Stop snacking

Have meals with enough calories and fat+protein+carb to get you through 4-5 hours. Have them at a set time everyday. At first it was hard for me because my body is used to snacking but after a few months my stomach rumbles at the set mealtime like clockwork.

1. Make sure that your calorie goals are actually set appropriately. Don't skip this step. A lot of people set goals that are too aggressive and then wonder why they're having a hard time. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

2. Look for foods higher in protein, fat, and fiber. These help us stay full and more satisfied longer. If you're using MFP's default settings, try to consider protein, fat, and fiber as minimums to reach every day rather than maximums to stay below.

3. Drink plenty of fluids. Some people really do confuse thirst and hunger.

4. Get plenty of rest. This includes sleeping enough and taking rest days from the exercise. Sometimes our bodies look for food when they're exhausted.

5. Play around with your meal timings. Some people do really well on 5-6 small meals a day and others feel like they want to gnaw their own arm off eating like that. Skipping breakfast, eating breakfast, 16:8 fasting, 6 small meals, 3 larger meals, snacks, no snacks, meal timing won't make a big difference to your weight loss, but it may help your hunger levels, mood, concentration, gym performance, etc. throughout the day. Don't be afraid to try a different way and see if it helps.

6. Wait it out. If you know you're eating enough and the other steps above aren't helping, you may just have to wait it out. Our bodies send out hunger signals partially out of habit. If you eat at a certain time every day your body will start to get hungry at that time. The good news is that these signals can be retrained to stop telling you to be hungry all the time. The bad news is that you may just have to be hungry for a little bit while that happens.

7. I also think it's important to remember that there's a habitual component to hunger. This goes along with point #6, but if you eat because you're bored or you're used to eating in front of the TV or in the car or whatever it is, then you can replace those habits with others that are better for you. Things like keeping water on hand to sip instead of snacking or picking up hobbies that keep your hands busy or that get you out of the house more can help out a little while you're retraining your hunger cues. You might need to pay attention to why you're eating/hungry or what you're feeling when you eat and try to replace food with other things, but it can be really beneficial over time.

The thing that works best for me is to plan my day so I'm busy at times when I'll be tempted to snack. For me it's late afternoon so that's when I'll run errands or work out. Get out of the kitchen if at all possible.

I found that high fiber foods are absolutely wonderful for keeping me satiated. I still budget in calories for a couple of snacks, though. The magic mix of macros for you will likely be different, so experiment.

That being said, some days are just hungrier than others. Distraction is the name of the game there. Drink water or diet soda. Go for a walk. Vacuum the room. Take a nap. Sugar free Jello is a good no calorie snack.

ellie12345678987654321 wrote: »

I can't stop snacking. I eat a meal and then I get hungry again and snack on sooooo much food how can I stop. I feel my snacking is the thing that is making me put on weight.

Pre-log your food and make sure to include your snacks then stick to the plan. You have power over food, it does not have power over you.