munching

I used to be like you - when I feel craving for food, I just put food into my mouth for the sake to make myself feel better and it became serious, I worried about gaining weight and turn fat so I stopped it since recent years, I needed to control it at the beginning, it was kinda painful... but I gradually can control myself better and stopped doing that; these days, I would still crave for doos but not as crazy. I think you have got to help yourself,tell yourself will become FAT, WAY FAT, GIANT, HUGE... if you keep doing that... do some stuff when you feel crazy for food, I have another methos is eat more meal but little portion each time.

I used to do that too, a lot, like I am five foot tall and I got up to 230 lbs. and that totally disgusted me. So what I did was not eat dinner after 6 pm. and for all the munchies that I feel like I had I stopped eating sweets and ate fruits, then I weened myself down to crushed ice made with crystal light (so I'd have the sweet crunchy flavor, with 0 calories). And I drank a TON of water. I kept my belly full of water after 6pm so that I never actually felt like eating, and if the cravings got really bad then I would get some really yummy fruit flavored gum, any of the new things they have now, and chew it so that I felt like I was eating, and keep drinking water to keep my belly full. Ya know I lost 30 lbs in like 5 months just doing that. I did not excersize nor did I change the way I was eating during the day. Just at night time. And by drinking all that water my skin became really soft!

I have the same problem when I get board I end up eating something even if i am not even hungry. I find what really helps is to constantly be doing something to make you not think about food. I usually play around on the computer and stop thinking about it but for you it may be a different thing outside. The bottom line for me is that i just love to eat and need something to do to stop thinking about it. And I do plenty of excercise whitch helps a lot.

i must say i am a bug muncher myself! i munch on anything throughout the day! i just love to pop tings into my mouth, hungry or not! i'm starting to have problems losing a little extra weight too!

hey there! I understand what you mean about just munching for the sake of it. For me a lot of it is boredom. I am unemployed and am stuck at home alone for most of the day and so I snack on things as there is nothing else to do. I have started to try and distract myself, like answering questions here for example!! If I was able to I would get outside and take a walk instead. It is a means of taking your mind of things. My mum too eats too much when she is depressed. She says that she gets down because she is over weight and goes right back to the food as its a source of comfort foe her. Its a no win situation. The only way is to try and deal with problems you may have and to try and find other sources of comfort. Easier said than done or you would have done it already! I wish you luck in your quest to regain your health and confidence.

Ahh yes, I recognise this problem well. I tend to come across this when I am watching TV because, even if the programme is interesting, I just can't keep focused long enough if I am not chewing, or doing, something at the same time. I have eventually learnt to deflect some of this restlessness with either standing in front of the TV and swaying, or doing some exercise if the programme isn't an ultimate favourite of mine, but other than that my best course of action is actually the Internet because I am then way too busy thinking, typing, and playing Bejewelled to actually consider eating anyway, and usually don't have much of an urge to do so. I wish you luck finding that niche, and good luck for the future, Dranz

I can understand….I love munching too. As it is I enjoy food and cant stay without food for a prolonged period of time. Though I have not put on too much weight because I work my butt off throughout the day, even then I know how bad munching can be. It’s a vicious cycle really where you become too fat and therefore depressed…this depression further causes the body to crave for food because food is a great mood alleviator. So I think you first need to be motivated enough to give up food without any depression. Your username is Arabgirl…so are you Muslim? If so, then you have the fasting months…how do you cope with that! BTW I think its wonderful to control your diet for so many days, it tones up the body and cleanses it.

im TRYING to quit smoking. and that makes my munching habit even worse. now i cant even walk through the kitchen without grabbing a small handful of chips etc etc. i dont think ive been in the kitchen without having eaten SOMETHING for a week or so now. course i munched before i was trying to quit but now its so so much worse! i guess the big question is..do i want to quit smoking more than i want to be even fatter? LOL thats an obvious answer! now where is that pack of cigs?

hi been there and done that and ate all the time. I am diabetic and the evenings seem worse. even mylotting I am nibbling.yes I need to lose weight, so why am I doing this,boredom, cravings' but not really hunger. I find if I get over here at the computer and really really decide to do a lot of mylotting I have now gone' for hours And not crunched a thing. maybe mylotting is a new way to control the munchies, maybe its a new dieting tool?age has nothing to do with I dont think as its worse since I got to 80 so once I tune into mylot Addiction I c annot munch.

hi there, i m here to say i totally understand, because i might be on my way to where u are right now. i also need something or the other to keep munching on. usually, after lunch, i m found looking for something to eat. its amazing cause i m not hungry, i just need something in my mouth, something to do. and i can see the effect it is having on me. i have gained a little weight, which is unacceptable to me. for this reason, i have decided to take out all junk food from my house, and bring nothing new, so even if i m craving something, i won't find anything. and if u really can't live without it, find healthy foods to keep in your home. something that u like, but which is not a health hazard. like fruits, nuts, some dry fruits. they are great. fruit is the best. and make a not of getting a little calorie-burning in ur routine life. my special favorite 'always take the stairs'. go for a walk. even u can only spare 10-15 minutes, it's ok. those few minutes go a long way, and i guarantee, they will help with the cholesterol problem that u have. good luck, and do let me know if u find any of my suggestions useful...

the more you eat, the more you want to eat, that is human nature, just try to control yourself, that is not that difficult as you thought! you can do it , move on!

I used to do the same thing. Then I started writing out my shopping lists and sticking to what is only on the list which means you can't write down junky food items. Also, when we go shopping my husband goes down the aisles with chips, pop, cookies etc because he has more willpower then I do and won't pick them up...He sticks to the list. We load up on vegetables then when I get home, I cut them all up and put them in a container or bag and stick them in the fridge. Anytime someone wants to snack there are vegetables or fruit ready to be eaten without the peeling, cutting, washing etc. Chewing gum helps me. I have a major problem with chocolate specifically and it was extremely hard to stop eating it but after a week the cravings do go away. I found that after a while of not eating certain foods, when I go back and them I don't have a taste for them anymore. I also cut out white bread and anything with enriched white flour and that seemed to help. Just stick to whole grains now and I eat lots of protein. The other mylotters had great ideas one specifically being that when you think that you're hungry do something else entirely unrelated to food.

well if you cant stop your cravings on munching foods why not try to munch healthy snacks like sliced fruits it is good for your body plus your not letting yourself depriving for your carve of munching : )