How can I stop snacking?

leannacharlton · June 2014

So I started out about 12 weeks ago at 225, I'm currently 195, I ultimately want to be 120 lbs in a year. I've been doing really well these past couple of months. I honestly use lose it religiously and not really my fitness pal, but I'm here for the community. You won't really find much in my diary. My budget is 1450 calories a day, I burn say 1000 calories everyday exercising. I don't know why, but lately I've been snacking A LOT. I'll start out doing really well all day but then at night I have snack cravings. I literally just had like 1000 calories in snacks. I'm still under like 200 calories, but still. I don't know if it's a combination of depression or boredom, but it needs to stop! I do eat fruit as snacks a lot, but lately I've been snacking so much. How can I stop?! The snacks temporarily make me happy but when I don't lose weight I get really depressed and ultimately self medicate with food again...

sugarlemonpie · June 2014

I would say there's nothing wrong with snacking, just make healthier snack choices.

Also, make sure you are getting enough protein in your meals to keep you full. Good, healthy fats help (think nuts), as well as fiber in vegetables and fruits.

Just wondering as well, if you eat 1450 calories a day and burn 1000 of those, that leaves your body with 450 calories for normal body functions and that is too low. Just thought you might want to look into that and make sure your body isn't just needing energy and crying out for you to eat more.

brianpperkins · June 2014

Let's see ... you're set at 1450 NET calories, eating below that, then estimating a 1000 calorie burn and wondering why you keep snacking with an under 500 calorie NET intake?

MFP includes the deficit to lose weight in the caloric goal. It does not include exercise calories and expects you to eat those back to stay at your net caloric goal. I'd bet you set up MFP for a two pound per week loss, then decided you'd work out hard and not eat back the calories which creates a huge deficit and makes it difficult to give your body the nutrition it needs for survival. The result is your body sending you signals that it needs nutrition so you snack.

Take a step back and evaluate your loss goals along with your eating and exercise plans. The smart way of approaching it takes time but is sustainable. The foolish way is quick, unhealthy, and often leads to regaining weight. It's your choice.

penelopeyvonne · June 2014

I have a tendency to snack - or "graze" - if I'm doing nothing but watching TV. This weekend, I had a bunch of stuff to do on my computer - my entire collection of songs "disappeared" overnight when I left my iPod in a taxi, and didn't get it returned until the following day (still, I guess I was lucky to get it returned!) and so spent HOURS reripping my entire CD collection and putting it back onto the 'Pod... and I snacked just once - and that was a grapefruit. No biscuits, nothing.

Are / were you doing anything that evening you snacked on a 1000cal? I realised that I definitely need something to do with my hands :laugh: to stop me doing it...

ninav1980 · June 2014

willpower

MinnieInMaine · June 2014

I'm confused... You have the calories and you ate them with still plenty to spare and for some reason still feel guilty?

Honey, I'd say your only problem is an unhealthy relationship with food. If you're making mostly healthy choices and staying within your calorie goal there is no problem. Snacking gets a bad rap but I think that's because most associate snack food choices with junk food, not the fruits you chose.

You're losing at an average of 2.5 pounds per week so obviously you're doing something right. Stop stressing over nothing!

Chaskavitch · June 2014

I agree with the other posters that you're probably not eating enough if you're burning 1000 calories a day exercising and then not eating ANY of that back. That would definitely explain the snacking and why you're hungry. Sorry if we're misreading that.

I will graze on literally ANYTHING in my house if I get in the wrong mood. Last week I sat in bed eating dry Grape Nuts because there wasn't anything else. Ew.

My advice is to just not buy anything snacky. The only time I have any success is when I plan out everything I'm going to eat ahead of time. I plan our dinners and my lunches for the whole week, and try to go shopping once a week, otherwise I'll buy a candy bar or sugared almonds or something every time I go to the store. If you need to snack, plan those out too. Find something healthy but absolutely delicious, so you are looking forward to it and you know you'd rather eat your planned snack than the stale crackers in your break room. I try not to have any cash, either, otherwise the cookies in the vending machine at work start to look really tempting.

Derpes · June 2014

I have struggled with staying full......I like referencing the satiety index - "a system to measure different foods' ability to satisfy hunger."

http://www.mendosa.com/satiety.htm

It is a nice reference point.....otherwise, try to increase your protein a bit to stay full.

BlueBombers · June 2014

You don't have to stop snacking...just make them fit into your daily allowance.

Edit: You need to eat if you are really burning 1000 calories a day. I hope you are eating most of those exercise calories back.

adstott · June 2014

I got to the weight I was because of snacking day and night I was a huge snacker. You have to have willpower to not do it and go cold turkey. Maybe you need to eat more during your meals if you're exercising so much, then you won't feel the need to snack so much!

itodd4019 · June 2014

when you log your snacks, add them to the breakfast lunch and dinner sections, then your snack calories will go down

haha

personally I save a nice pile of calories for the evening. I can hande hunger during the day when I can distract myself

How can I stop snacking?

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