To snack or not to snack...that is the question
katygruber
Posts: 20 Member
I've always known snacking to be a way to rev up the metabolism between meals. Recently though I saw a program on TV suggesting that snacking could deter weight loss goals though. I tried going without snacking and was finding it difficult. I eat breakfast around 7:00 am and my stomach would start growling by 10:30am. I've gone back to snacking now, healthy of course, fruit, almonds, etc. What are some thoughts on snacking?
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Weight loss is really about calories in vs calories out. If you snacks fit into your calorie goal and you enjoy them then have snacks.
Snacks do not rev up your metabolism.0 -
I'm a fan of snacking. It's total overall calories, not how you spread them out during the day.0
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I used to eat 6-7 meals a day, I was constantly hungry and my mood and energy went up and down.
I started eating less meals, but bigger meals and feel a lot more satisfied. My energy is more even. I also don't start to eat until later - i can put off "breakfast" easily until 10/11 and then don't have as long between other meals. I prefer to eat more at night, and also train late so this suits me perfectly!0 -
I don't eat breakfast.. I put off eating until 11:30 or 12:00 and eat all my calories (snack or not) in a eating window which is cut off usually around 6:30 or 7:00.
I am a major "pre-logger" so if I am low on calories I will snack up!0 -
I don't eat breakfast.. I put off eating until 11:30 or 12:00 and eat all my calories (snack or not) in a eating window which is cut off usually around 6:30 or 7:00.
I am a major "pre-logger" so if I am low on calories I will snack up!
Not eating breakfast is a bad idea. You should try and have something....IMO.
As for snacking? I do it and havent had anything bad happen to me. I love my snacks!
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I don't eat breakfast.. I put off eating until 11:30 or 12:00 and eat all my calories (snack or not) in a eating window which is cut off usually around 6:30 or 7:00.
I am a major "pre-logger" so if I am low on calories I will snack up!
Not eating breakfast is a bad idea. You should try and have something....IMO.
As for snacking? I do it and havent had anything bad happen to me. I love my snacks!
There is nothing wrong with not eating breakfast - if you like it eat it, if you don't then don't.
You certainly do not have to try to have breakfast at all.0 -
I don't eat breakfast.. I put off eating until 11:30 or 12:00 and eat all my calories (snack or not) in a eating window which is cut off usually around 6:30 or 7:00.
I am a major "pre-logger" so if I am low on calories I will snack up!
Not eating breakfast is a bad idea. You should try and have something....IMO.
As for snacking? I do it and havent had anything bad happen to me. I love my snacks!
Why is not eating breakfast bad?0 -
I don't eat breakfast.. I put off eating until 11:30 or 12:00 and eat all my calories (snack or not) in a eating window which is cut off usually around 6:30 or 7:00.
I am a major "pre-logger" so if I am low on calories I will snack up!
Not eating breakfast is a bad idea. You should try and have something....IMO.
As for snacking? I do it and havent had anything bad happen to me. I love my snacks!
I basically work out fasted every morning and put off "break fast" until 11:30... Ever heard of Intermittent Fasting? It is basically an eating schedule, cannot work out on a full stomach.... eeeeeewwwww. 0 -
katybecker4181 wrote: »I've always known snacking to be a way to rev up the metabolism between meals. Recently though I saw a program on TV suggesting that snacking could deter weight loss goals though. I tried going without snacking and was finding it difficult. I eat breakfast around 7:00 am and my stomach would start growling by 10:30am. I've gone back to snacking now, healthy of course, fruit, almonds, etc. What are some thoughts on snacking?
First of all-snacking does not rev anything up. Secondly-how you break up your calories throughout the day is a preference thing and nothing more. Some people prefer three meals and a couple snacks. Others graze. Others do different forms of IF windows and eat their calories in a certain time frame. I fall into this last category-I break my daily fast at 11am and then I'm done eating by 7pm. I also prefer two large meals with no snacking.
At the end of the day it's about calories. Focus on that and you'll be fine 0 -
The jury's out on this one, I find when I snack it makes me end up eating more calories overall! When I snack I'm never satisfied!
If I plan my main meals ahead of time, make sure they're filling then I don't feel the need to snack at all.
This is my second week of cutting back on snacks almost entirely, I eat 3 large meals instead!
Once I got over the notion of wanting something to eat I was fine, plus I'm drinking more water which is really curbing my appetite.
I'm back to losing weight again so win win
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You burn slightly more calories after eating as your body uses energy to digest the food, however it take the same amount of energy regardless of if you eat it all in one go or in smaller amounts (assuming you're eating the same).
Some people find snacking helps them avoid binging, others find it makes it harder for them to stay under their calorie/macro goals. Do what works for you.
Like a few others on here I do 16/8 fasting, eating from 12 till 8. I snack within that window.0 -
I think snacking might be an entirely individual thing. If you find snacking keeps the bingies away, go for it.0
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I eat when I feel hungry. For example just had breakfast (smoothie with protein powder) and probably right around 11 I will be hungry so I will eat a yogurt then lunch about noon and won't eat again until 6pm...it's all about what your body needs.
and no snacking does not rev anything up.0 -
livingleanlivingclean wrote: »I don't eat breakfast.. I put off eating until 11:30 or 12:00 and eat all my calories (snack or not) in a eating window which is cut off usually around 6:30 or 7:00.
I am a major "pre-logger" so if I am low on calories I will snack up!
Not eating breakfast is a bad idea. You should try and have something....IMO.
As for snacking? I do it and havent had anything bad happen to me. I love my snacks!
Why is not eating breakfast bad?
Tradition.
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Almonds may be "healthy" but they have a hell of a lot of calories, tread lightly if trying to lose weight.0
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I eat every 2 hours as I am not able to eat large meals at a time. I've been maintaining for the past 3 years without gaining so I think the bottom line here is that snacking between meals is perfectly fine as long as it fits in with your set calorie intake each day.0
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As a diabetic I have been advised to have 5 to 6 small "meals" throughout the day to maintain blood glucose levels throughout the day. After not eating for 10-12 hours throughout the night it is important to eat breakfast for the same reason. I was never a big breakfast eater until I developed gestational diabetes during my pregnancy with my first son. I forced myself to eat something, preferably with protein. I should probably switch my morning snack with breakfast as I tend to consume less calories first thing (usually around 6:00 am or 7:00 am) and have a little heavier "snack" around 10:00 am. Once I have dinner, I often don't have a snack in the evening as what I have eaten throughout the day has filled me up. Overall, I have found it's not whether or not you "snack" but what you snack on that makes the difference.0
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There are a lot of thoughts on this and one such thought is that if you are always snacking ie. 6 meals a day or more then it can actually work against you because your body is releasing insulin which can affect how your body burns fat. Additionally when your are eating/snacking all day it is quite easy to lose track of your intake where as 3 balanced meals makes it much easier to track.
As for that breakfast some feel its very important not saying you need to gorge yourself but putting a little fuel in the sports car before the race it not a bad idea. Again in the end we are all different and you need to find what works best for you and fine tune from there.0 -
Snacking is all individual. Personally, my meal timing depends on whether my classes are in session. If they are, I tend to shift myself more toward grazing (one day has me eating my "breakfast" at 6AM and my "lunch" at 2:30PM, and I have to supplement that big gap with a snack or two). Otherwise, I noticed that I tend to not snack that much when classes aren't in session (I'm typically not hungry until 2PM or so on those days).
Prelogging does help in making sure that I am meeting my calorie goal whether I am eating six "meals" or two. It's easier for me to log a bunch of snacks, remove them if I'm not hungry when snack time comes, and add those extra calories to dinner or dessert than it is to only log two large meals and then find places to cut back if I realize that I want a snack.0 -
I snack only when hungry between meals, which isn't very often.0
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Thanks all. I think ill continue to snack as long as I continue to be within my calorie goal. People can research all they want but this Seems like its really an individual preference0
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I only snack if I'm having an active day. I try not to snack before lunch since I'm normally pretty sedentary but in the afternoon, snacking is almost necessary in order for me not to overdo it at dinner. If you track your activity well, you'll be able to figure out when you need a calorie boost in your day.
I try to keep my snacks at 100-150 calories but sometimes a 250 calorie larabar is essential depending on my activity level, for example.0 -
This is not true...katybecker4181 wrote: »I've always known snacking to be a way to rev up the metabolism between meals.katybecker4181 wrote: »Recently though I saw a program on TV suggesting that snacking could deter weight loss goals though. I tried going without snacking and was finding it difficult. I eat breakfast around 7:00 am and my stomach would start growling by 10:30am. I've gone back to snacking now, healthy of course, fruit, almonds, etc. What are some thoughts on snacking?
In my experience, I find losing/maintaining weight easier w/o snacking. I make my meals larger to keep me satisfied but still less then if I snacked in-between.
Snacking is about personal preference. It's not better or worse then not snacking. CICO...0 -
katybecker4181 wrote: »Thanks all. I think ill continue to snack as long as I continue to be within my calorie goal. People can research all they want but this Seems like its really an individual preference
+1 for the bolded...
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Iron_Feline wrote: »Weight loss is really about calories in vs calories out. If you snacks fit into your calorie goal and you enjoy them then have snacks.
Snacks do not rev up your metabolism.
this!
I used to snack loads... then I did IF for a while, and found I preferred larger meals with less snacks.0 -
I find that if I'm hungry in the mornings, in between breakfast and lunch, then It's better for me to eat a snack (around 100 calories usually), otherwise I end up either binging on lunch or eating my lunch so fast that I don't end up satisfied. I agree with some other posters, if you keep to your calorie goals and enjoy a snack, then you should snack on! I'm about to get a small serving of hummus and sliced bell peppers cause it's only 9:15 and I'm super hungry and lunch is a long way off, lol.0
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I learned that when I'm hungry in between meals, that means I didn't eat enough in my last meal or I didn't eat filling foods. e.g. rice, veggies, and meat is way more filling than a bowl of oatmeal, milk, and fruit in the morning. If you really want to stop snacking, you'll have to reevaluate what you're eating for your meals. But like many other people say, it doesn't really matter anyways when it comes to weight loss.0
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I just do larger meals more frequently....TavistockToad wrote: »Iron_Feline wrote: »Weight loss is really about calories in vs calories out. If you snacks fit into your calorie goal and you enjoy them then have snacks.
Snacks do not rev up your metabolism.
this!
I used to snack loads... then I did IF for a while, and found I preferred larger meals with less snacks.
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The only way snacking will derail your weight loss goals is routinely going over your calories & not being accountable.
The only time you shouldn't eat a food is if you don't like it, allergic, or have any other medical conditions that require you to avoid a food or a whole food group.
I second not eating in the morning if you're not hungry too. I usually eat my first meal of the day anywhere from 7-11 in the morning depending on how much my stomach is growling. I find if I eat first thing when I wake up it turns a switch on & makes me more hungry throughout the rest of the day.0
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