Snacking while making dinner

GymMouse85
GymMouse85 Posts: 7
in Food and Nutrition
I feel like this is my downfall and a way of "cheating" without really cheating. I usually eat a out a full serving of what's for dinner while I'm actually making it! A couple bites of chicken breast here, carrots there, a spoonful (or five!) of squash... I know its all healthy but it's excess food that is not needed before sitting down at the dinner table. How do you combat the urge to snack while cooking? Chewing gum hasn't helped, I just spit it out so I can shovel food in!

Replies

  • Playingwithfire89
    Playingwithfire89 Posts: 87
    I always drink diet coke, or some other enjoyable zero cal beverage while cooking. There are so many good ones out there now, your sure to find something with a flavor you really enjoy! If drinking something sweet/yummy instead of eating doesn't help i would plan ahead by putting out like a bowl of raw carrots and just planning on a pre-dinner snack. Also limiting yourself to snacking on just veggies and not chicken/mash potatoes or whatever will keep the cals under control.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    You eat raw chicken?

    If I'm really hungry, I'll have a starter while I'm cooking.
  • Sako316
    Sako316 Posts: 16 Member
    I have issues with this as well. More so when I was a cook for a large kitchen. First of all I intended to taste to make sure it was going good. But all those calories add up. Heres some tips:

    Stay busy while cooking, catch up on dishes, clean out a cabinet, drawer or other storage. This will burn more calories and keep you near where you need to be... also resulting in those annoying cluttered areas being clutter free

    Sip on a beverage

    Keep a bowel of watery veggies just for the snack attack.

    Imagine someone is watching

    Listen to something capturing.. this always helps me

    Eat a bit of healthy food prior to cooking

    If you want to change this habit because of the calories then add the calories to your food diary or put in a little walk to even out the calories. (This works for me anyhow)

    I don't tend to snack anymore. Not as much as I did before taking up fitness. If I worked out extra hard it is tougher to keep focused though. So I shift my workout to pm when im less likely to be in the kitchen.
  • peaches3683
    peaches3683 Posts: 7
    Help yourself by being totally honest and recording that snacking in your food diary. When you see it in print and numbers....it's a wake up call. Suddenly, your 400 calorie dinner, should really only be about 150 and that just sucks. Tell your self you can have dessert instead, something like a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich (150 cals.) Then that bite of chicken, 5 bites of squash, etc. don't seem as much fun.
  • GymMouse85
    GymMouse85 Posts: 7

    Imagine someone is watching

    Something so simple, but I never thought of this and it just may help! Thank you so much for your awesome tips!

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