What to Snack on when you just can't stop

bpoppa

So, I have been dieting for about a month now and doing very well. but once in a while I just get an urge to snack a lot. Like as soon as I eat a healthy snack, I feel hungry again. I am doing my best to resist but sometimes its hard. So I am looking for tips/advice. What can I do? What are good snacks that will help keep me feeling full til lunch/dinner?

Thanks!

Jim

maddymama

For me it's airpopped popcorn if I want volume. If I want to fill me up, it's a Larabar.

Also, drink a glass of water to see if you are thirsty and not hungry.

kateroot

Look for a snack with fiber, protein, and a little healthy fat. This combination tends to be pretty filling and satisfying. One of my favorites is peanut butter and banana on a low-carb (or high fiber) tortilla. If you feel like your snacking is going overboard, try drinking more water, chewing gum, going for a walk.. Keeping yourself occupied really helps curb excessive snacking.

laurapain4nbi

I drink a pint of water during every meal and every snack because it makes you feel fuller for longer, and I know it's boring but eat things like apples, or even chew on a celery stick is suppose to help?

CFPearce28

I agree with all these posts, but kateroot definately has hit it. A balanced snack will hold you longer than a non-balanced snack. Once thing to keep in mind too, is that it is good to eat smaller meals and have a snack inbetween. Keeps the metabolism happy. Some things I'll eat are nuts and dried fruit, greek yogurt and fruit, apples and peanut butter, etc. Good luck.

Tenoreo90

Celery! Very low cal and gives you that 'crunch' you might be craving (from years of eating chips or whatevs...I totally hear ya if that's the case haha). Sometimes I'll just get a big bowl of spinach, either raw with a bit of low-fat vinageriate (can never spell that word correctly) or cooked with a few seasonings.

amyy902

okay, im tinyyyyyy but i have that problem too. i eat like a small horse, and i find if i eat before im hungry i eat a heap more than i would have had i just waited....... i find a couple of rice cakes norm fill me up ......

seattlerain

I get out of the house to prevent snacking. If that is not an option:

Coffee.
Water.

cmriverside

After battling this for years, I had to accept that a lot of it is psychological. I don't NEED that, I want it. I'm not hungry, I'm bored/frustrated/angry/sad....


We only need so much food. The rest is a story in our head.

Try eating more protein and less carbs....(and especially breads, chips, crackers, sugary things.) I stopped buying them. Only grains in my house are steel cut oats, brown rice, and 100% whole wheat bread. It even took me a while to stop using bread as a snack. It only fuels the craving. Try it for a month.

My favorite snack now is one ounce of raw almonds, and a 10 ounce glass of Spicy V8. It keeps me satisfied for a couple hours.

Yogurt is also good. A hard boiled egg or some tuna would work. Just not on bread, maybe with some salad.

.

leanmachinedream

I paint my nails when I want to snack. I started a nail polish blog (with 40 followers now, yay!) for a variety of reasons. Mainly, I need to do a lot of swatching of colors so I can post every day. That's really time consuming.

If I really am hungry though, even after water, I like carrots and hummus, or apples and non fat plain greek yogurt, and I mix in some cinnamon and sometimes allspice.

lagcrg

For me the snack(s) amount depends on my over all calorie goal...Healthy and good is apples, carrots, peanut butter, nuts. We all like different things. Drinking water before during and after any meal is good and does help make me not feel so hungry or "over eat" at any meal. I would say, make sure you are eating well at your meals and make your snacks no more than 200 cals, but if you're really hungry, I would think your body is needing more. Another suggestion would be to divide your over all cals into the number of meals/snacks you have each day(smaller meals more frequently)...all just suggestions! Good luck figuring what works for you.

Donnacoach

Popcorn, lots of water, Peanut butter on banana's and apples, and low fat animal crackers. They are my go to snacks for sure. And if you notice, they are all crunch snacks with the exception of my banana. Good luck and keep up the great work.

ajmz319

I love sugar snap peas- they have them washed and ready to go in the produce section at Walmart, Meijer etc- you can eat the whole bag for around 98 calories, they have wonderful protein- like more than 9 g!! and great vitamins/minerals too. They crunch and have a little sweet :-) I also have single serving bags of edamame- micro, lightly salt, and it takes a while to eat for 98 calories and lots of protein as well- that and a low fat cheese stick seem to help me through many of my cravings!!
good luck

meggonkgonk

I know it's not the healthiest choice, but I often will reach for pickles when I'm munchy. It's high in sodium but the strength of the taste I find curbs my desire to keep eating more just to eat.

indiegirl71

Diet soda for me and maybe a serving of saltine crackers with cheddar cheese...that's regular cheese...none of that low fat stuff.

maleva720

almonds and cheese sticks usually keep me full between meals...

susie10

i try to keep raw vegs. in the refigerator carrots, broccoli or cauliflower so if i want to snack just grab some of that. hope this helps

meggonkgonk

Celery! Very low cal and gives you that 'crunch' you might be craving (from years of eating chips or whatevs...I totally hear ya if that's the case haha). Sometimes I'll just get a big bowl of spinach, either raw with a bit of low-fat vinageriate (can never spell that word correctly) or cooked with a few seasonings.

Dude, you must have iron will power if you can crave chips but be satisfied with celery :laugh:

I think I probably eat chips for the salt and fat, not the crunch

topdawg119

popcorn or almonds work for me - it doesn't take a lot of almonds to feel full - and of course drinking a lot of water - but of course we big guys need to chew - that's where the almonds help me

good luck!

bpoppa

These are all awesome ideas and tips. Definitely like the banana/pb thing and I do like rice cakes. I am a computer programmer so I pretty much sit on my *kitten* all day and hard to get out of the office when I am feeling hungry, but I think these tips will help for sure.

Thank you all for taking the time to share your thoughts. It is much appreciated.

JIm

topdawg119

I know it's not the healthiest choice, but I often will reach for pickles when I'm munchy. It's high in sodium but the strength of the taste I find curbs my desire to keep eating more just to eat.

good call

Alacey88

I paint my nails when I want to snack. I started a nail polish blog (with 40 followers now, yay!) for a variety of reasons. Mainly, I need to do a lot of swatching of colors so I can post every day. That's really time consuming.

I do puzzles or read while walking in place.... If that doesn't work then I sew...

I usually go for health snacks like nuts, protien shakes, yogurt, fruits/veggies with PB.

30yearssincebikini

I had the same problem before I joined the gym two weeks ago. I can't even believe how my cravings have gone down to almost nothing since then. I am at the gym every morning except Saturdays and I work out from six to seven thirty. Then I go to work. I don't know why, but my urges have diminished alot. Also I eat healthy, I think when you work out and eat healthy, it changes your cravings. Anyway, that is how I beat the cravings.

chase7512

Not to sure if it was mentioned, but you should be having 6 small meals a day with your daily consumption of water. Consume 16 oz's of water prior to your meal and then have little sips in between bites will fill you faster for longer.

Breakfast / Morning Snack / Lunch / Afternoon Snack / Supper / Evening snack (2hours atleast before bed)

Also ensure breakfast is your largest meal working your way down. You follow these steps as I have and it won't be that much of any issue after about a week

Something to remember is:

Eat breakfast like a King/Queen
Eat lunch like a Prince/Princess
Eat supper like a Pauper

themommie

when i want something to munch on I go for popcorn, mini rice cakes, apple with peanut butter, carrots, grapes, weight watchers strawberry smoothie ice cream bars ( only 60 cals), also string cheese or a hard boiled egg. I hope this helps

rides4sanity

This may sound silly, but I've found if I brush my teeth after a snack or meal it cues my body that it's tim eto move on. I've read that it's the mint that triggers the response so I suppose gum might work also.

melsinct

After battling this for years, I had to accept that a lot of it is psychological. I don't NEED that, I want it. I'm not hungry, I'm bored/frustrated/angry/sad....


We only need so much food. The rest is a story in our head.

I agree with this. You've got to work on the problem from the inside out. It takes a long time to break old habits but it can be done. Next time you feel like snacking like there's no tomorrow, take a minute to yourself and think "Am I really hungry?" If you aren't truly hungry, try and figure out why you are eating (boredom, anger, sadness, habit, etc.). Everything else is just a band-aid.

cmriverside

After battling this for years, I had to accept that a lot of it is psychological. I don't NEED that, I want it. I'm not hungry, I'm bored/frustrated/angry/sad....


We only need so much food. The rest is a story in our head.

I agree with this. You've got to work on the problem from the inside out. It takes a long time to break old habits but it can be done. Next time you feel like snacking like there's no tomorrow, take a minute to yourself and think "Am I really hungry?" If you aren't truly hungry, try and figure out why you are eating (boredom, anger, sadness, habit, etc.). Everything else is just a band-aid.

Thank you. And to elaborate some more, because this was a big ole break-through for moi.....

Really, I don't need that food. I only need 1500-1700 calories a day. That is not a lot of food. I've been eating very clean for at least three years. Unless I plan meticulously and execute my plan, I can go over that without even blinking.

I had to (have to) continue to tell myself..."It isn't real hunger. It is desire. I would also like to sit on a beach all day. I don't need to. I want to."

Saying "No" to myself is not something I enjoy doing. I think everything is all about me and my happiness. Only thing is, happiness isn't as easy at 50 pounds over weight, as it is now. Been there.

It is most definitely a habit that needs repetition to become a part of daily life.

That is my goal and my reward.


.

melsinct

After battling this for years, I had to accept that a lot of it is psychological. I don't NEED that, I want it. I'm not hungry, I'm bored/frustrated/angry/sad....


We only need so much food. The rest is a story in our head.

I agree with this. You've got to work on the problem from the inside out. It takes a long time to break old habits but it can be done. Next time you feel like snacking like there's no tomorrow, take a minute to yourself and think "Am I really hungry?" If you aren't truly hungry, try and figure out why you are eating (boredom, anger, sadness, habit, etc.). Everything else is just a band-aid.

Thank you. And to elaborate some more, because this was a big ole break-through for moi.....

Really, I don't need that food. I only need 1500-1700 calories a day. That is not a lot of food. I've been eating very clean for at least three years. Unless I plan meticulously and execute my plan, I can go over that without even blinking.

I had to (have to) continue to tell myself..."It isn't real hunger. It is desire. I would also like to sit on a beach all day. I don't need to. I want to."

Saying "No" to myself is not something I enjoy doing. I think everything is all about me and my happiness. Only thing is, happiness isn't as easy at 50 pounds over weight, as it is now. Been there.

It is most definitely a habit that needs repetition to become a part of daily life.

That is my goal and my reward.


.

That is a great way to state it: you do need to say no to yourself in all areas of life, including food.