Mindless eating

[notlisteningwithmother]

I've put on weight over the last 6 months, almost entirely down to mindless / comfort eating. Chocolate bar or pastry at the station while waiting for the train, nibbling on snacks while cooking dinner, having biscuits with coffee in the office etc. I know this has become a habit rather than an occasional treat, and I'm kicking myself for letting it grow to this point.

We eat reasonably healthy meals at home. It's what I eat apart from main meals about which I need to be more sensible.

This week's weekly shop included snacks that my DP likes (nuts) but nothing that I would find tempting. I need to avoid the quick slice of toast in the evening though.

I'm tempted to bury my purse at the bottom of my work bag so that snacks at the station are not an instant and mindless purchase. Money saved will go into a fictional 'pot' for a treat when I'm back to.my.previous weight - clothing, cinema trip etc.

And I'm going to keep my brain and fingers busy - read books that I was sent over Christmas, get back to crafting, declutter the house, tidy up flower tubs outside, go for a walk. Anything really.

Anyone else trying to break a munching habit, or have advice to offer?

Love the keeping busy idea. I try and have a glass of water or cup of tea every time I start being tempted by food, that seems to help. Eating while cooking is a really dangerous time for me too, I find I can munch huge slabs of cheese 🙈so I don't have an answer for that sorry! I do a lazy form of intermittent fasting, meaning that once I've had dinner I don't eat again until lunch the next day (it's lazy as I still drink tea!) and I find being able to tell myself the kitchen is shut for the day really helps the post dinner piece of toast type snacking. That might help with the morning snacks too?

Love the idea of the kitchen being shut for the day @Brownhairdontcare ! If I spend time after dinner tidying and chatting in the kitchen I'm also a human hoover for any leftovers. Clean up, shut the door and sit elsewhere sounds great.

Leftovers have to go straight in the bin or in tupperwares for the fridge before they go into my mouth! Human hoover is exactly right!

Hey 👋 if it's mindless eating your struggling with I would start by focusing on awareness. (Don't judge yourself for it, just notice it. Get curious about the habit) Once you are aware of it IN the moment. Try to NAME the emotion you are feeling. Often it can be boredom, nerves, anxious overwhelm,frustration, loneliness, anger (or sometimes it's good feelings too!) once you can name the emotion you can then decide how you WANT to respond to the feeling instead of automatically reaching for a snack. It takes practice & lots of self compassion along the way but you can 100% overcome it. I like to think about it as re-parenting yourself. Hope this helps x MarieBell.Coach