to ask how you stop yourself from eating when you're not actually hungry?

[flutteryleaves]

There have been a couple of threads lately about what to eat if you are trying to lose weight or what you eat if you are slim which have been amazingly helpful for me as i've totally fallen off the wagon.

i'm not overweight, im 5 ft 9 and a size12 i really do have a problem with boredom eating or eating while watching tv or while driving to work/commuting etc and my weight is creeping up. being a apple with no bust, my limbs are staying nice but its all collecting on my stomach and flanks!

so, apart from not buying it in the first place (its not a deterrent, i just go to the shop or vending machine), what are you tips for what do you do to avoid/prevent mindless eating of a whole share size bag of minstrels, haribo, bag of donuts etc?

thank you!

No tips but definitely watching this with interest.

Fizzy water. Gallons of it

Can you accept that snaking is going to happen and plan for it by buying healthy snacks instead? So, if there's nothing in the house you might go out and buy haribo, but if there was, I don't know, a bag of nuts and raisins for you to pick at instead, would that help? Or a bunch of grapes? Carrot sticks and dip? Something you can pick mindlessly at, but which doesn't have the same calories as crisps/ sweets etc.

The only thing I've ever found successful is to find something else to do to occupy myself.

When I'm working on a project: w orking, knitting, crochet..... If my hands are busy and my mind engaged i forget about snackin g.

You sound like me OP. 5ft 9in, size 12 and I'm slipping into the habit of having a bag of something like Minstrels or haribo in the car to nibble. I keep losing the same 5lb and gaining it again. Plus I've been diagnosed with a sub-clinical thyroid, which makes losing it even harder.

I've been drinking gallons of fizzy water to try and stave off the hunger pangs.

I found reading this a game changer OP. Stopped me dead with the bags of chocolates and haribo rubbish

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/aug/24/robert-lustig-sugar-poison

Try the 5:2 diet/way of life. On the two fasting days go to bed early or just drink endless black tea knowing that the next day you can snack away! Works for me.

I find consciously cutting things out helps me way more than having small amounts because if i have one the floodgates open and before i know it ive shovelled a family pack in so at the moment im on a sugar ban i gave up alcohol a couple of years ago and i dont eat bread any more either i dont think theres any magic solution unfortunately

Don’t buy it.

Have chopped vegs and fruit always at hand.

Again top tip dont buy it

I snack a lot. To stop the weight piling on I have two snack categories - snacks to combat hunger (bananas, dried apricots, toast etc) and tasty snacks (kit kats etc), where I savour every mouthful.

I don't buy sharer bags as that way madness lies let's not mention the peanut m&ms at 39 weeks pregnant - doling it out doesn't work for me.

Mindfulness and distraction. Also look up the hunger scale. This is what helps me a lot to control binging

Have a brew

Paint your nails

Brush your teeth

Jump up and down for a minute

Don't buy it
Stop and think before even heading to shop /kitchen /vending machine... "am I actually hungry? Or am I bored /tired /upset /lonely?"
If it's an emotion then find a different way to deal with it... Bored.. Go for a walk, tired hVe a nap or coffee, upset.. Hot bath and read book.. Etc.

I did this and lost four and half stone and kept it off.

Also only eat when you arw really really hungry. Eat until not hungry as opposed to being stuffed. Make rewards not food based... So get away from the 'treat yourself' mindset.
I treat myself now with a new book, or a trip to nail bar, etc

Herbal teas OP. I have a nice clear teapot and various teas. I make a bit of a thing about it so it feels like something special. I have some every evening.

If I really want something then I will have an ice lolly.

Eat proper meals,at a table. and never snack is my advice, and don't eat unless you are properly hungry then stop when full. Don't ever pick mindlessly,at food. Never eat for a reason other than hunger.

Fasting for me. So "kitchen closed"
I have lots of tea from the bird and blend company which are lovely and water. Clean teeth and go to bed early

Be really tired or stressed, and lose your appetite.

I get this at times. It's weird because I feel 'hunger' in that I know I need food and energy, but lose interest in the food itself and it feels like huge effort to eat.

I make up for it at other times though!

What helps me is developing expensive tastes. Let's face it, most of 'snack' food is complete shite. Most cheap chocolate like Cadbury and Nestle concoctions are really quite nasty and has little to do with actual chocolate. Ditto things like Haribos. So, cheap stuff is unpleasant and I am not rich enough to keep my fridge well stocked with Godiva at all times. :)

Having no snacks in the house at all is the only way I control boredom snacking. I tell myself that if I really, really, really need something sweet, I can always bake a cake. I've got to be motivated enough to spend an hour making it -- then I can eat it!

There ARE NO "magic" tricks or tips. This is all on you. I'm honestly no meaning to sound mean, but at the age of 45, I'm wise enough to know that bullshit excuses are just that. Excuses. Staying a healthy weight is WORK. But it is so worth it. Don't buy rubbish food, don't snack when watching tv, and don't lie to yourself about what you're eating. Be conscious of the calories you're putting into your body. Make caring about your health a priority because it's worth it.

I found the best way for me was to start new habits, after a while I stopped snacking.
So TV would be facemask/feet mask and nails. Driving would be having a CD of my favourite song out songs. I'd also make sure I had a big lunch that was balanced so that I wasn't hungry. I also added up how much snacks were costing me, and each week popped it into a piggy bank. When I was tempted, I'd count it and work out when I'd be able to afford a new laptop.

@AbsentmindedWoman yes I get this too. It's like an unintentional 5:2 diet for me! Some days I eat fine. But then when my anxiety is bad I can't bear the thought of food in my mouth. Even sips of water make me feel sick!

Mindless eating is just a habit. Once you stop it, after a while the craving goes.

Make everything you eat meaningful - by that I mean, either nutritionally sound or if you are eating a sugary treat don’t just cram it in when you are watching tv. Go to a cafe, have a slice of cake with a coffee. That was it falls into the occasional treat not habit.

Respect your amazing body. Be good to it. You would not overfill your car with petrol. Treat your body as you would your car - move, add the fuel it needs, water.

If you know you are going to snack have masses of fruit and veggies in. I have an emergency pack of rice crackers in the car for driving home late at night when the only alternative is chips from McDonald’s or chocolate from a garage. I AM overweight and I know this is one of my many culprits. Easy to say have willpower, harder to do!