Does where you hang out increase your food intake?
Location, location, location. Have you noticed that you tend to do your eating and get more cravings for food at certain places? I have plenty of factors that impact my eating (sleep, anxiety, sugar, pms, etc) but one thing I also have going on is that I am wanting to eat at night when I veg out in front of the t.v. I don't want to hang out in my room because that's the place I reserve for sleep...or should I say sleep attempts. That leaves no other place at night. I'm home with my family.
I'm not saying that having an at home spa would make me skinny but I do think there's something to this...this habit of wanting to eat at night in front of the t.v. or even if I read a book.
Anyone else have this? Any ideas on how to handle it? Just wondering. I do count calories so I do allow for food at this time but it's sometimes not enough. I just want more.
Most definitely. I don't watch tv at my place but when I go back to my parents', there's no way I can escape having something to eat in front of the tv. For me it's mostly situational but I think your best bet is maybe reduce tv for a while, just for you to get used to not eating there.
I'm trying to implement more mindful eating tricks and one of them is to always eat at a table with no distractions. It's hard for me to do that but it helps me eat slowly and appreciate the food I'm eating.
I'm guessing that eating mindlessly in front of the tv has made a lot of people fat. Me included. Good responses so far, I agree with all of them.
As muguet has suggested I find that mindful eating techniques REALLY work!! At first it's hard because you have to shut the tv off and really concentrate on eating but as time goes on you get better at staying tuned in to your eating while doing other things. I can actually sit infront of the tv and eat a snack now and not over do it. Just by focusing on it. I enjoy my snack when I take the time to savor it. Even chips for example - I used to sit in front of the tv completely zoned out with a bag of chips then suddenly they were gone!
Now, if I want chips I put some in a bowl, sit in front of the tv and try to pay attention to them. I think about the chips, how crispy they are how they dissolve into salty yumminess on my tongue, I wait between each chip just to savor that saltiness. By the end of the bowl I'm completely satisfied and I never ever reach for more chips. THAT's how portion control WORKS.
If you can't learn how to savour a small indulgence without it spinning you out of control then put your focus on exchanging one habit for another. That takes much longer but let's face it, eating in front of the tv is a habit we develop because it helps relax. So you'll have to find something else to relax you at that time. Maybe get a massage pillow, I have one that plugs in and I lay on it and it massages my neck/back. Or curl up under the blanket with a hot cup of broth or tea. Or do some very relaxing stretches. The whole point is to relax, you have to find something to replace the food habit.
Thanks everyone for your great responses. I should have made it clear that I don't have junk in front of the t.v. I'm still having nutritious food, but I just have this habit ingrained in me that t.v.at night = food. I do need to be more mindful of every bite and I will try to turn off the t.v. but it's not easy since my husband also likes to veg in front of it after a long, tough day.
Here's what I did last night that worked: I had this urge to go and get something to eat but instead, I just said in my mind: the kitchen is closed. I repeated it a few times and then, poof, I didn't have anything. Perhaps it's just a one time thing but maybe I"m on to something. I know it takes a month to change a habit so I'm going to work on this by taking your advice and incorporating the kitchen is closed policy.
Here's what I did last night that worked: I had this urge to go and get something to eat but instead, I just said in my mind: the kitchen is closed. I repeated it a few times and then, poof, I didn't have anything. Perhaps it's just a one time thing but maybe I"m on to something. I know it takes a month to change a habit so I'm going to work on this by taking your advice and incorporating the kitchen is closed policy.
I was going to suggest something like this. Sometimes setting rules for ourselves really work! I know it works for me. I hope it was more than just a one time thing for you You might even benefit from setting a time each day that you don't eat anymore (say 8PM, or whatever time you typically find yourself watching TV). Do you think your husband might do the same? It definitely helps to have support, and often that support comes in the form of shared behaviors and "rules" (even if he doesn't lose weight). Or, you could verbalize your "kitchen is closed" policy so that he is at the very least aware of what you are trying to do.
This definitely happens to me, mostly in social settings. If I find myself standing near the snack table, I WILL keep eating. Making a conscious effort to stand far far away greatly reduces how much I eat.
I've been a night eater for my whole life. Never felt hungry in the morning. After years of trying to have breakfast and eat less at nightime i gave up and now i have a big lunch, small dinner and a medium snack (bigger than dinner) at 10pm. It helped a lot. I have no idea why i waited so long to do this.
I do tend to eat more while watching tv, if i'm at my in-laws (no idea why!) and when DP is travelling and i'm home alone (i like being alone). I usually associate certain situations with food and it's hard to go through them without eating. Going to the movies and not having popcorn is hard, going to the beach and resisting an ice cream is strange and so on. I also tend to eat more when someone other than me has cooked the food. It's more about certain activities and situations than places, i guess.
Does where you hang out increase your food intake?
but I do think there's something to this...this habit of wanting to eat at night in front of the t.v. or even if I read a book. 
You might even benefit from setting a time each day that you don't eat anymore (say 8PM, or whatever time you typically find yourself watching TV). Do you think your husband might do the same? It definitely helps to have support, and often that support comes in the form of shared behaviors and "rules" (even if he doesn't lose weight). Or, you could verbalize your "kitchen is closed" policy so that he is at the very least aware of what you are trying to do.
