STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

poptart · Coach

Please tell me to stop EATING

laken1 · Hermes

I hear ya chick! I know I am out of control & I just can't seem to stop it. What do we do? You want to make a pact or something? I really really can't gain my tradition 10 pounds over the hollidays....

I would love to help but I'm there with ya!

Christine · Coach

Dearest Soontobehuge,

Put down the chips, salsa, and jelly beans, and no one will get hurt (or rather, no one will get huge.):

Find a cozy warm spot to cuddle in to combat the cold snowy weather, and grab a great book to read. Also, whenever I just cannot stop eating, I go ahead and brush my teeth. Works like a charm every single time!

Sincerely,

Christine

jen · Kate Spade

Maybe your body is telling you to eat! Have you been very strict with your diet lately? I'm a big grazer so I just nosh of veggies and fruit all day. It's not as fun but it keeps me from eating junk.

lynnie · Chanel

or you can eat those things til you feel sooooo sick that you never want to eat them again! thats how i usually do it =/

twinkle · Coach

haha story of my life. i'm the hungriest person ever.

i try to have things handy at all times to snack on like baby carrots, cereal, and apples. all pretty satisfying and not fattening. i also just never buy candy, etc. b/c if its in stock at my house, i will eat it! also-- try drinking a glass of water-- sometimes you feel hungry but in reality are just dehydrated.

hello kittie · BCBG

lisa, i do have to tell you to open trash can and throw away the junk that you cant stop eating. if you dont have it in the house or where ever you are you wont eat it

rosie_the_riveter · Gucci

I agree with Mara about the water, a lot of times our bodies are just thristy.

I also agree with Hello Kittie. I don't buy junk food because I don't want to be tempted by it. Instead try having some fruit handy. Or even flavored water sometimes makes me feel like I'm having a treat. Ok, that last thing I said was weird and that's probably just me

small fry · Chanel

yes keeping it out of the house is my way of not eating, because i will eat it all till its gone(no will power)so if iam really craving it I go buy a small pak at the store and be done with it. Yes rosie the flavor water is my fav. too

ico · Dooney & Bourke

Lisa! Oh, how I understand you!

I have made a pact with myself: I can't gain weight this winter: I had a hard time losing my winter weight last spring, and I don't really want to repeat the experience. Besides, sis is getting married in June, so I'll have to look fabulous

Some ideas (some have been suggested already)

get a book on something you could read about for hours, or a catching novel, anything you know you'll like (ahem, try to avoid cookboks: they are triggering in those situations); put on some soft music (I like Chopin in such situations, but you know what will do for you), lighten a candle and relax on the couch, possibly far from the fridge. After a couple of hours you are a new person!

get moving: do some soft exercise, such as yoga, pilates, ballet... it will distract you!

movies (in DVD) work for me, but they won't work for you if you are used to snack in from of the TV.

organize your closet. You'll be surprised how much time goes by!

if there is sun outside, I LOVE to walk in the snow

go see a museum or an exposition you haven't seen. Even if it is on something you don't care (chinese fabrics from the ming period?), you'll be surprised at the end how much you learnt!)

take up something that keeps your hands busy, such as knitting.

make a fashion noebook: cut pics you like from mags and organize them

meet a friend for coffee. I have always been shy about calling people to meet for a couple of hours, thinking they'd be busy and wouldn't have time to meet me, but usually they are very happy to be invited to go out and get to relax for a couple of hours

organize you next trip, even if you'll have the money for it in 30 years!

snacks I love:

apple, cut in 1 inch pieces, microwaved with some cinnamon (no sugar: the juices from the apple make the whole thing very sweet);

baby carrots with salsa

fennels, cut into pieces

pineapple

pomegranate (it is so messy that it takes forever to eat!)

Most important, and other girls have mentioned it: don't keep any junk food at home!!

hth, and be strong! You know better than potato chips!

poptart · Coach

Whew! Thanks everyone!

I'm going to follow all of this advice when I get home. It's amazing how I'd never thought of half of this. Duh! I normally don't buy junk food, and I think that's why I was going crazy with the chips and jelly beans - leftovers from a party.

Laken, I'm going to join the diet and exercise posts. Does that help you at all? I usually only count calories when I'm starting to lose control of my food intake, but I think starting now might help me stay on track through the holidays.

Bastet · Kate Spade

I don't know what it is about winter, but I can't stop stuffing my face, either! I try to avoid oversnacking by not buying snack foods that I know I won't be able to resist like candy and sour-cream based chip dips. *drool* I also try to stock the fridge with stuff like tabouleh and hummus, since they're relatively healthy snacks, or I munch on bell pepper sticks (no dressing or dip). I have some small bowls, they would probably hold about 1/2 cup of liquid. I limit myself to using those when snacking, that way I eat less but because the bowl is full, it feels like more. I agree with Mara about drinking water instead. And ico has lots of good ideas on how to avoid winter boredom. For me, boredom is the cause of most of my winter food-scarfing. I actually got some freeweights, and now when I want to go graze in the kitchen, I lift my weights instead. After a week or so, I found myself wanting to lift more than I wanted to eat. Sears has some nice, cheap freeweights if that's something you'd be interested in.

Lastly, this might be just me, but if I put on flavored lip balm, I don't want to snack at all. So I keep tubes of flavored lip balm at my desk at home, and one near the couch in the living room. For some reason it really works!

laken1 · Hermes

Lisa wrote:

Laken, I'm going to join the diet and exercise posts. Does that help you at all? I usually only count calories when I'm starting to lose control of my food intake, but I think starting now might help me stay on track through the holidays.

Hey, it does help me when I do it! And when I eat something bad (like the big mac I just ate) then I don't want anyone to know so I quit posting! It's so counterproductive. Instead of just getting back on track I get more out of control. My vicious cycle! But i must stop. I mean really really.

TexasGal · Kenneth Cole

I find that brushing my teeth, chewing gum, drinking water, and applying fresh lipstick/gloss helps keep me from snacking when i don't want to.