Breaking the habit of eating when I'm not hungry

Matttdvg
Matttdvg Posts: 133 Member
edited October 5 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello. I'm wondering if anyone else has or used to have a similar problem to me. Just an hour and a half ago I ate a nice big dinner. It was tasty and fulfilling. Yet just 15 minutes ago I decided I wanted to eat something else. I was still full from my dinner. I was definitely not hungry. Yet I felt the desire to eat. So I had an apple, a handful of grapes and a light cheese triangle (like dairylea or laughing cow, but it was some random cheap brand). Now, that's a lot healthier than the stuff I used to snack on at times like this and I'm sure I'll still be under my calorie goal, but it's still extra calories that are just pointless. Eating when I'm still quite full from a meal is just stupid and counterintuitive to weight loss. I don't know why I do it. I thought about it to myself and thought about how stupid it was to be eating so soon after a big meal, but I still wanted to do it.

So, does anyone have any advice as to how I could break this terrible habit? I generally think of myself as having good will power - I've been choosing mostly healthy foods and when I'm having something less healthy I'll always make sure it fits into my calorie goal. When I'm with friends and they offer me a crisp or a piece of chocolate I'll refuse. Yet for some reason I don't have the will power to say no to these stupid snacks when I'm not even hungry.

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,422 Member
    It takes time to break habits, or to form new ones.
  • lniffa
    lniffa Posts: 675 Member
    Well, when that happens to me I drink more water or find some type of chore around the house to do. I even go for a walk, so I am not around food. Hope this helps a little.
  • GeckoJari
    GeckoJari Posts: 4 Member
    Hi,
    I have the same problem. And usually I find it helps to distract myself for some time and then after a while the urge to eat is gone. Atleast sometimes
  • hbart500
    hbart500 Posts: 243 Member
    Grab some water or even lemon water and keep yourself busy with laundry cleaning exercising a book etc etc anything to keep yourself distracted will work. :)
  • kagenw
    kagenw Posts: 260 Member
    Something that helps me is gum. If I pop a piece of gum in my mouth after a meal, it somehow helps my brain come to the conclusion that my stomach is already full. Also, I try to remove all the food from my reach at the dinner table so that once i've eaten my portion, I have to actively reach out across the table for something else. The active part is what helps me realize that i'm probably already full and I don't need to eat anything more.
  • MJ7910
    MJ7910 Posts: 1,280 Member
    same problem here. do you like gum? sometimes that helps me get through it.
  • MrsSpinks
    MrsSpinks Posts: 274 Member
    I'm exactly the same! If I'm under my calorie goal I don't mind, but when I'm trying to be really good, I make myself a promise that I won't eat unless my tummy asks... i.e. tummy grumbles!!!!
  • Debbe2
    Debbe2 Posts: 2,071 Member
    Yep, time for new habits!

    I've learned to use planned snacks. It helps!
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    I simply stop eating at my calorie goal, nothing more, nothing less. Hunger is irrelevant to me.
  • ratherbeskiing
    ratherbeskiing Posts: 847 Member
    omgosh I do it too!!!! I try to drink water I have sugar free werthers hard candy- about 8 cals per one. OR swiss miss makes a 25 cal hot coco mix. Hot coco not only is yum but it also fills me up.

    (sometimes I even put my caramel werthers in my swiss miss so it makes it caramel hot coco... for under 35cals)
  • jmruef
    jmruef Posts: 824 Member
    Learn to knit/crochet. :) In all seriousness, it'll keep your hands busy while you're creating something, and it'll keep your mind occupied at the same time so you're not thinking about snacking. Worked for me - I make baby hats for a local neonatal intensive care unit.

    Okay, it doesn't hae to be knitting/crocheting. Just something to keep your hands occupied so you're not using them to snack.
  • bedoozled
    bedoozled Posts: 189 Member
    I'd definitely second the distractions, or drinking water - even better, try having something low-cal but hot, like broth or tea :)
  • KimMischke
    KimMischke Posts: 9
    I do it out of boredom, or if I'm a little tense or stressed. Most of the time I will busy myself with housework, something physical. Sometimes I chew gum. Other times I use pure willpower but I get a little grumpy and I complain a lot lol. And on the rare occasion I just give in. Like someone else said it takes time to break habits and make new ones.
  • CharleneJ14
    CharleneJ14 Posts: 13 Member
    I would do something to keep my mind off it.. Whenever I do that, if I'm not really hungry and I just want something to satisfy a craving, I crochet or read. It keeps my hands and mind busy. If that doesn't work, chew on a piece of cal free gum for a little bit. It keeps your mouth busy at least.
  • MommaFuhrer
    MommaFuhrer Posts: 214 Member
    Try Brushing you teeth!
  • bert16
    bert16 Posts: 726 Member
    I've got 3 tricks I use that usually work: 1) chew gum; 2) make a cup of herbal tea of some kind (currently on a vanilla rooibos tea kick); or 3) brush my teeth! The last one does a great job, because most food tastes pretty gross with the minty taste of toothpaste in your mouth, so it decreases my urge to eat (when hunger is clearly not the culprit).
  • CharleneJ14
    CharleneJ14 Posts: 13 Member
    I simply stop eating at my calorie goal, nothing more, nothing less. Hunger is irrelevant to me.

    I'm sorry, I just saw that. That is entirely unhelpful to her situation. I'm not trying to be mean about it, but it doesn't help at all.
  • ImperfectXion
    ImperfectXion Posts: 6 Member
    I've got 3 tricks I use that usually work: 1) chew gum; 2) make a cup of herbal tea of some kind (currently on a vanilla rooibos tea kick); or 3) brush my teeth! The last one does a great job, because most food tastes pretty gross with the minty taste of toothpaste in your mouth, so it decreases my urge to eat (when hunger is clearly not the culprit).

    ^^^^ This. It all helps. Especially the gum and brushing of teeth.
  • Alison__
    Alison__ Posts: 107
    This is exactly what I used to have problems with! Exactly! Eating without thinking about it, although I was never really hungry. For me, the hardest part was to realize that no, I'm not hungry, I'm bored - go do something else.

    Now, I wait until I can feel my hunger before I eat, otherwise I keep myself busy in order to not think of food.
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    I simply stop eating at my calorie goal, nothing more, nothing less. Hunger is irrelevant to me.

    I'm sorry, I just saw that. That is entirely unhelpful to her situation. I'm not trying to be mean about it, but it doesn't help at all.

    Good thing he has plenty of other responses to choose from
  • mariechien
    mariechien Posts: 8 Member
    I do it too especially when I am studying =/ ... I'm currently drinking a lot of tea to keep myself "busy" :P but I haven't yet found a way to let this habit go..
  • sundayeveryday
    sundayeveryday Posts: 18
    its easier said than done but I try to brush my teeth and then distract myself with something that keeps my hands busy. Like drawing or knitting.
  • Matttdvg
    Matttdvg Posts: 133 Member
    I simply stop eating at my calorie goal, nothing more, nothing less. Hunger is irrelevant to me.

    I'm sorry, I just saw that. That is entirely unhelpful to her situation. I'm not trying to be mean about it, but it doesn't help at all.

    Good thing she has plenty of other responses to choose from

    Also good thing he's a he, and now everyone is calling him a she :P

    (seriously though, it's not a big deal. I understand it's a female heavy website, and I know I don't have a photo as my profile picture, so people probably assume I'm a she without thinking about it. I just thought I should mention that I'm not a she)



    Anyways, thanks for the responses everyone. Some great suggestions there. I'm thinking that either minty gum or brushing my teeth would probably work best to stop myself from eating when I'm not hungry. I'll give it a go. I do just need to do something to distract myself. It's also great to know that it's not an uncommon problem and I'm not alone. Thanks!!!
  • ninelives58
    ninelives58 Posts: 160 Member
    I try for some kind of activity or distraction until the craving subsides. Sometimes if I'm sitting in front of the tube doing nothing, my mind will wander to food I know is in the kitchen, even though I'm not hungry. If I distract myself for awhile, the craving goes away. Brushing your teeth after dinner is a really good idea too. Who wants to get food all over your nice clean teeth and then have to turn around and brush again before bed?!
  • bloodguilt
    bloodguilt Posts: 126
    Hello. I'm wondering if anyone else has or used to have a similar problem to me. Just an hour and a half ago I ate a nice big dinner. It was tasty and fulfilling. Yet just 15 minutes ago I decided I wanted to eat something else. I was still full from my dinner. I was definitely not hungry. Yet I felt the desire to eat. So I had an apple, a handful of grapes and a light cheese triangle (like dairylea or laughing cow, but it was some random cheap brand). Now, that's a lot healthier than the stuff I used to snack on at times like this and I'm sure I'll still be under my calorie goal, but it's still extra calories that are just pointless. Eating when I'm still quite full from a meal is just stupid and counterintuitive to weight loss. I don't know why I do it. I thought about it to myself and thought about how stupid it was to be eating so soon after a big meal, but I still wanted to do it.

    So, does anyone have any advice as to how I could break this terrible habit? I generally think of myself as having good will power - I've been choosing mostly healthy foods and when I'm having something less healthy I'll always make sure it fits into my calorie goal. When I'm with friends and they offer me a crisp or a piece of chocolate I'll refuse. Yet for some reason I don't have the will power to say no to these stupid snacks when I'm not even hungry.

    To break this bad habit, you simply need to drink more water. Say you drink a glass before and another glass or more after then go and brush your teeth after every meal and stay away from the table. This will surely help you from eating foods or snacks. Had this issue before but thankfully, I overcome it using the above approach. Hope this helps! :-)
  • godroxmysox
    godroxmysox Posts: 1,491 Member
    Try Brushing you teeth!

    ^this! nothing is going to taste good when your mouth is minty fresh
  • rsdgirl
    rsdgirl Posts: 241 Member
    honestly i chew gum when im "hungry" or like others say brush your teeth, IT WORKS :)
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