Snacking

trgobble
trgobble Posts: 51 Member
edited September 22 in Food and Nutrition
Helloooo!

Ok, so here's my problem (this has been my problem my entire life): I am a snacker. Not just a snacker, but a LAZY snacker. If I'm bored, I eat. People say "well then drink water when you're hungry." Ok, but then I can't CHEW. It's the motion of my mouth that I need to satisfy my boredom. So people say "chew gum." Ok, but gum gets old after awhile. So if you guys could help me out, I'd REALLY appreciate it.

I need some HEALTHY snack options that are EASILY ACCESSIBLE. No "making" required. I did yogurt for awhile, but I had to put granola in it in order for me to like it, and that takes too long. I don't want to make sandwiches or any of that nonsense. I need something I can walk to the cabinet, take out, and eat. My previous go-tos before I decided to lose weight were things like chips, cookies, candy, soda, etc. I need things LIKE this that won't cause me to gain weight.

Can anyone help??? :)

Replies

  • therobinator
    therobinator Posts: 832 Member
    Crunchy vegetables (carrots, bell peppers, celery, whatever you like) -- do a dressing/dip if that helps.

    Fruit, expecially whatever's crunchy (apples, pears, etc.).

    Pita chips.
  • rthompson81
    rthompson81 Posts: 305 Member
    Popcorn! It really gives me that salty/crunchy fix...

    Maybe make a bunch and store it in an airtight container. Or I know you can buy it in bags already popped, but I'm not sure how healthy/calorie friendly those are.
  • mobymarsh
    mobymarsh Posts: 67 Member
    i make a low fat quiche without the pastry

    bacon eggs tomatoes onion then eggs and low fat cottage cheese

    soften bacon and onion then mix the eggs and cheese together mix all of the ingredients into an oven proof dish and cook until golden brown

    you can eat this hot or cold i let it go cold and eat it while at work on my break
  • crispy minis help me satisfy my salty cravings ...i put 12 of them (90 calories in 12 = 1 serving) in a Ziploc bag and eat it when im hungry so i still have portion control. :)
  • olalee
    olalee Posts: 3
    You buy the crunchy vegetables at the store and don't even have to prepare them. It's a good "go to" snack.
    I find if I don't have a lot of snacks in the house I do better also. No cookies, candy or chips. Just a thought.
  • skinnyminnie
    skinnyminnie Posts: 95 Member
    How about ice? You could get a bag of crushed ice at Sonic and just eat some when you're bored. More water and no calories! (This may be bad for your teeth, so you might want to research that first. ;) ) But anyway, you can chew on that with no consequences.
  • ChubbieTubbie
    ChubbieTubbie Posts: 481 Member
    Baby carrots, mini cucumbers, apple slices in the pre-measured bags, peanut butter and wheat crackers, popcorn, 100-calorie snack packs of whatever it is that you like, pretzels, goldfish crackers. If you eat just one serving, you'll be fine with calories. Also popsicles, pudding pops, sugar free pudding and jello.
  • trgobble
    trgobble Posts: 51 Member
    You buy the crunchy vegetables at the store and don't even have to prepare them. It's a good "go to" snack.
    I find if I don't have a lot of snacks in the house I do better also. No cookies, candy or chips. Just a thought.

    I don't keep them in the house anymore, actually, but therefore, I get hungry because I didn't know what to replace it with! Thanks. :)
  • trgobble
    trgobble Posts: 51 Member
    Thanks to everyone for the USEFUL and MOTIVATIONAL responses. :) I really appreciate those of you that were so HELPFUL.
  • therobinator
    therobinator Posts: 832 Member
    Sorry but if you would get off your lazy butt and make things, just that alone would help you. Sounds like you are looking for an easy out and more than likely that why you are in the shape you are in now.

    That wasn't very nice. At least she's trying to make some positive and useful changes in her life, as small and unvaluable as you seem to think they are. Bany steps, man, baby steps.
  • Voncreepy2
    Voncreepy2 Posts: 1,450 Member
    the flavored rice cakes are actually really good!!!!
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    Honeycrisp apples are super crunchy and definitely satisfy the need for something sweet. Plus they take a long time to eat!
  • mobymarsh
    mobymarsh Posts: 67 Member
    have you tried frozen grapes take them out of the freezer 10 mins before eating yum
  • gambitsgurl
    gambitsgurl Posts: 632 Member
    Keep some gum on you too. When I want to chew I will chew on that till I can make something healthy. I also keep nuts (healthy ones) in the house. I just got done noshing on some celery too. Someone told me about using Fat Free Greek Yogurt (Oikos) and mixing in Hidden Valley ranch mix. It's high in protein and high in nommy!
  • Rworthy
    Rworthy Posts: 271 Member
    Helloooo!

    Ok, so here's my problem (this has been my problem my entire life): I am a snacker. Not just a snacker, but a LAZY snacker. If I'm bored, I eat. People say "well then drink water when you're hungry." Ok, but then I can't CHEW. It's the motion of my mouth that I need to satisfy my boredom. So people say "chew gum." Ok, but gum gets old after awhile. So if you guys could help me out, I'd REALLY appreciate it.

    I need some HEALTHY snack options that are EASILY ACCESSIBLE. No "making" required. I did yogurt for awhile, but I had to put granola in it in order for me to like it, and that takes too long. I don't want to make sandwiches or any of that nonsense. I need something I can walk to the cabinet, take out, and eat. My previous go-tos before I decided to lose weight were things like chips, cookies, candy, soda, etc. I need things LIKE this that won't cause me to gain weight.

    Can anyone help??? :)

    It doesn't sound like you want to eat raw veggies or chew gum! Who does when they're hungry? Try some nuts. Get a mixed bag - make sure they're raw - I like almonds, cashews, macadamia or pistachios. Some people do seeds, but I don't like having to de-shell them then find out a place to spit out the shell! Raw nuts have the good fats and nutrients you can't get anywhere else and they taste really good. Just make sure you measure before you munch ;) Or, just eat a sandwich (try pb and low-sugar jelly) and cut down on calories at another time in the day.
  • krg918
    krg918 Posts: 36
    I'm not a gum chewer either, but i get the snack attack on my way home from work. I chew sugar free gum. I start with 2 peices and when in starts to loose flavor, i add another peice. This gets me through till i get home and can eat something healthy.

    Try it, u might change your mind about chewing gum.:smile:
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
    Well, I'm going to repeat what you've probably heard...but here we go. lol

    - Gum
    - Popcorn
    - Sugar Free Jello (Get a straw and eat it like a kid...it will take like 30 min to finish haha)
    - Sugar Free Pudding
    - Frozen Grapes, Frozen Strawberries (cut the strawberries first though so they are "pop in the mouth" size)
    - Fruit Trays...I'm lazy too, and if I buy whole fruits, unless I'm having a good week, they end up getting wasted, so I just buy the trays from the store. This way when I'm snacky, I can pull out the whole tray, and just snack on it.
    - Veggie trays - ...same as above. lol
    - Rice cakes
    - High in the sodium department - but sun flower seeds. A whole bag is only 2.5 servings usually, and it takes me, plus my husband and my daughter like a week or 2 to finish off one bag. But they your mouth occupied.
    - 90 cal granola bars
    - 90 cal special k bars
    - Canned Vegetables (I've seriously opened up a can of baby corn...and just ate them like that)
    - Gogurt - Freeze it, like a Popsicle (honestly unless you were eating like activia yogurt, I noticed yoplait and gogurt are practically the same, both kind of high in sugar though)

    You still have to watch the snacking with some of these...I mean if you eat 3 granola bars...thats 300 cal. Sticking with the fruits and veggies is best option.

    OH and for drinks...Crystal Light to go packs...and just keep cold bottled water in your fridge. (if you can't convince yourself to just drink water lol)
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
    Fat Free Greek Yogurt (Oikos) and mixing in Hidden Valley ranch mix.

    Is this better option than ranch (it sounds like it would be better). Just curious.
  • eveunderground
    eveunderground Posts: 236 Member
    The act of snacking (as you've described it, not talking about when people plan snacks into their daily routine) is more about mindless eating than indulging, so I guess I'd recommend stocking up on healthy snacks that you're not all that crazy about, you'll be more likely to stop at one servings worth. If I'm feeling snacky I try to choose things that can be eaten in large quantities without too much calorie damage....so I usually go for stuff like popcorn or chopped veggies.

    In my opinion, nuts work well as a planned snack, but not so well if you're looking to just munch on something for the sake of it (mindlessly). I personally have to keep nuts out of the house, if I'm in a snacking mood these are not a good choice for me, even counting out a small serving doesn't stop me from going for a second or third serving, and the calories from nuts add up FAST. Of course, for someone who doesn't really like nuts, this wouldn't be an issue. I happen to love them, so exercising control is that much more difficult.
  • ErinMarie25
    ErinMarie25 Posts: 733 Member
    Rice cakes, wheat thins, cut up apple into small pieces and throw some cinnamon sugar on top, make your own fruit salad, get Kashi granola and cereal bars, raisins, peanuts, etc, etc.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    Tuna: food of champions :)
  • mimere
    mimere Posts: 19
    Try snap peas! I hate cooking too, and if I can't microwave it, usually that means I won't eat it. But snap peas plain, or with hummus or some kind of low cal dip is really good and easy to pull out.

    I also like leaving grapes out on the counter, easy to grab and snack on.

    Sorry if this is repetitive I only skimmed the other responses!
  • Trgobble,
    I feel the same way. I am realizing that I need to be strong through those munch periods because nothing "shovable" is worth the cost right now. I had a snack bag of popcorn last night and it was so unsatisfying I wished I hadn't bothered because then I wanted about three more! Good luck and do let us know if you get a new idea!
  • firemama
    firemama Posts: 66 Member
    I like to snack on egg whites, string cheese, and popcorn. All are fairly easy to prepare and travel well. I boil about 10 eggs on Sunday and they last me the week. It has a bunch of protein and keeps me full.
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