i need help with sneak eating!

i am not on a super strict diet, i like healthy foods and i watch what i eat, i allow myself a treat a day, and if things go well its only one treat a day. i generally eat yogurt or cereal and rfuit for breakfast, a sandwich or salad for lunch and something similar for dinner. the things that get me off track are cookies and ice cream. i just dont buy them because then i will eat them, and when i want a treat i go out and get a single treat-not a box of cookies or a pint of ice cream, just a cone or a cookie. BUT.

my roommate in college keeps soooo many sweets on hand its obsurd, she is heavier than me, but i still dont think she eats it all the time. she has boxes upon boxes of chocolates, 3 boxes of girl scout cookies, a pint of ben and jerry's and that not even all of it. once she even brought home a whole juniors devils food cheesecake. she never offers any of it to me, which is probably for the best, but i find myself stealing them. i feel awful and gross, but there is so much there, and sometimes i just take one cookie or one chocolate from each box thinking she wont notice, and i doubt she does. but still, its a gross feelings stealing her food and i wish i could stop doing it, but i cant, i have really tried. i tried buying my own sweets, but then i ended up eating too many of them because i was allowed to. even if i have ice cream or something before i get home, i still want her cookies and chocolate, even if i am stuffed to the brim. i dont get it.

does anyone have any help for sneak eating? i find myself doing it at other times as well, like if i know i am about to go out to dinner and i really want to save my appitite and i am not hungry, i will sneak something, i dont know why.

i need help!

WOW I have the EXACT same problem as you!

I am also in college and my roommate has a TON of chocolate and candy in our room that she gets from her parents and relatives and all the Easter stuff she just recently brought back. Ugh. She's quite thin though, and barely eats any of it, so it really just sits there and mocks me all day long. Actually this one time, she had a huge bulk bucket of malteasers, and I don't even like them that much, but I still ate them when she was never around! She never ate them, and it go to the point where I realized that I had eaten so many of them over the days that I knew I had to replace them. I had to go out and buy a small package to replace them so she wouldn't notice! Hahah, how embarrassing.

So, even though I still can't help myself from steaing every once in a while, I basically have to use all my strength and will power not to eat them. I just think to myself, "She will notice if I take anymore." And I plan my meals out very carefully so I know that if I steal some her stuff, I will be over my calories for the day. I also drink a ton of water, which seems to suppress my cravings and hunger.

I know it's really hard when the stuff is sitting RIGHT THERE in front of you, but it's something we have to deal with. The problem is actually worse when I go home on weekends and open the kitchen cupboards at home and find huge bags of cookies and M&M's, in which I don't have to worry about my family noticing if any of it is missing!

For me, it's just a matter of distraction, drinking plenty of water, and staying motivated to stick to my calorie-limit for the day. Don't give in to temptation! Good luck

Assuming for a moment that you do not have a borderline eating disorder, have you considered asking her to put her food away where you can't see it? You can't ask her not to buy it, of course, but it might be a matter of "out of sight, out of mind." You could tell her that seeing all that good stuff is throwing you off your diet plan if you don't want to admit that you've been taking her food. Another suggestion: Keep a mint in your mouth so you can't munch on other things.

If these tips don't work, you may want to look into more formal help, like a counselor on campus.

Why don't you try asking her instead of stealing it? Not only is that a more polite way of taking someone else's things, you might circumvent your craving through the nervousness and fear of rejection.

Sneaking food...ah my old nemesis...

When I charted my weight gain path, I realized I gained A LOT of weight when I got my car, becasue i used to to go to the drive-thru, usually either before or after dinner, I'd say I was going out to run an errand. I would also sneak treats out of the cupboard and try to arrange the box/bag so it looked like nothing was taken out. And was always lying about what I'd eaten..."Sure I can stay for dinner, I haven't eaten since lunchtime and I'm starving!" Sure sure.

Like sauci, I think the most important thing is honesty. If you make a commitment to be totally honest with yourself and others about what you are eating, it is a powerful motivator to stay on track. It's the secrecy of it all that is really damaging...so yes, ask her to put it away, and ONLY take something if you have asked first. I found this to be a reeeeeally hard step, but it has helped so much.

My husband is nice enough to hide things from me (and nice enough not to tease me too much).  It doesn't take much, even under a towel or in a high cupboard, just so I don't see it and think about it.  Maybe she'll do the same for you, does she know your trying to eat healthy?

sorry if this post takes a bit of the tough love approach, but I think at some point you have to be responsible for your own actions.

I just have one main question: Would you steal food from the supermarket because the shop assistant wasn't looking and wouldn't notice?

Taking your roommates food is the same thing. Perhaps she hasn't said anything, this doesn't mean she hasn't noticed. Maybe she doesn't mind, perhaps she does, and doesn't say anything to see if you really are so bold as to do it repeatedly. She might never say anything to you, but that doesn't mean she isn't saying something to everybody else she knows.  (I know i've not said things when people are doing something wrong, just to see how selfish the other person will be.)

You need to stop taking her food, it is your responsibility, it isn't hers to hide it or whatever, she should be able to keep her food whereever she wants. If you want some when you can't go to the store, at least ask or mention that you took it, and then offer to either pay for it or replace it.

And if eating is a bigger problem for you, go get help now.
good luck.

Ahhh, I just wene through this!  I don't buy things because if I have them, I'll eat them... but I live with 5 other girls, 3 of which keep all their food out in the open.  Sometimes I'm hungry, but I don't have very much food/not good "snack" foods and the box of cereal two feet away from me is just calling my name.  A few weeks ago, it started being a big problem, and I KEPT ON eating everyone else's food!  It was terrible.  I felt SOOO guilty.  But luckily I managed to sort of deter myself from that habit rather quickily, so I don't really do it anymore.  Basically, I tried to just think about how I'd feel if THEY were taking MY food.  Without asking, I'd be super mad (if they ask, of course they can have my food! lol)...  Then, I took it day by day.  I don't know why, but it was HARD to go a day without taking food.  And it was like, once I took some, well, the damage was done, so I might as well take more.  But after managing a day or so without taking any, it gets so much easier.  Sort of breaking the cycle, you know?

Anyway, GOOD LUCK.  I don't know why it's so hard!  But seriously, try your hardest.  I know JUST how you feel..!

I definitely used to have this problem. Even at home with my family I would sneak stuff, but then I would lie if I was asked if I had something. In fact, about 2 weeks ago I wrote out this long thing about my food addiction, because honestly, that's what it is. I have come to terms with this and now try to do other things.

If you feel tempted, go for a walk, ask yourself if you really are hungry, drink 2 glasses of water, and figure out WHY you want it. Just because it's there? There's probably something else going on in your mind and you might need to figure that out. 

Just think about it, try to stop yourself at ask WHY.

Hope that helps, I've lost 50 lbs in the last year, so that was definitely one of those things I had to tackle to get where I am (15 lbs from my goal.)

thanks everyone, i dont mind the tough love. in fact i think just writting this post about it and having people tell me they have gone through the same thing and that it is in fact a weird thing to do helped me admit to myself that it simply has to stop. i can only hope to god she hasnt noticed yet, i would be mortified. or have to explain to her that i am a crazy person who is unable to control myself around chocolate.

well, when it's TOM, it's always hard to resist that chocolate!

Try asking her for it and maybe your fear of rejection will help you so that you dont ask her. and just think about if she caught you sneaking her food what she would say and let that feeling of scared take over you so you dont sneak eat. plus do you want to gain the weight back!....its so hard to get back off

Story of my life.  I live with my sister and another roommate, and I am constantly jacking their food. When I do obvious damage I make sure to replace the item, but I still feel like a total pig.

I have definitely been in your shoes before.  One of my old roommates always had sweets and such around.  She would buy/receive something, eat a little bit of it, then move on to some other food she would buy/receive and probably not touch the first food again.  Personally, I don't know how anyone can do that.  She was never around, though. I like hardly ever saw that girl.  This made it all the harder to avoid eating her stuff, because since she was never around, I began to see "our" room as "my" room, with all the stuff in it, including my roommate's food, sort of "belonging" to me.  Since it had become "mine," it was more ok to eat, even though I did still feel terrible doing it.  I don't know if you're in the same situation with your roommate, or if you're like me, but I am a total emotional eater; I eat especially out of frustration and/or boredom.  One of the times when I'm most frustrated is when I'm doing a hard homework assignment or writing a paper, and I was often bored and lonely alone in my room.  If this is the case for you, you could try working elsewhere, or maybe just try not being in the room as much.  Good luck!  I know it's hard!

that's a really great way to make an enemy out of your roommate.