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" It&amp;#039;s 10:15pm. You&amp;#039;re not hungry, but you have an overwhelming urge to eat. You start with just a few potato chips, which quickly turns into half a bag. You may as well dig into the ice cream now, you figure. Sound familiar? The mindless-eating monster can rear its ugly head when you&amp;#039;re stressed, tired, bored or just plain ravenous. Here are some ways to regain control:   When you&amp;#039;re stressed, try deep breathing instead of snacking. Sit upright with good posture (or better yet, lie flat with a pillow to support your head) and take slow breaths. Each breath should take 5 to 10 seconds in and out. Do this for up to 5 minutes.  Try to get at least 7 1/2 hours of sleep every night. Women who skimp on sleep are more prone to overeating -- plus they have higher rates of diabetes and heart disease.  Use your spare time to improve your body&amp;#039;s flexibility and take your mind off eating. Here are a few simple stretches to try; do them each for about 10 repetitions:  Stand with your feet hip-width apart, arms hanging at sides, look straight ahead with your best posture and turn your head slowly to the right as far as you can look without pain, then to the left.  Using the same start position, drop your head to your chest then look up and slowly drop your head back so your head nearly touches your upper back.  Start in the same position, but this time, put your arms straight out to your sides so your body makes a &amp;quot;T.&amp;quot; Keep your feet and hips planted forward and your arms in the &amp;quot;T&amp;quot; position. Then twist your torso so one hand is pointing directly in front of you, and the other is pointing directly in back of you; twist in both directions.     The Good Housekeeping Weight-Loss Support Group participants offer these suggestions to avoid snacking troubles:   &amp;quot;Exercise! When I&amp;#039;m feeling stressed-out or bored, I go out for a run or take a kickboxing class. It really helps release the stress.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m an emotional eater, but for the last few months, I&amp;#039;ve been drinking water when I want to eat in response to an emotion. It makes me feel full, so I don&amp;#039;t snack.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;If you must nibble, eat fruits that take a while to peel, like oranges or fresh lychees. Or try a few nuts in the shell.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;When you want to snack, stick with low-calorie foods, such as carrots, an apple, an orange, or a few nuts.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;I try on clothes. This keeps me focused on how I look instead of what I want to eat. I also go for a fast walk around the neighborhood, then come home and drink lots of water. My favorite snacks are raw veggies spritzed with low-calorie salad dressing, raw almonds, and diet chocolate pudding hot from the stove.&amp;quot;   "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/diet-nutrition/advice/a16512/advice-snacking-alternatives-gensler-0706/?src=shelter_footer>