Emotional eaters/eating when bored

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brishaw18
brishaw18 Posts: 20 Member
in Food and Nutrition
What has helped you guys to manage your emotional eating or eating while you are bored. I have a super hard time while I'm at work because everyone is always bring candy and sweets. And put break room is not a closed off or avoidable either. I can usually control myself while I am at home for the most part because I won't buy anything like that for my house. Building up will power atleast for a few weeks is super hard to start doing! Any suggestions would be great:)

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,099 Member
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    At work, how about you say to yourself, "I'm only going to eat what I bring in myself."

    I've read that some people imagine that there are other peoples' germs on that break room food. Which is highly likely anyway.
  • hurleycutie142
    hurleycutie142 Posts: 480 Member
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    this is really messed up and i get mad at myself when i think this but it does kinda help me not eat it... so i look around at the people who are eating badly... most of them have no goals, are overweight, and eat horrible throughout the day which reflects on their health... that thought keeps me from wanting to be like them...

    i know its kinda mean but it makes me look the other way...

    Also too i have a desk job so i tend to go on walks to get water and go to the restroom (cough cough i mean i dont feel like working)

    Also i have a picture of my goals on my desktop and i wear a cheap bracelet that i bought on ebay (its black with a barbell on it) and when i get tempted i look down and remember my goals.


  • stevet621
    stevet621 Posts: 63 Member
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    I eat the largest volume of food that I can within my macro range. Just because you are cutting calories doesn't mean that you have to always feel like you are hungry.

    If done correctly you can pretty much feel full most of the time, and the cravings will subside.

    And if you truly can't resist, leave room within your daily totals for a couple of treats. IIFYM works, and it works well. Good luck!

  • WickAndArtoo
    WickAndArtoo Posts: 773 Member
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    Different flavors of herbal tea, it keeps me occupied making/drinking it. It's relaxing and comforting and there are a million flavors to choose from... I don't add milk or sweetener, but most are sweet on their own.
  • CynthiasChoice
    CynthiasChoice Posts: 1,047 Member
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    Pink Grapefruit essential oil is supposed to diminish cravings. Even though I'm a skeptic, I've been trying it for a week and it's "working" for me. The fragrance actually causes that bitter grapefruit taste in my mouth, and if nothing else, it's distracting!

    Your environment is so important when it comes to cravings. I'm fortunate to not work in a place where there's food. However, at home, I sometimes have to deal with things my family members want to have around. Brown bags have become my friends at home! If there's something in the fridge or the cabinet that calls my name when I see it, I put it out of sight in a brown bag. Wouldn't that be funny if you tried to do that at work?
  • SelfWhelp
    SelfWhelp Posts: 1 Member
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    If it fits my calories for the day I tend not to sweat it. What I try to do is recognize when I'm being an emotional eater and deal with whatever emotion is at the root (boredom, stress, etc). It's challenging but ultimately mindfulness is the key, imo. Good luck!
  • mangrothian
    mangrothian Posts: 1,351 Member
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    As a horrible boredom eater, all I can suggest is making sure you're always doing something with your hands, even in the break room. Keep yourself occupied.

    And I'm not talking about playing with your phone either. Get your knitting on, or get one of those physical puzzle solvers, or a fidget cube.

    Also, I agree with @seska422 - log it before you eat it. There's many a thing I have forgone stuffing in the face-hole when I see the caloric content.
  • distinctlybeautiful
    distinctlybeautiful Posts: 1,041 Member
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    When I used to work in a place where I couldn't avoid the break room and where there was often food in there, I would check with myself to see if I really wanted it, if I'd seek it out and buy it or make it for myself. If not, then I realized I was just contemplating eating it because it was there, not because I really wanted it or was hungry. The boredom thing can be difficult. It happens to me at work sometimes. I find myself wanting to eat because I'm not doing anything and time is dragging. I try to think about what's really behind the desire to eat, and I try to think about the fact that I'll still be bored after I've eaten! I'm not always successful, but I keep trying.
  • ZephieC
    ZephieC Posts: 162 Member
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    Mints. I get something strong-ish like excel. It helps to have something in my mouth but puts me off eating other foods when I am not really hungry.
  • fitzmonkey13
    fitzmonkey13 Posts: 88 Member
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    I bring enough food to work for a morning and afternoon snack and my lunch. I keep it in my cubicle with me rather than putting it in the fridge. I have reminders on my phone to eat my snacks so that I don't get to 11 AM and feel starving. Since I'm not generally hungry now, I'm less tempted by the treats and I can make choices about what ones I want to enjoy. Even if it occasionally pushes me over my targets, I exercise enough to make up for the occasional overage. It took a long time and a few slip ups to get to this point though.

    If I'm tempted but don't feel like it's worth the calories, I make sure all the containers have their lids on, or put saran wrap/tin foil over the dishes "to keep everything fresh" (but really so the cookie isn't in my mouth before I have time to think about it).
  • midlomel1971
    midlomel1971 Posts: 1,283 Member
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    I was starting to feel this way last night. I was having a stressful time helping my son with reading and I could feel the urge to eat something comforting increase as I felt my level of stress go up. IT's the 1st time since starting MFP a few weeks ago that I've felt like this and I almost broke down and had cookies, but I didn't. Not very helpful, but just saying, you are not alone! Sometimes at night when I feel the need to eat (especially when my husband is having something sweet) I fix myself a cup of tea and maybe eat a small piece of fruit. There is something very soothing about a hot mug of tea that helps with the stress.
  • yskaldir
    yskaldir Posts: 202 Member
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    Don't get bored, work on something that requires deep concentration. If you can't, just go take a walk, do some house work, heck, take a nap
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
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    mralexjones wrote: »
    Nicotine, caffeine, Keto diet, and yogurts with low carbs and high protein keep me sated.

    I did a PSMF a few months ago, and had to force myself to eat just to get enough calories. Protein is the marconutrient that has the highest satiety, and it won't make your insulin skyrocket like so many carbs.

    Did you actually just recommend smoking to keep from overeating? :/
  • BlueSkyShoal
    BlueSkyShoal Posts: 325 Member
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    This was me! I could control myself much better at home than at work, and one of the challenges at work was that I couldn't control what kind of food / how much food I'd be confronted with.

    I don't have any specific advice aside from just doing your best and picking yourself back up if you fall.
  • yskaldir
    yskaldir Posts: 202 Member
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    try2again wrote: »
    mralexjones wrote: »
    Nicotine, caffeine, Keto diet, and yogurts with low carbs and high protein keep me sated.

    I did a PSMF a few months ago, and had to force myself to eat just to get enough calories. Protein is the marconutrient that has the highest satiety, and it won't make your insulin skyrocket like so many carbs.

    Did you actually just recommend smoking to keep from overeating? :/

    You can get the patch.

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