How do you distract yourself...
 

Ok, I think my biggest problem is not only that I love food, but I'm always thinking about food! I'm a stay at home mom so I always have food available to me. I graze all day long plus have 3 meals. So I wanna know what tips you have to distract yourself from food/eating. What do you do when the temptation comes to go to the fridge/pantry to graze?

A hobby! Do you have a hobby you enjoy? Keep yourself occupied with something that you enjoy. Read a book, take a walk, exercise...
And with the food in your home, make sure you have healthy foods. If you are hungry, snack on something healthy like carrot sticks dipped in a light dressing for example.

a bottle of water in my hand, or a cup of coffee or tea, is the best deterrent for me. I work from home, so I feel your pain - but I have my scheduled meals/snacks and keep something non-caloric to drink on hand. If diet sodas don't stall your weight loss, you can try those as well.

sugar free candy or gum

Also, doing something, anything. I always have a list of chores that need doing (there's always something that needs to be cleaned, organized, put away, completed, or fixed), so if I can't find something I want to do, I can do something off the list of chores.

clear out the unhealthy stuff so if you do graze at least it wont be on crap

food log. if i know I have to write it down, it helps me say no.

I too am a SAHM and now I work from the home as well. ANd I was an ALL DAY GRAZER. I would hit the fridge and pantry all day long. Leftovers were not safe with me around.

I cleared the house out of all things unhealthy and fattening, replaced it with healthy foods including tons and tons of veggies. If I was going to graze then it had best be on cucumbers and celery sticks. Not too much damage you can do with that. In the beginning I wrote everything down, it's very helpful although I no longer feel the need to do that. I also drink a lot of water, keeps my mouth busy and is of course healthy.

A lot of it's mental. Decide that you just don't munch nonstop all day.

I'm home all day, too, and used to be a constant grazer. I have set meal and snack times now. It's not so bad--I just tell myself I can make it two hours until my next "feeding"!

If I'm really tempted, I have tea, Crystal Light, gum, or (for the big splurge) 25-calorie diet cocoa.

I'm a big grazer too, I'm always looking for something to eat, plus I look forward to every meal. I hate how food consumes me, but anyway...for me, gum works really well, it seems like if I'm chewing on something it keeps me from snacking. I go through like a pack a day, lol. I also try to do stuff around the house, laundry, pick up toys, anything to keep my mind off food. I find doing something outside helps pass the time like pulling weeds or washing the car. I try to take it day by day, if I can get through one day eating healthy and getting some exercise then I can do it the next day. I also hung up a pair of pants I want to fit into in my bedroom so when I get up in the morning it's the first thing I see.

I always make sure to drink water. Tea is also really useful. Also, if I find myself getting really munchy, but I have an hour until the dining hall opens (I'm at college), i will just decide to go work out for that hour. If I'm at home, I will just work out for 15 minutes and that usually does the trick.

Another SAHM here. I'm still trying to figure out how to stay way from munching throughout the day. I am trying a couple of things though. I write down everything I eat. I kind of have to. It's the only way I can find to be truely honesty with myself about what I eat. #2- Be productive, not destructive. Sounds cheesy, but If I have laundry to fold or paperwork to do, I know it's just better all the way around to go take care of that then to put unhealthy food into my body. Not always fool proof but it's helping. I'm definitely getting more stuff accomplished.

I just try to stay very busy when I'm home. When the fridge is really calling me and I am not physically hungry I leave the house. I put on my shoes and I walk to clear my head, that helps alot. I also drink alot of water between meals and that has cut my hunger down.

Shannon

I try to busy myself with housework/typing/exercise. I still have trouble between 3 and 5 though.

Great tips, Gals! I wrote a bunch of them down!

For me the biggest help is eating a healthy, satisfying snack/meal every three hours. I try to make sure that I never am starving. This keeps my blood sugar level even, too, which keeps me energized.

Signs are up in my kitchen reminding me that "THAT won't help you get into your new dress, Cheryl!" and "Eating that will NOT help you feel better!" Signs really work for me.

Drinking water DOES fill you up.

No eating ANYTHING after 7PM helps me cut everything off except water, tea, or coffee.

Cheryl

I'm a stay home mom too, but I've frankly been forgetting to eat until the baby gets so fussy I run down the street and get us something out, because by then, I'm too tired to cook. We just got a house and have been remodeling it. So I have plenty of projects to keep me occupied. If I'm sitting in the kitchen floor with a miter box sawing baseboard, while he's in the playpen next to me tossing toys onto my head and laughing about it, I have very little time to consider food. LOL