Having issues with stress eating throughout the day.....Any suggestions to overcome this battle

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thegreatladybug533
thegreatladybug533 Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
A little about me 32yo in average shape I hit the gym at 3 times a week but I can't seem to get out of this random snacking throughout the day which keeps this extra weight on me. What should I do??

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  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    Eat less at meal times if you enjoy regular snacks, perhaps.

    That's assuming you're eating enough in general. How long have you been using MFP?

    Learn more about losing weight sustainably in the Helpful Posts:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads#latest
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
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    For me a mixture of the following works...
    -> Keep all tempting snacks away.
    -> Log EVERYTHING. Log meals ahead of time and only allow your self to fill in any extra calories left with snacks - but even log the snacks ahead of time too.
    -> Keep lots of low calorie fruit around for snacks.
    -> Also carrots. Yes, I can easily eat 1kg of carrots in not long a period. That's a hell of a lot better than 1kg of cake - probably equivalent to one slice of a cake!

    Oh and for me it's not particularly related to stress - I just like eating!
  • kingdonle
    kingdonle Posts: 12 Member
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    Eat high protein earlier in the day, don't get too hungry, do something mindful each day like meditation, yoga or journalling, most importantly get adequate sleep.

    What's stressing you out? Mine's usually kids. I've identified when I'm most stressed and now have a snack in preparation.
  • wefts
    wefts Posts: 183 Member
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    add fiber chia , flax, oat bran to a drink or cereal , it tames my hunger monster
  • VanillaBeanFrap
    VanillaBeanFrap Posts: 6 Member
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    Girl graze like the little gazelle you are!! No shame in it. Just graze on healthy food. Slowly snack less and less and replace it with something else. Unfortunately this is a psychological problem and changing your diet or this app won’t help, you gotta get to the root of the cause and figure out other ways to deal with the stress. GL X
  • staticsplit
    staticsplit Posts: 538 Member
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    I love grazing--I'd rather have 3 300 calorie meals/snacks a few hours apart rather than a 900 calorie lunch but no breakfast or afternoon snack. Sometimes I just want to much, so I have things like popcorn or seaweed thins--satisfies that need for crunch and a bit of salt without sidelining my goals too much. Or apples/clementines if I have a sweet tooth.
  • Heather4448
    Heather4448 Posts: 908 Member
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    Prelogging will allow you fit in the snacks you love.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    I keep my meals on the smaller side so I can snack often. I love to eat and getting over hungry flips a switch in my brain that tells me to go nuts and live my life :D - if I keep that under control I'm usually good.
  • pbbananacoffeechocolate
    pbbananacoffeechocolate Posts: 44 Member
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    Log your whole day in advance, that way when you get hungry or have the urge to eat, you will know when/what you get to eat next and can look forward to it. Make to plan in some snacks! Also, I find it helpful to keep a list in my wallet of distraction activities that I can do when I get the munchies. Like watching an inspiring YouTube video or listening to it favorite song.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    I need to exercise more than 3 times per week to combat stress. In fact, it's really important for me to get in some activity every work day at lunch time.

    I work from home so I have a lot of flexibility, but when I worked in an office I walked, or took a longer lunch so I could go to the gym, and worked later at night to make up for it.
  • Goober1142
    Goober1142 Posts: 219 Member
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    Hard candy lasts a long time. Also chewing gum so you can't put anything in your mouth without thinking about it. Low calorie single serving popcorn helps me. And two glasses of water whenever I think of food and it's not time to eat. I eat at noon, three and seven. Apple before bed. Sigh
  • Mika1221
    Mika1221 Posts: 12 Member
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    I stress eat as well, just change the chips and stuff to things like almonds.
  • shorayna
    shorayna Posts: 24 Member
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    Up your protein intake, this is what is helping me!!
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
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    As I've been losing weight, I've found that I have the most luck controlling my calories if I eat frequently. I probably only go a couple of hours between eating, I just try to make those frequent meals balanced and intentional. It's possible this kind of strategy might work for you too. A 1500-1600 day for me might look like this:
    6:30 coffee (milk and sugar) and a string cheese
    9:00 string cheese
    10:30 hard boiled egg
    11:30 fruit, cheese
    1:30 meat (cold leftovers, salami, etc), raw veggies
    4:00 nuts or crackers or chocolate
    6:30 feta and olives
    7:30 small portion of whatever my husband cooks for dinner, milk
    9:30 popcorn or candy
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Mika1221 wrote: »
    I stress eat as well, just change the chips and stuff to things like almonds.

    May I ask about the logic behind this? An ounce of potato chips actually has fewer calories than an ounce of almonds. They're both relatively calorie-dense snacks.

    It's true that some people will find the almonds more satisfying than the potato chips and that might be a factor in your recommendation. But I know if I was stress-eating and having trouble controlling my portions, both could be equally damaging to my calorie goals.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Mika1221 wrote: »
    I stress eat as well, just change the chips and stuff to things like almonds.

    May I ask about the logic behind this? An ounce of potato chips actually has fewer calories than an ounce of almonds. They're both relatively calorie-dense snacks.

    It's true that some people will find the almonds more satisfying than the potato chips and that might be a factor in your recommendation. But I know if I was stress-eating and having trouble controlling my portions, both could be equally damaging to my calorie goals.

    Yes, it was a sad, sad day when I learned how many calories there were in almonds and peanut butter :(
  • chels5988
    chels5988 Posts: 23 Member
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    I second carrots. Allll the carrots. I stress eat too and carrots or blueberries are the first thing i grab.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Mika1221 wrote: »
    I stress eat as well, just change the chips and stuff to things like almonds.

    May I ask about the logic behind this? An ounce of potato chips actually has fewer calories than an ounce of almonds. They're both relatively calorie-dense snacks.

    It's true that some people will find the almonds more satisfying than the potato chips and that might be a factor in your recommendation. But I know if I was stress-eating and having trouble controlling my portions, both could be equally damaging to my calorie goals.

    Yes, it was a sad, sad day when I learned how many calories there were in almonds and peanut butter :(

    Yeah, I have found that almonds (specifically salted or seasoned ones) aren't a great snack choice for me because I just find it challenging to stop eating them. And almond butter . . . don't get me started! I could just eat it with a spoon!

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