You say you can't lose weight, but your profile says that you've lost 13lb, so could you explain more about that?

How are you dieting? Are you writing down every morsel that goes into your mouth? Sometimes that can really help when fighting a snack attack, as you can see the consequences right there.

Meanwhile, raw veg are good for snacking on and have very few calories.

I second the recommendation of coffee/tea/etc. I drink coffee and tea throughout the day and it satisfies both my "wander into the kitchen and fix myself something" urge and the "have something within reach that's nice and warm and I can ingest" urges. It would probably be better to overcome the urges entirely, but I'd rather spend my willpower elsewhere.

I do use truvia in my drinks (which you might want to avoid) and I also use non-fat powdered milk (which works well and doesn't dilute the drink). I budget in the calories for the milk each day, and I figure NFPM isn't such a bad source of calories.

I also sprinkle a little cinnamon in both my coffee and tea (and often add ginger and other spices to my tea), which is supposed to be helpful for maintaining blood sugar levels.

Originally Posted by Zoseph:
I don't do it because I'm hungry - I have the urge to eat even when I'm full. It's really just something to do.

So it SOUNDS like it's just out of "habit" - I mean, if you're NOT hungry, & you have the urge to eat even when you're full - yup, sounds like habit to me. And even if you're "snacking healthy"... it's STILL a habit... AND HABITS CAN BE BROKEN! :yes:


This has also been a problem with me (as I think it probably is with most bingers) and I have found that the most important thing is to constantly scrutinize what I'm doing. I ask myself "why do I want to eat right now?" - esp. if I'm not hungry or even full. I converse with myself "well, I am a little bored" or "we're watching a movie, I'm SUPPOSED to be having popcorn!", etc.

This is where the self-control comes in -you have to WORK ON BREAKING THE HABIT. Like any other habit... biting your nails, smoking, playing too much video games, etc. I have to literally tell myself, MAKE MYSELF not eat. I give myself reasons to understand that EATING is not what I need to be doing at the moment. FOOD IS FOR SUSTENANCE. Not for funzies, not to give me "something to do", etc.

And as others have mentioned, I also find it helpful to keep my hands busy. Specifically something such as giving myself a manicure... can't snack away when your nails are wet!! :D

Drink lots of water before your snack. There is only so much a stomach can endure. Get full on water. If you really feel like snacking after that, portion something out and eat it and be done. When you're done, drink more water and walk away and pick up a task--even if it is cleaning the bathroom, scrubbing the floor, vacuuming-----see? Your home will get cleaner....lol...if you distract yourself from the snack with an activity.

Maybe your belly isn't telling your brain that its full. Maybe you need to learn "that full feeling." At the very least of it, find something to munch on that does the least damage. Freeze some juice in a plastic cup--it will take a very long time with a spoon to scrape that juice into eatable spoonfuls.

As suggested up above, take up a hobby, but start it after the snack--seriously, if you convince yourself that a) you've eaten....and b) you're full (by drinking water and eating the snack--your full), it will be easier mentally to make the connection.

Originally Posted by Esofia:
You say you can't lose weight, but your profile says that you've lost 13lb, so could you explain more about that?

That was about 3 months ago now, when I was hiking several times a week and somehow had the will to not constantly eat. At the end of August I went back to school so I didn't have time to keep hiking, but I did continue working out at the gym. Unfortunately my good eating habits didn't make it past summer :( I've recently gotten better at eating slower and making sure I actually stick to my calorie counting, but it's a challenge to refrain when I get it into my head that "half of that muffin would be delicious right now..." One thing always turns into many for me.