No snacks? Seriously?

pjwrt

In the last week, I've read two posts that claimed to have snack free eating habits.

How does one even do that for a day?

I've got crackers and cheese, grapes, oranges, Annies bunny cookies, sometimes (don't go there...lol). I do about 300 calories a day for snacks out of my 2250 allotment.

LyndaBSS

Until I recently started eating prunes, doctor's orders, I didn't snack. You have 1000 more daily calories than I do.

NoHookUpZone

Personal choice really.
Some can do it, some can't.
I eat all day because I snack on low fat proteins usually.
I'm always eating something, and still stay under 1200 calories.

I don't think I could survive without snacking.

Pamela_Sue

For some of us, snacking makes it difficult to control even more snacking, so some people just avoid snacking. Others just don't feel the need to snack between meals. I allot calories for one nice snack per evening and have worked very hard to not snack all night, which is my downfall.

RunsWithBees

I’m definitely a snacker and probably do 500 calories a day worth of snacks or even more! I still lost 43 lbs of excess weight and have maintained my goal weight for almost 6 years now. In the end it all comes down to a calorie deficit for weight loss, how one achieves that calorie deficit might indeed differ from person to person. I couldn’t go without snacking though!

nowine4me

I’d like to not snack, but come 4pm — watch out!! I split my 2000 into 4 meals, so my snack is 500.

AnnPT77

I don't understand why it matters: If someone likes slightly smaller meals in order to have snacks, fine. If someone else likes to have slightly smaller meals in order to fit in some snacks, also fine. It's just an eating preference. As long as things come out to the right total in the end, why would snacking or no snacking be a big deal?

kimothyschma

I'm a snacker. I have 1600 and I log 200-600 calories a day of snacks and have a very small breakfast. There's no one right way to do it!

AnnPT77

AnnPT77 wrote: »

I don't understand why it matters: If someone likes slightly smaller meals in order to have snacks, fine. If someone else likes to have slightly smaller meals in order to fit in some snacks, also fine. It's just an eating preference. As long as things come out to the right total in the end, why would snacking or no snacking be a big deal?

Oops: Too late to edit. Meant to say "If someone likes smaller meals in order to have snacks, fine. If someone else likes bigger meals and wants to give up snacks, also fine." Jeesh. Need to engage brain while typing.

pinuplove

pjwrt wrote: »

In the last week, I've read two posts that claimed to have snack free eating habits.

How does one even do that for a day?

I've got crackers and cheese, grapes, oranges, Annies bunny cookies, sometimes (don't go there...lol). I do about 300 calories a day for snacks out of my 2250 allotment.

Meh. If I got got 2250 calories daily, I might allocate a few hundred to snacks as well. But I don't, and I like at least one big meal a day or else I feel deprived, so I rarely snack.

Unknown

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lalalacroix

I snack and have throughout my weight loss. But I always have calories left over at the end of the day.

I love crunchy stuff - crackers, puffs and chips.

VioletRojo

I prefer to have big, filling meals, instead of small, unsatisfying snacks. It's just better for me. You do you.

Annie_01

pjwrt wrote: »

In the last week, I've read two posts that claimed to have snack free eating habits.

How does one even do that for a day?

I've got crackers and cheese, grapes, oranges, Annies bunny cookies, sometimes (don't go there...lol). I do about 300 calories a day for snacks out of my 2250 allotment.

I think you need to realise that many of us don't have 2250 calories to play with so we have to make every calorie count if we are also working on the "health" part along with losing weight.

Some of us also have problems of "binging" on snacks and have found that the easiest way to keep them under control is by eliminating "snacks".

Also you have to look at what an individual considers a snack. I keep the small cups of greek yogurt that I have in the afternoon or at night if I need something else. I also use fruit as a snack. I will also use leftover roasted vegetables as a snack.

I didn't gain 100lbs because of the meals(breakfast, lunch, dinner) that I ate...I gained because of all the snacks(cheesits, chips, goldfish, cheetos) that I was eating. When I stopped that snacking I started losing weight. Now if I want any of those items I have to go buy a small package of them. Fortunately I have gotten to the point that I don't want them often.

MikePTY

It's much easier to snack on 2250 than 1200. But even so, snacking is subjective. I have 2250 calories as well, and I don't really think I "snack". I don't find snacks to be filling or satisfying. I will usually have 4 meals most days though, so some may consider me having an extra meal a "snack", but I don't.

425Recess

I agree this is a individual need/desire. For me, my snacks are planned as much as regular meals - three snack "meals" a day. It might be habit but at this point, very necessary.

pjwrt

Yeah, maybe my snacking is okay. It's not like I'm doing my doughnut addiction anymore, which was my downfall. Pasta, too, but pasta is a winter discussion..:(

My 2250 limit keeps me at <165 lbs @ 8% body fat, so maybe I should be content with what I'm doing. Any less than 2250 and I'd probably go into starvation mode or something.

Time for a slice of English cheddar and a cracker, methinks....

SuzySunshine99

I don't snack because it's very unsatisfying for me. Having "a little something" makes me more hungry than not having anything at all. I maintain at 1700 calories, which I use up in my meals.

I'm not sure why other people's personal preference should bother or shock you so much. Everyone is different, just do what works for you.

Duck_Puddle

Heck-I’d snack too if I had 2250 calories. That’s an all you can eat buffet!

Since I have 1000 less, I don’t have a lot of room for snacks. If I am very hungry in the afternoon, I will have a yogurt or something, but it’s not the norm.

Snacking is fine. Not snacking is fine. Whatever works for you and is sustainable and allows you to consistently meet your goals is what you should be doing. That’s going to vary for each of us.

Annie_01

pjwrt wrote: »

Yeah, maybe my snacking is okay. It's not like I'm doing my doughnut addiction anymore, which was my downfall. Pasta, too, but pasta is a winter discussion..:(

My 2250 limit keeps me at <165 lbs @ 8% body fat, so maybe I should be content with what I'm doing. Any less than 2250 and I'd probably go into starvation mode or something.

Time for a slice of English cheddar and a cracker, methinks....

Just to emphasize why some of us might not snack on Annie's Bunnies...Instead of having lots of snacks in a day I would much prefer a serving of pasta. I actually eat pasta 2 or 3 times a week.

Congratulations on being able to maintain on 2250 a week. Count your blessings...eat your snacks...don't spend your valuable time worrying about those of us that have cut out or cut way back on snacks...we will survive.

Gamliela

My calorie suggested amount by mfp is around 2000 a day. I was eating mostly fish, vegetables, yogurt and fruit for my meals. I wasn't making my 2000 so I added in peanuts, a healthy snack and I ate about 800 calories a day in peanuts actually.

Its important to eat how you want to. Recently I started eating at night too. I think I was so used to calories coming in so frequenly during the day that I would wake up hungry for snacks. I put on 5 pounds doing that and got a bit over my maintenance window. I was still in my middish bmi healthy range but I could see the writing on the wall.
I got a feeling I should reign things in and deal. Hence I have been testing and trying ways to eat in a time regulated window without snacks.

I personally feel much better without snacks.

I agree completely with anyone who enjoys grazing or snacking if it suits them, then do it. Its the joy of being an adult, unoppressed and a completely free agent in your choices.

apullum

It's personal preference about how one wants to allocate their calories, and sometimes it's about medical needs that require someone to eat more often. I absolutely snack on most days, even though I'm very short and I have a relatively low calorie goal.

Personally, I think part of the problem is the term "snack free." It sounds judgey to me, as though it's better not to snack. There's nothing inherently good or bad about snacking--it's just food. Eat what you want, when you want.

WinoGelato

Did someone tell you not to have snacks or suggest that you would be more successful by eliminating them?

If not, why does it matter how other people choose to fill their personal calorie allotment?

People space out their calories all sorts of different ways and to accommodate all sorts of foods and beverages and schedules. Some people eat multiple small meals each day, some eat 3 meals and no snacks, some budget snacks, some people condense all their intake into a specific eating window, and some people eat one meal a day (OMAD). There are examples of success and failure amongst all of these approaches - where people are successful it’s because they’ve found a way that works for THEM.

seltzermint555

Like a lot of others, I prefer larger meals that keep me satisfied. I'm able to eat my 3 meals at the same times due to my schedule. If I had to space them out a lot more then I'd see a need for snacks in between (for example, lunch at 11:30 or noon...I eat dinner by 6 for sure but if I couldn't have dinner until 8 for some reason, I would have to snack around 5-6)

Serenity0429

I snack, but I also do Intermittent fasting so I have to eat my calorie intake within an 8 hour window and I stop eating at 7 P.M.

nowine4me

Besides the calories, many experts are advocating a snack-free day in order to keep hormone balance, specifically insulin in check. Frankly, I say do whatever it takes to lose weight, but in maintenance, these are some of the options to optimize your diet. I’m not for, or against, just putting it out there.

sgt1372

Never did "snack" much, unless you call popping open a can of beer or soda 4-6x's a day "snacking."

No more beers or sodas in the frig and absolutely no snacking during the 16-18 hrs/day while I'm fasting.

No problems for me doing it but the results for others will probably differ.

Pamela_Sue

nowine4me wrote: »

Besides the calories, many experts are advocating a snack-free day in order to keep hormone balance, specifically insulin in check. Frankly, I say do whatever it takes to lose weight, but in maintenance, these are some of the options to optimize your diet. I’m not for, or against, just putting it out there.

Interesting comment. I have diabetes, and early on in our meetings this year, my dietitian suggested limiting my snacks to only a bedtime snack. I am now curious and will ask her about the snacking and insulin. Thanks!

lemurcat2

People just like to space out their meals differently. I don't miss snacking, don't really like snacking all that much, prefer bigger meals, and tend to not want less at meals when I do snack and often snacking leads to mindless eating for me.

I think people who like snacking should snack.

lgfrie

I eat no snacks, nada, zip. The reason I am on a diet in the first place is because I spent my life snacking, and now all that weight has to be unwound. I knew no real progress could be made unless I could get total control over that one aspect. It was hard at first but has now gotten much easier. I can't say I wouldn't like a big bag of Dorito's right now, but I've learned to live without that stuff and it has made weight loss much easier for me. All my calories go into meals.

stephaniek511

It's been a mind over matter thing for me. When I began my weight loss journey, I had to trick myself a bit and I used snacks to do that ("Oh look, I'm eating very small healthy meals but I get all these snacks as well so I haven't cut back at all"). Now that healthy eating is my lifestyle, I've starting ramping up my meals and decreasing my snacks considerably. Ultimately I think it's just about what works for you - there was a time for me that a day without snacks would have been terrible! Now, my only snack is an apple for a mid-afternoon distraction...unless it's the weekend...or unless someone brings in cookies...or unless I have a popcorn attack