The "open bag" problem - anyone else?

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  • MargaretLunan
    MargaretLunan Posts: 5,299 Member
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    yes i am the same
  • herculesmulligan
    herculesmulligan Posts: 6 Member
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    I'm the same with salty, crunchy snacks like chips, popcorn, or crackers. Once I open the bag, I portion it out into one or two servings in ziplocs or Tupperware, and hide those in the cupboard. Then I take one or two servings for myself and because the large bag is empty, it feels satisfying.

    The psychology of food and eating is so fascinating, haha. But once they're portioned, I view them as whole future snacks to be eaten later; if I leave a partially full bag, it feels like fair game to just grab a handful.
  • crowgrl13
    crowgrl13 Posts: 6 Member
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    Maybe when you buy it, you could portion it out into single servings in ziploc bags. That way you can take one, eat it, and know that it's ok. In that case, you have finished the entire ziploc bag, therefore, it's not an "open" bag.
    I've had to do that to myself, and it actually worked. Along with putting them up in a cabinet that is hard to get to. I have to decide if I REALLY want to go get the step stool out of the closet to get the treats. :smile:
  • mysticlizard
    mysticlizard Posts: 896 Member
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    My friend has a seal-a-meal. She takes out a serving of chips and then reseals the bag.
  • silverfiend
    silverfiend Posts: 329 Member
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    Yeah, I can't have junk foods in the house. If they are unopened it's about 25% chance I'll eat it. If its opened, its about 75% I'll eat it, and then go back, and go back, again and again.

    Oddly, I don't have a problem ignoring those problem foods in the store. It's when they are sitting next to me that I begin to obsess about them.
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
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    I get the open bag mentality. My daughter baked little blueberry pastries today and left them on the counter. They barely registered for me until my husband had half of one. The other half became instantly irresistible!
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
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    I love Hallowe'en for its perfectly treat-sized portions of chocolate and chips. I always buy waaaaay more than we could ever possibly have kids come around for. Because you never know. ;)

    I can do a little bag of chips or a small bag of M&M's and not be tempted to open another. Because I finished my package.

    But regular sized bags of chips and chocolate-y things are much more of a temptation once they're opened. It's like they are calling to me from the cupboard. With practice, however, I've gotten much better at not heeding their lonely calls of despair. :)
  • Lynzdee18
    Lynzdee18 Posts: 500 Member
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    It's like breaking a $100 bill. Poof. Gone.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    I am proud to say that the last three years, for the first time in my life, I am able to have chips, cake, candies and cookies in the house and, with few exceptions, eat them in moderation, or at least weigh out what I want and put the rest away. I have jars of nuts, homemade cookies, open bags of chips in the cabinet, a dark chocolate bar in the fridge I bought last week and have not opened yet, ice cream in the fridge. It took a long time to get here, but here I am. :)
  • DjPorkchop73
    DjPorkchop73 Posts: 16 Member
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    I am the same way. I come right out and tell my wife and daughter to please hide stuff when Im not looking. If it is sealed, I'm good but if it is open, good bye. And I won't even get in to the subject of baked goods. My daughter is a baker. It is sad I have to have her hide cookies and stuff. I am working on it and getting better. I am what is commonly known as a addict. I love to eat am paying the ultimate price for it now too with weight, failing liver and kidneys as well as diabetes.

    I hope you get some resolve to your issue. I know how hard it is. And when people say will power I would like to throat punch them. Will power got me exactly where I am today. I sure the heck am not going to trust it to get me back out of the crunch I'm in. The old saying is "Self Will run riot".

    Take care!
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    edited October 2016
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    Jruzer wrote: »
    One of the gems I took away from the book "Mindless Eating" by Brian Wansink was the notion of "barriers" between the eater and the food. As a very general rule, the more barriers, the less you eat. You eat more candy if you have a dish out on the counter than if it is somewhere less accessible, you eat less if it's tucked in the cupboard, and you eat even less if it's hidden out of sight. It doesn't have to be difficult to overcome the barrier - it's a psychological phenomenon.

    Opening the bag is removing a barrier.

    This makes so much sense. It works that way for me. Thanks for the explanation as to why. I use "barriers" with food to my advantage (ex. Single porion sizes). I try to avoid "mindless eating" by planning out meals in advance and avoid just popping something open and munching in front of the TV.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,087 Member
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    Interesting discussion.

    What I find is that if I can't reach it I don't mindlessly eat more - by that I mean if I am comfortable on couch eating chips or something I push them along the coffee table so I can't reach them then I stop.
    Or at a work lunch I ask somebody to move the bowl to other end of the table.

    But if they are just at hands reach, I keep going.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
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    I thought of this post when I opened the large bag of peanut M&Ms in the cabinet the other day. I told myself I'd only have deliberate portions of them. So far I've snagged a small handful every time I've passed the cupboard so, yeah, I'm on track with that. :p. Open bags of M&Ms are the debil in my house.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,306 Member
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    I don't buy "bags" of anything that could get me into trouble. I don't know how you all stay on a diet with chips, cookies...and snacks in the house.
  • onsickmom
    onsickmom Posts: 212 Member
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    I'm that way with beer kinda....As long as that one can sits in the fridge I don't think about it...If it wasn't I will crave a beer...I'm almost 2 months alcohol free AGAIN!!! We all have our little crave item...Mine is very unhealthy..I made a choice to put it down and get control of my life..Not let things control me...There are good meditations on addiction..ASMR....My personal favorite is Jason Stevenson on YouTube!!!! Maybe if you find one when that thought starts to enter your head run and listen to a quick addiction meditation...Best to you

  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
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    DebSozo wrote: »
    Jruzer wrote: »
    One of the gems I took away from the book "Mindless Eating" by Brian Wansink was the notion of "barriers" between the eater and the food. As a very general rule, the more barriers, the less you eat. You eat more candy if you have a dish out on the counter than if it is somewhere less accessible, you eat less if it's tucked in the cupboard, and you eat even less if it's hidden out of sight. It doesn't have to be difficult to overcome the barrier - it's a psychological phenomenon.

    Opening the bag is removing a barrier.

    This makes so much sense. It works that way for me. Thanks for the explanation as to why. I use "barriers" with food to my advantage (ex. Single porion sizes). I try to avoid "mindless eating" by planning out meals in advance and avoid just popping something open and munching in front of the TV.


    dragon_girl26 wrote: »
    I thought of this post when I opened the large bag of peanut M&Ms in the cabinet the other day. I told myself I'd only have deliberate portions of them. So far I've snagged a small handful every time I've passed the cupboard so, yeah, I'm on track with that. :p. Open bags of M&Ms are the debil in my house.


    With any :"Snack" that is freezable I take my weighed/measured portion and then into the freezer it goes. It creates 2 barriers - its out of sight and its frozen so if I really want the snack needs to sit on the counter after getting a portion out before I can eat it.
  • cosmonew
    cosmonew Posts: 513 Member
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    I put mine into single serving ziplocks, (like little jewelry bags, you find at walmart) then If I am eating it, I know its only the right portion... THEN LOG IT. I do this for my big bag of nuts as well and can keep some in my purse for when I am ravenous.
  • bethpaige86
    bethpaige86 Posts: 23 Member
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    I buy the large bags of candy and chips, because of my husband and son. (Just because I am dieting doesn't mean they have too). Once the bag is opened I divide it into snack size Ziploc bags. That way I can eat an "entire" bag
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    I have got better with this over time, I can now largely ignore open bags that are just kicking around the house. I used to keep treats above eye level - out of sight, out of mind. It's a great tip although I don't need it as much as I used to.

    Interestingly, I still have this problem during parties. For some reason I compulsively eat treats in that setting when I wouldn't otherwise, and struggle for control. I don't know why the context makes such a difference.
  • Grey_1
    Grey_1 Posts: 1,139 Member
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    The bag doesn't have to be open. Been lifting so now I can tear it open :p

    In seriousness, I promised myself this time around that I wouldn't drive myself insane and obsess over every bit of food. My first month, about 3 weeks in I chose to have a snickers bar. It was sickly sweet, not pleasant at all. Since then I had a chunky ( yum) and some ice cream recently.

    Letting myself do that helps a lot, for me anyway..now I'm back to hummus as a snack..

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