How to stay out of the fridge during the weekend?
Janellew86
Posts: 43 Member
How do you keep from going for something to eat during the weekends? I'm talking about cravings and boredom eating. I work Mon-Fri so 8hrs of the day except during break times do I have access to food. I guess that's where willpower should kick in...
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Replies
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My response might seem so small and obvious that you’ll brush it off, but sometimes the simplest answer is the right one… Find something you love to do and do that instead. You won’t think about food, you won’t be bored, and you’ll be happy. We can’t underestimate the importance of living a balanced life when it comes to health and weight loss.10
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Honestly… I keep ONLY HEALTHY THINGS AROUND. And… I make sure I have things ready to snack on like cut up watermelon and grapes. Also carrots and hummus. It’s not an option for me to go to the fridge and get an unhealthy snack. Also… watermelon FILLS YOU UP. It’s mostly water. Eat a bowl when you wanna snack.4
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It's tough. and now that I work from home, I get easy access for cravings during the week too.
As @ddsb1111 said, find something else to occupy your time such as a hobby. Even a walk outside or another gym session. I enjoy my Saturday nap after a morning gym class and activities around the house, then wake in time for dinner, less time for snacking.
It IS easier said than done, but once you go a day, a week, a month...the habit of willpower kicks in!1 -
do pro you fit things.
--work out
-- go grocery shopping for meal prep for the week
-- cook a new recipe for Satruday and Sunday dinner.. ( we are making grilled fish with mango chutney tonight.. and a seafood low country boil for Sunday..
-- try on clothes that used to fit...to keep motivated
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Don’t keep things at home that are a problem.5
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Kaiwitzberger6576 wrote: »Honestly… I keep ONLY HEALTHY THINGS AROUND. And… I make sure I have things ready to snack on like cut up watermelon and grapes. Also carrots and hummus. It’s not an option for me to go to the fridge and get an unhealthy snack. Also… watermelon FILLS YOU UP. It’s mostly water. Eat a bowl when you wanna snack.
Yes, Watermelon! She’s not lying, it’s so filling and delicious. I forgot how much until recently. So if you must, this is a great option.0 -
If the problem isn't energy or nutrition, the best solution isn't food. You mention habit, and boredom. The best way to break an old, bad habit is to form a new, better one. People mentioned some above.
I'll endorse new or resumed hobbies, bonus points for things that require clean hands (sketching, needlework, playing a musical instrument, etc.) or create dirty hands (carpentry, painting, gardening, etc.).3 -
It's just a habit, that can be broken and a new healthier habit replace it. Find something to do, don't just sit around bored at home. Go out and do something, find a hobby, and don't have trigger foods at home. I lost my job 4 months ago and the first week I was eating a lot more, and I realized it so I went back to my "work schedule" eating pattern, which is once a day. I keep myself busy on the computer looking for jobs and painting.2
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Since it's boredom eating, awareness is key.
Keeping yourself from being bored while relaxing can be difficult, especially after a long day and you're not fully committed into any certain activity
Maybe, when you find yourself going to the fridge, before opening it
ask yourself "Am I really hungry?"
If yes >> Drink a cup of water
Wait a little while if you're still hungry, grab a snack
If no >> Give yourself a huge high 5 and leave the kitchen
Recognizing and then adding hurdles/extra steps into that [bad] habit is what I've found to be the best way to break your habits and create new ones.1 -
I have no “off switch”, so I don’t buy things I know will be an issue if it’s in the house. So no candy, cookies, pie, Little Debbie’s, tortilla chips etc.
I do buy things I enjoy eating but take a while to put together, so I have to be a bit more thoughtful about it. Cottage cheese with blueberries and a sprinkle of GrapeNuts and a little sweet balsamic.
I make a sugar free chai that’s delicious and only about 50 calories. Making it is almost like a tea ceremony. It’s fragrant, filling, and takes a long time to drink.
My latest snack is simply a bottle of chocolate core power drink, a serving of cottage cheese, and a lot of ice, blended into a thick milkshake texture. I add a drop or two of malt, peppermint or coconut extract and 1/3 serving of any chocolate skinny syrup if I want it sweeter. It takes a long time to eat with a spoon and is insanely filling because of the protein.
I always have a project going- needlework, beadwork, embroidery. Idle hands are the devil’s fork and spoon.
Sometimes our body interprets dehydration as thirst signal. Drink a cup of water and wait a few minutes and see if you’re still peckish. For that matter, I can eat ice all day and be happy. Try keeping a cup of ice nearby.
Last but not least, take the dog for a walk or go find a chore that needs doing. Anything that takes your mind off being peckish.
We will often walk a couple miles to a local coffee shop. He gets a squirrel cookie and I get a lovely locally made popsicle thats 50 calories. The walk more than offsets that.
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Janellew86 wrote: »How do you keep from going for something to eat during the weekends? I'm talking about cravings and boredom eating. I work Mon-Fri so 8hrs of the day except during break times do I have access to food. I guess that's where willpower should kick in...
Post a sticky note on the fridge with your goal in mind. Constant reminders usually subliminally get you to thinking more about wanting to reach your goal if you see them enough.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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It’s really hard…especially when my mom buys my son like bags of malteasers and minstrels…he’s a kid he will work it off…so when I look in my fridge I’m like hmmmm chocolate
I do look at calories on every packet now when I go in the shop haha! Curly Wurlys are only 99 calories and so are freddos
Replace them with some less calorific snacks and obviously fruit bags apple slices are like 48 calories a bag
Good luck and wishing you lots of love xx0 -
I didn't go as far over my calories budget today and was below maintenance. 2
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Janellew86 wrote: »How do you keep from going for something to eat during the weekends? I'm talking about cravings and boredom eating. I work Mon-Fri so 8hrs of the day except during break times do I have access to food. I guess that's where willpower should kick in...
I work from home, so I used to have this problem every day. I'm a food addict, particularly a carb addict, so I don't do will power very well when it comes to eating. High fat/low carb eating is satiating so I don't get hungry between meals and I rarely ever get cravings anymore.
On the occasion that something is tempting, it's usually just a mental game. I psyche myself up, reminding myself of how bad off I am due to foods, do some brief meditations/affirmations focusing on my health goals, or I distract myself-- go somewhere else, do some crafts, play a game, read a book, call a friend, etc.
Or on occasion, if all else fails, I find a suitable low-carb substitute and just let myself have that. An Atkins bar instead of a candy bar, cloud bread instead of regular bread, a few pork rinds instead of potato chips (chips trigger major binges for me).0 -
I had to teach myself to stay out of the kitchen when Covid started, working from home all the time.
I had to mentally impose a schedule on myself regarding the number of meals/snacks:
- breakfast
- lunch
- (optional) 1 afternoon snack
- dinner
- evening snack
Out side of those, I have no business in the kitchen, a matter of habit founded on self discipline to get started.1 -
i pre log food for the day in the morning and include a treat. love halo top ice cream0
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If you buy the food in your house, don't buy the foods that trigger you.positivelysimful wrote: »Janellew86 wrote: »How do you keep from going for something to eat during the weekends? I'm talking about cravings and boredom eating. I work Mon-Fri so 8hrs of the day except during break times do I have access to food. I guess that's where willpower should kick in...
I work from home, so I used to have this problem every day. I'm a food addict, particularly a carb addict, so I don't do will power very well when it comes to eating. High fat/low carb eating is satiating so I don't get hungry between meals and I rarely ever get cravings anymore.
On the occasion that something is tempting, it's usually just a mental game. I psyche myself up, reminding myself of how bad off I am due to foods, do some brief meditations/affirmations focusing on my health goals, or I distract myself-- go somewhere else, do some crafts, play a game, read a book, call a friend, etc.
Or on occasion, if all else fails, I find a suitable low-carb substitute and just let myself have that. An Atkins bar instead of a candy bar, cloud bread instead of regular bread, a few pork rinds instead of potato chips (chips trigger major binges for me).
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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At our house we joke that we don’t bring junk food through the door because that increases the chances of it getting in our mouth. My other main strategy is to keep my hands busy. While watching tv I also do crossword puzzles, solitaire, crochet or hand sewing as it decreases the chance of mindless eating. And during the day, I try to walk, garden, play piano, fold laundry, read. Anything that keeps me busy is likely to keep my mind off of boredom eating.1
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I very much boredom eat, so I've just had to rely on the log to keep me from doing it, and in addition to that I've found much lower calorie snacks for when I feel like I just can't hold out till my next meal. These days I try to leave room for snacks because I like them. The best low calorie snacks I've found for me: Grapes, apples, low fat string cheese, greek yogurt, rice cakes, and cottage cheese. There are also these amazing frozen greek yogurt bars I found that are only 80 cal each, as long as I stick to just one there's always room for it. I stopped buying sweets, chips and nuts altogether. The calories are too high and servings are too small to really satisfy. One thing my new snacks all have in common is they're kind of fidgety, especially if I cut the apple into small slices and use a small spoon on the regular greek yogurt and cottage cheese. It extends the time to eat them which reduces the boredom. The only other hard part is not constantly going back for another which is just a habit that I've broken for the most part, but still have to fight almost daily.
Hope this helps!1 -
Stay busy.
Go for long walks.
Go to the gym...
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One way or another my weekends tend to be pretty busy. I have kids and they play soccer so we have games, sometimes multiple games every weekend. There also seems to always be something that needs tending at the house, garage, or yard. And if I put all of that aside, I enjoy outdoor recreation so if I'm able I try to get out for a hike or a bike or go kayaking or whatever. Basically I stay busy and there's no time to be bored.0
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finding things you enjoy doing or that keep you engrossed can keep you out of the fridge. i discovered watercolor painting, got back into drawing, and i love long walks as well as photography (bird and close-up still
but sometimes the call of the fridge is too strong. for those times, i keep lots of low and very low calorie stuff in the fridge and the freezer. i make my own zero calorie popsicles, and with some experimenting, one can find the flavors that are delish. sometimes it takes a hint more sweetening or adjusting the water, but you can eat 12 of them in a sitting - no harm, no foul. they also make yummy snow cones, and if you crush one in a blender and pour in zero sugar 7 up or coke, that's super good, too.
there's also 5 calorie juicy gel cups (available in strawberry, orange and cherry). dannon light & fit yogurt - i love the cherry and also the vanilla - are 80 calories with lots of protein. laughing cow cheese wedges are sooo good and only 30 calories per wedge. or you can make your own pudding from non-fat milk and jello cook and serve that's under 40 calories per serving. there are so many very low calorie foods worth exploring...0 -
Everyone's suggestions are to stay busy. By the weekend I am exhausted. I don't want to do anything and I need to recharge so that I can be super functioning for the week. I do my grocery shopping on Saturday and my laundry on Sunday. That's it.
This of course does not give me many extra calories. When I get bored I do try to drink water. Sometimes this helps sometimes it doesn't. I like to do the mini bag of popcorn. It is a lot of food for only 100 calories. It also takes me a while to eat so that burns some time.
I just keep my logging up to date so that I know where I am on calories and keep my goals in my mind.1
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