Eating even though I'm full, can't stop

You sound board! =/ Find something to do with your hands, if you can find something messy! Try chewing gum, or have some mints.

I wish i knew the answer to this question. I struggle with this problem myself.
Sometimes distraction is a good solution. Call someone on the phone, take a short walk, get a big glass of water, read a motivational blog or quote, write in a journal- anything to get you through that moment. Research says that most cravings will pass within 10 minutes, so if you can distract yourself for that short amount of time you'll have a better chance of resisting temptation. Good luck! I know it's hard.

This sounds over simplified, but I just avoid "junk food." I don't buy chips, cookies, etc so that they are never there taunting me. I keep granola bars (the "healthier ones") at my desk/at home since they are still sweet and not completely good for you, but better than junk! Or almonds, which are not ideal for my particular needs, but still a better alternative. They sell flavoured ones too that taste better than just eating a handful of plain ones...

Beyond that - if you figure out the trick - let us all know! I have the same problem sometimes!!!

I live on my own and have no one to distract me from wanting to eat for the sake of it sometimes. What I did was to eat every meal at home at the diner table. This mean everything, main meals, breakfast lunch and diner. Snacks bad snacks to good snacks. Not only do I sit at the table but everything I eat I use a knife and fork. For me this makes everything have the feel that its a real meal and it makes it easier to see what where my bad eating habits.

Use a knife and fork for everything, eventually you educate yourself not to eat the bad snacks just for the sake of eating them.

I still have issues to this day. I have 2 reasons i over eat.
1) I am bored
2) I am depressed

to stop the first one I try to find something anything else to do but sit there and eat!

for the second one... i haven't really gotten past that. I try to remind myself that it will only make me feel worse about myself...

Besides what's been said...

1) Pre-portion food. Don't eat right out of the bag/box.
2) Are you still scavenging for food to eat even though you're not hungry? Make a deal with yourself; say: "I'm going to do something else to take my mind off of this. If I'm still hungry in 40 minutes, I'll find a small snack to eat." Usually after that amount of time, your "fullness" reflex will take effect and you won't feel like eating anymore.
3) As has been said already... You are eating out of boredom (or perhaps stress). Distraction is your greatest asset here

Just read a good book called Brain Over Binge, distinguishes between your animal brain that has cravings and your rational brain which actually decides whether or not you should eat. I've always had problems with this and it led to some really unhealthy habits. Another helpful thing was if I was getting cravings, to log it first and see how it impacts your day and whether or not it's worth it.

maybe this will help... when I get the urge to munch, I brush my teeth and rinse my mouth out thoroughly with Listerine.

i have this same problem. the thoughts of an oero will pop into my head and i can't stop myself! it is helpful if you don't buy those certain foods, but that isn't always possible. my children and husband love their treats- if i lived alone sure i could just stock my frige and cupboards with healthy option but that just isn't reality for me. a few things that help me....

i drink tons of water every day, like around 24+ cups to try to help me feel full.
i know certain foods that i will go crazy on (oreo's, fish crackers, and brownies for example) so when i buy those things i put a hot pink sticky on the front with my next goal weight written on it. so when i go into the pantry and see that i am like nah this really isn't worth it.
chewing gum helps me a lot!!
and when it is tom and i know i am feeling ravenous, i do let myself indulge a little, because i know that if i restrict myself too much during that time, i will end up eating far more than i would have if i would have just opened the package, taken 3 cookies out, and then put the package away calmly.

good luck! this is a vicious cycle, but the more you avoid sugar, the less you crave it. that's my experience anyway!

This is wonderful advice!!

I've struggled with binging most of my adult life. It's the reason I'm fat. I can't tell you how to stop, because I don't completely understand how or why I was able to stop. Just know that the longer you go without a binge, the easier it gets. Your stomach shrinks, your mind adjusts, and overeating becomes uncomfortable again (as it should be).

I do know that when I binge it's a form of self-medicating. I do it in times of stress or depression. This is probably the case for you too if you tend to crave simple carbs (sugar affects serotonin levels). If this is the case, you need to work on your depression and coping mechanisms in order to end the binging cycle. Exercise is a great one, as are reading, meditation, and yoga. If you're not getting much sun, go outside.

If it's just boredom, get out and do something. For some people just keeping busy fixes it. You can keep your mouth busy with gum or low calorie snacks like carrots. And if you are genuinely hungry - some people lie to themselves about this or don't properly feel hunger - you should eat more. There's no need to feel hungry. In people with poor hunger signals it will sometimes manifest as fatigue and moodiness.

Feeling full helps too, so eat lots of high-volume foods, get plenty of protein, and hydrate often.

Your body gets use to eating like a pig. I was doing that and gained 40lbs. You crave bad foods because that is what you have been eating. You have to make a decision to really get determined. It takes a lot of will power and not giving up no matter what. I have to say that the beginning of losing weight is the hardest part because you have to mentally be ready to change your life style.

Think about how bad it is to be overweight health wise and how happy you would be if you lose the weight. It took me a good five months to really want to lose the weight before I started. I pretty much gave up on how I look and thought o well Im getting older. I did not get motivated until I saw a picture of my on my daughters bday and family member were pointing it out how much I had gained.

I got tired of having to buy new jeans that were a bigger size and having a stack all my old jeans in my closet that did not fit anymore. I got tired of getting pains in my back and struggling to get out of a darn seat. I saw how some of my friends kept up with themselves and were still healthy and fit I got tired of my career taking over my life and my health. I want to have a healthy long life.

Hang in there . Dont give up and log everything you eat so you know how much you are over eating. Start with baby steps like more veggies or fruit or not eating after a certain time. Start walking for 15-20 min around your neighborhood. Get informed with what weight lose plan would work for you. Get support from friends or family. It is either lose weigh and take control of your health or gain it and feel horrible. I think taking control is the better choice.

Sorry if I seem a little blunt but I'm just having flash backs of how hard it was to start my weight loss journey and it took a lot of encouragement to get me started. Now that i see the difference in my body I feel 100% better. I still have a lot more to go but I am going to win this battle with food.

- to not limit myself on what I can and cannot eat but have things in moderation and stay within the overall caloric and nutrition goal. I was on a really strict low carb diet, and the urge to binge always hits after I eat a little bit of the "forbidden" foods (at that time I binge more than once a week)

This is a good point too. No food should be off limits. Moderation is key. I eat 90% whole healthy foods, but I also have ice cream nearly daily and if I want an oreo, or a slice of pizza, or whatever, I just fit it into my caloric and nutritional goals. I never feel deprived.

When food is used for entertainment, not fuel, it's a problem. You need to reset your brain - read fitness magazines, eat healthfully. Mindfully. It's a process.

This is good advice. Sometimes we think of food as entertainment and not it is meant to be which is keep us healthy and alive. Start retraining you brain. After a while you will be so conscience about eating bad food you will not even want it. Not only that but you can those fatty food ever once in a while just in small quantities so you do not have to say good bye forever.