I’m a college student and I have a big exam coming up on Friday, and I have been cramming for three days. I’ve realized that in those three days I’ve eaten horribly, as in, I’ve eaten irregularly, too much, and food of poor nutrition. Are there any good methods to avoid “stress-eating” like this? I think I do it because it helps keep me awake/focused. Also, I think it might be related to comfort-eating, just as a way of distraction and to keep myself occupied. So anyone have any tips to curb this habit? I’d like to not gain 10 lbs at midterms :).
I find it helps simply not to buy these ‘bad foods’ when I’m at the supermarket and I try and keep plenty of fresh fruit and healthier snacks in the house. If it’s a choice between a healthy snack I can get straight from the kitchen or a trip to the local store to get some chips, I’ll take the lazy (yet healthy!) option.
I’d also suggest getting plenty of exercise - I find I can concentrate better when I’ve done exercise and I also find it an appetite suppressant. YMMV.
In a dieting tip thread not long ago, a Doper gave this suggestion, which has helped me a lot. Sorry, I don’t remember who it was or where the thread went.
Anyway, the advice is: whenever you find yourself wanting a snack or meal, drink a very large glass of water and wait 10 minutes. Most of the time, you’ll find you were just thirsty or bored or whatever, and the water and delay suffice to distract you from actually wanting that food.
Thanks for the replies so far guys! Sandra_nz , I unfortunately often times study in the library or coffee shops, where there is wide availability of unhealthy foods! Also, there is a grocery store very near my house, and oftentimes I don’t have anything healthy in the house, so I will run over there for pringles or what have you.
WhyNot , I really like your idea. I think I will try it next test time.
The way I deal with it is to compromise. I try not to buy total junk food at the store, but I don’t get all healthy stuff either. I have learned from experience that if I want something thats unhealthy, and I don’t have anything, it is extremely difficult if not impossible to keep from walking to the McDonalds next door. The affect of this is probably amplified by being able to hear the drive-through intercom from my bed at night.
I also like the idea about the water, I’m going to try that.
I like all the suggestions so far so I’ll second them!
Protein won’t spike your blood sugar and is high in satiety. Jerky is an excellent snack and you can make your own for cheap. You get a lot of chewing satisfaction from it too. I buy London Broil on sale for $1.79/lb and dry it in my oven with just the pilot light running. Invest an hour and a half on a weekend to cut and season the meat and let it dry overnight. Easy peasy once you get into it.
Hard boiled eggs are another good healthy snack. I personally don’t eat the yolks, but that is up to you. I buy a flats of 60 eggs for $6. At 10 cents a piece, they’re good for you and a really cheap snack. Take an apple, three or four hard boiled eggs and a couple pieces of jerky to the library with you instead of money for the vending machines. Stay lean and save money. It’s a win/win deal.
Figure out your daily needs here and divide by six. Then eat that amount every three hours. If your daily need is 3000 kcals, eat 500 kcal meals every three hours. It keeps your blood sugar even, keeps your insulin levels even and no matter what you eat you will be less likely to turn it into fat by keeping your insulin steady. Eliminate the true hunger snacking by eating right all day long.
Stop buying crap. They sell oranges and celery at that store as well as Pringles. The choice is yours. My nutrition guru says “Shop the perimeter.” Most supermarkets have the fresh stuff on the perimeter and the packaged/processed foods in the isles. I often buy a week’s worth of food and don’t have a single box in my cart and the only food in bags are the frozen veggies and strawberries. If I want a sweet late night snack, instead of the ice cream I used to eat, I throw a handfull of frozen strawberries into a bowl and sprinkle with a packet of Splenda. Zap them in the microwave just enough so they aren’t rock hard and they make a great snack. High in antioxidants too which is good for fighting the effects of stress.
If you’re eating out of boredom, do some pushups instead. It will get your heart rate up which will suppress your appetite and it will distract you while you’re feeling vulnerable to bad food choices. Do enough of them and you’ll like what you see in the mirror too.
In the end, however, no tip or trick is worth a rat’s ass unless you decide that the few minutes of satisfaction that Snickers bar gives you isn’t worth what it does to your body. I didn’t get right on my nutrition until I decided that nothing tasted as good as being fit and lean feels.
You’re aware of the problem and you’ve decided to do something about it and that’s more than half the battle. Now follow through and you’ll be surprised how easy it is once you get into the swing of healthy eating. Good on ya mate!
Well, the combination of the glass of water and the SDMB is a potent one, I find. I’ll often grab some water, fully intending to have that snack in 10 minutes anyway, only to find that 30 minutes have passed before I think about it again. So, yeah, grab the glass of water and go back to studying or cleaning house or whatever you were doing, don’t just drink your water sitting on the kitchen counter, eyes on the clock, with the open box of Ho-ho’s next to you!
Plus it’s true that many times I think I’m hungry, I’m actually just thirsty, so it takes care of that problem as well. But if I do still want the snack, I’ll go ahead and have it. The stretegy won’t work if you know ahead of time you’re going to deny yourself at all costs.
I do buy some snacks (among other things, need to keep salty stuff handy for when my blood pressure decides to take a dive) but I don’t bring the package with me.
If I have the package handy, my hand keeps roaming over there and grabbing more handfuls without any intervention from my brain. But if I have to actually rise from the chair, go to the kitchen, open the cupboard, locate the package, open it, grab a small handful (too much and I won’t be able to do the next step), close the package and put it back in place… then my brain needs to be involved and I’m also a lot more likely to take a look at the clock and decide that I’ll have dinner a bit earlier than usual, instead of grabbing a snack.
Unfortunately it involves time and planning ahead, which may be in short supply during peak studying times. But if you do run to the grocery store, get fruit (fresh or dried) or string cheese, nuts…Hard-boiled eggs as mentioned are a good one.
I was going to say to eat regularly so you don’t get too hungry, but if you are eating for comfort hunger is not necessarily the issue.
I’ll often grab some water, fully intending to have that snack in 10 minutes anyway, only to find that 30 minutes have passed before I think about it again. So, yeah, grab the glass of water and go back to studying or cleaning house or whatever you were doing, don’t just drink your water sitting on the kitchen counter, eyes on the clock, with the open box of Ho-ho’s next to you!