Tips and tricks for cutting back on snacks

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  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
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    Eat more at mealtimes. If you eat a filling meal you will be less likely to be hungry in between and reach for snacks. You may still need a snack or two a day, but that should fit easily into your calorie goals.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    AlabasterVerve wrote: »
    You need to decide on the structure and timing of your meals (whatever your personal preference is 3 meals, 1 snack etc.) and then follow through.

    It doesn't take long for your body to adjust to the schedule and you'll stop feeling hungry at the old snack times. It might feel uncomfortable to be hungry for a couple hours before your next meal in the beginning but that's ok -- it's not harmful and it's worth it when you have new, more weight friendly eating habits in place. Best wishes. :smile:

    This is really perfect, IMO.

    Structure works well, and experimenting with how much you want to eat. I do better with larger meals and not snacking much--I just eat more without feeling satisfied if I snack, and it really doesn't matter what the snacks are.

    But as Alabaster says, transitioning to a new pattern can be hard for a little while (not too long, IME), because you have a habit of eating at certain times. For me letting myself eat low calorie foods during those periods (basically just raw veggies) helped with this until I adjusted, and also reminding myself that it really wasn't that long until I'd have a normal meal and I wasn't really hungry.
  • Elisabuffy19
    Elisabuffy19 Posts: 130 Member
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    TweetEscape wrote: »
    I usually have 3 snacks for the day. Pretzel sticks for something salty, animal crackers for something sweet, and a little chocolate for after dinner, because chocolate. I weigh out all 3 in the morning and snack on them as I want to. I know that they're already accounted for and when they're gone, they're gone.

    That is a great idea!
  • Elisabuffy19
    Elisabuffy19 Posts: 130 Member
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    AlabasterVerve wrote: »
    You need to decide on the structure and timing of your meals (whatever your personal preference is 3 meals, 1 snack etc.) and then follow through.

    It doesn't take long for your body to adjust to the schedule and you'll stop feeling hungry at the old snack times. It might feel uncomfortable to be hungry for a couple hours before your next meal in the beginning but that's ok -- it's not harmful and it's worth it when you have new, more weight friendly eating habits in place. Best wishes. :smile:

    I need to do this, thanks!
  • swift13b
    swift13b Posts: 158 Member
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    I snack all day, every day. Around 10/10:30am I have a cup of chai tea (not chai latte which is full of sugar and calories though) with something sweet like a homemade muffin or 2 or 3 small cookies. Then around 3:30pm I have some apple and a string cheese or a Laughing Cow cheese triangle. Sometimes if I didn't have enough at lunch or I'm particularly bored at work, I'll snack on some popcorn that I package up into little 50 calorie bags. Usually after dinner I'll have another small sweet snack, like half an Atkins chocolate bar or some dark chocolate. Then I'll have an actual dessert at 8:30pm. I do have smaller meals to compensate for all this snacking though!
  • Spiderkeys
    Spiderkeys Posts: 338 Member
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    I think it this way, snacking it only a temporary fix, it's only going to eliminate your cravings for a few hours, just think ahead before you grab that chocolate bar, at the end of the week would you rather be 3 pounds heavier or would you rather see other results instead?
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    i try not to snack too often (when i first started i did though). my diary entry for snacks is really miscellaneous things like my nightly beer and if i have a cookie or something after i go to my room (my dad lives with us so we can care for him and i go and hide in my room for the evening around 7 pm LOLOL)

    when i do have a true snack, its fruit I got from the farmers market, or veggies, or sometimes graham crackers. I try to keep it fairly low calorie.
  • sw6709
    sw6709 Posts: 60 Member
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    Elisabuffy19 wrote: »
    I know there is no magic behind counting calories...but I am having a hard time cutting back on snacks. It has become habitual at certain times of the day, even if I am not hungry. I am breastfeeding, so do feel hungry a lot and I know I need to eat around 1800 calories and not go too low. That being said, i would love to hear any mental strategies for cutting back habitual eating, larger portions and especially afternoon snacking. My diary is open. :-). Thanks!

    I am also breastfeeding my LO, in the beginning I was CONSTANTLY snacking. I wasn't particularly hungry but I always had my head in the snack cupboard or in the fridge. I planned out my days calories the night before to include 2-3 snacks. I ensured my (planned) snacks were healthy (nuts, seeds, crackers, cheese, yogurt with berries, nut butters) but I still wanted to snack. It wasn't until I increased my calories by an extra 200-300 a day that the cravings for snacks went away. Like I said I wasn't really hungy, but my cravings was my body telling me I wasn't eating enough. I added more oils/ nuts/ calorie dense foods as I was already feeling full to get in those extra calories.
  • hutchin88
    hutchin88 Posts: 83 Member
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    I keep on hand snacks like jicama and cucumbers. My treat is microwave popcorn every night. Or cucumber slices with salsa. If I have enough protein during the day I don't crave sweets, and the popcorn satisfies the craving for "crunch". I also have a cup of tea to signal the end of a meal, for me that really helps. And like others have said, I just don't keep junk food in the house.

    What also helps me get rid if the snack habit is being really motivated to lose weight. And having a plan for the day which includes a planned snack at 4:00 and 10:00pm.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
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    Spiderkeys wrote: »
    I think it this way, snacking it only a temporary fix, it's only going to eliminate your cravings for a few hours, just think ahead before you grab that chocolate bar, at the end of the week would you rather be 3 pounds heavier or would you rather see other results instead?

    If someone is eating enough chocolate to gain 3lbs a in single week, they've got a whole different set of problems. :)
  • vinbar1
    vinbar1 Posts: 40 Member
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    I chew gum. It helps to chew spearmint because nothing really taste good after chewing it.
  • Agathokakological
    Agathokakological Posts: 136 Member
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    vinbar1 wrote: »
    I chew gum. It helps to chew spearmint because nothing really taste good after chewing it.

    When I would crave more food before I was ready for bed I'd brush my teeth early for the same reason.

  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
    edited June 2015
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    Elisabuffy19 wrote: »
    I know there is no magic behind counting calories...but I am having a hard time cutting back on snacks. It has become habitual at certain times of the day, even if I am not hungry. I am breastfeeding, so do feel hungry a lot and I know I need to eat around 1800 calories and not go too low. That being said, i would love to hear any mental strategies for cutting back habitual eating, larger portions and especially afternoon snacking. My diary is open. :-). Thanks!

    I love my snacks. Any way to work them into your calorie goals?
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
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    Spiderkeys wrote: »
    I think it this way, snacking it only a temporary fix, it's only going to eliminate your cravings for a few hours, just think ahead before you grab that chocolate bar, at the end of the week would you rather be 3 pounds heavier or would you rather see other results instead?

    You don't gain weight that fast. Snacking is just fine if it fits in your calorie goals.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
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    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    Log what you are going to eat. Don't eat what you haven't logged.

    For me, knowing I've planned for a snack makes it taste just that much better.

    This.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,869 Member
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    Elisabuffy19 wrote: »
    Thanks all! I have always purchased cookies and chips but maybe I'll try not having them in the house. :-).

    It certainly helps! Don't buy anything that is going to put you over your calorie limits. Instead stock up on things which are low cal.



  • Elisabuffy19
    Elisabuffy19 Posts: 130 Member
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    sw6709 wrote: »
    Elisabuffy19 wrote: »
    I know there is no magic behind counting calories...but I am having a hard time cutting back on snacks. It has become habitual at certain times of the day, even if I am not hungry. I am breastfeeding, so do feel hungry a lot and I know I need to eat around 1800 calories and not go too low. That being said, i would love to hear any mental strategies for cutting back habitual eating, larger portions and especially afternoon snacking. My diary is open. :-). Thanks!

    I am also breastfeeding my LO, in the beginning I was CONSTANTLY snacking. I wasn't particularly hungry but I always had my head in the snack cupboard or in the fridge. I planned out my days calories the night before to include 2-3 snacks. I ensured my (planned) snacks were healthy (nuts, seeds, crackers, cheese, yogurt with berries, nut butters) but I still wanted to snack. It wasn't until I increased my calories by an extra 200-300 a day that the cravings for snacks went away. Like I said I wasn't really hungy, but my cravings was my body telling me I wasn't eating enough. I added more oils/ nuts/ calorie dense foods as I was already feeling full to get in those extra calories.

    That is interesting. Maybe i need to be eating more at meals and more heartily. Thanks
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,779 Member
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    New snacks. Buy some fruits and vegetables you wouldn't normally eat. If you choose to buy junk food, split it up into servings when you're not hungry and keep it in a container, out of sight. I have found that my willpower seems to ebb and flow--if you're having a hard time with it right now, don't buy it. (Or buy one or two snack bags at the checkout.) You won't always be unable to be around your favorite junk foods.
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    edited June 2015
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    You have to figure out what works for you. For me, I have my diary set up for breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, evening snack. Yes, I'm a snacker and it works for me, even when I was doing 1200 calories. My main snacks: banana (morning snack nearly every day), string cheese, boiled egg, a grapefruit with Spenda, 14 grams of walnuts, peanuts, or almonds, air-popped popcorn, frozen fruit bar, etc. I eat a square of dark chocolate nearly every night as my final snack, sometimes broken up into 1/2 cup of Quaker Oat Squares.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    Hi Sherry, does the Splenda really sweeten up the grapefruit nicely? Don't laugh but I accidentally bought a bag of grapefruit instead of oranges some months back. Still in my fridge and I presume still edible! But I really just can't bring myself to eat them - too bitter!

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