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I have the same problem. I haven't really solved it, but I've done a few
things to manage it better.
I allow myself to eat when I come home. I really try to make room in my
food plan for this planned snack (or snacks!), like having a WW chocolate
treat, the fudgicle kind that lasts a while. I do something else while I'm
eating it, maybe even eating it away from the kitchen and trying to get involved
in a book, so when I finish it I'll still keep reading and it won't be as
convenient to get something else to eat. (This is probably the wrong way to
handle it, but it seems to work for me; you're supposed to eat only in the
kitchen and not do something else while you're eating, right?).
Also, if you just have to eat SOMETHING, pick something bulky/low-cal like
popcorn, or raw veggies, or just something else on your food plan, or at least
good for you. I munch more than I should on raisins, but at least they're good
for you :-)
My other strategy is to make sure I'm not the first one home!
good luck!
Jill
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| Planting a garden has worked for me. I have to work outside while
it's light out, so I can't really stay inside and eat. And it's
hard to eat with dirt all over my hands. I get home, change,
grab a diet soda, grab my weeding tools and clippers, and out I
go! Then, after I've had an hour or so to "cool down" from work,
I can go inside and not be frantic in the fridge. I think it's
nerves - I eat sometimes just to be doing something mechanical
that feels good that calms my nerves after a day at work.
Weeding and planting seeds fills that need, plus I can pick my
dinner salad while I'm at it. And I get some exercise and fresh
air to boot!
Perhaps you can make a deal with yourself - no food except diet
soda for n minutes after you get home. Say start at 10 or 15 min.
just to break the "instant feeding frenzy" syndrome. Then increase
the time a bit. Put some other habit in its place. Even if you
live in an apartment, you could water all the houseplants (excepting
the cacti!), or feed the cat, or walk around the block, or at LEAST
get changed out of your work clothes and, while you're there,
straighten out your bedroom a bit. You can fool yourself, too,
by saying, "Ok, self, only 5 more minutes and then you can hit
the fridge." Then in 5 minutes, "ok, self, you can hit the
fridge for a soda and then it's 5 more minutes until you can
open it again."
My bad habit was that I cleared the table after dinner without
putting the leftovers in the fridge...well, you can imagine how
much weight a half cup of extra mashed potatoes and gravy plus
several pickings at the roast plus... can put on a person in
a few years. So I had to make a real attempt to put things
in refrigeratable dishes BEFORE I served them, and then to put
the lids on and pop them into the fridge IMMEDIATELY after
dinner. I also had to learn how much to make so that there
weren't so many leftovers, except when I was planning them
for other meals, and how to deal with planned leftovers so they'd
last until the next meal. The freezer helped here, along with
individual sized containers.
This is a lot of self-trickery for a while, until you can break
the habits you've had for years. Took me about 4 months to break
the habit of uncontrollably eating everything I'd made for dinner,
no matter how much. Now I *can* leave things on the table, but
it does make for a cleaner kitchen to put it up right away!
--Louise
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| Louise - I like your idea of the right containers - my hips don't
understand that it's easier to finish off leftovers than fighting
with Saran Wrap!
After thinking about my beeline to the fridge after work, I realized
that it seems to be because I think I "deserve" it because I worked
hard or had a rough day (like slender people don't???) and it was
like a reward! So then I tried substituting other things. Lots
of days my husband doesn't get home till 9 or 10, which is good
and bad! but I might soak in a bubble bath (telling myself that
things will taste better when I'm clean) or deep condition my hair,
or stop at the store/library for a book or magazine. Or I start
the dishwasher before I leave for work so that the dishes are ready
to put away when I get home. True, it is in the kitchen, but involves
some bending and stretching, and after it's all cleaned up, I sure
don't want to get any dishes dirty right away! Changing my attitude
about work has helped, too - I realized how stressed I was when
I flew out the door at the office and flew in the door at home,
so I started staying after 5 a little just to regroup, get ready
for the next day, write do-lists, etc. I tell ya, this half hour
even without pay does me much more good than a half hour in front
of the fridge. Plus, when I do get home, I'm not as stressed, because
I've taken care of it already! I'm not going to school this quarter,
so have started a major reorganizing of the basement, finally going
through old clothes to give away, just generally getting rid of
junk, boxing/labelling other stuff. Can only stay down there a
couple hours because of the dust (but that gives me another reason
to clean it up!), and by then I'm past the frantic point and can
be rational about snacking. But then, it's late enough that it's
time to fix something for Mike for when he gets home and I can hold
off one more hour. Plus, it's embarrassing to me for him to see a plate
in the sink and think I couldn't hold out just a little longer!
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