So, any advice on how to convince myself to NOT watch tv while I eat? When I have company I don't eat in front of the tv, we talk. But by myself, it's another story. Tonight I'm going to put on a CD while I eat. Maybe I'll be more thoughtful about chewing without the distraction of the tv.

Hi, again--

Here's my list of what I'm supposed to be doing when I feel the urge to munch:

• move away form the tube and doing something in another room
• brush my teeth
• call someone on the phone (it's rude to talk and chew)
• have some mint or spicy decaf tea
• take a bubble bath (who eats in there?)
• look at my food log and my reasons for staying on program
• look at the 3FC "success" thread"

I have a llittle paperback book called "How Not to Eat After Dinner." I found that having it on the table between me and the TV is helpful, but I put it away when I had company a while back--I need to pull it out again! Just seeing the cover reminds me that I don't have to just give in to a momentary craving. Also, I bought a "How to Knit" DVD last month, which I hope will help when I'm just feeling fidgetty.

More suggestions from you lurkers out there would be appreciated!

judy

Hi all - I think this is a great group and I'd like to join. I'm 46 and single and live alone with my two wonderful cats.

I struggle with cooking once I get home from work too. To keep myself from sitting down in front of the TV and snacking on cheese (my big downfall) I find myself not turning the TV on until around 8 and before then I do all my domestic projects around the house. The problem though is that by 8 I'm way too tired to cook or eat anything.

A friend suggested going to one of those places where you prepare a bunch of meals and then freeze them at home, then just take them out of the freezer and cook them up when you're ready. There are a bunch of these places around with a bunch of different names, and I don't konw if I can on this site actually list the one that's near me, but I'm wondering if anyone here has ever done this and how it works. I'm also on WW and wondering if it's easy to figure out the points for these meals.

Tammy

Oh, the other thing I do to when I don't want to munch is hand quilting.

Welcome, Tammy! I have a problem that's related to yours, in that I generally don't get home from work until 7:30 or later, and I want to get better at not eating at all after 8 or 8:30. I like to cook, sometimes on Sundays I'll prepare something big--a pork loin, a roasted chicken, a big batch of soup, etc.--and freeze most of it in smaller portions. So last night I took out some of the yummy chicken-veggie stew I made weekend before last, and all I have to do is nuke it up when I get home tonight. I bought a crockpot this fall, and it's been fun trying new recipes. And when I get home from work, my apartment smells wonderful...

I have been on program this week, with food and working out. But I saw the nutritionist yesterday, who pointed out that a couple of the substitutions I've made for evening snacks, like rice cakes and low-fat popcorn, are highly glycemic and add to my craving for even more food. Oops! My goals this week are to be more thoughtful about my choices, remember to meditate or do yoga every day, and log my food for at least five days in a row (starting today).

How about the rest of you? What would make this a successful week for you?

jduy

Thanks for the welcome, and the info. I had no idea that popcorn could make you crave more food...I don't think I'll be buying any more popcorn.

I bought a crockpot recently too and it is wonderful to come home and smell dinner and know that it's just waiting for me. My only difficulty is remembering to buy all the ingredients to make the dish and then actually do it. That's what I'm working on right now; making better food choices and actually buying the good food at the grocery store so I will have it to eat when I'm home. I find myself thinking about good food choices all the time, but then not actually doing anything about it, and then wonder why I don't have anything good to eat in the house. The other minor struggle right now is that it is snowing up here and a lot of times that also means power outages, which brings with it a whole new set of eating situations. But, for now, it's only snowing and we have power so I'm not going to stress about it.

Hey hey! Thanks for the suggestions! Actually I meant that I eat my supper while watching tv, it's a baaaaad habit. I'm slowly breaking it.

I often knit while I watch tv, and that keeps me from snacking because I don't want to get the yarn dirty. Like Tamarelle with quilting, and Judydc is learning to knit!

The long weekend is almost here, yaay! This has been a difficult week at work, my brain has been buzzing like a beehive.

Applecake, I have a large combined living room/dining room. It's important for me only to eat when I'm sitting at the table in the dining "room." Usually if I'm eating in my comfy chair, I'm snacking, so I've told myself not to do more than drink water or tea when I sit there. I wish my kitchen had a door, so I could also give myself a visual cue that "the kitchen is closed."

Tammy, don't abandon popcorn on my account! Grains can set me off on a munching binge (I could eat cereal for hours) and apparently so can rice and corn. A couple of extra rice cakes aren't many calories but can be a lot of carbs, which make me want even more carbs...so that's just me, that might not be your issue! I am sensitive to gluten (no wheat for me ) but the doctor told me I can have oatmeal now, yippee! Even so, I have to eat it when I'm on my way out the door, so I don't start rummaging around like a possum for more carbs.

I did 40 minutes of cardio this morning, and will go to Curves this evening. I'm eating on program today. The chilly weather's making me feel a little sluggish. I wish I'd brought a bowl of stew or chili for lunch today instead of a salad with tuna!

judy

I am new here and it sounds great to me too!

Thanks-
AB

Maybe there's something wrong with me (hee, hee), but I actually like to watch TV during dinner! I actually sometimes plan the time that I cook so that I'll be done when the news or another show I want to watch starts!!!

I don't eat at all after dinner, and I usually eat it between 5:30 and 6:30. I go to bed around 11:30 or so. I've learned that it was a habit. If I eat a dinner with protein and a good enough quantity, I have no need to eat again. It's probably been 7 or 8 months since I've eaten something after dinner, and I find that I feel better when I lie down to go to sleep. Also, after all this time, my body just expects it and doesn't feel hungry. I do think it might have required conscious effort in the beginning, though.

Housework... that's on my agenda this morning... I have my bedroom and bathroom to complete... I did the rest last night... such the life... friday night and at home doing housework....

then I wasn't sleepy and ended staying up until almost 2am!! Why in the world am I up now????


After housework today, no particular plans... other than prepare dinner for my sister's birthday- but it won't be hard- steaks, potatoes, salad, rolls.... when I asked mom what I should fix for dessert she said not to worry about it because we don't tend to eat dessert with dinner (I love dessert but like to wait for a bit) I may try to make a sf choc dessert or something- my sister loves choc too....

well, I'm off and running....

how bout you? What's in your plans for today?

I have a 3 day weekend too.... no particular plans....


Reba

l like the idea of this thread. I am thirty and have lived alone for about two years. I share many of the stuggles that were posted above.

I spend a lot of time thinking about food and what i should not eat and that just leads me to want to eat those things more. So i am trying to focus more on the good things I should do. For example i am trying to eat five fruits and veggies a day. This gives me something positive to think about and fit in and when I get all five I have less space to eat other foods that are higher in fat and not so good for my body. Also I find that when I eat breakfast i eat better all day. So now i try to plan out what I need for breakfast all week before I do my shopping. My current ideas for breakfast are low fat yogurt, steal cut irish oatmeal with friut (I hate rolled oats, they are always slimmy when i cook them), half a muffin and a piece of fruit, dry granola and a banana (I do not really drink milk and find dry ceral is better to eat on the run). What sort of things do you all eat for breakfast? Do you eat breakfast?

I am stuggling with eating out to much. I moved about two years ago to from a very small town to a major city. There are so many palces to eat and so much good food. in the country if i wanted something tasty I had to cook it here I can find every thing easily and better than I can make! But like someone already mentioned the cost of eating out adds up on the scale and in my check book. So i am trying to go 21 days without eating out! so far i have made five days. I tend to eat out when I am streesed and days are long at work. i can just pick up somethng on the way home. The fat, sodium and calorie count is often higher than if i made the same thing at home.

My post is getting rather long but I do have one question for the group. Do most of you have support for your wieght loss journey from friends, weight watchers , TOPS or other organized support groups or are you going at it on your own? My main support is here at 3fatchicks. I really enjoy the support on this site from people that are working through some similar issues. I better end here I have to get out of the house between down pours to shop.

I just saw this thread and would like to join the group. There are definitely challenges to living alone and trying to lose weight/eat healthier.

I'm 48 years old, divorced, with grown children who no longer live with me. I'm finding 3FC to be the best support group I've ever had! Friends and family, while supportive initially, their interest naturally soon turns to other things. Everyone on 3FC is engaged and interested in the same things.

I find that the only way to stop myself from overeating at home is to have very limited food in the house. I really wish grocery stores would recognize that there are a lot of 1 or 2 person households and would package food in smaller quantities. I would LOVE to be able to buy just two pieces of bread or just two low-fat ice cream bars. My self-control is still non-existant, so I have to immediately throw away the balance of the ice cream bar box, or else I will eat them all in one evening.

My plan has been to eat small "meals" frequently throughout the day. I always eat breakfast - oatmeal, fruit and whole-grain toast, yugurt, egg whites, etc. I also find that eating some vegetables in the car on my way home stops me from eating so much garbage once I get home.

Yaay, it's the weekend! Wish I didn't have a long list of tasks and chores to take care of.

Ayanna, this site has been my most consistent support mechanism for the past two years or so. People come and go on it, rarin' to go for a few weeks and then disappearing, but there are enough of us who hang in there so that I feel like I know women I've never met. I have a lot of weight to lose, so this fall I signed up for a weight-loss program that includes a few visits to a doctor (who may have changed my life by ID'ing thyroid and gluten as problems for me) a nurse practitioner, a nutritionist, a psychotherapist and a physical therapist. It was a great investment for me. The program will be over in a few months, but it's given me a holistic way to look at my weight and health that I never got from seeing professionals in a vacuum, so to speak.

Ashley, my freezer is my best friend! I hate tossing extra food, too! I had lots of out-of-town guests last summer, and bought ice cream, soda, etc., for them, and found it almost physically impossible to throw away the left over once they were gone.

Re TV and eating--I tend to watch TV and read the paper while I eat dinner, which is fine. But around 9PM, when I'm sitting in my comfy chair watching HBO or something, I feel "hungry." Which I'm not, usually, it's just a habit. So this week I've been getting up and having a cup of hot mint tea, looking at my eating log, and the "hunger" drifts away. Sticking to fruit and protein or a Zone Perfect bar for "dessert" has helped with the cravings, along with seeing the scale respond so quickly to saying goodbye to the popcorn and rice snacks.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

judy

Hi everyone,

I haven't checked in for a couple of days - RL has been extremely busy, and all I've had time to do is read the new posts.

I'm doing OK, I think. I had my first weigh in of the new year and discovered I'd gained back 6 lbs over Christmas, which gave me the wake up call I needed. I can put some of it down to TOM, but certainly not all of it. I've been saying since Christmas that I'll get back on programme tomorrow, but usual story - tomorrow never came till I hopped on the scales. I've been on programme since Wednesday and the scales should show an improvement this coming week - they'd better, anyway!

Judy, I hate wasting food too, and I have issues finding recipes that serve only one. My freezer is probably the best buy I ever made - I can make up several batches of soup or whatever and on the nights that I don't want to cook, there's something there that I can just chuck in the microwave.

I'm trying to change the habit of eating in the evening - I get everything cleaned up after dinner and sit down and think I need a treat for getting through the day. Last weekend I dug out all my craft stuff that I haven't touched in about 18 months and picked up a cross stitch I was working on. It seems to be that if I keep my hands busy then I don't feel the need to snack and so far it's working. Long may it continue to work...

Take care everyone
Nicole