ok, I work about 10 hours a day, dont really leave the office so I munch when Im bored, at home, here, just stupid stuff, I try to keep myself busy, but IMPOSSIABLE... so now I am typing everyone everywhere, just to see what else I can do.. I need something... hmmmm..... sorry Im feeling fat today... BLAH!
water water water and more water to fill your stomach. plus try brushing your teeth in the bathroom at work a couple times a day. those two things help me. good luck, now that i am on the road for work i'm not dipping into the office candy baskets but I do need to stop and pick up diet energy drinks along the way to keep me awake. oy!
When i am feeling hungry at work and yearning to hit up the nasty office snacks, i drink some tea or chew a piece of sugarless gum. It helps, if only to give me longer to talk myself out of the unhealthy snacking...
Definitely the water thing! I drink anywhere from 2-4 liters a day. If i'm not filling up my bottle and chugging it down, I'm running to the ladies' room. I get rid of a lot of "down time" that way If I drink enough water, it makes me too sick to even think about the chocolates in the office dish!
Just like everyone else said, drink plenty of water.
Maybe you should also pick up a good book, so during your down time you will be reading and too into the book to realize you're hungry. Plus if your hands are full how can you eat?
I also have mini weights on the side of my desk. So i pick those up and do some reps everytime i'm bored.
The best is splitting up your days meals into several rations, that way you're eating every couple of hours. When I actually mange to accomplish this it takes the fun out of eating, 'cause you're doing it so often. Plus it's a great metabolism boost!
I tend to munch when I am bored at home too. As long as I am on the go, I seem to do OK. So I try to keep busy doing stuff around the house, projects, cleaning, not that its fun but it has to get done. I also try to limit the available snacks to things that are OK, like popcorn in snack size packs, fruit, the basics. But I still fall into boredom eating a lot. Some times, I'll just get up and go outside or something. Or if I really have nothing to do, I'll cook something that takes a lot of work and prep and then eat that as my meal.
Hope this helps.
Jennie
I'm also guilty of boredom snacking when I'm at home. It's not much of a problem in the office--I don't bring any food with me besides my lunch (and breakfast and dinner sometimes!), and I refuse to eat anyone else's, so problem solved! At home, I have purged my place of unhealthy foods and have also purged my cabinets and fridge of convenience foods. I often go into the kitchen with the intent of snacking, but I realize that all I really have are ingredients, and nothing that wouldn't take preparation (I have frozen fruits and veggies, eggs, raw meats in the freezer, condiments, spices--no cookies or crackers or ice cream or ANYTHING, not even low-fat stuff, cuz I know I will eat it ALL!!). This forces me to only eat when I am truly hungry because I have to actually make the time and effort to cook something, ya know?
Suggestion for work--I agree with the sugarless gum to keep your mouth occupied, but I'm not much of a gum-chewer, so might I suggest a bag of sugar-free hard candies? They last a long time in your mouth and have some really good flavors, plus I think you can get some at the dollar store (my favorite place to shop ).