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Weight loss chat

A space to talk openly about weight loss journeys and challenges. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Original poster

Boredom snacking

11 replies

travelingtortoise · 02/04/2023 08:39

During lockdown I put on about 7kg and have been (pretty half-heartedly) trying to get it off ever since (I'm 5'4 and 65kg right now, want to get back to 58kg).

I know my issue is boredom eating – I work from home with very flexible hours and don't get out as much as I'd like to due to a dog with separation anxiety, so I have a lot of time just floating about the house. (Working on the dog training but that's going to take a while!)

I absent-mindedly snack throughout the day – not usually very unhealthy things, but the calories add up anyway – and it's worst in the evenings when there's not a lot to do, so I find myself on the couch eating crisps or nuts. And even though I'm aware of myself doing it, I do it anyway, which is SO frustrating.

And because there's nobody around to see what I'm doing, or to be accountable to, I don't tend to stick to any rules I set for myself for more than a few days. The 'just this once' slips in and then I'm off the wagon entirely.

If I'm out and about doing things, I don't think about eating, so I know it's not hunger – it's the mental aspect.

I've gone through stages of doing lots of home workouts, but I know I can't out-exercise a bad diet, so I need some help to change my snacking habits.

What can I put in place to start to switch these behaviours?

OP posts:
midgemadgemodge · 02/04/2023 08:41

Don't buy crisps and nuts

Find sone kind of hobby to occupy yourself - jigsaws painting

Dragonsandcats · 02/04/2023 08:45

I’m following this as I comfort eat, and when I’m bored. Need to find something to do to stop me eating!!

Original poster
travelingtortoise · 02/04/2023 09:13

@midgemadgemodge if nuts aren't in the house it'll be something else – as I say, it's not so much 'unhealthy' food (most of the time), it's the habit of snacking.

And I can snack while doing a jigsaw just as well as I can snack doing other things! 😁

I have hobbies – I play piano, I do ceramics, I'm out walking the dog plenty (although he's an elderly fella so can't go for long hikes the way I'd love to)... I just can't be doing them constantly. And it's those in-between moments that I find myself absent-mindedly grabbing something from the fridge... a slice of melon, falafel bites, a boiled egg... know what I mean?

@Dragonsandcats it occurred to me the other day that if I do decide to watch a film in the evening, I might start doing that standing up / walking on the spot / hula hooping, just to minimise the 'floppy' feeling that's connected to the desire to snack and connect the activity to something physical.

And I've thought about drinking a glass of water every time I feel the need to put something in my mouth... although it's something about the 'crunch' feeling I think I'm craving, so I'm not sure if that'll stick...

OP posts:
username1722 · 02/04/2023 15:34

Start by replacing the snacks with something healthier. The calories in nuts add up. Go for cucumber, carrot sticks, grapes etc. And don't buy lots of stuff that you can snack on.

Get out of the house to do something. When you're in your house, the kitchen is always only a short walk away.

Tellmethespoiler · 02/04/2023 15:37

I find brushing my teeth helps. An hour after your evening meal. I don’t want to make my teeth dirty again and have to brush them again at night. And something about the taste of toothpaste puts me off eating other food.

DropItRound · 02/04/2023 16:28

Agreed on the teeth brushing thing. I do that a little after dinner and it signals "kitchen closed".

mumwheresmyribena · 03/04/2023 11:03

Start to use MFP or Loseit to track your eating. Simply setting how many calories are in those snacks will astound you and make you accountable to the most important person you. Think of them as empty calories - that is calories that your body doesn't actually need to function, all they're doing is sitting on your waist and hips

Original poster
travelingtortoise · 04/04/2023 20:00

Tellmethespoiler · 02/04/2023 15:37

I find brushing my teeth helps. An hour after your evening meal. I don’t want to make my teeth dirty again and have to brush them again at night. And something about the taste of toothpaste puts me off eating other food.

That's a good plan – I may even be able to level it up since I'm using a retainer at night after my braces came off last year!

OP posts:
Wheretheskyisblue · 04/04/2023 21:24

What about trying the 16:8 diet? Less of a window for snacking and I feel a lot less hungry. If you combine it with reduced carbs you will feel even less hungry.

ClaireHypno · 05/04/2023 12:37

I recommend hypnotherapy recordings!

Snowpaw · 05/04/2023 21:00

I drink a couple of big mugs of herbal tea in the evening - I like the ritual and I don't drink it at any other time of the day. It signals to me "this is wind down time" and it lasts a long time while I sip it, and its cosy holding the mug. Try and find a tea you like?

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