I don't need to be lectured about not doing it. I know I'm not supposed to. But now that I've been OKed for soft foods, I find myself falling into my old grazing habits. I'll have a string cheese, then half hour later I'll have a deli slice of turkey, then hour later some cottage cheese, etc. I'm not eating anything that isn't on my plan, but I don't want to fall into old habits! I do get in all of my water and protein for the day, and I am losing, but I know this could be bad in the future. How do you stop grazing?? I'm a stay at home mom and I'm constantly wandering past the fridge.

Plan your meals ahead of time and try to stick to the plan?

Also make a list of things you can do when bored...I realize SAHM's are rarely bored, but if you're eating out of habit you need to replace the old habits with new ones.

Omg! I thought I was the only one. I find my self eating or putting things in my mouth and in not even hungry. old habits are really hard to break what I started doing is keeping a bottle of water near and every time I feel like eating something I take a sip sip sip and try not to think about eating.

I understand your struggle with old habits...mine is the urge to eat while watching TV at night at the end of the day and the BIG one is not drinking 30 minutes before/after I eat. So I wrote down on a piece of paper and attached it to the frig....DO NOT DRINK...and I started collecting things to read when I'm also watching TV ... nothing mind boggling just magazines like PEOPLE or fashion mags that I look at but really I just hold them to have something in my hands so I'm not tempted to have food in my hand. I know it isn't the exact same problem you are having but it is the habit thing for both of us and I just have to keep busy doing something other than what I did before surgery. I hope it helps you think of ways to combat your grazing. Remember...we are on a learning path and sometimes the rocks are BIG along the path We just need to be bulldozers...OK I'm done being corny

I don't need to be lectured about not doing it. I know I'm not supposed to. But now that I've been OKed for soft foods, I find myself falling into my old grazing habits. I'll have a string cheese, then half hour later I'll have a deli slice of turkey, then hour later some cottage cheese, etc. I'm not eating anything that isn't on my plan, but I don't want to fall into old habits! I do get in all of my Water and Protein for the day, and I am losing, but I know this could be bad in the future. How do you stop grazing?? I'm a stay at home mom and I'm constantly wandering past the fridge.

I work from home, so I can relate to eating bc of the ease of just grabbing something from the fridge.

It's helped me to be pretty regimented about when I eat. I know some people eat 5-6 small meals but that just doesn't work for me. I eat 3 meals and allow myself one snack, usually between dinner and bed.

I also keep track of everything I eat, even when I slip and eat something I know I shouldn't. It helps me keep an eye on my overall intake.

Additionally, I don't really keep anything in the house that I know will send me off the rails... no chips, candy, etc. My son doesn't need that stuff so it's easy for me to just not buy it. There are some bread products that I don't eat, but have for him but it's stuff that I don't typically want anyway.

~Kat

In the beginning when your capacity is small it's perfectly normal to eat many small meals instead of three large ones. I wouldn't necessarily consider that grazing. I ate from sunup to sundown for the first several months, because if I didn't I could not reach my nutritional goals. It was impossible with my tiny stomach.

Many people do best on six smaller meals a day. I find I'm happy and my blood sugar stays constant with three meals and two Snacks per day. I space them out pretty well and it works for me. I never feel hungry.

Boredom snacking or eating off your plan just because you're home and the fridge is a few steps away at all times is a different story. I'm also a stay at home mom and if I don't pay attention I can find myself snacking mindlessly without even being hungry.

Tracking my food at the start of the day and splitting it up into those five meals helps me control this. I also try to stay very busy. If I feel snacky between meals I try getting a large cup of ice Water first. Thirst can still feel like hunger to me and often satisfies me without my needing to eat. If I have nothing I need to be doing but keep finding myself in the fridge, I find an activity. I do something like color with the kids or I grab my knitting while we watch a movie together. Occupying myself helps.

I eat just about every 2-3 hours during the day and drink water, coffee or tea between meals.

Identifying why you're eating will help and so will having a firm schedule that you stick to.

~Cheri

My surgeon doesn't allow snacking until you reach your goal weight (drinking things like protein shakes between meals is okay if you can't meet your nutritional goals without them). So for me, it's just not something I even consider. Maybe you can set a rule for yourself: only two snacks per day, or no snacks at all? I find I do better when I have definite guidelines to follow, even those I just make up and impose on myself.

Thanks guys. Luckily I'm not craving "bad foods". Everything I eat is on my plan. I just don't eat meals, more like random things throughout the day. I'll try planning my meals in the beginning of the day and stick to it.

Track, track, track. Tracking everything into myfitnesspal, keeps me accountable. I am only 8 weeks out now and I still eat Snacks and meals. I rarely hit 700 calories a day even with a glass of real Gatorade and because I can only have 1-2 ounces of food at a time, I do "graze" without apology.

I don't get in all my Protein or my fluids yet, but I am getting better every day. I figure as long as what I am "snacking" on is protein and healthy, it's not a big deal.

Don't beat yourself up unless you are snacking on crap. If that is the case, I will pass you the boxing gloves.

Thanks guys. Luckily I'm not craving "bad foods". Everything I eat is on my plan. I just don't eat meals' date=' more like random things throughout the day. I'll try planning my meals in the beginning of the day and stick to it.[/quote']

That is what I said to myself when I read your top post " wow she is reaching for protein"

I think small Protein Snacks are ok, you are reaching your protein quota with such healthy snacks.

I did this the first month also, but I don't think it's bad if you are eating Protein. Once you get on more solid foods you will slack off eating so often. I agree with others though and like to eat something every 3 hours. Always something with protein

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