Everyday Systems

I can say that I never eat outside of breakfast or lunch. It is habit, Yay. I don't even have those horrible 4 o'clock cravings like before. My one downfall is after dinner. I know I know I have mentioned this before. The problem is that i know if I could just get over this I would be well on my way to a good lifestyle that will keep me trim. It is usually crappy food and leaves me feeling bad which sometimes leads to that "well, I might as well eat cuz I ate". So today I will start 21 days of no late night eating, I am determined to get this down.

I'd recommend making it as inconvenient as possible to get your late-night snack. Don't hang out in or near the kitchen, and don't have food on hand where you are. If you're out of the house, hang out somewhere that does not serve food instead of somewhere that does. Don't buy the foods you would normally snack on late at night, or other snack-type foods. If they're not in the house, it's going to be a lot harder to snack on them. You'll have to go out and get them, which will give you time to think, "do I really want to do this?"

Another possibility would be to try some activity that doesn't mix well with snacking. This could be taking a walk or signing up for a dance class. It could be playing a video game that requires you to have your hands on the controller or keyboard at all times. It could be drawing, painting, or crafts. It could be household chores of various sorts. It could be taking a bath or shower. It could be having some intimate time with a partner. It could be finger painting or catching fireflies with your kids. It could be playing with the dog. It just has to be something that you wouldn't want to eat while you're doing. Watching TV or reading probably won't work, though, because it's not particularly difficult to eat while doing those things.

can't believe I spelled habit wrong in the title. What a dork:)

jellybeans01 wrote:can't believe I spelled habit wrong in the title. What a dork:)

Oh, don't worry. Been there, done that. Isn't it funny how it is so GLARING when you see it later but wasn't obvious at all when you typed it?

I do agree that once something becomes a hab(b) it , that takes the work out of it. Like exercise for me, every night at six I go into the exercise room and do my exercise, it is just what I do at six o'clock. Makes it so much easier than the, I need to get in some exercise today, etc....

Good luck! I agree with keeping busy. I snack when I'm bored so maybe a walk, a nice bath or a hobby would be good.

jellybeans01 wrote:can't believe I spelled habit wrong in the title. What a dork:)

I was wondering of habbit rhymes with rabbit?

We've all mispelled on the www.

This is a bit of a weird suggestion, but have you thought of taking up knitting or needlework of some type?

I know it's odd but when I gave up smoking I was worried about ballooning, so I took up knitting as it a) Gave me something to do with my hands in the evening, b) Distracted me, c) Allowed me to still watch TV and d) Has to be kept clean, so you can't just casually snack while doing it. You have to keep getting up and washing your hands. Plus I got to give lots of fun mittens and jumpers to my nieces and nephew.

Not for everyone perhaps, but if you are in any way interested in that kind of thing it might be worth a go.

Continuing the off-topic... I'm also a knitter - though I initially took it up as an antidote to perfectionism. (The prescription: Find an interesting but not life-critical activity that you'd kind of like to do, and practice it regularly but only for short periods of time each day. Both "regular" and "short" are important. The goals are (1) to see that practice builds skill, and (2) to allow yourself to live with the fumbling beginner stages and learn to recognize them as normal and okay, not proof that you'll never be any good at whatever.)

When I started doing No-S, I was rather astonished at the fact that I actually did have extra time in the evenings when I stopped filling it with grazing. Perfect for a hobby of some kind.

(Oh, and I initially read "habbit" as "hobbit" and was wondering if it was a reference to their love of food... If it truly bothers you, you can edit it by going to your first post and editing. Or you can just laugh. )

I do need something to do with my hands in the evening. I've always had a desire to learn quilting and maybe I can start the process of organizing my photos.

I believe the originator of the thread can amend the title. I know I repaired a mistake once before, but I don't remember how I did it.

Quilting exactly fits the bill. An amazing skill to have too.

You'll have to post some pics when you master the art!