I'm ready to start a new chapter in my life and by that, I mean I'm ready to finally shed this extra weight I've been carrying around for years. I've tried many diets only to be let down after I gained all the weight right back. I want to keep it off this time. No, wait... I need to keep it off this time. I have quite a problem with eating for the heck of it, usually to cure boredom and usually late at night when I'm up alone. How do I prevent myself from eating everything in sight? I know that I have to have self-control. I know I need to just walk away from it and realize that I don't need it, but let's face it... I can walk away from it, but 10 minutes later, I'll probably be in the kitchen eating it anyway. Do any of you have any tips or tricks or solutions that help you? Any and all help/advice is greatly appreciated.

hiya kendra,

i have a bit of the same problem (i.e. eating out of boredom and late at night). i'm actually struggling with a really bad habit i've developed over the course of the past year. i wake up in the middle of the night, stumble to the bathroom, and then straight to the refrigerator! however, i've been "dieting" the past 2.5 weeks with moderate success even though i still sometimes have lapses in will power.

my strategies:

1. i go to the gym almost every day. i actually look forward to it now because of the way i feel afterwards. my body feels better and my overall mood is improved. and i know eventually, i'll start seeing some tangible results from working out.

2. i shop for clothes online a lot. i've got a bunch of stuff bookmarked that i'm going to buy as soon as i reach my goal.

3. i check these forums a lot. particularly inspiring are the before and after pictures. i also still look at my before picture a fair amount because it is so unattractive to me.

4. i'm following a transformation program i found on bodybuilding.com. it's 12 weeks long and i suspect i will see major results by the end of the program. having a plan and a timeframe helps my motivation.

5. i do not approach food as if i'll never be able to have candy, cake, doughnuts, or fast food ever again. in fact, yesterday, i broke down and consumed around 700-800 calories of pure sugar in the form of leftover christmas candy. however, today's a new day and i'm back on the wagon. i was going to order pizza on saturday, but since i had the candy, i'll probably put the pizza off until weekend after next as long as i stick to the diet and exercise program.

6. i eat a fair amount of food every day even though i am only consuming 1500 or so calories per day. i am rarely very hungry and because i have bought into the 5 small meals per day, i eat fresh tilapia or cod at around 8:00-9:00 at night. that helps with the urge to snack on unhealthy alternatives.

i've just done the dieting thing over the course of the past year and have dropped as much as five pounds before failing. this time, however, i am certain i'm going to succeed because i'm not really dieting. because i'm eating so much healthier, i can eat a fair amount over the course of the day and i don't feel overly deprived. (i loves my george foreman grill!)

oh, and one other thing: if you've got a sweet tooth, the protein bars are like candy bars. i eat half a snickers marathon bar right before the gym and finish it off right afterwards. it really does taste good! in fact, i prefer it to regular candy bars now...

Or you could try granola bars. They don't have much calories and are sweet.

With the late night snacking, I've found that a lot of times I'm just thirsty. It's true what they say, sometimes we confuse hunger with thirst. Try drinking a glass of water instead of eating a snack when you're up during the wee hours of the morning. If that doesn't work or isn't enough, get some low-calorie snacks such as fruit or yogurt. That way you aren't scarfing down a bunch of fattening snacks, but you can still curb your appetite.

But, as you guessed, ultimately it comes down to willpower. Fitness (or if you prefer, weight loss) is mostly a mental battle. That's where the real test is. It's not easy by any means, but still necessary.

Good luck guys!

I totally agree with you CK. One option I have found is decaf coffee. Coffee by itself is a natural appetite suppressant, it satisfies the "thirsty" angle, little to no caffeine to keep you awake, and I just like it. I usually have at least one cup of french press in the evening before I got to bed. It helps a lot.

Best of luck!

Cheers.