Mindless eating

[Climb007]

Hi, I am new here.I can't seem to control my eating in the evening's.diet goes fine during day time , but emotional eating sneaks into my routine regularly. Any tips on how to control this .?

[lucigret]

Hello and welcome Climb007

It does seem to be the evenings that catch people out. I find that if you're hungry in the evening , it is usually because you haven't eaten enough in the day.

I don't know what plan you are following, but can guarantee if you are following a 'diet', it won't work in the long run. Diets give the impression that you will eat in a certain way for so long and when you reach your goal, you stop. That is the point where a lot of people then start to gain weight again. You need to think healthy eating lifestyle that is sustainable for you and I would suggest that you ditch diet/low cal foods, they contain too much sugar and no fat. Incorporate good fat's into your meals and cut down/ out beige carbs that just make you crave more food. All of these changes, in time, especially incorporating good fats, will stop the need to snack because you will find your meals satiating If you are going to follow a calorie controlled plan, then make sure you use the NHS BMI calculator and find the calorie range for you, starting at the high end.

If you haven't already, please take the time to read the Welcome Newbie post, this will help you to navigate the forum, which is best done using the full website and not the app.

Please also take a look at all of the Challenges, Clubs and Events that we have, to help to keep you motivated and engaged with the forum.

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

The above link will take you to all the information you need. Participation is key to success and I would recommend that you at least join the Daily Diary and a Weigh In day of your choice.

Wishing you the best of luck in your weight loss journey and looking forward to seeing you around the forum

[Climb007 in reply to lucigret]

Thanks Lucigret. I have in the past tried every diet trend known! I now hope to be more honest with my self & log my true calorie intake. Being an " emotional eater" .. (I know that is a great excuse!!!) I hope to be more self aware& control my impulse eating 😊 I'm grateful to now be part of this very supportive community. My name us Mary.

[lucigret in reply to Climb007]

Thanks for your reply Mary, lots of us are emotional eaters, I know I am and still battle with it. It does become easier 😊

Hope to see you joining in and being a supportive member of our supportive fab forum 😊

[MMP1]

Hello Climb007. So many of us can relate to you. I echo luciegret's advice regarding the NHS BMI to calculate your caloriess. I am allowed more than I initially thought. I have mostly managed to stay within my allowance. Good luck on your journey.

[Climb007 in reply to MMP1]

Thanks MMP .like us all I have good dayd& bad days. Best of luck to you too😊

[Tiggerr]

Welcome Climb

lucigret & MMP have given you a good starting point, so hopefully what's been said will ring a chord with you and you can start to implement some changes today.

As lucigret has already mentioned, being active here will take you further than you may imagine and good starting points are today's weigh-in... healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

and today's Daily Diary... healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

Saying that, you could wait until tomorrow's weigh-in where you get a better class of losers

Good luck!

[MMP1 in reply to Tiggerr]

Oi! What are you saying about us Sunday lot then? 😊. We are the best😇 he he.

[Tiggerr in reply to MMP1]

[Climb007 in reply to Tiggerr]

Thanks Tigger...to be totally honest I've been in a long term toxic relationship. .....with my Bathroom Scales😀 we have now officially broken up 😊😊 I don't have the nerve to stand on the scales these days as finding or I haven't lost a pound despite what I consider a major effort upsets me. I am hoping that by being honest on this forum with a lovely community will be of benefit....btw..I moved the scales to the spare bedroom & I'm much happier!!

[Tiggerr in reply to Climb007]

I can understand that.

Regardless of whether you join a weigh-in group, I do hope you'll become a regular user of the Daily Diary. You may find that over time you will come to appreciate approaches you may not have considered previously.

I don't mean that to sound in any way braggy but we've been taught such bad ways over the past decades, as to how to lose weight, it's no wonder we do end up beating ourselves up and having spats with our scales

[Hidden]

Hi Climb007 I'm new to the group also as I joined on Monday. I can completely understand where you are coming from. I think the fact that we both joined says a lot about us and that we want to loose weight. We have made the tricky first step in helping ourselves by joining and posting our comments. With the support of the group I confident we will do better than on our own.

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to Hidden]

Hi and welcome, Yesyoucan1

Very wise words, I couldn't agree more

I hope you'll follow the links that have been provided for Climb007 by lucigret and Tiggerr and will also become an active member of our community.

Wishing you all the best

[Hidden in reply to moreless]

Thank you moreless, I'm learning how to navigate the site at the moment, I'm sure I will sus it out soon to make sure I get the most from it. All tips and hints gratefully received.😊

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to Hidden]

Follow the link to Pinned Posts healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... and read the Welcome Newbie post, as that will give you all the guidance you need

[MMP1 in reply to Hidden]

Definitely.

[Climb007 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Yesucan, with a name like that know you can😀😀 . Ye I totally agree it's trickery facing this challenge ( ivevtried and failed and succeeded in the past) this group seems lovely ..so supportive. I've never in the past shared such details online & I now feel so lucky to be on here. I know you will do great. Our unity is our strength😀

[Hidden in reply to Climb007]

Hi Climb007 Thank you, yes you are right it's so nice having the support.

It's so hard trying to shed the pounds on your own. I'm still getting to grips with the site but everyone is so supportive with tips and hints that I already feel like part of a community of like minded people.

I'm a typical yo yo dieter, over the years I have lost it and piled it back on

but as I have got older I find the weight lose much slower.

I get frustrated with myself because I know what to eat to loose weight, I know that I'm a comfort eater and stress triggers me to binge, I'm so fed up with my clothes not fitting me and having a wardrobe full of clothes still with the labels on that I can't get into.

Hence why I chose the name, I have to keep reminding myself that even though I'm the heaviest I've ever been and I have 6 stone to loose I can do this with all you lovely folks help.

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to Hidden]

If you keep heading back to Pinned Posts, following the link that lucigret gave when she welcomed you to the forum, you'll soon get to grips with things

[CherryN 2st 7lbs]

Hello Climb007 ,

Welcome to the group and good luck on your journey. I wish I could give advice on how to stop snacking. I had the same problem as you (along with a terrible lack of will power). The first thing I did on my weightloss journey was to stop snacking at night. 9 weeks in I don’t even think about snacking in the evenings. I hope you find this once you get into a routine. I hope it continues for me too! I have found that by gradually building up my time spent exercising my evening is busier and I don’t spend as much time on the sofa in front of the tv eating.

[Climb007 in reply to CherryN]

Thanks very much CherryN.well done on your success that's a great achievement to stop the evening snacking. On a good day I am a world class expert on dieting..but then I might get bored or upset & go straight to the fridge. ( I joke with my friends that it would be worse if I focused on alcohol or worse for my fix) I wil ai to practice your advice.Hope you have a good low calorie week!

[Nellyxx]

Hey, I’m new too and the have the same snack-attacks in the evening. I’m finding if I have a bath in the evening with a nice low calorie drink it helps distract me. It’s only day 4 for me but I’m feeling hopeful. Good luck 😊

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to Nellyxx]

Hi and welcome, Nellyxx

All of the information you need about the forum can be found in Pinned Posts healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... and I hope you'll be joining all the Events, Challenges and Clubs that we run, especially a weigh-in and the daily diary.

We've found active participation to be key to successful weight loss and, of course, it's a good way to get to know people, find inspiration and share support and encouragement.

Wishing you all the best

[Pineapple27]

Hi Climb007 well done on identifying an "issue"! It's demonstrating that you have made a breakthrough to identifying habits which can be worked on and broken....

Ideally you should get to a point where you can break the habit of eating between main meals. There are many health benefits to breaking the snacking habit. Many of the snack foods that people turn to for a quick “fix” between meals are highly processed (crisps, cakes, biscuits, chocolate, sweets, fizzy drinks) but these are things which are more likely to lead to a “spike” in blood sugar levels which will be followed by a “slump” - leaving you feeling hungry soon after eating them. Lots of rises and falls in blood sugar levels could lead to an increased risk of developing Diabetes.

Ensure that you eat at regular times and that your food / meals are ready to eat ahead of those times. Ensure all meals are substantial and filling (as per BridgeGirl 's advice) - containing a good balance of protein (lean meat, lentils, pulses, beans) or some healthy fats (oily fish, avocado, nuts, seeds) which will help keep hunger at bay.

Here are some simple ideas to help with resisting snacks and eating between meal times:

• Stop keeping snacks in the house and if you need to have snacks, keep them out of sight in a cupboard or in a tin

• Buy individually wrapped biscuits; never eat more than one

• Try and swap to eating things like fruit, measured portions of nuts (healthy but calorific), dried fruit

• Try drinking a large glass of water instead of eating a snack - often thirst is mistaken for hunger

Boredom eating - if or when watching TV, take note of the number of times that food makes an appearance - either in the various cookery programmes but also in the advertisements. Advertisements showing ice creams, pizza and other tempting foods are designed to make you think about food and trigger cravings and send you rushing off to the kitchen.

It’s much easier to resist temptation if you’re aware that advertisers are deliberately trying to manipulate you in order to sell their product.

When the advertisements come on, who not take a 5 minute break away from the TV? Stretch your legs or have a glass of water or a hot drink? Fold up some dry washing or mute the sound and check your emails - anything to keep your mind occupied and away from the temptation on your TV screen.

Find a hobby that takes you away from the television or keeps your mind distracted - something that can replace your snacking habit?

Good luck with working on this - I know it's a problem area for me too - even 7 years on!

[Climb007 in reply to Pineapple27]

Hi Pineapple27, thank you so much for your advice. I will focus on your suggestions. I have read your blog & many of your posts. You are an inspiration & font of knowledge. ( currently adjusting to social isolation from Covid etc and dealing with grief) being on this forum over the last 2 weeks has been a gift to me during these challenging times. Thank you for all your postings on HU.