Boredom Eating - How do you ignore the cravings?

Interested to see what others have to say also. I get them in the evenings settling down for the day I will do great all day but the evenings seem to be the hardest. like after 7pm till I go to bed around 10pm.

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I do it at work; I have my own office in a building by myself with a full kitchen o.O & cooks just across the way who are happy to feed me ...

At this point in life I envy the idea of having time to get bored to eat...but I think this is comparable to my problem of eating as a distractor/instrument of procrastination (as I am now using MFP for:)

When I really can't resist- I eat healthy popcorn to mitigate the damages but otherwise...

To avoid eating- chew gum, make a pot of tea, brush your teeth

To keep busy- go for a walk, do 20 jumping jacks, get out of the kitchen area of your home, read a book, go to the book store/library to get out of the house and there is not fridge there (I have checked them all), I think it helps to have hobbies like something you really like to learn about, read about, an art interest, an instrument, learn sign language as it uses your hands- or any language for that matter...I guess I can think of tons to do to keep busy

Next time you are about to eat outside of planned meals- think "Am I actually and really hungry?" If the answer is no perhaps focusing on the success of passing up that chance and doing something else- that helps me. I know when I eat when I don't need to I feel guilty after so remembering that feeling before I chow down is a pretty good deterrent.

Good luck- I hope you get some great feedback!

Green tea/water helps me in a way. I'm doing something very similar to eating (kinda) And I don't generally feel the need to go get food after

I hate when I post something someone already said...well at least we validate each other

Try doing something that engages either your mind or your hands, or both! If you are watching TV, is it a show you really want to see, or just something to while away the time? What INTERESTS you? Do that instead! Try making an evening schedule, so you won;t have a lot of empty hours looking at you. Or you could simply not bring extra food home from the store! If everything in your cupboard and fridge is palnned for a meal or an allowed snack, you would have to go out to buy something else to eat, instead of just grazing. It is easier to fight the battlee ONCE at the grocery store than every day at home!

This will be boring.....I drink water and go for a walk.

when i feel like eating but i know my body doesn't actually need to be fed, i usually drink a glass or two of water, and find something time-consuming to do like painting my nails... by the time i've had some water and my nails are dry, the craving's usually passed

My job has a bad side effect: boredom eating. Sitting at a desk all day, typing,.... those cravings just never cease.

I always have crystal lights, misc teas, gums, and sugar free candies. And if I just can't freaking hold back, I grab a handful of almonds. And strangely enough, I've found that if I hold off on taking my gummy vitamins and my fiber chews until I'm either going to gnaw my fist off or punch puppies, that also helps. (otherwise, I take them right before bed.)

Do anything to distract yourself. Go for a walk, read a book, anything to take your mind off it. Have some hot tea or drink water - it will fill your stomach and you won't be hungry. Chewing gum helps too, as you get the flavor and feeling you are eating. It usually removes my "snacky" feelings from boredom. Paint your nails - you can't eat when your nails are wet!

But I have to say that realizing you do eat out of boredom is great. The fact that a person is able to realize an unhealthy (or unwanted) habit is important in the process of changing the behavior.

I don't leave much either and I find if I distract myself with video games or social networking, it's equivalent to boredom where I just want to eat. But if I work on my painting or writing or anything else involving using my brain in a creative way (and my hands not being free!) I can get through it okay.

/agree! Playing video games (unless they are a fast paced multi-player game like online cards) make me want to continue the boredom eating cycle. I used to go to a "diet doctor" who would tell me to journal or blog every time I had a craving to eat, that way I could analyze the real underlying reason <i>why</i> I wanted to eat. Either I'm a) hungry, b) stressed, c) emotional, or d) bored.

I found that technique very helpful in picking out what my triggers were for boredom/stress eating and helps me to avoid them.

As far as curbing the cravings goes, making myself mindful of the reason why I am wanting to eat and doing something else constructive with myself has kept me from grabbing that bag of chips. I like these activities to thwart the boredom!

Sudoku (much easier for me than crossword puzzles and I can still watch a movie or TV)
Crosswords (when I feel my brain needs a challenge )
Counted Cross Stitch (much more involved option but if you can count and color it's not that hard to pick up)
Message Board Trolling (case in point!)
Blogging
Reading a Great Book

Find what works for you... I'm sure there's something out there!:happy: