Ok, since this is the place for support, I need you! All of you!

I stress eat. I used to boredom eat, but then with so many things to do, I ran out of bored and got stressed. Now I stress eat.

I can already tell you the things that haven't worked for me:

1) Don't keep snack food around -- I have an 8 yr old son who requires "stuff" to eat, and I can turn even regular leftovers or other items into stress snacks. I have eaten cans of refried beans, heated frozen green beans, made instant mashed potatoes, anything for a fix. So eliminating "convenience" doesn't work.

2) Reduce your stress level -- this makes sense, but it seems all my deadlines all hit at the same time. Trying to exercise just adds more stress (or guilt), since I don't want to leave my son alone, have no sneakers comfortable enough to walk/jog in for any length of time, and hate changing clothes just to sweat.

So, given my ability to shoot down a solution before you offer it...any solutions?

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How are you with fresh cut veggies like carrots and celery? Throw in some nuts and while you'll still be nibbling, you'll also be nibbling healthy.

And, it will encourage healthy eating habits for your son too.

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One thing I've been thinking of trying... nibbling on ice. It's something to chew on with no calories, and helps you get the water you should be drinking too. I'm just trying to figure out how to have some at my desk all day.

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One hit from this hottie, and you're going down in flames!

Owner of Rewondered and The One Hit Wonder Project
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Chewing on ice is not good for your teeth though. Reason I suggested celery is its so fibery that it take about as many calories to digest it as it it has, its full of water and its crunchy.

I lost 20 pounds once eating nothing but celery and the ocassional pecking at rich southern foods [and crying alot - I wasn't -trying- to lose weight]

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I'm a stress eater too and a nail-biter to boot, so when my life is a big ball of stress, I eat tic-tacs. It keeps my hands out of my mouth, makes me feel like I'm eating something, and compared to most stuff, they're very low-calorie. I'll eat celery on occasion and frankly, unless they are cooked, I don't really care for carrots.

I'm still trying to break a myriad of other bad habits, but that seems to be helping on the stress-grazing of the fridgerator.

Oh and the ice thing? I wouldn't recommend it unless you plan on some serious dental work *shows off her sealants* doh!!

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Global: @Sultry Siren

Okay, good to know on the ice thing. *scratches that off the list*

Right now I keep a drawer of 100 calorie or less snacks in my desk at work, since that's where I tend to snack the most. My favorite are fortune cookies, which are about 25 calories each, depending on the brand. They satisfy the crunchy and are just sweet enough to give my raging sweettooth a quick fix. I also keep track of how many snacks I've eaten, so I when I go to grab another I can tell myself "You've already had four today, do you really need another one?" Sometimes the answer is still yes though >.<

I really need to keep my hands and mind occupied at all times, and to keep myself from snacking, I've turned to chatting. Holding down five IM conversations at once keeps me typing instead of grabbing a snack. So go ahead and IM me, I'll support ya!

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One hit from this hottie, and you're going down in flames!

Owner of Rewondered and The One Hit Wonder Project
Find me on Twitter and Facebook

I have more of an oral fixation (make a sex joke and I will kill you) than a need to eat. When I'm stressed OR bored I instantly start shoving stuff in my mouth, food is just convenient. My pens and pencils also look like a werewolf attacked them, same reason.

My amazingly simple solution: Gum. OMG sugar free gum. Chew it all damn day, something in my mouth.. I'm chewing and happy... and getting what, five calories?

Gum and water are your best friends.

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What? Were you expecting claws?

Thanks for the ideas, guys. I may go back to gum, although I get really craving salty stuff most of the time.

For salty cravings, nuts - they have calories, but they are rich in good for you fats and protein as well. Also, minimal carbs, even for honey roasted.

And try drinking something when you feel hungry first, thirst can feel much like hunger early on.

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As a singer, I can totally identify with Spydar. My teacher (an opera singer) told me that the reason most opera singers are large/overweight/what have you, is that "when something sweet comes out of the mouth, there is a need to replace it with something sweet." Even though when performing, the best way to have that crystal clear voice is to eliminate sugar and dairy from your diet for two weeks (minimum) before opening night, and keep that diet until the end of the performance, the very first thing one tends to do is binge on sugar and dairy.

I've watched me do it! NATS was always my killer. I'd do the singer's diet the month before and as soon as my last note was finished, I'd hit Burger King for grease, dairy, and sugar. Very, very bad.

Now that I've started the SouthBeach diet, I've really been working on "healthy snacks." One of Herion's favorites is cilantro mayo with Anaheim chilis (and as a side note, there's no getting capsaicin off your hands. Highly recommended to deal with any contact lenses BEFORE dealing with the chilis...just from personal experience). I really like Granny Smith slices with low-fat cheddar. For salty snacks, I have a -great- recipe for trail mix, if you'd like it PG. It's spicy and salty and makes a lot. You get a whole quarter cup serving on the diet. Trust me, that's plenty!

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Love & Celestial Kisses,


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Plain Goldfish crackers. You get a ridiculous amount in a serving, like upwards of 30 IIRC, so you feel like you've eaten a ton of stuff when you really haven't had much at all.

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I have just found that Puffcorn is horribly, horribly addictive...and voluminous, so I can munch for a bit without too many calories. The gum is helping quite a bit, too.

But the water thing...that's working better. Especially since the heat has kicked on here, and the humidity is GONE...as in, no moisture in the air, shriveling dehydration setting in...

So, yeah, drinking water first helps a lot. Then the salty snacks (PUFFCORN! *does a Cookie impression*), then more water...

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I know this thread is old but I'm a stress/bored eater too!
This is gonna seem weird but those puffs they sell for babies. They are great for grazing something like 25 calories in 73 pieces( half a cup). And they come in tons of flavors.

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