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Thread: Snack Control

  1. #1

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    Default Snack Control

    I, like many other people it seems, have the bad habit of snacking when bored. I don't do it for taste, I don't do it because I'm hungry - I just do it habitually to keep occupied. Trying to distract myself with work doesn't go because well...I don't like working.

    Anyone else have this problem? Anyone know a good way to break the habit?

    I've heard of chewing gum to stop, but I've found that just doesn't work (for me, anyways).

  2. #2
    Abe Froman Risker's Avatar
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    How about just changing what you snack on? Keep some chopped up celery, carrots etc in the fridge?
    "I don't want to live on this planet any more" - Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth

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    Default Re: Snack Control

    I do snack on those (also a lot of dried fruit). I just think it's a bad habit to continue so I'd like to stop it completely.

  4. #4
    Abe Froman Risker's Avatar
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    Why's that bad? As long as what you're snacking on is healthy I don't see the problem.
    "I don't want to live on this planet any more" - Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth

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    Default Re: Snack Control

    Because when I started my diet (I'm about 10 pounds overweight), I realised my snacking was causing me to consume far too many calories per day. If I can stop it (or at least reduce it, I suppose) it would be much easier to control my weight.

  6. #6

    Default Re: Snack Control

    try knitting. it keeps your hands busy!

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    Keep eating in the kitchen. No food in front of the TV, computer or in the car. People tend to eat too much when they aren't paying attention to the meal or snack. Also be sure you have portions, and not the entire bag available. The first two weeks it'll be all you can think of, since it is a habit (be sure to keep reminding yourself of that). After that it gets easier until you don't have the urge anymore.

  8. #8
    sugarmouse
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    have lots of water or sugar free drinks to keep yuor mouth occupied...
    Clean yuor teeth every time yuo eat, then yuo are less tempted to dirty them again and no food tastes nice straight after brushing yuor teeth if you are a toothpaste user!

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    Abe Froman Risker's Avatar
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    Quote Bic View Post
    Because when I started my diet (I'm about 10 pounds overweight), I realised my snacking was causing me to consume far too many calories per day. If I can stop it (or at least reduce it, I suppose) it would be much easier to control my weight.
    Oh ok. You probably already know but eating celery actually results in negative calories.
    "I don't want to live on this planet any more" - Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth

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    Default Re: Snack Control

    I'll start some of those today (eating only in kitchen, brushing teeth, etc.) today and try to learn knitting or another hand-occupying hobby when I get the chance.
    Thanks for your advice everyone!

    EDIT: I'm more of a carrot than celery person. Celery is one of the few veggies that I don't really like. I suppose if I cut them up and mix them with my carrots I won't mind them so much, though.

  11. #11

    Default Re: Snack Control

    i like the advice of drinking lots of water - i keep a HUGE bottle of water with me everywhere and sometimes i'll flavor it with just a bit of juice. the act of drinking actually becomes an addiction if i have the water sitting right there by me and it tastes good. i just keep going for more!

  12. #12
    yum! angelamc's Avatar
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    I also drink lots of water and try not to snack randomly. If I feel an overwhelming desire to snack unnecessarily I will draw with colored pencils or color in a coloring book. Anything that keeps your hands busy will help, even if it was meant for a little kid! Knitting is also a great idea.

  13. #13
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    I used to eat grapefruit a lot - it took me ages because I'd peel all the skin off the segments and generally disembowel it while eating it, so each grapefruit, not the most calorific of fruits in the first place, took me about half an hour to eat.

    I really need to get away from my bad snacking habits, I've put on over a stone since September

  14. #14

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    Default Re: Snack Control

    Quote twinkle View Post
    I used to eat grapefruit a lot - it took me ages because I'd peel all the skin off the segments and generally disembowel it while eating it, so each grapefruit, not the most calorific of fruits in the first place, took me about half an hour to eat.

    I really need to get away from my bad snacking habits, I've put on over a stone since September
    That's a really good idea, I have some tangerines from Florida in the kitchen (family member just got back from visiting there).

    Haha, we shall strive to end our bad snacking together! This forum reminds me vaguely of weight watchers sometimes - except with snarkiness, wit and a bigger conversation range.

  15. #15
    yum! angelamc's Avatar
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    -This forum reminds me vaguely of weight watchers sometimes-
    That's an interesting sentiment. You're right, sometimes it's totally like vegan weight watchers. I think I'm going to research their food point system- and then probably ignore it...

  16. #16
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    I control snacking by not keeping "junk" food in the house. I realise that may not work for most people (living w/ family or roommates), but I practically live alone so it's great. That way the only time I have to exercise self control is while I'm at the grocery store. And if I want a snack, I have to eat something healthy.

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    Default Re: Snack Control

    Quote Bic View Post
    I, like many other people it seems, have the bad habit of snacking when bored. I don't do it for taste, I don't do it because I'm hungry - I just do it habitually to keep occupied. Trying to distract myself with work doesn't go because well...I don't like working.

    Anyone else have this problem? Anyone know a good way to break the habit?

    I've heard of chewing gum to stop, but I've found that just doesn't work (for me, anyways).
    Bic, I have the same problem... and once I start I can't stop. Somebody at work yesterday offered me a chocolate, saying 'one won't hurt' but actually one does hurt as it sets me off on an 'eating extravanganza' and off I go in search of something else. After all, what's the point of one chocolate, one biscuit/one potato chip? Just teases the tastebuds if you ask me! I'm an all or nothing person ... I had thought I might give the old '3 meals a day' a go with nothing inbetween. Total abstinence!

  18. #18
    puffin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    Its hard not to snack. I am at home most of the time so its easy to just have a look in the cupboard to see what there is to munch. I have been doing really well lately and the thing that helps me is when i go in the kitchen i put the kettle on instead and make a peppermint tea.

  19. #19
    Haniska's Avatar
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    Great idea puffin!
    it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble

  20. #20
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    I also find that when I'm bored I eat and eat and eat. My New Year's resolution this year was to eat only when I'm actually hungry. I've found that when I'm bored now, I just drink a lot of fluids...especially something like Crystal Light or coffee. It's worked for me so far and I'm well hydrated

  21. #21
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    Today I've decided to keep an HONEST food diary . Not so I can count calories (not at the moment anyway), but just to get an overall view of what I'm eating (too much ) I find it very easy to forget the 3 biscuits and the crisps etc. so I'm hoping this will help me plan my meals better. Anyone else keep a food diary and does it help or just make you fixate on food ??
    here comes the sun

  22. #22
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    I've been keeping a food diary for a couple of months now, and I find it really helps me to be more conscious of my diet. In that sense I guess it does make you focus more on food, but in a good way.

    If you're recording it honestly then you can keep track of what foods you typically consume, whether it's too much or too little and what might be lacking in your diet. For example, I started doing it to keep an eye on whether I'm getting enough calories, fat, protein, fruit & veggies, etc. I've since made a lot of improvements as a result
    "Born on the same planet, Covered by the same skies..."

  23. #23
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    i've been keeping a food and sleep diary for a few weeks now. i was starting to feel really tired, so i wanted to see if my eating and sleeping habits were having anything to do with it. i decided i'm probably not getting enough iron, so i'm remedying that asap

    amanda

  24. #24
    AR Activist Roxy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    I keep a food diary every day (except for one day a week, which is my "cheat day"). I use http://www.fitday.com/. This helps me keep track of what I eat, my calorie and fat intake as well as all other essential nutrients.

  25. #25
    mango woman
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    Roxy,

    do you end up creating a lot of your own 'custom foods' in fitday then? I always end up doing that because there's never the foods i eat.. basically the breads/random stuff

  26. #26
    nervine
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    Quote Ginger View Post
    Today I've decided to keep an HONEST food diary . Not so I can count calories (not at the moment anyway), but just to get an overall view of what I'm eating (too much ) I find it very easy to forget the 3 biscuits and the crisps etc. so I'm hoping this will help me plan my meals better. Anyone else keep a food diary and does it help or just make you fixate on food ??
    It's not the amount of calories that count, it's where you get your calories from. You still need the same amount of calories for energie. You simply have the let the vast majority come from fruit and veg. Not dried fruits, they are a junkfood too. If you crave a junkfood than that's because you don't eat enough calories from the right source. Counting your calories and keeping them under your recommended amount makes you crave junk even more.

  27. #27
    nervine
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    Quote flying plum View Post
    i've been keeping a food and sleep diary for a few weeks now. i was starting to feel really tired, so i wanted to see if my eating and sleeping habits were having anything to do with it. i decided i'm probably not getting enough iron, so i'm remedying that asap

    amanda
    Do you mind sharing your food diary? food and sleep have everything to do with feeling tired. I doubt you have not enough iron. You can take all the iron (be it supplements or foods) you want, if your digestion is a nightmare it'll all come out again anyway.

  28. #28
    nervine
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    Alternatively, every time you wanna snack, work out. Then eat lots of fruit and veg

  29. #29
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    In the last few months I seem to have lost my taste for fruit. So instead of snaking on healthy stuff, I've been eating cookies, crisps, and sweets etc. Things are getting better now. I've started carrying raisins around with me and I'll eat those whenever I feel peckish. Eating plenty of fruit and veg was never really a problem for me until recently. With luck me craving for junk will end soon.

  30. #30
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    I started avoiding fruit for a while too, but then I started dipping it in agave nectar . It added just the right sweetness to make me like eating fruit again!
    "Man can do as he wills, but not will as he wills" - Arthur Schopenhauer

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    Default Re: Snack Control

    Quote theashleybeyer View Post
    Roxy,

    do you end up creating a lot of your own 'custom foods' in fitday then? I always end up doing that because there's never the foods i eat.. basically the breads/random stuff

    Yes, I have a huge list of custom foods

  32. #32
    nervine
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    Quote coconut View Post
    In the last few months I seem to have lost my taste for fruit. So instead of snaking on healthy stuff, I've been eating cookies, crisps, and sweets etc. Things are getting better now. I've started carrying raisins around with me and I'll eat those whenever I feel peckish. Eating plenty of fruit and veg was never really a problem for me until recently. With luck me craving for junk will end soon.
    This usuallly indicates that you don't get enough calories. Make smoothies with big amounts of fruit and veg in them. That's easier to get down than to sit there and chew down like 6 pieces of fruit.

  33. #33
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    I'll have to buy a new food processor first. The old one's completely knackered I could start buying Innocent smoothies in the meantime. I used to love them.

  34. #34
    nervine
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    Quote coconut View Post
    I'll have to buy a new food processor first. The old one's completely knackered I could start buying Innocent smoothies in the meantime. I used to love them.
    Pointless, don't waste your money. They've been pasteurised, most if not all vitamins are gone. Drink water

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    Default Re: Snack Control

    Quote nervine View Post
    This usuallly indicates that you don't get enough calories. Make smoothies with big amounts of fruit and veg in them. That's easier to get down than to sit there and chew down like 6 pieces of fruit.
    That's what I do-I get most of my vegetables in my smoothies.

  36. #36
    nervine
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    Quote hollybee View Post
    That's what I do-I get most of my vegetables in my smoothies.
    I'm drinking one right now 2 bananas, big handful of lettuce, big handful of parsley and some almondmilk.

  37. #37
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    Darn it! I'm drinking a smoothie right now (fresh orange juice, banana, mango) and I have a whole bunch of kale in the fridge and I forgot to add some! Oh well, I'll use the kale tonight in my dinner, but I was hoping to eat it raw.
    "Man can do as he wills, but not will as he wills" - Arthur Schopenhauer

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    Quote nervine View Post
    I'm drinking one right now 2 bananas, big handful of lettuce, big handful of parsley and some almondmilk.
    I thought I was the only one who put lettuce in my smoothies! I like them with carrots, too. I always put seaweed in mine, too (for the iodine).

  39. #39

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    Default Re: Snack Control

    I don't know, sometimes I think we've been told so often that snacking isn't healthy that we believe it but for me, a lot depends on what I'm snacking, not how much. So if you're snacking on healthy foods (carrots, celery, dry fruit) and not a ton (such as, say a pound of dry fruit a day in snacks ) then I don't know that I'd worry too much.

    One thing you might try is rearranging your meals so that instead of 3 big meals and a few snacks, you're eating 6 mini meals. Mini meals means including the basic food groups (protein, carbs, fats) in each mini meal. Then you're eating roughly every 3-4 hours and may not feel the need to snack. Also, from a metabolic standpoint, I think it's supposed to be healthier.

    I started doing this about a year ago and noticed it really helped me with feeling hungry all the time.

    A mini meal doesn't even have to be something elaborate. It can be hummus and veggies and a piece of fruit, or some nuts and a piece of fruit or slice of bread with PB and piece of fruit.

    Tam

  40. #40
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    Quote nervine View Post
    You simply have the let the vast majority come from fruit and veg. Not dried fruits, they are a junkfood too. If you crave a junkfood than that's because you don't eat enough calories from the right source. Counting your calories and keeping them under your recommended amount makes you crave junk even more.
    Why is dried fruit junk? i eat dates all the time and they are 99% dates and a little veg oil, whats wrong with that?

  41. #41
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    They are pure sugar(!), and not much in the way of nutrients. I can tell by the way that I want to throw up when I eat more than two, and yet I want to keep eating them :P
    it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble

  42. #42
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    Is that to me Haniska? Yes fruit sugar but no added sugar in the ones i eat
    Anyways i have given dried fruit up from yesterday because i snack on it to much so if i dont buy it i shall save myself a few cals a day.

  43. #43

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    Default Re: Snack Control

    Try celery sticks - a bit of an acquired taste but low calorie count if that is what worries you.

  44. #44

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    Quote puffin View Post
    Why is dried fruit junk? i eat dates all the time and they are 99% dates and a little veg oil, whats wrong with that?
    I suspect they are looked down on because a dried fruit is a concentrated product - that includes the sugars. It is not that the product is bad for you per se, it is just that you are going to eat far more of the dried fruit than the fresh fruit before you feel satisfied and will be taking in way more nutrients (including sugar) in the process. On the whole probably not a bad thing but if you are trying to lose weight that and the oils from nuts might become a hindrance if eaten in too large quantities.

    Not sure if that is correct but that is what I gathered from all that I have read on this subject (which is not much).

  45. #45
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    Quote puffin View Post
    Is that to me Haniska? Yes fruit sugar but no added sugar in the ones i eat
    Anyways i have given dried fruit up from yesterday because i snack on it to much so if i dont buy it i shall save myself a few cals a day.
    Hey Puffin. Yeah, that was to you. I'm not judging you, you just asked why they are considered unhealthy. If you eat medjool dates (I have a box sitting on my counter) they have 16 grams of sugar each. That is like eating 4 tsp of sugar! Of course, if you eat more than one you can do the math. The USDA recommends that we get no more than 40 grams of sugar each day. That includes ketchup and everything.
    it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble

  46. #46
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    I recommend licorice roots....carry them everywhere.....I have piccies of my beloved and I out in the Canadian wilderness (naked of course ) ...lo and behold...is that a licorice root in his mouth?

    Hee hee. The first one I gave him wuz yukky and almost put him off... butt he's now a fan! They are great at satisfying 'oral urges' (ahem.... ) and are handy if you can't fynd vegan snacks on the go and you're feelin' kinda peckish...they are also great for the teeth (great as toothbrush substitutes if you're wilderness camping)....and for general fidget-ness and boredom and nail-biting.....and for chomping/sucking while yer sitting in frunt of a computer....
    "You can discover more about a person in one hour of play than in a year of conversation" ~ Plato

  47. #47
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    Quote Haniska View Post
    Hey Puffin. Yeah, that was to you. I'm not judging you, you just asked why they are considered unhealthy. If you eat medjool dates (I have a box sitting on my counter) they have 16 grams of sugar each. That is like eating 4 tsp of sugar! Of course, if you eat more than one you can do the math. The USDA recommends that we get no more than 40 grams of sugar each day. That includes ketchup and everything.
    Oh right, thanks. No they are just normal dried dates.
    I thought fruit sugar and cane sugar were two differnent things and i didnt think fruit sugar would be in your daily recommended amount.
    Thanks for the info.

    Thanks Robert, yeah never thought of it like that.

  48. #48
    AR Activist Roxy's Avatar
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    Quote Heartsease View Post
    I recommend licorice roots....carry them everywhere.....I have piccies of my beloved and I out in the Canadian wilderness (naked of course ) ...lo and behold...is that a licorice root in his mouth?

    Hee hee. The first one I gave him wuz yukky and almost put him off... butt he's now a fan! They are great at satisfying 'oral urges' (ahem.... ) and are handy if you can't fynd vegan snacks on the go and you're feelin' kinda peckish...they are also great for the teeth (great as toothbrush substitutes if you're wilderness camping)....and for general fidget-ness and boredom and nail-biting.....and for chomping/sucking while yer sitting in frunt of a computer....

    Have you been buying those here Heartsease? Do you mind if I ask where you get them?

  49. #49
    Va'amish Heartsease's Avatar
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    Quote Roxy View Post
    Have you been buying those here Heartsease? Do you mind if I ask where you get them?
    Um...I bought one batch from Natural Focus in Burnaby butt I have bought them elsewhere too...can't remember where, sorry. They can usually be found in any health food shop/store, in my experience, whether in Canada or the UK. Somethymes they are hiding tho ..so you might want to ask.
    "You can discover more about a person in one hour of play than in a year of conversation" ~ Plato

  50. #50
    AR Activist Roxy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Snack Control

    OK Thanks! Where in Burnaby is Natural Focus?

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