Do you find yourself eating when you are not even hungry? Whether it be stress, boredom, sadness, loneliness, or procrastination, there are many ways that we use food to avoid feeling certain emotions. These habits can become engrained and hard to just “stop doing”. In this post, I’ll give you some things to do instead of eating and insights into why you might be stuck in this pattern.
Table of Contents
How Do I know if I Have a Problem with Food?
Your balance with food might feel off if you feel like its the ONLY way you can manage your emotions. For some, food is a comfort that is used after a super stressful day at work. Or maybe a way to push down emotions of feelings that are uncomfortable like grief or regret. We can also use food to procrastinate. Especially if theres a task we don’t want to complete or a work project.
As you already know, food can become a crutch that can have negative consequences. If could be seting us back from reaching weight loss goals if we are taking in extra calories. It can lower our energy because our blood sugar is spiking and crashing. Most of the time, emotional eating is with foods that are high in calories and added sugar.
I don’t know about you, but I sure am not reaching for celery sticks when I’m stressed!
Food works because its easily accessible and for the most part is an effective short term fix. So if you feel like you are a big emotional eater, beating yourself up is not the answer. Rather, realizing that this coping mechanism (even if its unhealthy) has actually been serving you in some way. Whether it be an escape, or just to get a break. Food has served a purpose.
What is Binge Eating
NIH defines it as “when you eat a large amount of food in a short amount of time and feel you can’t control what or how much you are eating. If you binge eat regularly—at least once a week for 3 months—you may have binge eating disorder.”
There is often unresolved trauma with people who have eating disorders. If you find yourself regularly binging, I would not recommend trying to distract yourself with activities, because it will not go away. Rather, find a therapist in your area who specializes in eating disorder care.
What about Night Eating
If you find yourself eating a lot at night, or find yourself needing to eat multiple snacks or are and eating on autopilot at night. Here are some things to consider.
- You are not getting in enough calories during the day– This becomes a revolving door. You then eat the majority of your calories at the end of the day, and so the next morning, you are not too hungry. You may skip breakfast, and be too busy for a real lunch, and come home super hungry. This then repeats this whole cycle. Start breakfast with at least 20-30 grams of protein. Many bars or premade drinks can be convenient on the go options. I provide my favorite brands in Top Low Sugar Protein Bars | A Dietitian’s Favorite Picks and Best Low Sodium Protein Shakes | A Dietitian Shares All
- You have not had enough protein with your meals– If you aren’t eating enough protein, you will feel hungry.
- You ate an early dinner and so you are actually hungry– If it’s 9pm, but you ate at 5pm, it can be normal to feel slightly hungry. Grab a small paired snack that has protein and avoid grazing. I provide a lot of great snack ideas inside Top Healthy Night Shift Snacks | A Dietitian’s Ultimate Guide
- This is when your emotions are louder – most of us can keep busy with work or other tasks during the day. However, later in the day can be challenging for many who are experiencing loneliness or grief.
Night Eating Syndrome (NES) which is a diagnosable form of an eating disorder also exists. If the considerations above have not changed your night eating habits, then it is best to seek care from an ED therapist and RD.
What to do Instead of Night Eating
If you are bored, then do something that is either relaxing, like reading or journaling. If you are stressed or worried, do a calming activity or enjoyable hobby. There is a longer list further down the page.
How to Stop Eating when Bored?
1. Identify Trends
Is there a certain time of day that you might do this such as after work, on the weekend when you have more time, or otherwise?
2. Identify Associations.
Do you aimlessly scroll on social media while chomping down on a bag of chips, or do you sit in front of the TV while eating mindlessly? Do you sit in rush hour traffic on a long commute home and eat because its something to fill your time?
Best Next Step- eat your meals and snacks at the table away from distractions.Do not bring food into other rooms of the house.
3. Create a List
Before you feel bored, create a list of 1-3 things you want to do instead that would be enjoyable. It doesn’t need to be complicated or an entirely new hobby. The most important piece is that you start brainstorming now. Don’t wait until you are bored to try and come up with these. Bored eating happens because you need stimulation and something meaningful to do. It may take some time to figure out what you enjoy doing outside of work and eating, but it is possible!
4. Check in With Your Emotions
Prior to eating ask, “am I hungry or am I bored?” Taking the extra 5 seconds to check in with our emotions can help us better understand what we need as sometimes we do need food, and other times we need something else such as rest, connection, stress relief or a good laugh.
Remember snacking can provide a temporary activity, which is great when you are bored. However, if its getting in the way of you meeting your weight loss goals, then boredom eating is ultimately not helping you in the long run.
What to Do Instead of Eating
- Go for a walk
- Listen to a new podcast
- Read a book or visit a bookstore
- Paint your nails
- Coloring book (yes! they now have them for adults)
- Call/text a friend or family member
- Complete a crossword puzzle
- Journal- I like these free prompts from Grateful Living
- Look up local events in your area and plan a few activities for the month
- Volunteer locally (especially if weekend boredom eating gets the best of you)
- Invite a friend out for coffee
- Organize a closet or a junk drawer
- Go for a bike ride
- Tidy up your room
- Clean off kitchen counters
- Visit the animal shelter
- Find a hobby you want to get better at (pottery, rock wall climbing, refurbishing furniture, singing, guitar, piano etc the possibilities are endless)
What Can I Do Instead of Eating When Stressed?
The best option when stressed is to increase the gap between when you start feeling stressed and when you reach for food. When stressed, think of ways to engage some of your senses that would be calming.
- Say out loud “I am stressed and I will be okay!”
- Move your Body! Literally the BEST way to reduce cortisol (aka stress hormone) is to move. Walk, jump rope, run up and down stairs. Whatever you can do!
- Drink hot tea
- Listen to favorite music (calming or other variety)
- Get outside! Nature can be calming
- Take some big deep breaths
- Hug a pillow
- Journal- it can help to process your thoughts and feelings and get them out
- Pray- Peter 5:7 is always an encouraging verse for me
Whatever you do, just do not white-knuckle your way through it and try to ignore it.
Conclusion
Food will always here and does not go away. If you often reach for food even when you are not hungry, it can be helpful to pause and identify what you are actually seeking. After that, you can use healthy substitutes to meet your physical and emotional needs.
How about you? What has worked well as an activity to focus on instead of eating when not hungry? Let me know in the comments!
Laurie is a Registered Dietitian passionate about helping healthcare professionals lower their weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol so that they can regain confidence and energy to live a more full life.
Thank you for snack ideas. The chopping can be too much.
of course!