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OwloftheFuture
OwloftheFuture Posts: 39 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have found recently that I eat too much. But I also eat when I'm not hungry. Has anyone found a way to overcome this? What do you do to take your mind off food or be responsible with what you put in your body? And what kind of snack do you eat?
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  • Hickyvikki69
    Hickyvikki69 Posts: 371 Member
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    i actually either drink a protein drink to subside the hunger or when i think im straving n well if i have time to think this means i have time to workout...so i exercise n drink water...
  • cino2684
    cino2684 Posts: 26
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    I have the same problems. I haven't yet figured out the portion control thing because I like to eat, but if you change what you eat you can eat a lot more. Such as veggies.

    When I watch TV I tend to want to munch on things...usually I try to keep myself busy. Whether it be on laptop or using apps on my phone. Doesn't always work...or if i have things to do around the apartment and motivation I do that instead. Constantly moving.
  • OwloftheFuture
    OwloftheFuture Posts: 39 Member
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    " if i have time to think this means i have time to workout" I like this! I'm going to try to apply it.

    I'm so picky and barely eat vegetables if at all. I wanted to try V8 juices but after i quit soda i'm scared of drinking calories.
  • bjsquires
    bjsquires Posts: 72 Member
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    I am the same way!!! I have found if I drink some hot green or black tea it helps to curb my appetite.
    I also try to keep my self busy busy busy-otherwise I am busy stuffing my face!!
  • naomi8888
    naomi8888 Posts: 519 Member
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    Maybe make yourself log it before you eat it, then you can decide if it's worth it.
  • jaytur
    jaytur Posts: 9 Member
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    I have found exchanging both my breakfast & lunch for diet shakes (Slim Right) has help overcome this problem. I still have a snack mid morning & afternoon and then a normal meal for the evening
  • OwloftheFuture
    OwloftheFuture Posts: 39 Member
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    I'm not a tea drinker. I wanted to try it but I never got around to it. I will be logging everything. I think I need the wake up call of seeing how unhealthy the numbers truly are. Sometimes I do it without noticing. I just started to realize this lately.

    Is replacing food with drinks healthy? Don't you get even more hungry? What snacks do you eat?
  • dg09
    dg09 Posts: 754
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    For me, it took time and results to really get over bad eating habits. If you can give yourself a solid week or two of just clean eating and exercise, once you see results you should be hooked. Log everything and just try to hold yourself accountable. If you get hungry, exercising usually suppresses it for ME, but I'm sure others are different. When you get the ball rolling, your body will be efficient in the sense that it should only want what it needs... but maybe that's more mental?

    Sorry if that isn't constructive, don't know of a product to suggest or anything like that, can just offer up a few words. :\
  • cino2684
    cino2684 Posts: 26
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    It will honestly amaze you the change in your attitude and how you feel when you eat healthy.
    I've been snacking on candy and not eating as good as i have been and I can tell in my moods and skin. At least for me I can tell. Protein bars, I do protein bars too.
  • OwloftheFuture
    OwloftheFuture Posts: 39 Member
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    I will be trying to exercise more since i'm a couch potato to begin with. Don't apologize I appreciate any input. I'm just trying to change my life and everything helps me shape my new habits. MFP seems to be a great too for accountability.

    I'm trying to make a new shopping list. So far I have greek yogurt and protein bars. I need some healthy snacks around the house. I can't wait until I don't feel tired all the time.
  • douglasmobbs
    douglasmobbs Posts: 563 Member
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    I found that not snacking is the best way to stop snacking.

    The overeating sounds like I habit, if you can be strong minded and go cold turkey you should find that you are out of the habit in a week or two, then it requires you to remind yourself that you do not want to get back into your bad habits.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    i'm still working on this, but what i did was work on it in stages.


    first stage was to make sure i at least got my minimum amount of fresh vegetables on a daily basis.

    next is tracking. you want to also track the time you eat and how you're feeling. that can be very helpful. for me i found i ate more when i was bored or stressed.

    next i took a look at the type of stuff i was overeating. for me it was stuff like chips, pizza (ordering a large when a medium would be fine), chinese thai or indian takeout. once i new what i overate, i either stopped buying it, bought smaller portions of it (for instance with chips i just buy a 99 cent bag instead of the regular bag), or made a deal with myself that i could have it IF i made it myself.

    after that it's a bit easier to work on portions.
  • dwtimeoutt
    dwtimeoutt Posts: 107 Member
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    The only time I've over eaten in this journey was Saturday and the day was full of stress for me. Otherwise I seem to be getting the right amount of food. I think for me it is all mental. I know exactly how much food I can eat so I will lose weight. I'm also not weighing weekly now so I have to stay within my calorie intact. I see the dietician on the 16th and that will be my official weigh in. I'm checking on my scale every 3 to 4 days. That way, even if I lonly lose 1/2 lb. at least my scale will show a loss. Hang in there and good luck.
  • seimpl
    seimpl Posts: 1
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    Eat watermelon
  • Ttopeka
    Ttopeka Posts: 160
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    I've found that since I started exercising, I don't feel the need to simply eat because I'm bored as often. Perhaps it's because I can spend that 30 minutes working out instead of watching TV and munching away, but I surely still have enough time to do both...I just find it suppresses my "I'm bored and this sounds tasty" appetite a bit.

    Fill your house with healthy snacks, so if you're going to munch...at least it's on healthy stuff! Fruits and veggies aren't so scary once you get used to them! It's just a matter of trial and error until you figure out what you like and how you like it. Find some easy recipes and try things out. Try different methods of making things, too. I can't stand some raw vegetables, but love them when they're cooked/steamed.
  • jamiem1102
    jamiem1102 Posts: 1,196 Member
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    I work a desk job and generally work 10 - 11 hours a day, so snacking is something that I had to overcome. I basically drink A TON of water while I'm at work, and I eat pretty heavy lunches.

    More specifically, here's my routine:

    Breakfast (coffee and/or protein powder); Mid Day Snack: Something fairly heavy - Oatmeal or breakfast sammy that (calorie wise) comes out to around 280 - 300 cals -- this is about 11ish AM, then I try to eat lunch around 1:30 to 2:30ish which is usually very heavy ( 600 - 800 cals) -- I try to incorporate a lot of protein in this meal as it keeps me fuller for longer (I absolutely refuse to do salads, as I almost always feel ripped off and unsatisfied after I'm done eating it). Then around 4:30 - 5:00 I like to snack on things like (Chobani or Fage) Nonfat fruity Greek Yogurt (which is super tasty and really good for you) or if I'm feeling like something sweet, I'll do a Special K or Luna Protein Bars (I like these because they don't taste like normal protein bars... they taste more like granola bars)... and if I feel like something salty, I'll do an avocado with salt/guacamole, string cheese, laughing cow light cheese with low cal crackers... tuna... there's a ton of things you can do for snacks. :) Then I have dinner... and depending on how well I did or didn't do generally tells me whether I "have to" work out.

    Quite frankly, I work out so I can eat more. haha

    I hope that helped... although now that I'm done typing it, I feel like maybe it didn't... :ohwell:
  • teagin2002
    teagin2002 Posts: 1,901 Member
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    1. Portion everything out a head of time and switch to low cal and higher fiber and protein foods. This will help you stay satisfied longer.
    2. Don't expect to feel extremely full. It sounds like you are used to eating till you reach the point where you stomach is saying no more because it can't take any more, log your food before you eat and only eat that much. If you are still hungry in a couple of hours grab another per portions snack (remember you already portioned them out in little baggies) and only eat that portion. If you still feel hungry its probably your body is used to having that supper full feeling and not hunger at all, this will stop happening after 3 to 4 days of not over stuffing your stomach.
    3. Make sure to drink plenty of water.
    4. Answering your question if drinking lots of water or tea will make you more hungry, it will only if you are not getting enough nutrition. If you are eating enough protein and high fiber carbs you should not feel that way when filling your stomach with water or tea.
    5. Remember you are on a diet to lose weight, you are supposed to feel hungry. If you feel faint, bloated, get head aches, and/or lethargic you need to start taking a multi vitamin and an extra potassium supplement too, if you feel like its more consult your doc.
    6. Remember it takes time to see the effects of the changes we make on our bodies. Just because we did something for one or two days it will still take time to show up on our bodies and one to two days is not enough to give much of a noticeable difference. It usually takes 2 to 4 weeks (depending on the person) of doing something consistently to produce a noticeable result. So stay diligent and don't give up to quickly.
    7. Food is not in shortage, so remember you can always have something later when you have more cals to use. If it is going to be eaten by someone else, that's still ok cause you can always buy more later too :)
    8. Recognizing what the issue is exactly us very beneficial and can help with the remedy. The issue you are having (from what I read) is your body is used to eating all the time and is used to feeling full all the time. This is not necessary for health and is simply what the body recognizes as normal and what it expects from you. To break this follow the directions above and give it some time.
  • arsalak
    arsalak Posts: 40 Member
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    I used to crave chocolates and ice cream. On my binging spree I could easily eat a tub of Ben and Jerry and never think twice about it. Then I changed when I started having backaches. So I switched to healthier diet. It was difficult to begin with but now I am used to it. If I see anything sweet and high in calories, I feel disgusting, and do not want to eat it. I am so used to vegetables now that I crave broccoli every now and then!

    So in a nutshell, your body will crave only that thing which it is used to. So get used to something healthy and reap the benefits. You have to focus on your goal and remind yourself every now and then why you want to achieve your goal.

    A technique that I used when I had cravings for unhealthy food was that I used to imagine a balloon, which is being over pumped with air, so much so that it bursts. Then I used to say to myself that I do not want to be that balloon. It did work for me. I still use it from time to time to keep going. It is hard work to begin with but it is not impossible.

    Take care
  • mfp_1
    mfp_1 Posts: 516 Member
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    Portion control requires measuring tools. Cups are the devil's measure.

    Anyone that doesn't own digital kitchen scales is missing an option for accurate portion control. Do you have digital kitchen scales?
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    I have found recently that I eat too much. But I also eat when I'm not hungry. Has anyone found a way to overcome this? What do you do to take your mind off food or be responsible with what you put in your body? And what kind of snack do you eat?

    You have to learn WHY you eat and overeat. Its a behavioral thing... Sounds like you perhaps might be eating out of boredom?

    You have to learn the triggers and how to better manage them. Also, its good to acquire non-eating related hobbies...things that keep your hands busy.

    Also, you have to learn how to build a better relationship with food and how it affects you. For some, its making an effort to be dedicated to meal planning. Pushing yourself to have water. Staying active.

    Personally I dont snack. I dont need to snack thanks to good meal planning. I have a 64oz jug sitting right next to me that gets filled twice per day (w/MD's blessing), I get my exercise in, I have tons of activities that I do that help me to avoid snacking...

    You have to learn for yourself or perhaps with the help of a Behavioral Health Specialist why you have an unhealthy relationship with food...

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