How do I stop shoving my face with food???

I have been dieting for the last week, jogging nightly 1.5 mi and I've lost 6 pounds since I started one week ago. Oh I also quit smoking (11 year smoker) a week ago. I think I tried to take on too much at one time. Today I got really stressed and I really wanted a smoke but I was so proud of how far I've come I just couldn't. So I ate. And before I knew it I had completely binged. 3,486 calories to be exact. It's so embarassing to you all. But it's still better than having that cigarette. I still can't shake the feeling that this whole week was for nothing now.

What can I eat when Im stresed out that doesn't have a lot of calories? I know fruits and veggies but any other ideas? Or how do I train myself not to eat when I'm stressed?

brush your teeth and drink lots of water, chew some gum

If you get stressed do something else. For me, knitting helps or taking my dog for a walk... just doing something else with my hands usually. 

I think if you know you tend to eat when stressed then it helps to simply not have too much easily accessible, ready-to-eat food around you.   Fruit in the fruit bowl... a few yoghurts in the fridge.... try only to buy what you intend to eat and get rid of the rest.   And then find other things to do.

Another tip... If you've just taken up exercise and stopped smoking at the same time then don't slash your calories too drastically.  6lbs in a week could mean that you've done that already.  And if you eat too little you'll end up bingeing.  You only need to dock 500 cals a day off what you need to maintain in order to lose weight steadily.   Choose your foods carefully... vegetables, high fibre carbohydrates, protein and fat make for more filling meals.... and eat regularly rather than skipping meals.

And don't worry..... one over-the-top day doesn't blow the whole week.  Take things more steadily from now on.... don't ask too much of yourself or expect perfection.  Best of luck 

For me when I'm stressed I'll either eat heaps of fruit, in a bid to fill myself before I cave into the junk my family buys, (by junk I mean the food I know I'm not supposed to eat, wheat and dairy, as well as regular rubbish) or do something really physical, like wash my car or go for a walk. Or during termtime, I'll play with my daughter after uni.

I also find that after a week or two, my junky cravings kinda goes away.

Keep up the good work!

First of all good job on the not smoking and eating/exercising right. We all slip. I have a cheat meal every week. That helps keep me on track. I know that I will have that meal every Friday night so it is not so hard to resist. Still hard mind you but not as hard as it would be if I did not have that to look forward to.

We eat like that because food is so damn good. You can quit smoking and drinking and still live. Cannot give up food so it is a constant battle. I battle with it everyday. Don't stress over it. Let it be your cheat day and move on. Drink a lot of water and start again today.

Here is what I do:

Every time I feel like bingeing, I have three servings of Fiber One cereal with skim milk and a glass of water. After this my stomach is so full that I can only eat so much!

Honestly, it's not the BEST idea to eat when stressed out, but I know sometimes we all do.

One snack that is like my savior is Quaker Quakes - they're these mini rice cakes in cheese or caramel, honey nut, apple cinnamon, sour cream and onion, or ranch flavors, and they're like 60 calories for 8 of them.  You could totally bingo on those and not end up too badly off.  (I actually did the other night... didn't even count, just sat around with my friends and munched while I played Mario Kart.  But they're so low-cal that it didn't even matter!!!!)

Oh, cereal is a good idea too.  Those commercials don't lie - like the Special K commercial?  150 calories for a snack isn't bad.

Basically, most things are gonna be bad if you binge on them, but don't worry.  Even plans like Weight Watchers give you extra points for cheat items!

One of my favorite "salty" snacks is lowfat cottage cheese with garlic powder mixed in. It tastes really good, plus the protein should help you feel satisfied and recharged through the day.

Keep yourself occupied!! Chew gum, drink tea.

Heres a list of things you can do :

1. Paint your nails

2. Read a magazine

3. EXERCISE

4. Fill out an online survey

5. Watch a movie

6. Take a shower / Exfoliate your body

7. Do Laundry / Clean the house

8. Go on myspace/facebook (if you have it)

9. Listen to music

10. GO ON CALORIE COUNTER  or another advice site

11. Participate in a forum

12. Read

11. GO through/sort clothes/jewlery/make-up

12. Take a nap

13. Call an old friend

14. Do an exercise video

15. Do your hair

16. Check your email

17. Do a wordsearch/crossword puzzle

18. Put together nice outfits (especially for your vacation) sort out your closet

19. Cut out weight loss articles and make a "Healthy Notebook"

20. Find inspirational quotes

21. Search for dieting tips

22. Go for a walk / Go to the mall

Think of your goal ..go away from the kitchen, think to yourself for 20 seconds why you are doing this. Good luck!

Have someone take a picture of you shoveling in food.  That did it for me.  Post it on your refrigerator, or close to your worst enemy cupboard or pantry.  Or even on a mirror where you get dressed or apply make up, do hair, and put one in your wallet or checkbook.  Email it to yourself.  My picture is with me 24/7.  Good luck to you!

loseweight1234 said a lot of good ideas, pretty much everything that will stop you from binging is on that list.
Another good one that is so simple is just saying no out loud and meaning it. It sort of reminds yourself why you're doing it.

So since you eat when you're stressed the only real solution is to find something that de-stresses yourself. Here's some ideas:

1. Putting a face mask on works for me. That way it's almost physically impossible to binge. And it will make you're skin look fabulous.

2. Calling a friend. You'll laugh and be less stressed.

3. A nice bath with essential oils, candles, flower pedals, and even some music.

Do whatever it is that relaxes you. And as much as you don't feel like it exercise, it's guaranteed to make you feel better. Yea endorphins :)

Let's face it, nothing will keep you away from food when you want it, not painting your nails, taking a walk, NADA! So what I do is...DUN DUN DUN.... Eat popcorn. If you buy an air popper you can eat a huge bowl, and I mean HUGE for under 200 Calories. I stuff my face (my boyfriend thinks its funny) and when i'm done the feeling is gone. You get so much for the amount of cals... Try it!

Love the popcorn idea, only 200 calories, I am going to buy the light one tomorrow!

I have always some dark chocolate with 70-85% cocoa (Lindt) at home, which is not as sweet as milk chocolate and not as yummy, so I don't feel like eating as much. But it has 550 calories/bar. So watch out, I usually eat 1/4 of a bar.

I also have been taking chromium polynicotinate that helps sugar metabolism and reduces cravings. Check with your doctor.

Shannymar, congrats on quitting smoking!  It's hard to lose weight when you just quit smoking, so you did great w/ the 6 lbs.  I quit smoking two months ago, and at the time I quit I was very happy with my weight, so I just focused on staying quit - and I gained 10 lbs. 

I now started working out regularly and limiting my calorie intake.  What I noticed is that the food cravings are very similar to the cigarette cravings.  They're extremely strong and hit you out of nowhere... but what works on the cigarette cravings works on the food cravings as well - I try to wait about 3-5 minutes and it usually goes away.  Not every time, but with practice it gets easier and easier I noticed.  However, I'm still struggling but I'm hoping that I'll be able to control these cravings just like I do cigarettes.

I know how hard it is to quit smoking, I've been doing it for 2 months... if you need support or motivation at times, feel free to email me!

Good luck, you're doing great! :)

 

It takes 3.500 calories to equal one pound of body weight (dietbites.com), so don't stress yourself out.  You've lost 6 lbs so far, so you haven't blown your whole week!  Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and consider it a lesson learned. 

Try gum, mints or a flavored toothpick. Or a sugar free sucker. Also, sipping tea will help distract you from wanting to smoke or binge, because your hands are busy.  Its working for my hubby.

Play video games

go on this website!!!! i can spend hours on this thing.... it keeps me away from the fridge!

JELLY BELLY BEANS!

They are something like 4 calories a bean, and they come in every flavor you can imagine.   You can take a peanut butter bean and a strawberry jam bean and have a "peanut butter n jelly sandwhich!" LoL  You can really trick your brain.  Not to mention they're not that surgery so you can eat heaps of them.  It's way better than binging on the real stuff.

Also, hummus and low fat tortilla chips are great (think organic and multigrain).  The creamy hummus makes you feel like you're eating something naughty, but you're not! I've lost 65 lbs and kept it off for almost 2 years now.  So trust me on this one ;-)

Original Post by valoria44:

JELLY BELLY BEANS!

 

Defiantly! That used to be my diet trick. The only down side is they do cost a little extra, but they're worth it.