Mindless Eating....

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TheKrysiaJean
TheKrysiaJean Posts: 16 Member
in Motivation and Support
So, basically the last few months I have been losing and re-gaining (seemingly) the same 6-7 pounds. I am currently 223lb (HW: 240lb).

And I have found that those days where I pre-log my meals to stick to; I do really good throughout the day until I get home. And then it is this mindless eating. I am not hungry. There is nothing wrong. No depression. It seems to just be a force of habit. I do my best not to keep anything sweet or snack-y in the apartment; and usually do really good with that.

But for whatever reason, this week I have been going over my goal calories by a significant amount (at least 700 calories on average) just through mindless snacking.

How does everyone else break out of a rut? I am attempting to focus on getting the calories under control and then focus on getting more exercise (in the past I always tried to do too much too fast and then get disheartened when things didn't move fast enough...which is silly thinking!)

Well, back to today. Here's to staying in my calorie goal for today!

Replies

  • dwulet130
    dwulet130 Posts: 108 Member
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    I find the best way to avoid snacking is to distract myself. If I watch TV, I think about food CONSTANTLY, so I try to do other things instead. Go for a walk, that's 30 minutes without food. Wash the dishes, hands are busy doing something else. Leave the house and see a movie/go shopping/whatever you enjoy. Knit. Do a puzzle. Read a book. Find whatever it is that you enjoy that keeps you brain/mind occupied.

    Or a more depressing way to do it is pick up the snack, log it, see what it does to your goal for the day, and then decide if it's worth eating.

    Good luck!
  • TheKrysiaJean
    TheKrysiaJean Posts: 16 Member
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    You definitely hit it on the head. Work has been so stressful lately; that any hobbies I have done have fallen to the wayside a bit. I need to get back to doing the things that alleviated the stress and were not associated with food so it doesn't become a habit.

    I will keep on keeping on.
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
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    The best way for meal, is to pre-plan. I pre-make or pre-plan meals for the entire day/week. I am accountable for what I am doing/eating, and making sure I am honest with myself. If I have that extra glass of wine, I log it.

    Until that comes, there's nothing else you can really do. Find the strength to do what you know you need to do to get where you need to get to!

    Good luck!
  • brdoyle8
    brdoyle8 Posts: 38 Member
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    I have done a similar thing this week. I haven't even necessarily gone over that terribly, but I have eaten into exercise calories which I NEVER do. I've been tracking and exercising again for about five weeks, am down 15 pounds, and this week the scale hasn't budged and I feel like I am overeating and thinking about food way more than in past weeks. I also haven't had the motivation to exercise as much.

    Maybe just an off week? This is a marathon, not a sprint. Exercise alleviated the stress for me and I think I am realizing how little I improve when I am not keeping up with that.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
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    There's really no such thing as mindless eating- I mean, the food doesn't just teleport into your mouth- you have to make a conscious decision to walk into the kitchen, open the cupboard, pick out a snack, put it in a plate, and eat it. Right? Now next time first put your plate on your food scale and weigh the snack and log it into your food diary BEFORE eating it and if it will put you over calories then don't eat it. Maybe choose a lower calorie snack like raw veggies instead, or make some tea to sip on (zero calories!!).

    If you make it a habit to log everything before eating it and plan your day INCLUDING snacks that should help a lot.

    Also stay busy- if you're bored try doing something non-food related when that urge to snack happens- do some stretches, do some light exercise (push ups, squats, jumping jacks...), check your mail, take a walk, moisturize your hands, play a game on your phone, play with your dog, water your plants, text a friend, fold laundry, meditate, whatever... there's always something other than snacking that you can do with your spare time in the evenings.
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,862 Member
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    I also check the calories before the first bite. Once I have the first bite though, the whole thing mighte be eaten in seconds! I keep chips and sweets out of my house. My snack food is raw almonds and semi-sweet chocolate chips. I much prefer milk chocolate so this is a high calorie and sweet snack that I can control i.e., not particularly yummy. I weigh the almonds and the chocolate chips and usually have 6 almonds and 12 chocolate chips. Seems a little pathetic as I write this, but it's what I have to do.
  • sand86802
    sand86802 Posts: 125 Member
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    I tend to do that too. I find that helping my hands busy when I watch tv helps: i do cross stitch (knitting would work great too), play on my phone or do some puzzles. I guess it helps not only keeping your hands busy so you don't pick up the food but also keep your mind busy so you don't think about eating either.

    If it's been an off week don't get discouraged , everyday is a new beginning so start fresh!
  • TheKrysiaJean
    TheKrysiaJean Posts: 16 Member
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    courtneyfabulous wrote: »
    There's really no such thing as mindless eating- I mean, the food doesn't just teleport into your mouth- you have to make a conscious decision to walk into the kitchen, open the cupboard, pick out a snack, put it in a plate, and eat it. Right?

    If food starts teleporting then we have a whole new problem! But you are right, mindless was the best way to describe it. What I really mean is probably more akin to boredom and I just don't even think about it.

    I do great while at work. Make my lunches. Weight the food (new food scale!). But it is when I am in surroundings where I can unwind, it happens.

    Now the next step is to be more aware so I can fix it from happening too often!

  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
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    TheKrysiaJean wrote: »
    courtneyfabulous wrote: »
    There's really no such thing as mindless eating- I mean, the food doesn't just teleport into your mouth- you have to make a conscious decision to walk into the kitchen, open the cupboard, pick out a snack, put it in a plate, and eat it. Right?

    If food starts teleporting then we have a whole new problem! But you are right, mindless was the best way to describe it. What I really mean is probably more akin to boredom and I just don't even think about it.

    I do great while at work. Make my lunches. Weight the food (new food scale!). But it is when I am in surroundings where I can unwind, it happens.

    Now the next step is to be more aware so I can fix it from happening too often!

    I get it- just make sure you weigh and log EVERYTHING. Even snacks, boredom eating, food that you eat even if it's over your calorie goal already... everything. it's tough but if you make it so that that's just what you do it will help a lot.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    dwulet130 wrote: »
    I find the best way to avoid snacking is to distract myself. If I watch TV, I think about food CONSTANTLY, so I try to do other things instead. Go for a walk, that's 30 minutes without food. Wash the dishes, hands are busy doing something else. Leave the house and see a movie/go shopping/whatever you enjoy. Knit. Do a puzzle. Read a book. Find whatever it is that you enjoy that keeps you brain/mind occupied.

    Or a more depressing way to do it is pick up the snack, log it, see what it does to your goal for the day, and then decide if it's worth eating.

    Good luck!

    Hard & fast rule - if I am watching TV - no snacks - none. Instead I get a large glass of ice water (put in a lemon wedge). Then I use a little bit of distraction - crochet, adult coloring book, solitaire.....whatever. Something, anything to break the habit. I'm not going to give up TV forever. But mindless eat.....yep, it's gotta go.

    I used to "graze" when I got home from work. A little of this, a little of that. Then I actually added up the calories (ouch!). Now I bring a late afternoon snack to work. By the time I get home, I know I've already had my snack.
  • AllSpiceNice
    AllSpiceNice Posts: 120 Member
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    I had/have the same problem - mindless and constant eating at night, or on the weekends at home. I had to manage it in order to meet my goal weight. Although I'm in maintenance, I still have that grazing urge sometimes!

    Very good advice above - especially logging EVERYTHING no matter what. Seeing how much that grazing "costs" you in calories can help keep your awareness up, and make diffferent choices over time.

    I pre-plan my calories to include a big dessert of Greek yogurt & berries almost every night. To me, it's delicious, filling, and gives me something to look forward to as I continue to train myself to stop the mindless grazing.

    Another thing I found helpful was to stop watching Food/Cooking shows for awhile - lol. Sitting on the couch watching shows about delicious food was only increasing my urge to eat when I didn't need to.
  • bluecrush84
    bluecrush84 Posts: 77 Member
    edited January 2017
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    Daily yoga, mindful eating, meditation with positive imagery, keep busy-get work done

    Tea-no sugar or creamer. I like loose leaf oolong. You can use regular tea bags. I have a fancy mug just for it...makes me feel pampered.

    Carrots, cucumbers, cauliflower, celery, broccoli....no dip....are great snacking options.

    Shirataki noodles....they are zero calories for the entire bag, fill you up. You can learn how to prepare it online. You can find them at your local Asian grocery.

    Sugar free gum, I free chew gum a lot. Helps me not want to chew other things like candy.
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,862 Member
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    You're all amazing eaters! Very healthy. My after 9, never fail, fall back "food" is 2 oz of scotch. It is slightly sweet, filling, and relaxing. I sip it over an hour. I don't like it enough to want more.

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