!0
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I find the "just exercise instead" advice almost laughable - like if you enjoy relaxing by sitting on the couch, the suggestion of exercising instead to relax is the opposite of relaxing. That's the equivalent of saying "just stop relaxing ever" for someone like me who relaxes by....relaxing my muscles instead of using them!
I would do a mix of strategies - I keep a bag of chips in the house of my favorite flavor. When I get hungry for that flavor, I measure out exactly one serving as a treat. Then, I alternate it with a less calorie-dense snack, like some kind of veggie without a strong flavor. I get the action of eating, and the flavor of my favorite snack, with a much lower calorie count. Air-popped popcorn can be regulated with spray-on butter and make the calories a lot lower. Or try to switch to lollipops - they are sweets so they satisfy a craving, but they take a long time to eat and keep your mouth busy so 1-3 lollipops a night shouldn't destroy your deficit if you plan for it.
I understand the "just laughable" reaction. I've come home wiped and wanting to just sit in front of the tv, eat junk food and veg out. Exercise may feel like the last thing you want to do. It absolutely would take effort to switch to exercise as your go to method of de-stressing. But I've done it, and I'm no superhero.
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I am struggling with this in a major way lol. There's nothing I like more than a big bowl of snacks and TV time after the kids go to bed. All I can do is try to:
- portion control
- swap out to lower calorie options such as frozen fruit
- indulge less often
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rainbowbow wrote: »this is why i only eat 2 times a day. I eat a small (300-ish) meal during the day and then the rest of my calories after the gym at night. That way i can go to town
I've actually kind of migrated to doing this without any plan to do it. I have found that most days just eating a couple eggs sometimes as an omelette with veggies or on a small roll with laughing cow cheese when I get out of bed is all I need.
I don't go to town most nights, but when I have 1400+ calories at 7pm well I don't have to be as careful lol. (I'm 6' and still have a lot to lose so I stay around 1800-2200 depending on physical activity)
I still occasionally eat early and bigger amounts. This is how I used to be when weight wasn't an issue. It's like welcoming an old friend back.
I agree with the "if you don't buy it you can't eat it" thoughts. You start to question the hassle of going back out to buy candy - that was my highest calorie snack. I keep loose kernel popcorn only that way I can weigh (before popping) and pop an actual serving or two and realize it actually a lot lol. I even melt some real butter for it sometimes - a little goes much further than you'd think if you slowly drizzle and mix.
And frozen grapes. Yum. I don't even keep them in the fridge at all now. Unloading groceries I pop them straight into the freezer. They are still same calories but you eat them MUCH slower and get satiated with less of them. And it's a frozen sweet treat on a hot day.0 -
I try to remind myself that I have to take care of me. Have healthy snacks around helps. Reminding myself I want to fit in my clothes0
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I learned to only eat at the kitchen table --- that way I do not associate the tv time with food.4
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I find the "just exercise instead" advice almost laughable - like if you enjoy relaxing by sitting on the couch, the suggestion of exercising instead to relax is the opposite of relaxing. That's the equivalent of saying "just stop relaxing ever" for someone like me who relaxes by....relaxing my muscles instead of using them!
For me, the relaxing part wasn't necessarily the sitting part. I sat all day it work. I liked watching TV to give my brain a break. So I killed two birds by setting up a the big tv in my basement with headphones and a swivel mount so I could watch it while walking on my treadmill.
+1
Only for me it is my bicycle on a trainer. My husband and I just came up from riding 45 minutes while watching TV. Then we ate dinner.
I needed that today ... I spent the whole day sitting. Didn't get my usual walking and climbing stairs during the day. Last thing I'd want to do when I got home would be to sit more.0 -
I've always eaten the bulk of my food towards the end of the day, and I love evening snacking too. While I was losing weight, and even now at maintenance I'm still doing the same thing.
I eat a little lighter through breakfast and lunch, and have a bigger dinner. The larger dinner makes me fuller so I don't necessarily want to eat a ton of food at night, but still....I always keep about 200 calories for evening snacks.
I say if this is how you enjoy eating then just tailor your day to make it work.2
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