15 Things to Do Instead of Overeating
By Melissa Sperl | 6/7/2006




What makes you blow your diet? A big presentation at work? A fight with your hubby? Absolute boredom?

Whatever it is, you're not alone. According to Cynthia G. Last, PhD., author of The 5 Reasons We Overeat (Birch Lane Press, 1998), the trick is really understanding your triggers.

Ask yourself what's really wrong, and why you're using food to feel better. Talk to friends and family. And know that, as Last says, "Boredom that never feels like it goes away might be part of a depression." If you think that's the case for you, ask your doctor for help.

"But if your plans are thrown off track by occasional boredom eating, it's probably a habit," Last continues. "Or something you're just used to doing as a pleasurable activity."

Or, says Samantha Heller, RD, senior clinical nutritionist at the New York University Medical Center in New York City, eating when you're bored might actually be a sign of stress — you feel like you have so many things to do that you're avoiding all of them.

"If you understand your triggers," says Heller, "you're better able to control how you behave when they happen." Make self-analysis your first step toward beating boredom eating.

Whatever's behind your boredom eating, your second step after understanding your motivation is to come up with a plan. Try this:

1. Analyze your pattern. When does boredom eating usually become a problem for you? Mid-week? Evening? If you know when it's most likely to strike, you'll be better prepared for the battle.

2. Come up with alternatives. Plan what you'll do instead of eating the next time you're bored or stressed. "On an index card, make a list of alternate activities," says Last. "Have the list with you at all times, so you can take it out when you need it."

Make sure your list is full of fulfilling things you like to do (a list of boring activities won't help). And try to include a variety of things that will suit different moods and times of day. Be sure to add a few items that will help you toward your weight goal, too. Here are some ideas to get you started:

If you have 10 minutes…

* Write down the foods you've eaten so far today.
* Make a grocery list of healthy foods.
* Schedule your next exercise session.
* Make a pot of herbal tea.
* Shop online for a sexy new dress.


If you have 30 minutes…

* Go for a walk.
* Look through past weeks in your Weight Tracker. Check out weeks that worked, and see if there's anything you did then that you can do again this week.
* Check out the Message Boards in the WeightWatchers.com Community section.
* Write in your diary or journal. How do you feel about your weight loss so far? What can't you wait to accomplish?
* Read a favorite book.


If you have an hour or more…

* Look through healthy recipe ideas.
* Clean out your closets. Throw away clothes that are now too big, or donate them to charity.
* Go for a long bike ride.
* Start a craft project. Needlepoint or scrapbooking will keep your hands busy, and you'll have something to show for it in the end.
* Take your kids to the park.
* Spend the afternoon at your local museum. This will get you out of the house and walking around, and what better way to get your mind off food than to absorb a little culture?