Best low cal snacks for couch and tv time?

jamiepatterson082121

By the evening I'm tired and just want to watch some tv and relax before I hit the hay early, but I'm a snacker. What are some good low cal options? I would go exercise, but I'm awaiting foot surgery so I'm limited.

LyndaBSS

Popcorn 🍿

SageJJ93

I agree with popcorn. An apple or a piece or 2 of dark chocolate is nice as well.

If you have a craving for chips or something, dont try to ignore it, just measure out a serving and put them on a plate or bowl and only eat that serving. Sometimes I take a half serving because by the time I'm done with it the craving is usually gone anyways 🙂

misclaire81

You can bake the thinn mountain breads and make them into chips. I sometimes brush with a tiny amount of oil and sprinkle spices on them for chilli chips.

They only take a few minutes, so watch them so they don't burn

Also popcorn, but I am partial to a pretzle

corinasue1143

I really prefer carrots, celery, green beans. I can’t eat popcorn, don’t love chips, do love crunchy!

Nbaker0909

Cucumbers! 100 grams of cucumber is a low calorie but high volume snack so I feel like I’ve eaten a good size snack without having a calorie bomb at the end of the night

ellie117

Popcorn!

I also like veggie straws, but need to portion them out. I snack based on volume, so I can have more straws than regular potato chips for the same amount of calories/less fat.

Shortgirlrunning

Agree with the popcorn suggestion. But I also took up knitting to give my hands something to do other than grab for food. I’ve tired to cut out a lot of the mindless eating I used to do.

jamiepatterson082121

Thank you everybody for the suggestions! Will definitely give a few a try!

armyvet25

no cal water foods, sliced bell peppers, greens, celery, carrots
pickles are my go to, or hot peppers

AnnieBananiiii

My fav snack is cucumbers, whipped cream cheese, and some everything but the bagel seasoning right on top.

SO good.

steveko89

I once heard my parents describe adolescent me as an "olympic snacker". However, I find that if I'm spreading my calories and macros appropriately throughout the day I don't get the snacking urge after dinner like I used to. Make sure your deficit isn't inappropriately aggressive too.

SageJJ93

AnnieBananiiii wrote: »

My fav snack is cucumbers, whipped cream cheese, and some everything but the bagel seasoning right on top.

SO good.

Okay so I might steal this idea 😁

sammidelvecchio

strawberries
ritz crisp and thins
rice cake
popcorn

nighthawk584

honeycrisp apples with a little sprinkling of salt, salty pretzel rods or the little pretzel sticks. I love popcorn too, but one serving is NEVER enough. I used to eat an entire bag of the movie theater orville red popcorn with the pour over butter. THE BEST, but looking at the calories on it now, I was eating 720 calories each time just in that! Plus I would down several strawberry twizzlers with it or M & Ms.... I used to do that almost every night. Yikes!

yelliezx

Coolway ice cream! I have it every night when I'm watching tv. It's a nice sweet treat and only around 360 calories for the whole tub! I'm not a huge ice cream person so successfully manage to eat between and a half and quarter tub but it keeps my snacking at bay. I also like kettlecorn.

Theoldguy1

Shortgirlrunning wrote: »

Agree with the popcorn suggestion. But I also took up knitting to give my hands something to do other than grab for food. I’ve tired to cut out a lot of the mindless eating I used to do.

100% to the bolded. Cutting out mindless eating/eating in front of a screen can be a great help in weight control.

lynn_glenmont

If you're just snacking out of habit, and not because you're hungry or trying to fill in some missing nutritional goals for the day, you could try having a no-cal drink. There are a wide range of flavored herbal teas, for example.

lois1231

Flavored mini rice cakes like barbecue, ranch, or sour cream, applesauce, fiber one bars, yougurt, kettle corn 100 calorie bags, cheese, dark chocolate, toast with peanut butter, pretty much anything if it fits in your calories. I listed some of the things I like to snack on.

NovusDies

You have gotten a lot of good suggestions. Can I suggest that if you have the ability to pause what you are watching that you do so while there is food in your mouth? If you snack while you watch TV you are connecting the two experiences. In your head watching TV may immediately equal having a snack even if you are not physically hungry or have no calories left in the day. That doesn't mean you will forced to snack it just means you may crave something and be unnecessarily disappointed.

What should happen if you pause what you are watching is that the experience becomes irritating for you. The value of the snack will lower unless you are really hungry. What should also happen is that while eating you are more mindful of the food you are consuming. As other mentioned mindless eating is, at least for me, a very bad idea.