Eating out of boredom at work

Hello all. I just got a job as a receptionist at a call center. It is never busy because it is summer. I get extremely bored and turn to food to keep me occupied. It is so hard to stop myself from buying food at the vending machine. I was wondering if anyone had any tips for me on how to avoid binge eating at work?

Tue. Jul 31, 9:33am

Don't have money handy for the vending machine...
Drink water...
Bring low calorie fruit and vegetable snacks...

Can you do something like Sudoku to keep your hands busy and your brain occupied? Read? Plan your exercise and/or menu for the week?

Boredom eating is tough, but anything you can do to distract yourself will help.

Tuesday, July 31, 2007, 9:42 AM

you're at your job and there's nothing for you to do except eat junk from the vending machine? why not ask your supervisor for something to do? or bring a book about self-control and self-empowerment. you are the only one who can stop this habit, right? so ask yourself what advice you would give to someone else with the same issue. you may come up with a solution that you had not thought of before. for instance, you know the job requirements and if you need to stay in one place. you know the options in your work area as far as being able to walk around.

Tuesday, July 31, 2007, 10:16 AM

I understand your problem! I used to do this too especially in the afternoon.
Try drinking lots of water. If you really feel the need to eat, try popping in some sugarless gum. And only have healthy snacks at your desk (nuts, dried fruit, fruit). Get up and walk around for a while then come back to your desk.
Are you eating enough for breakfast? If you have a decent breakfast, esp. with plenty of protein, that can help fight cravings later on in the day.
Good luck!!

Tuesday, July 31, 2007, 10:20 AM

I found that if I didn't have any cash, I couldn't use the vend-o-mat. Seriously. If you can avoid bringing cash with you to work, you'll get over this problem pretty quickly.

Tuesday, July 31, 2007, 5:48 PM

The tip about chewing a piece of gum really does help. Are you allowed to surf the internet while you're at work? There are a few sites that can keep you occupied, like cuteoverload.com, or try playing some brain games on a site like www.aarp.org/fun/puzzles. Good luck!

Tuesday, July 31, 2007, 9:27 PM

how about taking the emphasis off of the snacks from the vending machine and try building up some work ethic? i mean, you're being paid to do a job. if your job isn't fulfilling enough and you find yourself developing bad habits as a result, maybe try to find a more intense job? how about discussing with your supervisor the problem you're having? maybe there are other tasks you can tackle while not busy in the summer months? would you want to pay someone who is just sitting around wrestling with thoughts of the vending machine? i feel confident that your supervisor can find something else for you to do to earn your paycheck.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007, 8:08 AM

you could take a correspondence course and earn a degree.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007, 10:18 AM

Have snacks on hand. It's the only way. Almonds are high fat, but high filling -! Better almonds than candy bar.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007, 10:21 AM

Diet soda in the afternoon is one way I 'shake things up' after noon - takes a while to get down (due to carbonation, etc.) and has no cals. Okay, it's not exatly nutritional, but it's better than cheetos (and do keep your $ at home!).

Wednesday, August 1, 2007, 11:16 AM

so, OP...have any of these tips given you any ideas? it'd be nice to hear back after offering advice, as requested. thanks!!

Thursday, August 2, 2007, 9:04 AM

How To Stop Emotional Eating, Night Eating and Mindless Snacking

New PEERtrainer article on emotional eating:

Link

Friday, June 19, 2009, 12:51 PM

I do it too.

It's a call center... I get the boredom. Sometimes you aren't 'allowed' to do much else but sit there! I started reviewing my French lessons in my head... good for students.

Monday, January 25, 2010, 7:32 AM

Have a snack around or start to play on the computer. if you're really bored, you can play tetris and not even remember you were hungry.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 9:11 AM

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