help, i'm addicted to snacks

i dont know what to do to control my eating habits. becoming more active is definatly not an issue for me, however controlling my cravings is.

i eat several times a day. i can practically see the pounds packing on, it's getting that bad. i can generally go a few days with good habits but then something makes me break once and i just end up back in the same place.

i'm at the heaviest i've ever been. my sister went through the same problem, she is now around 300 pounds. i do not want to end up like her.

it is especially difficult since i have recently quit smoking. what can i do to stay away from the snacks?

Mon. Apr 21, 3:59am

You can take one or more approaches.

You can make environmental changes by getting rid of all the high calorie, tempting foods out of the house and restock with fresh fruits and vegetables.

You can find an alternative to mindless eating - like requiring yourself to go for a 10-15 minute walk outsite before you allow yourself to eat. Sometimes just having a small distraction can short circuit that desire to eat.

You can allow yourself to eat, but before you do you make a consicous declaration of your intention. Sometimes just saying out loud - I'm going to eat this even though I don't need it. It won't help me lose weight, but I just feel like eating right now - is enough to make you go 'ugh' and pull you out of that unconscious eating habit.

You can change your mindset around food - I've found Beck's Diet Solution very helpful for this.

I would recommend the last one just so you can gain some control over your mindless eating and how you use food. It helps you stick with those good habits. You are in control! Every bite you take is a decision and it either gets you closer or farther away from your goals.

Monday, April 21, 2008, 8:23 AM

Get healthy snacks! Don't buy snacks with High Fructose corn syrup, food dyes, preservatives, hydrogenated oils. The "healthy" section of your grocery store will have great replacements for all of your favorite foods. These new foods are made without all the crap. They also contain whole grains that will keep you full and satisfied. Most of them use natural sugar alternatives like molasses, and the like.

Monday, April 21, 2008, 10:23 AM

OP -

I agree with the PP but can you describe your environment?
What kind of snacks are around and can they be removed?
I say diet success begins at the grocery store - shop the perimeter and stock your home and workplace with heathy snacks like:
carrot sticks, lowfat yogurt or fatfree cottage cheese, strawberries, bananas, apples, pickles, etc... fill up on that and you will be okay
+ drink lots of water.
I struggle with my weight like everyone, but when I see people at the grocery store with sausages and ships and sugary snacks and processed foods, I know that then they are just doomed from the minute they leave that store...
OPEN UP THOSE cupboards and throw that carby badness out! then go to the store and
stock your house with fresh light beautiful foods and you can suceed!
In your workplace eat a healthy light snack every two hours, and that will help a ton!
YOU CAN DO IT ! !

Monday, April 21, 2008, 10:25 AM

i am generally a very healthy eater when it comes to what kind of foods i'm eating. when i grocery shop i load up on fresh veggies and fruits, milk and juice, and ingredients to use in my kitchen because i enjoy cooking meals and making everything from scratch. a good snack to me is a few slices of cucumber and some carrot or a smoothie made only of fresh fruit, spinach and orange juice. i like to stay away from processed food.

my problem at the moment is that i have about 5 dollars to my name once my bills are taken care of (i'm 21 and trying to support myself, and the cost of living here has goten quite bad in the past couple years). i haven't gone grocery shopping in over a month because once my bills are paid i simply have nothing except a few dollars to make sure i have food for my bunny. my roomates make quite a bit more than i do and thankfully they understand and don't mind the extra mouth to feed.. the problem is my roomate is the same size i am (we weighed together and are the same, though she has much smaller boobs) and she loves to snack. her grocery cart is filled with cookies and chips and soda and everything UNhealthy. they order chinese or kfc (i wouldnt touch kfc even if i was starving though) 2 or 3 times a week. and even when i can afford to go grocery shopping, more often than not the 'healthy' section foods are always pricier than everything else.

i drink a lot of water and some milk when i can. my roomie did me a favor by buying me a bag of lemons and limes and i like to put a few slices in a bottle of water (hate straight water).

in about a month i'll be living in a much cheaper city with my fiance, at a higher paying job in a much cheaper place. once there i can resume my regular eating habits. but for now i feel disgusting and miserable. i don't want to do this for another month.

Monday, April 21, 2008, 3:48 PM

sorry forgot to mention in that long post i am the OP

and yeah.. when i have healthy foods i notice i feel filled up easier and my eating habits are much better. but right now... i feel like crap.

Monday, April 21, 2008, 3:50 PM

You're in a tough spot, OP. Hang in there. Can you afford even the makings of a basic salad? That way, if you're eating what your roommates bring home for dinner you can load up on a big salad so you eat less of the junk? Even if it's iceberg - at least it's filling.

Hey, you could always become one of those Freegans! They troll dumpsters and find perfectly good food thrown out. Aside from less than perfect produce they find lots of food that's packaged and thrown out before its expiration date ;)

I say just hang in there until you can afford to do more shopping for yourself. Minimize the damage as much as you can. Take up smoking, drink tons of coffee - anything you can to kill the appetite (just kidding!)

Monday, April 21, 2008, 3:58 PM

Normally I don't advocate putting things on a credit card but if it is just one month that you are in this situation and you know you will have money once you move maybe use your credit card for $50 or $80 to buy some healthy staples.

Monday, April 21, 2008, 4:18 PM

yeah use the cc for once...
just eat your own cheap stuff and you will lose weight...
cheap healthy food:

bag of apples
bag of green peppers
loaf of whole wheat bread
cans of beans
bag of carrots
cans of tuna
powdered milk
water

eat only that and you will lose weight and save $

Monday, April 21, 2008, 4:58 PM

The way that I lost weight, even though my husband keeps all that junk food around, was to remind myself constantly that it is "his" and not "ours" or "mine." He wouldn't care if I ate it, and I know that. But, in my mind, I had to make it his.

Since your roommates are buying all the food, try and make it mentally "their" food and not "yours." Then, eating the unhealthy snack food is "stealing," which isn't very nice to do to someone who is providing your meals.

No, I don't think you're actually stealing. I'm just making up a mental game you could play with yourself. Think, "well, if I eat it, then it's not left for them, so they can't eat it. That's not fair to them."

Monday, April 21, 2008, 5:08 PM

thanks for the suggestions everyone

i dont have a cc to even consider, i don't even qualify for one, otherwise i would and would have at least a few staples. i do have that 'mine theirs ours' thought going on too, i don't touch all the chips or the pop, but everything else is still just as bad. they don't buy veggies. or anything fresh. it's all garbage, every single thing. the only thing they eat that is close to actually FOOD is take out chinese and KFC. last week she came home and said 'hey i went grocery shopping if you're hungry'

i wandered into the kitchen to find boxes of oreos, pastries, teddy grahams, several 2L bottles of coke, and brownies.

i have a box of rice which is much better than what they are buying but it's about enough to last two days. i literally have nothing else.

you know that feeling you get after you force down a mcdonalds meal? that's what i've got. all the time. dunno what to do. dont understand how they eat like this and dont feel sick all the time.

Monday, April 21, 2008, 8:05 PM

I would recommend cutting sugar completely out of your diet. They say that you should do things in moderation, but if you eat sugar than you crave it. Once you cut it out, the cravings go away.

Monday, April 21, 2008, 8:48 PM

Go for the teddy grahams - they're the least bad...

okay, here is what you do, say to your roomates, "listen, can I borrow ten bucks for some food and I will pay you back in a month". And then go and get :

1 bag of apples
1 bag of green peppers
1 loaf of whole wheat bread
1 bag of carrots

That's it for the week... repeat next Monday... Can you get ten bucks ? ?

and at least you will have something to supplement those teddy grahams & chinese. Eat an apple and a green pepper and a couple of carrots and a few pieces of the bread throughout each day and back off on the other stuff and there you are...

Can you do that ? ?

if not at least take your five bucks and go get some generic oatmeal and generic raisins for your breakfast! I think you could get a good bit of oatmeal and raisins for a fiver... have you got an Aldi's nearby ?

Monday, April 21, 2008, 9:02 PM

Aldi's prices:

http://www.momadvice.com/blog/2006/08/aldi-supermarket-price-sheet-store.htm

Monday, April 21, 2008, 9:09 PM

Wow, that is a bad scene OP ! !

- what are you going to DO about it ? ?

Monday, April 21, 2008, 9:26 PM

okay, I am going to stop dominating this post but you can do something OP !...

Oatmeal (Quick Oats).Cost per 42 oz box: $1.29 (ALDI) Cost per serving: 4 cents
Beans (Pinto). Cost per 2 pound bag: $.79 (ALDI) Cost per serving: 6 cents
Bananas. Cost per pound: $.25 (ALDI Cost per serving: 12 cents
Carrots. Cost per 2 lb bag (ALDI): $.79 Cost per serving: 5 cents

Monday, April 21, 2008, 10:09 PM

Hi Op your post hit really close to my situation, I too am a junk food eater and yo yo from healthy to crap eating..
I wish you luck and will watch this thread

Monday, April 21, 2008, 10:16 PM

$2 a day...

this is kindof intersting...

http://thinkmcfly.wordpress.com/2008/01/14/2-a-day-day-one/

not good, but better than junk...

Monday, April 21, 2008, 10:36 PM

well i think i've come across the best solution -- i've worked out an agreement at my job that i can eat for free when i'm at work (we have very healthy food tons of fresh food and my boss is a health freak and totally nice) so i'm glad to have this solution. also makes me want to work more often! ha!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008, 2:17 AM

When I quit smoking. I carried around rubber bands to keep my hands busy. I gave up coffee and drinking( I can do it now).I always chewwed gum. I didn't gain any weight. To this day 25 years later I still chew gum with a cup of coffee. Now I am addictted to ice breaker pepperment gum or dentyne Ice. Good Luck! Don't eat instead of smoke Chew gum! get on the internet and share.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008, 2:28 PM

Beans and rice (brown of course).

Tuesday, April 22, 2008, 3:34 PM

The best way to de-snack is to simply make yourself busy. If you are sitting by the television at night you may think, "I need a snack". Instead tell yourself to do something else. I learned to knit and it is really a great hobbie

Friday, May 2, 2008, 10:29 PM

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