Mindless Eating

I know there are other people out there that do this, but i was just wondering/ taking a pole, on how you avoid boredom eating? I've been finding a i do it a lot. I'll just be sitting there and I'm bored so I decide maybe I should eat something. It's the worst habit, I almost just did it a minute ago and then remided myself I just had lunch 2 and a half hours ago... I'm not hungry. It's a problem, and it's the reason I go over my calorie limits. I swear sometimes I do it just to pass the time or something, but I don't really do it on purpose... So how does everyone cope with this?

i'm so glad you posted this question! i used to have this problem and came up with a pretty long list of things to do instead. luckily, i saved it on my computer.. haha!

• go for a walk
• call someone
• color
• watch a movie
• sit in the sun
• read a book
• listen to music
• sing out loud
• take a hot shower
• put on makeup
• drink a cup of warm tea
• watch funny tv shows
• go on wikipedia
• go swimming
• take a nap
• pray
• take an online quiz/survey
• exercise
• dance
• get a manicure/pedicure
• breathe
• go to the bookstore
• light a candle/incense
• rent a movie
• play a game online
• make a collage
• go shopping
• work on a puzzle
• talk to yourself
• enjoy nature
• go to a coffee shop
• make a list
• learn something new
• cry
• whistle
• read celebrity gossip
• daydream
• curl up in a blanket
• watch cartoons
• do kickboxing
• scream
• lay on the floor
• cook for someone
• journal
• clean
• download music
• answer posts on forums
• do homework or work on job projects
• read affirmations/quotes
• give yourself a spa day
• buy something
• write a letter
• read jokes
• go on your favorite website
• research
• go to the beach
• join a chatroom
• watch online videos
• sit by a lake
• teach someone something
• get a massage
• brush your teeth, floss, rinse
• make funny faces in the mirror
• go to the movies
• go to the park
• go to a concert
• count backwards from 1000
• strech
• watch a musical and sing/dance along
• wash your car
• drink a big glass of cold water
• eat outside
• create a scavenger hunt and do it
• listen to classical music
• go for a long drive

best of luck!

Find something to fill the boredom. Doodle. Get up and move about a little. Clean. Do a task you've been putting off. Take a short walk.

For the long term, learn a new hobby or take up an old one. Paint, sew, blog, knit? Anything, particularly, to busy the hands and that does NOT involve food.

I avoid it if I can, but what I do is I stock my kitchen with a lot of healthier alternatives (give away the bad stuff to a skinny friend - lol).  For example, Breton mulitigrain crackers (low salt/low fat variety) 15cal each, Christie wheat thins 8cal each, 1/2 cup red grapes 55 cal, or carrot sticks.  Even though this stuff is pretty low cal I try to only have a little and I always log it on CC.

I don't even think I can recommend anything because jellobee's list is so long! Lol.

I think everyone has done it at some point and time though. It's only bad when you make a habit out of it, then you need to find an alternative that works for you. Getting away from the house works for me. I'll usually go for a relaxing walk or hike in the woods (but if you don't have one next to your house like me, that can be a problem).

What if you're a multitasker and you eat while you do things because you're bored otherwise?

get away from food. then you cant eat it :)

What used to help me avoid boredom snacking was making myself a huge mug of my favourite tea and lighting an incense stick (the smell made the hunger go away like a charm).

Another option is to tweak meals here and there to save something like 10% of your daily calories; then you could either consume them by snacking low-cal healthy stuff, or save them for a dinner dessert of your choice. Maybe when it`s a matter of ice cream vs. a plain old boring unenjoyable snack you`ll rethink your priorities. ;)

jellobee's list ROCKS by the way!!  Instead of adding to the list of things to do instead of eating ... I have a different sort of suggestion.  Plan your daily meals at the beginning of the day.  Put your snacks in the place you tend to reach for your mindless snacking foods.  Once you have eaten what is on your list ... you will be done for the day and you will know you have reached your calorie intake. 

Another suggestion I have is to eat at the table without the TV on ... no magazines, books or laptop or anything to distract you.  If you eat at the table doing nothing else at all it will stop you from mindlessly eating because it will be the only thing your are giving your attention to ... so you will notice how much you are eating.  Plus, if you limit your eating to only eating at the table (and that even means at work ... do not eat at your desk) you will be less likely to reach for food to fill your time because sitting at the table eating, eating, eating and doing NOTHING else ... well ... if you think about it ... is pretty darn boring!  haha!  Now curling up on the edge of your couch and watching some TV with a giant bowl of chips or popcorn ... that could get out of hand really quick! Been there ... done that!  Now when I watch TV ... I have to do something else to keep my hands busy so I will paint my toes, fingers, braid my daughter's hair,  play Tetris on my phone, brush my dog, squeze a stress ball, bend pipe cleaners ... whatever will work ... if you knit ... that could be a GREAT thing to do!!

Good luck with this ... I know this was one of the hardest habits I had to break ... and I have to work at it ALL the time!

~Gwen

I never snack directly from the bag or package. If I really want some crackers or something I will pour a serving or so into a bowl. This keeps me from devouring the whole thing. I also log what I'm going to eat BEFORE I eat it, keeps me honest

Oh, also a good tactic is to measure out the snacking portion in a container, as elfkittie said, count the calories, and commit to do some form of exercise to burn them before you consume them. If it`s a 100 cal snack, 15-20ish minutes of jogging should do the trick. Since you are bored to begin with, I assumed you can afford the break. :)

I chew gum a lot lately to avoid this same affliction!

I realized I just want something to do with my teeth, haha.  It's been working well so far, just keep gum around.  Then an hour goes by and you're like omg I can't believe I still have this gum!  And you forget about the food thoughts.

Also, there's a book called Mindless Eating (go figure!) that delves into why people eat when they aren't hungry.  It's a good read.  Some of it is common sense but other stuff is pretty enlightening :)

Thanks everyone, that was some really good feed back!