Boredom eating - need help

  • I have realized that I eat when I have nothing to do. I don't eat when I am angry, sad or happy.

    I was doing pretty good but then have fallen off the wagon and these binge eating episode are becoming a frequent occurrence.

    I generally binge eat at work (since I don't keep 'bad' stuff at home) and work is really slow these days. With not much to do and so much junk food option available at work for free, I am falling off wagon almost every alternate day.

    I pick myself up and start fresh again every morning and am good up until 2 p.m. and then I start stuffing my face back again with all the food available in snack room.

    Ladies, please help me device some technique to conquer this binge eating monster. I wish I was really busy at work, I don't overeat when I am busy but like I said work is slow these days
  • If you notice that you're hungry at 2pm or wanting to binge, could you add a 2pm snack? Maybe something that takes a while to eat, like 100 calorie popcorn bags. This way, you can snack without binging.

    Or, if you're bored, how about getting a mini-work out in? There are lots of exercises that can be done at a desk; i'm sure you could google around and find some options that work for your personal set-up. Or just talk a walk around the building.
  • I do plan my snacks for the day, but generally end up eating everything around 2 and then head to snack room. Most of the time I am not even hungry, like I said I just eat because I am bored.

    I should keep my walking shoes in office though (its hard to walk to in high heels ), so next time I feel desire to binge I can go for 10 min walk.
  • Hey I am also an afternoon snacker!

    I do a couple of things to fight the boredom munchies:

    * I plan 3 small snacks for the afternoon. I'm usually pretty good at resisting temptation when it's "almost" snack time, I can wait until my snack

    * I drink a LOT of tea/herbal tea in the afternoon, something about the hand going to the mouth satisfies snack craving, I also use splenda for my afternoon tea so it's sweet and special

    * I try to stay busy! At work, I try to schedule most meetings in the afternoon, then I stay too busy to eat!
  • Those suggestions are great and I can relate to where you are at - my business is either feast or famine and you can twiddle your thumbs for days on end. Taking a walk is a great idea - grab a co-worker - and by the time you're back to your desk, get a huge glass of water and hopefully the urge will pass!
  • Have you tried chewing gum? I'm an afternoon snacker as well, and chewing gum helps me out. Otherwise, I walk around, drink some water and try to distract myself. It's tough for me as well. I have to pay for the snacks, so I don't keep change around anymore.
  • Coffee always makes me not hungry or even want to look at food. Try having some coffee and then going on a walk to get out energy. ^_^
  • I second the coffee suggestion!

    But also, when I'm feeling weak I pop into 3FC. There's always something/someone to distract me and/or give me willpower here.