Are you a "Snacker? Does it affect your weight loss?

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cartersmom06
cartersmom06 Posts: 68 Member
edited March 2017 in Health and Weight Loss
I was/am a big Snacker/Grazer! So much so, that some days my snacks were adding up to more calories than my actual meals were! By the end of the day, I would hardly have any calories left for dinner! :(

Because I am hypothyroid, I purchased a book called The Thyroid Diet Revolution by Mary J. Shomon. In her book she says that most experts in the area of insulin and leptin resistance are now recommending that rather than eating frequent mini meals or grazing, people who are overweight should focus instead on eating two or three meals a day. The experts claim that this allows enough time between each meal for an appropriate hormonal response to occur so that the food can be properly digested and the nutrients can be absorbed. This is followed by a metabolic shift into fat burning before the next meal.

When I thought about this, I had an epiphany... maybe this was why I am not losing weight! I have this mentality that I have to have 3 meals and 3 snacks a day! What would happen if I quit snacking for a while and ate 3 good, healthy, hearty meals? Yesterday was day one of my experiment to see if I could survive without a snack. I had lots of protein, fat and carbs within my 3 meals and ate until I was comfortably full and you know what? I actually felt a lot better! I drank water and tea between my meals which helped with the urge to snack. I'll tell you, this wasn't easy, because I'm so used to grazing all day long!

I am going to try this out for a few weeks to see if it shakes up my weight loss. I am losing weight very, very slowly, only about a pound a month, so I'm hoping this will speed things up a bit!

So, I want to know... Are you or were you a snacker? How does snacking/not snacking help you achieve your goals?

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Replies

  • cartersmom06
    cartersmom06 Posts: 68 Member
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    HAHAHA
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    I didn't snack when I was losing weight because I preferred to use my calories to get fuller at each mealtime. Now that I am maintaining I have more calories each day and I will sometimes have a snack after work. But many times it's just a coffee with almond milk.

    I think you'll absorb nutrients either way, but I do think that some people feel better having three bigger meals (or two or whatever) instead of snacking. And some people feel better snacking. The key thing is to figure out which works best for you so that you can be more comfortable on a deficit.
  • cartersmom06
    cartersmom06 Posts: 68 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I didn't snack when I was losing weight because I preferred to use my calories to get fuller at each mealtime. Now that I am maintaining I have more calories each day and I will sometimes have a snack after work. But many times it's just a coffee with almond milk.

    I think you'll absorb nutrients either way, but I do think that some people feel better having three bigger meals (or two or whatever) instead of snacking. And some people feel better snacking. The key thing is to figure out which works best for you so that you can be more comfortable on a deficit.

    Yes I agree...the science behind snacking/not snacking it is intriguing though!
  • MikaMojito
    MikaMojito Posts: 680 Member
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    I am a snacker but I'm trying not to be because if I snack, I overeat. I tend to lose weight better when I eat 3 meals and only snack if I REALLY REALLY need to.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
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    I needed to snack at first because I was afraid I wouldn't get to eat enough food. Once I trusted the process a bit more, I focused on the meal prep and composition of my breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I have a hard time making it all the way from lunch (at noon) to dinner (6pm or later!), so I built in a small snack in the afternoon (usually an apple).

    On weekends I like to sleep in, so I usually combine breakfast and lunch into a larger meal and have a heartier snack (usually still an apple, but with some crackers and cheese, also).

    If I have access to snacks, I'll just munch all day rather than eat mindfully and purposefully, which is something that has helped me emotionally attack weight loss.
  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
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    I don't graze all day (anymore), but I do snack some. One problem I have is with my coffee--I always have dark chocolate with it! That adds calories to what should be a pretty low-cal drink.

    I do 16:8 IF, so I can eat a decent-sized lunch and dinner, but often I do find myself needing (wanting?) a snack in between, and also after dinner. If I can manage to avoid the after-dinner drink/snack I do pretty well for the day, but lately I've had a problem eating/drinking too many calories after dinner! But I've also had some days lately where all I have is a glass of water or hot tea after dinner, so I know I can do it. It's all a learning process--figuring out what works for you!

    I've been prelogging lately, which has helped me to "plan" my snacks.
  • OhMsDiva
    OhMsDiva Posts: 1,073 Member
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    I guess I do not know the definition of a snacker. I eat three meals every day but I also have planned snacks between meals and I eat snacks every night before bed. I eat tic tacs or chew gum at work. I do not know if that makes me a snacker or not, but I plan my snacks and I enjoy them every day.
  • cartersmom06
    cartersmom06 Posts: 68 Member
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    Sorry...I guess I should be a bit clearer on the definition of a snacker (imo) is someone who eats 4-6 meals a day instead of 3 :)
  • cartersmom06
    cartersmom06 Posts: 68 Member
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    fitoverfortymom wrote: »

    If I have access to snacks, I'll just munch all day rather than eat mindfully and purposefully, which is something that has helped me emotionally attack weight loss.

    This is exactly how I feel! :)
  • akmomof7
    akmomof7 Posts: 162 Member
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    I am a snacker. I usually have about 3 planned snacks a day. I am 2 pounds away from my goal, so it hasn't been detrimental to my weight loss. I am pretty active though. It's 10am and I have about 7k steps in. Between the kids and the house I don't sit much. I think if I didn't have the kids around I could go without the snacks, but I am always grabbing something out of the kitchen for the babies and the 3 yr old, it makes it easier to resist popping their snacks in my mouth if I know I have my own snacks coming up. I tend to go high protein for my day time snacks (cottage cheese, greek yogurt, protein shake ) and save my sugar /carb sweet snack for after the evening workout.
  • cartersmom06
    cartersmom06 Posts: 68 Member
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    I'm not that active and I find I snack out of boredom. Once I start snacking, I can't stop!
  • cartersmom06
    cartersmom06 Posts: 68 Member
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    March 9, 2017 12:31PM edited 1:21PM 2Flag Quote · Insightful Inspiring Like Awesome

    I can't believe I've been "flagged" two times for my post!! For what??
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    I need a snack at about 9:00 AM. For breakfast I eat a bowl of oatmeal with fresh strawberries, blueberries, walnuts, chia seeds and almond milk but I am starving two hours later. I either eat an apple or have some almonds to make it through to lunch.
  • cartersmom06
    cartersmom06 Posts: 68 Member
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    rsclause wrote: »
    I need a snack at about 9:00 AM. For breakfast I eat a bowl of oatmeal with fresh strawberries, blueberries, walnuts, chia seeds and almond milk but I am starving two hours later. I either eat an apple or have some almonds to make it through to lunch.

    Sounds like my breakfast! I agree that an apple or something does help if you have a small breakfast! :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
    edited March 2017
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    I have a late afternoon snack, and that's about it. I eat dinner rather late, so a snack around 4 PM or so is usually in order.
  • robertsjm24
    robertsjm24 Posts: 9 Member
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    I have an apple between 10:30-11:00, about an hour before I go to the gym. I'll have a yogurt around 2:30 and cereal or a shake before bed. I plan these out though, so I'm not really hurting from it.
  • GoCleanGoLean
    GoCleanGoLean Posts: 71 Member
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    What I've found is that when my meals met three requirements, I didn't feel the need to snack. I eat two meals a day (lunch and dinner), and I am never hungry. In the morning, I have a nice warm cup of green tea with unsweetened cocoa powder. I drink water up until lunch time, where I have a nicely sized meal that meet the following requirements:

    1) The meal must be tasty. If it's yucky, I won't enjoy eating it
    2) The meal must have a protein, carb, fat, AND micronutrient source. Micronutrients come from fruits and/or vegetables. Without these 4 things, my meal cannot be considered "balanced."
    3) The meal must be big enough. If I'm not eating enough, then I'm going to be hungry.

    And that's it! If my meals don't meet these requirements, then I'm gonna be hungry and I'm gonna snack. If they do meet the requirements, then I can get through my days happily munching on two meals a day.

    Oh and another thing -- I like to log all of my food at night. Why? Because when I log my food as I go along (like I eat my lunch then log) and I see 'oh wow, I've only had 600 calories. That means I can have a crap ton of food tonight!' Then I start fretting about making sure my dinner isn't too big, but big enough ... it just doesn't work. I also find that if I follow the above rules and keep my portions reasonable, then I stay within my calorie goal quite easily.

    Another thing: I was "weakest" in the afternoon, in the time between lunch and dinner. What did I do? I exercised. I find that if I exercised, my appetite was decreased, and I would be put back into the "healthy lifestyle" mindset. Plus, by the time I'm done working out, I have less than an hour to wait for dinner so it's all good!
  • cartersmom06
    cartersmom06 Posts: 68 Member
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    GoCleanGoLean wrote: »

    Another thing: I was "weakest" in the afternoon, in the time between lunch and dinner. What did I do? I exercised. I find that if I exercised, my appetite was decreased, and I would be put back into the "healthy lifestyle" mindset. Plus, by the time I'm done working out, I have less than an hour to wait for dinner so it's all good!

    This is what I plan on doing! Exercising around 3:00 pm when boredom and hunger start setting in! Thanks!

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