Break the habit
How to stop boredom eating
Food is a quick fix for an empty half hour. The half hour needs something else.
Why it sticks
Boredom is uncomfortable, and food is the fastest, easiest way to make it go away. Opening the fridge gives you something to do, something to taste and a small hit of pleasure. Working from home, long evenings and weekends with no plans all increase the number of empty moments. Each time it works, the link between boredom and food gets stronger.
How to stop boredom eating
Check for hunger
Ask: would I eat an apple right now? If the answer is no, it is probably boredom. Real hunger is open to most foods, and boredom wants something specific.
Have a list of five-minute things
Write a short list of quick things to do: a walk round the block, a call, a stretch, a page of a book. When boredom hits, do one before going near the kitchen.
Keep your hands busy
Knitting, drawing, a puzzle or a game with your hands makes it harder to snack. It also fills the empty time in a way that holds attention.
Plan your day loosely
Long stretches with nothing planned are when boredom eating peaks. A rough plan for the afternoon or the weekend cuts the empty moments.
Make the kitchen a destination
Eat only at the table. The sofa and the desk are off limits. Food becomes something you sit down for.
Drink something
A cup of tea or a glass of water fills the moment and takes a few minutes. Often the urge passes in that time.
What to track instead
A row that only records the habit not happening gets a tick on the days you were never tempted, and tells you nothing on the day it mattered. Give the row to the replacement:
- Apple test before a snack
- Five-minute walk
- Eat only at the table
- Tea instead of a snack
Print a tracker with these 4 habits or open them in a spreadsheet.
Your first week
- Day 1. Notice each time you eat without hunger, and write the time.
- Day 2. Write your list of five-minute things and stick it on the fridge.
- Day 3. Use the apple test before every snack.
- Day 4. Plan this afternoon in rough blocks.
- Day 5. Eat only at the table today.
- Day 6. Make tea the first response to boredom.
- Day 7. Look at your list. When does boredom hit hardest?
How to stop boredom eating
How can I tell if I am bored or hungry?
Real hunger builds slowly, and you would eat a range of foods. Boredom comes on suddenly and wants something specific, often sweet or salty. The apple test is a quick check.
Why do I eat when I am bored?
Because food is an instant way to feel something pleasant and fill time. The more often it works, the stronger the habit becomes.
Is boredom eating the same as emotional eating?
They overlap. Boredom eating is one kind of emotional eating. If you eat to cope with stress, sadness or anxiety, and it feels out of control, talking to a GP can help.
Other habits to break
- How to stop snackingMost snacks are eaten because they are there. Change what is there.
- How to stop eating at nightThe evening raid usually starts at lunchtime, with what you did not eat.
- How to stop wasting timeTime does not vanish in hours. It goes ten minutes at a time between things.
- All the habits65 habits to break or build, each with a first week laid out.
- 70 bad habits, each with a swapThe full list, grouped by where they show up in your day, with a printable for each group.
Track the swap, not the slip
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