Impulse Eating

Q. My problem with eating is relatively simple, but I am having a continuing problem with it. I am a true goodies-aholic.  I like the good foods, but I really like candy, cookies, ice cream, nuts, etc.  I eat bad things under two situations: impulsively and habitually, e.g., I grab a candy bar and ice cream bar when I get gas for the car, and eat when I watch sports on TV.  Any advice?

A.  I can definitely sympathize with your enjoyment of snacking!  As Americans we are faced with an overwhelming availability and abundance of food, as well as other factors including the kinds of foods we can attain (candy bars, ice cream), the competition among food companies for people to buy their food product,  and as you mentioned, the impulse to eat these foods.  I don't know if your impulse is just an impulse. I think the key to controlling your habit for eating the snack foods you eat is to regulate (80% of the time) your eating habits, control your hunger, and reduce the high risk impulse situations. I have a checklist that may help.  Some of the things you may already be doing.

• Never get hungry.  In other words eat your scheduled 3 square meals and 2 or 3 planned snacks. Eat every 3-4 hours throughout the day. Balance your meals most of the time with starch (carbohydrates), vegetables, and lean protein.
• Try to eat at approximately the same time every day.
• Drink plenty of water. Hunger and thirst are hard to differentiate sometimes. You lose 2 quarts of fluid a day and you are 70% water!  Replace it.
• Try to break the behavior chain of getting gasoline and a candy bar.  Maybe you could get your gasoline right after you eat a meal.  Eat an apple in the car on the way to get gas.  Go in and buy some sugarless gum, bottled water, some pretzels, a tootsie roll pop (80 calories), etc.
• See if you can watch the game without eating sometimes.  You are not really paying attention to the food you eat while you are watching TV, reading, on the computer, or doing another activity.  Many times coupling eating with another activity will lead to overeating. 
• Maybe you could pick up another activity to do while watching the game.  Ride the exercise bike, lift free weights, etc.
• The snacks you eat in front of the TV should be a part of your daily intake (80% of the time).  For instance if the game is coming on at 7 p.m. maybe you could eat dinner and your bedtime snack during the game. 
• Some great snacks for TV are popcorn (go with the light, 5 gms per serving, 3 servings per bag), an apple and string cheese, banana with peanut butter, make your own Chex mix with pretzels, a few nuts, Chex cereal; eat the low-fat, sugar-free frozen yogurt with a fruit or sugar free hot fudge from TCBY or sugarless delight when you want ice cream.  Don't keep it around the house so you can eat anytime.  Go out to get it.
• Put some boundaries on the snacks that are higher in calories, fat, and sugar.  Have it once or twice a week rather than everyday.  Eat half the portion you usually eat, just to get the thrill.
• We live in a very toxic and dangerous environment to our energy balance.  Not only are we exposed to the foods, the advertising It is hard to maintain ones fitness and health.  If you think life should be freer and easier with respect to food, it will never be like that in this country again.  We have to be careful.
• Awareness is the answer.  The more aware you are of the habits the more creative you can get with changing them.

I hope this helped.  Please contact me for further information or if you have another question!