HOW did you quit your horrible SNACKING habit?

Options
24

Replies

  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    Options
    Make yourself weigh and log everything before you put it in your mouth. The fat that you're only remembering the food later means that it's mildness eating; you may not even be hungry. Taking the time to weigh and log every bite means that you have to hold yourself accountable that "just a nibble" of some foods can be 50-100 calories and add up fast.

    Other tricks to keep you from wanting to graze:
    -Keep lower calorie snacks in the house that you can eat with purpose. 100 calorie snack packs, baby carrots, mini muffins, etc. Pick something that you want to eat, determine how much of it you can eat in a day, and then enjoy it. You don't have to be a mouse, nibbling here and there. Chewing gum or eating mints can also help if it's more of an oral fixation.
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,568 Member
    Options
    Fit snacks into your plan, or eat 6 mini meals per day...instead of 5 or 6 almonds count out the 21 (I think that's the entry I seen for almonds on the data base) and enter in your diary if you only eat 7 - eat 7 three times throughout the day, your snacks are entered and accounted for - end of problem - enter your one protein bar - eat half now and half later - again your snacks are entered in your diary - no problem - not hard to do, just do it. Or enter the half or third serving size - whatever - but if you are leaving open protein bars in your cupboard what do you do? toss em after a few days?
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    Options
    I just didnt' quit snacking.

    Instead, I plan for it.
  • mmm_drop
    mmm_drop Posts: 1,126 Member
    Options
    Well, I haven't.

    I snack A LOT. I like to snack, so I just snack on "better" stuff. I eat raw nuts, protein bars, fruit, veggies, and yes, chips and candy too. I just make sure my snacking doesn't get out of control and take me over my calories for the day.

    I've found that allowing myself to eat ALL the food has made it easier for me to eat at a deficit.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Options
    I used the patch.


    A lot of people I know have been successful with the e-snacks though.
  • davidaward14
    davidaward14 Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    A easy trick I had found is to carry no " cash". No money, no honey!
  • ottermotorcycle
    ottermotorcycle Posts: 654 Member
    Options
    Snacking isn't the problem - failing to log it is. Taking a bite of this and a bite of that, having a few almonds or part of a protein bar - those are healthy habits, if you're aware of them. Probably the easiest rule you can stick to in this case is that if you can't be bothered to log it, it's not worth putting in your mouth!

    Other than that, very low calorie snacks (I'm talking dry lettuce, celery sticks, etc), sugar-free gum and water will keep you busy.
  • janelann222
    janelann222 Posts: 13
    Options
    I am also a huge snack lover. I think what helped me is buying 100 calorie pack snacks. I like the chocolate dusted almonds, Jolly time popcorn, pringles, etc. They have helped me a lot (with portion size and having a nibble of a craving while not going overboard). I also drink a lot of green tea to fight snack cravings.
  • davidaward14
    davidaward14 Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    The secret for me to stop snacking was just to eat a half cup of whole oats as a snack halfway between meals. 150 calories, filling, and takes care of the urges.

    I did the same thing to. Works very well!
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Options
    There is nothing wrong with snacking, you just have to log the calories and try to hit your macros. I eat sometimes close to 50% of my calories 'snacking'.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Options
    I do this terrible thing where I take nibbles of my friends unhealthy food! So my partner will order pizza and I'll make something healthy for myself, but have two bites of pizza. We will go to a movie and I will not order popcorn for myself, but will eat a hanfull of my friends! Sometimes I've had 300+ calories at the end of the day in nibbles (weekends are especially bad)

    I have found that I can avoid this just by doing the actual math of it and logging it in my head. When I want that bite of pizza I try to think "a slice has 400 calories, I could eat that slice in 12 bites. Each bite is about 35 calories."

    This thought process turned my mindset from "its a nibble so it doesn't count" to "that bite has the same amount of calories as as tablespoon of ranch"

    So basically, maybe try relating those snacks to something you do count.

    Why do you think pizza is unhealthy??
  • SEAFOODMAN
    SEAFOODMAN Posts: 342
    Options
    burning 3000 calories helps lol
  • kwantlen2051
    kwantlen2051 Posts: 455 Member
    Options
    I didn't quit! Just more conscious now and no more mindless eating. If you are a "grazer", maybe just have smaller meals so you have enough calories for snacking.
  • EmbraceTheDarkSide
    EmbraceTheDarkSide Posts: 514 Member
    Options
    I didn't stop snacking... I just changed what I snacked on and when.
  • rebekahnillyoungers
    rebekahnillyoungers Posts: 5 Member
    Options
    Maybe it's just not realistic for you to wait for people to eat with you. If you are teaching a cardio class and you get home and need to eat, that sounds like hunger to me. Go ahead and eat, maybe saving some calories to have a light snack with your boyfriend when he gets home, or even just sit down and have a cup of tea while he's eating dinner. It's tempting to try to save your calories for later in the day, kind of as a reward, but it actually makes more sense to eat more earlier in the day to give you energy. I'm also a fitness instructor, and if I teach a 6 pm class, I need to eat a hefty snack (more like a mini meal) at 4:30 so that I can give it my all at class, and then I eat again immediately when I get home. You need fuel!
  • lwanbaugh81
    lwanbaugh81 Posts: 70 Member
    Options
    A nutritionist told me once that anytime you eat either a meal or a snack it should have a protein and a good fat. Apparently the good fats help with the "feel good feeling" so you are more satisfied and the proteins help you stay fuller longer. I'm trying it myself. I have a hard time distinguishing between hunger and every other emotion that makes me want to eat even when I'm not hungry!!
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,568 Member
    Options
    I used the patch.


    A lot of people I know have been successful with the e-snacks though.

    :indifferent:
  • scubasuenc
    scubasuenc Posts: 626 Member
    Options
    First of all when I want to snack, I stop and ask myself if I'm physically hungry or I want to eat for another reason. Often that is enough to stop the snack right there. I also have multiple smaller meals each day. I usually have 3 meals and 2 snacks per day with 3-4 hours typically in between. So when I want to snack and I'm off schedule, I can usually have some water and wait until the next 'scheduled' meal. I also try to get lots of protein in each day, the protein helps keep me from feeling hungry.
  • tompkinsw
    tompkinsw Posts: 27 Member
    Options
    Stop buying on the foods you snack on.

    Not so easy to do when there are others in your household whose weight is not an issue :(
  • matuskap
    matuskap Posts: 131 Member
    Options
    Thats enough of useful answers :D Btw I refuse any responsibility for a suicide of anyone who tries this simple 3-step guide to stop snacking using method called: Guilt. :P

    Its easy.
    First, you watch some random video on youtube on how they do heart surgery on someone and pull 10 cm long string of fat that clogged the arteries.
    When you think youve seen enough, you can go and stand in a mirror for couple of hours, thinking about the last time you ate a cookie while looking at your stomach fat, which is in most cases pretty much imaginary. But dont forget, regret is a crucial part of this exercise.
    And third, if you still havent killed yourself, you might consider liposuction while looking at anorexic models in a magazine.
    After all three steps, you will probably never eat a snack ever again in next 5 minutes until guilt disappears :D.


    Ok now seriously: Like most ppl suggets, dont quit, just moderate. MFP counts also sugar and fiber, so set a goal for both. Max sugar wont let you eat too much of sweets, and fiber will force you to eat more veggies. Anything else is a fair game if you fit it to daily macros. Thats how most people do it if they just cant give up snacks. Maybe in time, you will even realize you dont need as much sweet treats as you used to.

Categories