Cronic Snacker Over Here!

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Amanda82691
Amanda82691 Posts: 298 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a bad habit that I seriously need to kick to the curb. I am a snack junky! When my day is almost done, I'm at home, and after dinner all I wanna do is nibble away on whatever is in the kitchen and 98% of the time its never heathy. Which I know is greatly slowing down my weight loss and fat % loss because its putting me over on calories I'm sure. I can do great all day while at work but its only while I'm at home. I know that will power and simply saying no is what it is going to come down to but does anyone have any tips on making saying no a bit easier or anyone else had this issue who kicked it in the butt?? Please and thank you :)

Replies

  • BCSMama
    BCSMama Posts: 348
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    Hey, I can totally relate. Basically I have found 2 things that I have had some success with to curb the evening snack attack. First, I took up knitting. Sounds cheesy I know, but it keeps my hands busy while I'm watching tv and I literally can't snack and knit at the same time. Second, I try to log my food intake for the whole day in the morning so I know exactly how many calories I have left in the evening to snack. I plan to have at least 200 because I know I will want a little something in the evening. Other than that, it's will power and getting used to not snacking as much in the evening. Good luck!
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Brush your teeth right after dinner and use a strong tasting toothpaste. Nothing tastes good after toothpaste!
  • Amanda82691
    Amanda82691 Posts: 298 Member
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    Brush your teeth right after dinner and use a strong tasting toothpaste. Nothing tastes good after toothpaste!

    True to that one!!! :)
  • Amanda82691
    Amanda82691 Posts: 298 Member
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    Hey, I can totally relate. Basically I have found 2 things that I have had some success with to curb the evening snack attack. First, I took up knitting. Sounds cheesy I know, but it keeps my hands busy while I'm watching tv and I literally can't snack and knit at the same time. Second, I try to log my food intake for the whole day in the morning so I know exactly how many calories I have left in the evening to snack. I plan to have at least 200 because I know I will want a little something in the evening. Other than that, it's will power and getting used to not snacking as much in the evening. Good luck!

    Thanks for the tips! I'm hoping to kick this in the butt by the new year! :)
  • ninjapixie87
    ninjapixie87 Posts: 124 Member
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    - Log your food and pre-log your dinner, so you know exactly how many calories you have. This way you might stop and think "I can't 'afford' to eat these chips!"
    - Brush your teeth or chew minty gum.
    - Drink water!
    - Don't buy the snacks. (If you live with others, ask them to store their snacks somewhere else.) I don't buy many chips or other snacks anymore; if I do, it's usually stuff my hubby likes that I don't care for, so he eats it and I don't!
    - Replace the junk with healthy snacks: fruit, nuts, raw veggies, greek yogurt, string cheese, granola bars, light popcorn, Jell-o, etc.
    - Don't go home hungry. I eat a snack (usually a piece of fruit) shortly before leaving work, so that I don't feel like I want to eat the first thing I see when I get home, and I can wait until I cook dinner.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    leave yourself some cals for evening snacks, or just dont have junk snacks in the house!
  • mwooderson
    mwooderson Posts: 254 Member
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    - Log your food and pre-log your dinner, so you know exactly how many calories you have. This way you might stop and think "I can't 'afford' to eat these chips!"
    - Brush your teeth or chew minty gum.
    - Drink water!
    - Don't buy the snacks. (If you live with others, ask them to store their snacks somewhere else.) I don't buy many chips or other snacks anymore; if I do, it's usually stuff my hubby likes that I don't care for, so he eats it and I don't!
    - Replace the junk with healthy snacks: fruit, nuts, raw veggies, greek yogurt, string cheese, granola bars, light popcorn, Jell-o, etc.
    - Don't go home hungry. I eat a snack (usually a piece of fruit) shortly before leaving work, so that I don't feel like I want to eat the first thing I see when I get home, and I can wait until I cook dinner.

    Excellent Advice! Beside pre-logging my dinner I build in a snack buffer and make it a part of my eating plan. Somehing substantial like whole grain bread with Almond Butter and a Fat Free Hot chocolate really satisfies the night time hunger. Just make sure you account for it before you eat it!
  • nikkinz
    nikkinz Posts: 30 Member
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    I print off photos of what I want my body to look like and tape it on the fridge and cupboards. That way I have to look at them as I'm pulling that snack out and decide what I want more. That cookie or that body.
  • John2347
    John2347 Posts: 336 Member
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    get the unhealthy stuff out of the house!
  • RobynLB
    RobynLB Posts: 617 Member
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    Low cal snacks: sugar free pudding, crunchy viggies, apples, arctic zero, popcorn, gum, tea.
    Eat a late dinner: like 8-9pm.
    Put up some sort of sign or physical barrier on the way to the kitchen.
    Create some other evening ritual or habit to relax.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    I always snack at night - one of my favorites is 94% fat free orville popcorn (120 calories for the whole bag). it is low calorie and takes an hour of munching to finish it. I just make sure I leave room in my calories for the day for whatever snack I plan on eating.
  • Amanda82691
    Amanda82691 Posts: 298 Member
    Options
    - Log your food and pre-log your dinner, so you know exactly how many calories you have. This way you might stop and think "I can't 'afford' to eat these chips!"
    - Brush your teeth or chew minty gum.
    - Drink water!
    - Don't buy the snacks. (If you live with others, ask them to store their snacks somewhere else.) I don't buy many chips or other snacks anymore; if I do, it's usually stuff my hubby likes that I don't care for, so he eats it and I don't!
    - Replace the junk with healthy snacks: fruit, nuts, raw veggies, greek yogurt, string cheese, granola bars, light popcorn, Jell-o, etc.
    - Don't go home hungry. I eat a snack (usually a piece of fruit) shortly before leaving work, so that I don't feel like I want to eat the first thing I see when I get home, and I can wait until I cook dinner.


    I drink over a gallon of water every day lol so I don't think thats gonna help unfortunetyly. There is minimal junk in the house, but I still end up eating whatever is there junk or not. lol. I never go home starving due to my evening snack before dinner. And I pre log just about all my meals as best I can. lol. Not trying to shoot you down but these are things I already do and I still nibble on stuff and even though they can be healthy nibbles, I'm trying to completly succeed at not eating unless I'm actually hungry. I do allw myself treats here and there. But I don't want to snack every night. lol
  • Feed_the_Bears
    Feed_the_Bears Posts: 275 Member
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    Front loading your calories into a big breakfast can help curb cravings later in the day (but you still need some will power) and eating more protein and fibre rich foods also helps satiety. Prepping your evening with a large cup of green tea helps me.

    ... In the end.. you're facing extra temptations for snacks because this 1200 calorie day is below your BMR i.e. entering starvation mode. I am a big proponent of never eating below your BMR and making sure you eat back all of your exercise calories. You'll still be in a deficit, but you'll be fueling your body better and keeping your blood surgar and metabolism at more healthy levels.

    You're body goes mad with cravings when you underfeed it.

    That said, there is an initial habit-kicking struggle that you're just going to have to deal with. It's like quitting smoking.

    "East More to Weigh Less" EM2WL, check it out.

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