[Tealeaf]

So, I'm wandering around my house tonight, having eaten a good, sensible dinner not too long ago. I'm not stuffed, not starving, just right. But I want to keep stuffing my face! It was the old "reach for sweets and don't stop" reflex that I sometimes have, that usually leads to a consuption of way too much chocolate.

And I was headed in that direction, too. But then, I spied some hard candy my husband keeps in his goody jar. I'm not much of a hard candy fan; that just isn't one of my triggers. But I pop one in my mouth. The fact that it is sweet and takes a long time to dissolve turns out to be be a perfect combo in stopping the binge dead in it's track.

Ok. I know candy isn't a good thing for those of us that are dieting. But eating a little of it is surely better than mindlessly stuffing one's face for many more calorie's worth of junk.

Do any of you have any tips on other things I might be using to keep my mouth busy when I have this mindless grazing impulse?

[crd43123]

I brush my teeth and use mouthwash. It seems to help

[hefty1]

go for a walk or put locks on the fridge and cupboards glen

[telemetrynurse]

I keep a bowl of sugar-free hard candies (chocolate caramel & toffee flavored are great) which I graze on . They sell these at walmart.
They are 8 calories each and take a while to consume. Sometimes I need 2 or 3 to quench the urge. It helps me to drink a glass of water in between candies. I get the sweet sensation, plus chocolate combined with the filling from the water.

Other ways I try to tame the binge is to eat raw baby carrots. They are sweet & crunchy.

Sugar-free popcicles also help me ---walmart has a big bag of these for about $2. They help treat the sweet tooth for about 15 calories per.

I wish I could say that these ALWAYS help control the binge monster in me. I've found that the thing that works best for me is to not have the foods I would really do damage with ----like cake, cookies, chips, etc.