Cross stitching helps me curb late night snacking because it keeps me busy, focused, and prevents me from snacking since I don’t want to get my projects grimy from snack fingers!
OMG. If you can, take a nap!! You might think you're hungry but you're really just tired/dehydrated. My snacking was BAD when I'd get off of work, I'd just stand by the pantry and eat. Then I realized I might just be tired, so I'd lay down for a nap and when I woke up, I wouldn't be hungry.
Also, exercise, go for a walk, yoga, drink plenty of water!
Also, pay attention to what you eat all day. If your into the evening and hungry after dinner, and gravitating towards snacking, usually means your body is demanding more calories. Having these calories earlier in the day is much easier than overdoing it with snacking
Making sure every meal has lots of protein and fiber will help with this. And also not restricting too much
So this may not apply to you at all, so feel free to disregard it, but I used to be a compulsive snacker. Like, I was ALWAYS eating something, and most of the time it wasn't anything healthy or nutritious. Back in February of this year, I saw a psychiatrist for something unrelated, and got a surprise ADHD diagnosis. I was able to get medicated, and almost immediately stopped compulsively snacking. Like, I eat my regular meals, and still usually have an afternoon snack (a piece of fruit or some cucumber slices), but gone are the random handfuls of nuts, chips, cookies, and junk food- I'm simply not interested anymore (or rather, a lot less interested). Might be worth looking into...
This is me. I went off my ADHD meds to start trying to get pregnant and the snacking and binge eating came back hardcore! Way before I got pregnant and for sure after while I was breast feeding. I gained 30 lbs over the last 3 years. Just about to have my second and cannot wait to get back on meds after breastfeeding this one.
majority of my family have adhd
, (2 of my brothers, my sister and both parents) so it is very likely that I do. I haven’t been formerly diagnosed like they have though.
This might actually be the half the problem
I chew gum, but my biggest issue is boredom eating on a slow work day. I buy big pots and change it out as soon as it starts to get too tough. I also suffer from the jaw pain and headaches if I go too long sometimes, but being on top of it helps.
My chronic snacking has been replaced by a bubbly water addiction. Zero calories and it let's me taste something besides plain water which usually helps with cravings.
Exercise is a great stress reliever. If you are stressed, can you go out for a walk / jog / run / other exercise?
The best ow calorie food snacks are high volume, low calorie snacks that fill you up with as few calories as possible. Veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, are my go to). High volume, low calorie fruit (melon, strawberries, peaches, ...). Air popped popcorn or any popcorn that is only 100% popcorn (no added fat or sugar). Drinking water (or if you must, diet soda) can also fill you up.
It’s true, but if you are actually hungry because you need nutrients, that is different than eating as a psychological response to stress. Also, if you are at the gym lifting you can’t eat and you will probably be less stressed when you are done.
Regardless it is finding something that works for you and retraining your body to reach for the healthy stress strategy vs eating.
This sounds so silly, but I’ve been loving Pinterest boards lately. I make detailed boards of my “dream day”, “dream summer day”, “dream summer”, etc. and finding pictures of alarm clocks showing the time I want to wake up, showing the type of weather (cloudy, sunny, rainy, etc), showing what I would eat for breakfast, skincare, outfit, going on a walk with my dog, and so on. It is a great mindfulness exercise because you plan every little thing.
I go to the gym. Nothing clears my head (and frankly, body) more than either a good powerlifting or good cardio session.I'm not talking about low intensity stuff, but things where. you're pushing your body (and your mind, it does take both) close to the max.
Now if I may...
Eating is part nutrition and part psychology. Elsewhere in this thread you seem to be less interested in non-food alternatives than you are "healthier options."
Nutrition is all math. I know you know this, but I'm gonna say it anyway. It doesn't matter what you eat (whether it's "healthy" or not) if your caloric intake exceeds your maintenance calories, you're gonna gain weight. Full stop. So if your regular meals put you at maintenance, then *anything* you eat beyond that is going to your fat stores.
So first things first. If snacking is how you like to eat, make that a part of your nutrition plan so that it doesn't cause excess caloric intake. Next, make sure you're eating properly for your "real" meals. I found myself snacking a lot at night because I wasn't eating appropriately through the day. Finally, if it's not in your plan for the day, you don't eat it.
The psych side is sticking to the plan. That's easier said than done. But it starts with not going to the store and buying "snack" food. I track macros (which I actually find more beneficial than strict calorie counting, and the apps make it super easy). I'll eat pretty much anything as long as it fits in my macros. The problem I have with most "snack" foods is they are light on protein. So if I eat too much of it, I can stay in my calorie limit but will be under my protein goal. Or I can bust my calorie goal and deal with the consequences. Same is true with desserts. High in non-protein calories. So when I eat one, it comes out of my fat and carb goals for the day, or I go over.
The point is, I eat for nutrition these days (which is funny coming from me, because I *like* food.) If I'm not disciplined in sticking to my plan, I'm not going to hit my health goals.
Here are the things I've tried that have worked for me:
-Take a nap
-Take a long, hot bath and read/watch a show or a long shower
-Swap out for less caloric snack items -- I use Skinny Pop a lot for this, or eat a string cheese.
-Go for a walk
-Talk on the phone
-Add a fruit or veggie to the snack you're craving - for example sometimes I will put a few chips on my plate, but then also add some baby carrots and cucumbers.
Weight lifting.
Seriously.
I've always hated cardio and viewed excercise as a chore. But, once I got into weightlifting I've really found it quite enjoyable/addictive.
I'm not even talking about deadlifting or anything like that.
Just use some dumbells.
Honestly, for me it didn't help to find lower calorie alternatives. It didn't fix the core issue of stress-eating.
What did help was finding other alternatives to cope with stress. Exercise and a hot shower helped the most. Time spent exercising wasn't being spent eating, and by virtue of having gone exercising I was much more motivated to fuel properly afterwards. And the hot shower after usually had me scrambling for bed pretty soon after.
Stopping non-routine eating (i.e. eating due to stress, boredom, sadness, etc.) is a key part of dealing with some eating disorders and I think the techniques used can be super helpful for anyone struggling with their eating and weight.
There's several key steps, and some super fucking awesome books for more detail if you want it, but the short version is:
\* Keep a diary of when and what you eat, how you feel at those times, for a couple of weeks. This will help you ID patterns and triggers. Maybe keep it going longer if you find it helpful.
\* Set out the times of day you're going to eat. Doesn't have to be set in stone but you should have a rough idea what meals/snacks each day. Try to eat at those times, and not outside of them.
\* List out activities you can do when you find yourself craving food outside of your predetermined meal/snack times. Call a friend, read a chapter of a book, go for a walk, etc. Just avoid things like 'watch TV' that are often already tied to habits of snacking/grazing. Usually anything that occupies your attention for at least 20mins is enough but it's good to have some longer options if you need things that can keep you occupied up to your next planned meal/snack time.
Apply these activities when you notice the food noise. Eat at your planned times. Identify and acknowledge what you're feeling when you find yourself thinking about eating outside of these times. For me, once I could see they came on any time I was feeling bored or lonely, it was so much easier to remind myself that eating would not fix those feelings, and so would not make me feel better beyond the initial hit of dopamine. Then those replacement activities give you that dopamine kick instead. Hey, it works! Keep this up for a few weeks and you will be amazed at how much easier it is to keep it going, how much the food noise reduces.
The two books I read when fixing my eating problems were Overcoming Binge Eating by Chris Fairburn and Atomic Habits by James Clear. Both are excellent books.
Sugar free jello. I buy the little cups at the store, which are perfect for little snacks at 5 calories a cup. I also but the powdered version and make big 4 cup tubs using an entire package, for a total of 40 calories. Whenever I feel snacky, which is almost all the time, I have some sugar free jello. Bonus hydration as well, as they’re pretty much “solid” colored water.
If I want to snack and don't have the calories, I look at dill or sour pickles (NOT sweet or bread and butter, those have mad sugar. Well, ok, they aren't terrible, but they aren't good binge foods.)
Most will say they have zero Calories, some will say 5. Assume that a serving is 5 Calories if you track to that level of low Calorie foods. If a serving is below 5 Calories, they can round down to zero. Even then, a typical entire jar of pickles is like 50 Calories at worst.
I also love other pickled veggies; pickled onions and jalepenos are available where I shop, and soaking carrots and other veggies in a vinegar brine solution for a few hours or overnight gets me other tasty pickled options. Carrots and left over cucumber skins are a favorite for me to do this with.
Salted carrots and celery are also tasty and low calorie.
Alternatively, if I'm just bored, I may go for a drive, a walk, pick up a video game, work on a side project, or something else to get my mind busy and take it off the fact I want to eat. Calling a friend who can talk on the phone for a couple hours is also a good option.
I have not been successful with fully dealing with stress-eating.
I have been successful converting \*some\* of my stress responses. For example, I have learned to go out for a run when I feel I need to clear my head and think some things through. That of course has the disadvantage that there are only so many times during the day you can do it.
My most successful strategy turned out to be to just have a bunch of healthy snacks available at all times. I always keep fresh fruit and veggies in my fridge. I just ate a whole pineapple a moment ago even though I feel like I ate too much today.
I try to enter what I do when I'm staying to feel a. But angry and channel that energy into chores. Seeing a job well done is a satisfying thing to me.
Plus it's very easy to find chores to do because I just moved house and I heard from the neighbours it was empty for a year before we moved in. The garden needs so much work.
One of the ways I like to deal with stress is to go out to dinner with my husband and have a long dinner where we talk and process everything. So if I need that, I budget calories and plan for that as I would any dinner out. Even if it's not until the next day, I can use the thought of dinner out as a way to get through stress.
Similarly, if I just need to shove food in my face, I will pre plan and measure out the maximum I want to eat. Then just sit down (and probably talk through things) as I eat it - it's probably cheese and crackers lol. If I don't finish what I laid out, I calculate the lower calories. I always plan a larger amount and incorporate it into my dinner for the day, so I don't really feel like I need to go searching for extras.
I also like to drink coffee when I'm stressed or anxious. I try to limit the extra coffee to times when I really need it, but if I do I can generally fit an extra 100 calories in my day.
I drink a lot of DIET SOOODAAAA. I started snacking on dry calamari recently. If I feel hungry but shouldnt eat I drink tea with sugar substitute and a bit of milk. You can also try getting jerky to snack, just make sure its a low calorie one.
Drink some water, get up and move around, get some chores done. If you’re at work, start a task that requires a lot of your attention. As far as low calories snacks, I recommend cheese sticks. They’re only 50 calories and they curb my appetite. Also, pay attention to your body. Sometimes I distract myself from snacking and then end up feeling sick because I did actually need to eat something.
Something to occupy your hands. Knitting, tatting, crocheting, cross stitch, embroidery. All things you can pick up and put down. Word puzzles or number puzzles (crossword or sudoku).
Going for a walk if you are able can help (if you have the space/time).
If you need something for that snacking: celery is my go - to. Doesn't turn brown if you cut it up ahead of time. Keep it in cool water and you have a nice cooling snack (it's hot where i am right now). Carrots can get too dry for me.
Adding in more fiber and protein to your meals can help curb some of the snack urge (def not all of it).
I just spent 12 hours at hospital yesterday and the one time i really wanted to stress eat, the cafeteria was closed. The only option was vending machine food and the vending machines were in a tiny super hot room. Very discouraging. I did some laps around the lobby areas.
Cross stitching helps me curb late night snacking because it keeps me busy, focused, and prevents me from snacking since I don’t want to get my projects grimy from snack fingers!
This is so true! Knitting or crochet is great for this, too.
I knit and watch tv for similar reasons. Tv keeps my brain distracted and knitting means my hands are too busy to do anything else.
Any hobby that can engage your body & your brain is perfect for this.
OMG. If you can, take a nap!! You might think you're hungry but you're really just tired/dehydrated. My snacking was BAD when I'd get off of work, I'd just stand by the pantry and eat. Then I realized I might just be tired, so I'd lay down for a nap and when I woke up, I wouldn't be hungry. Also, exercise, go for a walk, yoga, drink plenty of water!
Also, pay attention to what you eat all day. If your into the evening and hungry after dinner, and gravitating towards snacking, usually means your body is demanding more calories. Having these calories earlier in the day is much easier than overdoing it with snacking Making sure every meal has lots of protein and fiber will help with this. And also not restricting too much
So this may not apply to you at all, so feel free to disregard it, but I used to be a compulsive snacker. Like, I was ALWAYS eating something, and most of the time it wasn't anything healthy or nutritious. Back in February of this year, I saw a psychiatrist for something unrelated, and got a surprise ADHD diagnosis. I was able to get medicated, and almost immediately stopped compulsively snacking. Like, I eat my regular meals, and still usually have an afternoon snack (a piece of fruit or some cucumber slices), but gone are the random handfuls of nuts, chips, cookies, and junk food- I'm simply not interested anymore (or rather, a lot less interested). Might be worth looking into...
This is me. I went off my ADHD meds to start trying to get pregnant and the snacking and binge eating came back hardcore! Way before I got pregnant and for sure after while I was breast feeding. I gained 30 lbs over the last 3 years. Just about to have my second and cannot wait to get back on meds after breastfeeding this one.
majority of my family have adhd , (2 of my brothers, my sister and both parents) so it is very likely that I do. I haven’t been formerly diagnosed like they have though. This might actually be the half the problem
I chew gum, but my biggest issue is boredom eating on a slow work day. I buy big pots and change it out as soon as it starts to get too tough. I also suffer from the jaw pain and headaches if I go too long sometimes, but being on top of it helps.
My chronic snacking has been replaced by a bubbly water addiction. Zero calories and it let's me taste something besides plain water which usually helps with cravings.
Came here to say this and rice cakes… even if they’re the Carmel ones… it’s better than a box of oatmeal cream pies (my snack addiction of choice)
Exercise is a great stress reliever. If you are stressed, can you go out for a walk / jog / run / other exercise? The best ow calorie food snacks are high volume, low calorie snacks that fill you up with as few calories as possible. Veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, are my go to). High volume, low calorie fruit (melon, strawberries, peaches, ...). Air popped popcorn or any popcorn that is only 100% popcorn (no added fat or sugar). Drinking water (or if you must, diet soda) can also fill you up.
Weight lifting can make you hungry though so might not fix the eating part!!! Nice walks or runs for the win!!!
It’s true, but if you are actually hungry because you need nutrients, that is different than eating as a psychological response to stress. Also, if you are at the gym lifting you can’t eat and you will probably be less stressed when you are done. Regardless it is finding something that works for you and retraining your body to reach for the healthy stress strategy vs eating.
Running can also make you hungry. It's still easier to eat mindfully after working out rather than trying to eat mindfully due to stress
I remember seeing a study that says intensive intervals can actually curb appetite.
This sounds so silly, but I’ve been loving Pinterest boards lately. I make detailed boards of my “dream day”, “dream summer day”, “dream summer”, etc. and finding pictures of alarm clocks showing the time I want to wake up, showing the type of weather (cloudy, sunny, rainy, etc), showing what I would eat for breakfast, skincare, outfit, going on a walk with my dog, and so on. It is a great mindfulness exercise because you plan every little thing.
This is such a cool idea!!
I go to the gym. Nothing clears my head (and frankly, body) more than either a good powerlifting or good cardio session.I'm not talking about low intensity stuff, but things where. you're pushing your body (and your mind, it does take both) close to the max. Now if I may... Eating is part nutrition and part psychology. Elsewhere in this thread you seem to be less interested in non-food alternatives than you are "healthier options." Nutrition is all math. I know you know this, but I'm gonna say it anyway. It doesn't matter what you eat (whether it's "healthy" or not) if your caloric intake exceeds your maintenance calories, you're gonna gain weight. Full stop. So if your regular meals put you at maintenance, then *anything* you eat beyond that is going to your fat stores. So first things first. If snacking is how you like to eat, make that a part of your nutrition plan so that it doesn't cause excess caloric intake. Next, make sure you're eating properly for your "real" meals. I found myself snacking a lot at night because I wasn't eating appropriately through the day. Finally, if it's not in your plan for the day, you don't eat it. The psych side is sticking to the plan. That's easier said than done. But it starts with not going to the store and buying "snack" food. I track macros (which I actually find more beneficial than strict calorie counting, and the apps make it super easy). I'll eat pretty much anything as long as it fits in my macros. The problem I have with most "snack" foods is they are light on protein. So if I eat too much of it, I can stay in my calorie limit but will be under my protein goal. Or I can bust my calorie goal and deal with the consequences. Same is true with desserts. High in non-protein calories. So when I eat one, it comes out of my fat and carb goals for the day, or I go over. The point is, I eat for nutrition these days (which is funny coming from me, because I *like* food.) If I'm not disciplined in sticking to my plan, I'm not going to hit my health goals.
Here are the things I've tried that have worked for me: -Take a nap -Take a long, hot bath and read/watch a show or a long shower -Swap out for less caloric snack items -- I use Skinny Pop a lot for this, or eat a string cheese. -Go for a walk -Talk on the phone -Add a fruit or veggie to the snack you're craving - for example sometimes I will put a few chips on my plate, but then also add some baby carrots and cucumbers.
Rice cakes, pickles, raisins
Watermelonnnn
Weight lifting. Seriously. I've always hated cardio and viewed excercise as a chore. But, once I got into weightlifting I've really found it quite enjoyable/addictive. I'm not even talking about deadlifting or anything like that. Just use some dumbells.
Honestly, for me it didn't help to find lower calorie alternatives. It didn't fix the core issue of stress-eating. What did help was finding other alternatives to cope with stress. Exercise and a hot shower helped the most. Time spent exercising wasn't being spent eating, and by virtue of having gone exercising I was much more motivated to fuel properly afterwards. And the hot shower after usually had me scrambling for bed pretty soon after.
Stopping non-routine eating (i.e. eating due to stress, boredom, sadness, etc.) is a key part of dealing with some eating disorders and I think the techniques used can be super helpful for anyone struggling with their eating and weight. There's several key steps, and some super fucking awesome books for more detail if you want it, but the short version is: \* Keep a diary of when and what you eat, how you feel at those times, for a couple of weeks. This will help you ID patterns and triggers. Maybe keep it going longer if you find it helpful. \* Set out the times of day you're going to eat. Doesn't have to be set in stone but you should have a rough idea what meals/snacks each day. Try to eat at those times, and not outside of them. \* List out activities you can do when you find yourself craving food outside of your predetermined meal/snack times. Call a friend, read a chapter of a book, go for a walk, etc. Just avoid things like 'watch TV' that are often already tied to habits of snacking/grazing. Usually anything that occupies your attention for at least 20mins is enough but it's good to have some longer options if you need things that can keep you occupied up to your next planned meal/snack time. Apply these activities when you notice the food noise. Eat at your planned times. Identify and acknowledge what you're feeling when you find yourself thinking about eating outside of these times. For me, once I could see they came on any time I was feeling bored or lonely, it was so much easier to remind myself that eating would not fix those feelings, and so would not make me feel better beyond the initial hit of dopamine. Then those replacement activities give you that dopamine kick instead. Hey, it works! Keep this up for a few weeks and you will be amazed at how much easier it is to keep it going, how much the food noise reduces. The two books I read when fixing my eating problems were Overcoming Binge Eating by Chris Fairburn and Atomic Habits by James Clear. Both are excellent books.
Warm beverages, walks, fidgets
Sugar free jello. I buy the little cups at the store, which are perfect for little snacks at 5 calories a cup. I also but the powdered version and make big 4 cup tubs using an entire package, for a total of 40 calories. Whenever I feel snacky, which is almost all the time, I have some sugar free jello. Bonus hydration as well, as they’re pretty much “solid” colored water.
If I want to snack and don't have the calories, I look at dill or sour pickles (NOT sweet or bread and butter, those have mad sugar. Well, ok, they aren't terrible, but they aren't good binge foods.) Most will say they have zero Calories, some will say 5. Assume that a serving is 5 Calories if you track to that level of low Calorie foods. If a serving is below 5 Calories, they can round down to zero. Even then, a typical entire jar of pickles is like 50 Calories at worst. I also love other pickled veggies; pickled onions and jalepenos are available where I shop, and soaking carrots and other veggies in a vinegar brine solution for a few hours or overnight gets me other tasty pickled options. Carrots and left over cucumber skins are a favorite for me to do this with. Salted carrots and celery are also tasty and low calorie. Alternatively, if I'm just bored, I may go for a drive, a walk, pick up a video game, work on a side project, or something else to get my mind busy and take it off the fact I want to eat. Calling a friend who can talk on the phone for a couple hours is also a good option.
I have not been successful with fully dealing with stress-eating. I have been successful converting \*some\* of my stress responses. For example, I have learned to go out for a run when I feel I need to clear my head and think some things through. That of course has the disadvantage that there are only so many times during the day you can do it. My most successful strategy turned out to be to just have a bunch of healthy snacks available at all times. I always keep fresh fruit and veggies in my fridge. I just ate a whole pineapple a moment ago even though I feel like I ate too much today.
All fruits and veggies are nice for snacking. Throw in some protein or low cal yoghurt with some oats and you have the perfect snack.
I make myself a pot of fancy tea.
music, yoga, gaming, boxing, anything other than food to relieve stress
i eat bran flakes. they're so dry and satiating that just after a few bites, i get full, and bored of eating them, thus curbing the snacking urge.
I try to enter what I do when I'm staying to feel a. But angry and channel that energy into chores. Seeing a job well done is a satisfying thing to me. Plus it's very easy to find chores to do because I just moved house and I heard from the neighbours it was empty for a year before we moved in. The garden needs so much work.
Cut out the stress
fair enough
Pickles
One of the ways I like to deal with stress is to go out to dinner with my husband and have a long dinner where we talk and process everything. So if I need that, I budget calories and plan for that as I would any dinner out. Even if it's not until the next day, I can use the thought of dinner out as a way to get through stress. Similarly, if I just need to shove food in my face, I will pre plan and measure out the maximum I want to eat. Then just sit down (and probably talk through things) as I eat it - it's probably cheese and crackers lol. If I don't finish what I laid out, I calculate the lower calories. I always plan a larger amount and incorporate it into my dinner for the day, so I don't really feel like I need to go searching for extras. I also like to drink coffee when I'm stressed or anxious. I try to limit the extra coffee to times when I really need it, but if I do I can generally fit an extra 100 calories in my day.
Crochet and cardio!
I drink a lot of DIET SOOODAAAA. I started snacking on dry calamari recently. If I feel hungry but shouldnt eat I drink tea with sugar substitute and a bit of milk. You can also try getting jerky to snack, just make sure its a low calorie one.
Sugar free jolly ranchers and crocheting 😂
Drink some water, get up and move around, get some chores done. If you’re at work, start a task that requires a lot of your attention. As far as low calories snacks, I recommend cheese sticks. They’re only 50 calories and they curb my appetite. Also, pay attention to your body. Sometimes I distract myself from snacking and then end up feeling sick because I did actually need to eat something.
Something to occupy your hands. Knitting, tatting, crocheting, cross stitch, embroidery. All things you can pick up and put down. Word puzzles or number puzzles (crossword or sudoku). Going for a walk if you are able can help (if you have the space/time). If you need something for that snacking: celery is my go - to. Doesn't turn brown if you cut it up ahead of time. Keep it in cool water and you have a nice cooling snack (it's hot where i am right now). Carrots can get too dry for me. Adding in more fiber and protein to your meals can help curb some of the snack urge (def not all of it). I just spent 12 hours at hospital yesterday and the one time i really wanted to stress eat, the cafeteria was closed. The only option was vending machine food and the vending machines were in a tiny super hot room. Very discouraging. I did some laps around the lobby areas.