hunger
Consider the Hunger and Fullness scale. On a scale from 0 - 10, with 0 being STARVED as though you haven't eaten in an entire day (not recommended) and 10 representing STUFFED as if you ate three Thanksgiving dinners - again not recommended, see where your hunger or fullness falls:
0Starved 1Extremely hungry, irritable, and cranky 2Very hungry 3You have a strong urge to eat, but aren't ready to fall over. 4Just a little hungry 5Totally neutral... neither hungry nor full 6You are a notch past neutral - you could eat more but aren't hungry 7You are feeling satisfied. If you stopped eating at this point, you would need to eat again in about 4 - 4½ hrs. 8You are getting pretty full. If you stopped eating at this level, you would probably get hungry again in 5 - 6 hours. 9You are getting really full, and uncomfortable. 10Stuffed
One way to use this scale is to try to rate your feelings of hunger and fullness. You have to work on paying attention to your body's signals. Make an agreement with yourself that you will eat when your hunger is at 3, and stop eating when you reach 7. If you can ask yourself how you are feeling before taking a snack, you may be able to alleviate or at least cut down on boredom eating. Remember, food's for nutrition and nourishment. If another part of yourself needs nourishment, it's important to figure out what that is and create other ways of meeting that need. Excessive snacking often catches up with us in the form of excess pounds, as you have found. If you repeatedly find yourself eating when you aren't hungry, or when you are no longer hungry, you probably don't need those excess calories.