I am having one of those days where I feel listless, kinda bored but not feeling like doing anything I *should* be doing, ya know? In the past these are the days I would go to the store and entertain myself looking for new food finds and old favorites, buying a cart FULL of junk, and coming home and eating it all, JUST FOR ENTERTAINMENT. I find myself going in the kitchen and looking around, popping a few berries in my mouth even though I am not hungry, considering eating some crackers...
I am on top of it NOW, and don't have any overwhelming desire to eat... just that feeling of wanting to do it for kicks. Kind of like playing video games or something! Eh, I want to be distracted, not productive right now. I took a walk, now I am searching online for leek recipes and planning a healthy dinner.
Did you guys ever recognise that you were eating just for entertainment?
i think what you've stumbled across is the very very common subject posted on here of boredom eating.
yes we all do it or have done at one point. i keep myself occupied by drinking water and playing video games or cards to occupy my mind i find tv doesn't stimulate me enough that i can ignore cravings
I DEFINITELY have noticed this, compounded with the fact that, frankly, I find food (the entire act of shopping for it, planning it, prepping it, cooking it, and yes, eating it) genuinely entertaining.
When I get into this space, and I really want to do something related to FOOD, I tend to prep for meals later in the week. Make a marinade and add it to prepped meats in the freezer. Chop veggies for tomorrow's dinner. You get the idea. Just yesterday, I had that sort of restlessness, and I decided to prep a big ol bin of mirepoix (carrots, celery, onion, all diced) for two meals I have planned this week.
I got my restlessness out, and now, I've saved myself a TON of chopping I'd have to do later. And I'm not likely to snack on diced celery and onion while I'm doing it (or raw meat while marinating, etc).
I just realized over the weekend that I eat out of boredom.. that kind of boredom when I should be doing this or should be doing that but I would rather not do this or that, so it's my excuse to get out of doing the things I should be doing.
I decided this morning actually to spend that time when I want to munch just because looking at things online.. and am going to try to focus my looking to either weightloss or homeschooling. I used to look for new ideas for the kids all the time and was forever doing new/fun things with them, lately it's been just the same things day after day straight laced lessons for my oldest day after day... I'm sure they would love to have things turned upside down again.
Well I got my boredom out by making a cucumber salad. Twenty minutes of slicing cucumbers and onions and mixing it with vinegar and dill. I ate some cucumbers too, which are practically zero calories.
And then my little kid got diarrhea, which changed my mindset completely...
I feel like this situation is my entire life. I only have classes two days a week, so three days a week, I just try and fill time. I find myself mindlessly wandering around my kitchen.
I have to get out of the house when it happens...go for a walk, meander around shops, go to campus just to see people, whatever. Otherwise, I'll munch on anything thats easy (grapes, berries, nuts)
I used to do this all the time- I purposely got a hobby so I'd stay away from snacking. I crochet now- I know that's so funny but it keeps my hands busy
id like to learn how to sew to keep myself busy ... i have so many things to do but sometimes i want to do something for fun .... eatting used to be it
honestly speaking i have not gotten to the point yet that i can say i still dont want to do it
in fact i very much want to do it and then i remind myself how guilty disgusting and worthless i feel after ... sometimes it totally kills my binge cravings ... sometimes not so much unfourtunatley i seem to have replaced eating with smoking not a healthy habit either .... but i will admit it is good for my waist line .... two packs a week isnt horrible i guess .... i think ive strayed from the topic .... sometimes i do that ... srry .... what?
Ever since I stopped working I find myself doing this alot.There's nothing to do or should I say nothing I want to do,so I find myself eating just because there's food.Lately what I've been doing is going on Facebook.Looking at pictures of people I went to school with who look fabulous and even better than as a teenager really helps stopping me from eating the wrong things.I reallt should be taking a walk or doing a video.Maybe I'll try that soon.
I do the same -- sometimes it's antsy eating too. Like I am anxious for something to happen. I quit smoking about 2 1/2 years ago and replaced some of those cravings with food lol so now I have to figure out a new alternative!
I don't know if I eat for entertainment so much as for that little itty bitty temporary lift you get from food. And I definitely eat from habit, like nibbling mindlessly when I am reading. You are smart to figure out the whys behind your eating habits, Lynn. I bet you are way better able to avoid this now.
Hey, FindingFawn. I did that homeschool thing for 2 years (6th and 7th). I started off with great ideas about making everything relate to a central fun topic that (as much as was possible) my son picked himself. Then I picked up a copy of the curriculum the public schools were going to cover and suddenly we were a very serious little homeschool indeed. But we ended up a lot closer and I have a lot more respect both for my son and for the people who do this all the time. Hope you have fun with it.
Eating for entertainment has def. played a role in keeping me big my entire life... it's still hard for me to tell when I'm hungry and when I just want to eat. Good job on taking that walk and not giving in to snacking! You're doing great
My whole entire family eats for entertainment. Every. Single. Time we get together the first thing we do is plan what we are gonna eat. My Sister when she would just come over to hang out, my Dad on weekend barbecues. Even when I went to see my Mom last summer the whole trip was centered around what we were gonna eat and when. It was exciting.
I think that as of right now, we all still do, although my Sister and I are entertaining ourselves with stuff that tastes good and is good for us, instead of just what we want to gorge ourselves on. It seems like it's the same thing, but it is way different than before. (Considering when we were little we would have races to see who could eat 2 packages of Top Ramen the fastest).
We plan meals and shop for a bunch at once. We spend Sunday afternoons cooking what we can to keep in the fridge and eat the next week. It is a new sort of fun.
YES! And Ive had to try to teach myself that I shouldnt eat for entertainment. But after you're used to doing it for years and years, it is a struggle to just quit. But I think it is great that we realize what we are doing wrong and try to work on it.
Eating for Entertainment
