I probably eat a lot more than I normally do when I'm bored. I know a lot of people say to go exercise instead of eat when you're bored, fair enough. But if you hate exercise or just can't go do it, what do you do to stop from giving in when you know you shouldn't be eating? (I just ate two hours ago, I know I'm not hungry >.>)
bored eater checking in!
im not really an emotional eater, im not big on the TOM eating, but leave me alone long enough with nothing else to do and i'll eat you out of house and home.
its gotten to the point where i almost forget what feeling hungry feels like!! isnt that sad?? ive thought about all the people all over the world (how cliche is that?!) that are hungry all the time and i cant even let myself feel hungry throughout the day!
im trying to battle this big time - one thing i do is carry a nalgene bottle of water/crystal light on my person *at all times*. if i want to eat, i drink.
the other thing i'm doing is keeping a diary.
not only do i keep a food diary of what i eat and the caloric content of it -
i keep a journal of what time i want to snack, what im doing at that time, what else i could be doing, whats on my mind and evaluate if i really am feeling hungry. am i weak? am i tired? does my stomach rumble? how long ago did i just put something in my stomach? am i well hydrated? (sometimes "hungry" can actually be "thirsty"). i also take note of if the last thing i ate was really sugary - is my dive for the cabinets because my blood sugar went up and is now suddenly falling?
the diary doesnt keep me accountable, but it makes me stop to re-evaluate where i stand and it helps me notice my own patterns. other than "i'm a bored eater" i can say "i go for chips late at night when im avoiding doing work" or "instead of sleeping, i will eat" or "everytime i sit down for a tv marathon i always need chips"...
Hey! I know the feeling. Our culture pushes us to want stimulation all the time. And what could be more fun than food if we're bored! So, it's a setup for dietary disaster.
It's possible to learn never to be bored--to get used to having nothing to do being OK. It takes practice to let the mind simmer down from its endless searching for more.
Often when I think I'm bored and need to eat, there really are some things I could be doing... but they aren't things I feel like doing, so I ignore those thoughts. After all, life is about having fun every minute, right? Not. So sometimes if I take myself by the scruff of the neck, so to speak and get my butt in gear on something that needs to be done, I forget about the food. Other times, if I just sit with it, watch it, do nothing, and BE bored--it changes.
Either way, I try to stay away from food as entertainment.
I think lots and lots of us eat when we're bored. If I had only eaten when I was truly hungry, there was no way I would have gotten to be 287 lbs. No way on earth.
It's really a decision and a commitment that one has to make. One needs to decide once and for all, that when bored, stressed, angered, frustrated or even happy, that we shouldn't turn to food . So basically what STOPS me from giving in - is that I've made the decision not to. That I've made the commitment to a healthier life. And eating food when bored just doesn't fit into the plan.
Of course that doesn't change the fact that I at times still WANT to eat just, just ... well because of those above reasons. That's when I try to get my mind off of food. Like has already been said. Taking a walk, exercising (another thing that just HAS to be done, hate it or not), straightening up the house, paying bills, laundry, dusting, drinking hot tea, journaling, reading, polishing my nails - SOMETHING.
The more times you avoid food for entertainment, the easier it gets. You build confidence and know that you've it avoided it before, so you can indeed avoid it again.
I have found myself eating because of boredom.... at times I feel like my motivation gets lost in the boredom. I don't eat the wrong foods when I do eat out of boredom , but I eat them none the less when I am not hungry because I am bored. I know this is just another area I must deal with to see victory in this battle with weight. Thanks for listening.
I'm another bored eater! My best strategy when I'm at home is to read. If I'm reading a good book I get totally enveloped in the story and before I know it an hour or 2 has gone by! TV on the other hand doesn't keep enough of my focus, even when I'm watching a movie or something I'm still thinking about doing something else (namely, eating). Also do you have a hobby that keeps your hands busy? If not I'd suggest picking one up. It may sound incredibally boring but needle point type activities can actually be fun! And they totally keep your hands occupied. I play the piano to keep my hands busy. There's no way I can eat and play at the same time (and music is my therapy! lol).
I have recently realized how much I have a tendecy to eat when I am bored. We have been exremly slow at work. I find myself often looking in my drawer to see what I have to eat. I keep healthy low point snacks on hand all the time but lately I find myself eating too many of them. At home I can always find something else to do, lately my favorite is to get up and hula hoop for 15-30 minutes, but while sitting at my desk here at work it is a challenge.
Count me in as a bored eater--it's probably the hardest habit I've had to break. To be totally honest, I'm smoking more because I can't eat when I smoke (though I am in no way advising this as a method). People here have made great suggestions--I'm a big "read through the urge to eat" person, but I've also developed a couple of other coping strategies.
1. Brushing my teeth. Even if it is three in the afternoon, I'll brush my teeth if I'm feeling the urge to eat. Not only is it something to do for a couple of minutes, but I find almost everything tastes kind of gross after you've brushed, so it takes the pleasure out of eating.
2. Girly personal grooming things. Almost all of my boredom urges come on weekend days spent at home. So, since I am home, I find this to be a perfect opportunity to give myself a manicure/pedicure (you can't eat with wet nails), an at-home facial (hard to eat around a clay mask), a lovely bubble bath followed by an intensive all-over-body mousturizing routine or something like that. It makes you look better, it is something to do, and you can't eat.
3. Though gum chewing was heavily frowned-upon by my mother and I still won't chew in public, I like to keep gum around to pop in my mouth if I get the urge to eat. Also law-cal hard candies or similar. Something to keep your mouth busy for awhile that won't blow your eating plan.
4. Catching up on correspondence. You can't talk on the phone with a full mouth, and eating makes it hard to type, so I like to catch up on phone calls or e-mails when I have the urge to stuff myself.
5. This may sound silly, but sometimes I put on a fun playlist and dance around my apartment. Not a formal aerobic routine, but how I would dance if I were at a party or a club. I sing along and bounce around and generally look like a fool, but it's really a lot of fun and it gets me moving, even if it isn't something so formal as exercise.
6. Take a nap. This may not be the healthiest choice, but I can't eat if I'm sleeping.
7. Of course, I just realized at work can be difficult. I go refill my water jug, wander around the office, chit chat, or even run a quick errand to break up the day and distract myself from the urge to eat. And, obviously, visit 3FC!
3. Though gum chewing was heavily frowned-upon by my mother and I still won't chew in public, I like to keep gum around to pop in my mouth if I get the urge to eat. Also law-cal hard candies or similar. Something to keep your mouth busy for awhile that won't blow your eating plan.
Is chewing gum a bad thing? I love gum and I don't think less of a person who chews gum in public...
Is chewing gum a bad thing? I love gum and I don't think less of a person who chews gum in public...
It's just a hang-up I have. We're a pretty WASPy clan, so there are a lot of rules guiding "acceptable/lady-like public behavior"--and chewing gum was one of the many things on that list--that got drilled into me as a child. Public gum chewing is just one that stuck with me for whatever reason. (I still won't fly without being very nicely dressed with make-up on because looking nice and well put-together for travel was one of my grandmother's hard and fast rules. I don't wear a Chanel suit like she did or anything, but always something I'd feel okay walking directly into a meeting or luncheon in because I can sense her disapproval, even if she's not with me. If you watch Gilmore Girls, my grandmother is a nicer version of Emily--I kind of think of her as Emily Gilmore meets Jessica Fletcher.) I don't have a problem when other people do it (except when they chew loudly/smack/snap/otherwise make horrid noises because eating and drinking noises are perhaps my biggest pet peeve), it's just one of those quirks that are getting talked about on another board. And apparently, I have quite a few more than I listed there!
I try chewing gum, sipping hot tea, snacking on healthy foods like fruit if need be, or distraction. Distraction doesn't have to be exercise. Tonight for instance, I started thinking of snacking right after dinner, so instead, I cleaned the bathroom.
find an activity that interests you. when i leave on business trips, its the best thing. i rarely eat because im always getting myself into something new and exciting. its great. when im here at home i spend most of my time cleaning the house, organizing myself, making scrapbooks ect.
Bored eater
and get my butt in gear on something that needs to be done, I forget about the food. Other times, if I just sit with it, watch it, do nothing, and BE bored--it changes.
I'm a bored eater, and I find that keeping my mouth busy really helps.
