Boredom eating

Filed in archive Healthy Eating on May 23, 2007

At night I often find myself wanting to put my teeth into something.
I try to think about what it is I really want to do. Do I really want to eat or is it just boredom getting to me?

Most of the times I'm not hungry so I try to ignore the fake hunger and concentrate on something else. Because if I am occupied these thoughts don't come to my mind.
Sometimes the sugar craving is just too much and I haven't got the strength to fight it, then I try and go for a good option instead of the really sugar loaded snacks.

The boredom eating habit is very common and most of us experience it once in a while, especially if you are trying to loose weight. You think about all the things you can't eat instead of thinking of what you actually can eat.
Here's some tips to fight your boredom eating:

Firstly, make sure that you eat properly during the day.
When you get the feeling you want to eat something, stop yourself and think through why you want to eat. Are you hungry or is it just because you are bored?
If the answer is boredom, go and try to fins yourself something to do instead.

A snack at night need not be bad but you have to limit yourself. Forget the cakes and sugary stuff. There are plenty of snacks you can make that won't make you gain weight as soon as you lay your eyes on it.
Good snacks include; nuts - remember that you need to limit your self a little here as well, salty peanuts might not be the best choice. You can eat a little but that's it.
Fruit, make a fruit salad, add some flax seeds and sesame seeds and it gets even better. Have a boiled egg in the fridge for those nights when hunger is talking too loud. Eat it as it is or with some cooked ham or fruit.

The carrot trick, I think I've said this before, a carrot is an excellent choice instead of s sugar loaded cake. Might not seem as nice but it's definitely better than eating a piece of cake.

Have a cup of tea or herbal tea instead and enjoy it without chewing on something.
You don need to eat when you are bored, there are other much nicer things to do.