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Snacks
mmapags
Posts: 8,934 Member
Hypothesis:
Eating snacks just makes calorie compliance harder for most people.
Discuss.
ETA: After the very good question about most, I'm going to say a majority of the population. I don't really have a tighter definition in mind but am open to input.
Eating snacks just makes calorie compliance harder for most people.
Discuss.
ETA: After the very good question about most, I'm going to say a majority of the population. I don't really have a tighter definition in mind but am open to input.
0
Replies
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How many are most people, and what significance does that have for any given individual?
But yes, I tend to agree. If you eat all the time, you can easily eat more. If you never feel truly hungry, you don't want food. Typical snack foods are more calorie dense than typical meal foods. A meal structure, whenever possible sitting down as a family/in a group, creates a habit/environment/attitude that there is a time to eat, and most of the time it's not a time for eating. Eating all the time means that food is on your mind all the time. Food loses its function and value; it's all about "fast and easy"; we have no gratidude towards something that isn't important to us.7 -
True for me.0
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My snack foods are fruit and vegetables. I only have them because my doctor put me on a meal schedule because I have a tendency to not eat enough. I forget to eat if I get busy doing something. I also take metformin so it keeps me from having a hypoglycemic attack in the middle of my day. I also only eat 1200 calories a day. So snacking does not cause me to over eat1
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I budget in my "snacks" as part of my daily eating habits. I buy bulk snacks and divide them up into 1oz servings so I can easily add them. I also find that if I go more than a few hours without eating something (piece of fruits, carrot sticks, goldfish crackers....) I get really irritable.2
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For people like my wife (who is a snack person by nature) I definitely think so. For me, my snacks (while common) tend to be thought out and purposeful. I not only make sure I have room for them in my day but I also time them deliberately between meals to feel most satiated through the day.
Any "traditional" snacking of "Oh! I want some peanut butter!" happens at night when I've already had supper and any calories left are fair game.
But that's just me and my nerdy, constantly strategizing mind.
I imagine that, yes, for most people, snacking can easily lead to thoughtless munching and loss of their deficit.1 -
Carlos_421 wrote: »For people like my wife (who is a snack person by nature) I definitely think so. For me, my snacks (while common) tend to be thought out and purposeful. I not only make sure I have room for them in my day but I also time them deliberately between meals to feel most satiated through the day.
Any "traditional" snacking of "Oh! I want some peanut butter!" happens at night when I've already had supper and any calories left are fair game.
But that's just me and my nerdy, constantly strategizing mind.
I imagine that, yes, for most people, snacking can easily lead to thoughtless munching and loss of their deficit.
Yup, I get that and that personality type can be a factor. I have an unproven suspicion that for some of us, the eating snacks thing does something to the Leptin/Grehlin cycle and fouls up hunger and satiety signalling making it more difficult to stay within calorie goal. I only eat 2x per day myself. A decent mid day meal and a good sized dinner. I don't struggle at all with appetite and hunger. If I eat more frequently, I do. My N=11 -
I don't think it is a one size fits all answer.
For me, your statement is generally true and I do best eating 3 meals a day. However, there are times when I eat not on schedule, and I do better eating a snack in between and not letting myself get overly hungry. Otherwise I tend to go a little overboard if I get too hungry.
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It really depends where my head is at for me.
At the moment I'm having some, uh, deficit compliance issues. So I have had to knock snacks and their presence in my kitchen on the head. When I'm on form they're no issue.
When I'm maintaining a couple of snacks are no problem for me, I always buy packets of single serves and am pretty good about just having one serving and not going back for more. In fact in this scenario they're a good thing because they make maintenance easier for me.2 -
4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »I don't think it is a one size fits all answer.
For me, your statement is generally true and I do best eating 3 meals a day. However, there are times when I eat not on schedule, and I do better eating a snack in between and not letting myself get overly hungry. Otherwise I tend to go a little overboard if I get too hungry.
Yes, I generally agree it's not one size fits all. I do see often enough though posts about those who "think" in terms of 3 meals and a snack or 2 who have compliance issues. I know I did when I ate more frequently. I also wonder whether there is a gender based thing happening. It seems some women report irritability of blood sugar gets low. I don't know that I've seem any men state that. Maybe they have and I missed it. Not the case for me though.
Lol, I almost set my day up so I can go "overboard" with dinner. My goal is around 2000 per day. My mid day is around 600 and the rest at dinner and afterwards. That is a preference thing as dinner is quality time with my wife and I enjoy a glass or 2 of wine with dinner. Also, the time I get to take time to cook (recently retired chef here).1 -
I'm a grazer, I do have one larger meal at dinner time with hubby and daughter but the rest of the day is mostly made up of regular smallish snacks. A few slices of ham, then maybe a tomato, maybe a bag of crisps or 2-3 rice cakes over the day. My husband on the other hand is pretty much a three squares a day. Different strokes for different folks I guess.1
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I'm a snacker - morning snack is always fruit(clementine, banana, strawberry, and watermelon are go to's) sometimes.. fruit & wheat thins. Afternoon snack is always plain Greek yogurt w/ frozen berries or mini chocolate chips, and "Dessert" consist of halo top, Hershey kisses (3), fiber one brownie something sweet but relativity low in calories.1
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I'm a snacker - morning snack is always fruit(clementine, banana, strawberry, and watermelon are go to's) sometimes.. fruit & wheat thins. Afternoon snack is always plain Greek yogurt w/ frozen berries or mini chocolate chips, and "Dessert" consist of halo top, Hershey kisses (3), fiber one brownie something sweet but relativity low in calories.
And are you able to stay in calorie compliance without difficulty?0 -
I'm a snacker - morning snack is always fruit(clementine, banana, strawberry, and watermelon are go to's) sometimes.. fruit & wheat thins. Afternoon snack is always plain Greek yogurt w/ frozen berries or mini chocolate chips, and "Dessert" consist of halo top, Hershey kisses (3), fiber one brownie something sweet but relativity low in calories.
And are you able to stay in calorie compliance without difficulty?
yes I eat between 1300-1390 . Down 93lbs
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I love snacks!
If I am trying to gain with a high cal intake, the snacks get more calorie dense (protein pancakes with whipped cream or grilled cheese sandwiches) but if I'm trying to lose or maintain, they get smaller.. fibre bar, protein bar, turkey sticks and cheese, fruit and cottage cheese, yogurt etc. 1 -
I need and plan for snacks everyday. I eat little and often so have 2-3 snacks a day. As long as you're logging everything is shouldn't matter what snacks or nibbles you eat. I think the problem with snacking can be if you're forgetting to log it or count it in your diary.1
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I think it's a personality thing.
Yesterday, I had a very active day and had a mini-meal/snack after I lifted, but it wasn't snack food. I cooked myself a serving of kasha and topped it with plain greek yogurt.
I usually only do this on lifting days, though.
I am fond of an afternoon cuppa, but I don't think of that as a snack. Like you, I'm a 2 meals and a dessert person.
I have one kid who's a grazer, though. My husband is a grazer. The other kid is a meal person.
I'm just rambling.
I'll end my rambling by saying I know I do better with large meals than with small meals and snacks in between.3 -
kommodevaran wrote: »How many are most people, and what significance does that have for any given individual?
But yes, I tend to agree. If you eat all the time, you can easily eat more. If you never feel truly hungry, you don't want food. Typical snack foods are more calorie dense than typical meal foods. A meal structure, whenever possible sitting down as a family/in a group, creates a habit/environment/attitude that there is a time to eat, and most of the time it's not a time for eating. Eating all the time means that food is on your mind all the time. Food loses its function and value; it's all about "fast and easy"; we have no gratitude towards something that isn't important to us.
Very interesting! I tend to agree with this.
Like others have said here, it seems that most people are more of a grazer, or more of a "meal" person.
I'm definitely a "standard 3 meals" person. I don't really even like to snack. Back when I wasn't paying attention to calories (pre-MFP) I still didn't snack often. The only time I do snack is when I really *need* more food to get me through to my next meal, and that's generally just when I've done an unusual amount of exercise like a difficult hike or hours of lifting & lugging boxes to help a friend move.
Because of this I seem to eat larger portions and more calories at meals than my snacking counterparts. I find that more satisfying.
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I think it's a personality thing.
Me too. I don't like snacking at all. I am not that interested in snack food, but prefer a more balanced meal (cooked, more protein/veg based). Yes, I could make 5 tiny versions of that, but that would be time consuming and not satisfying for me, so I equate snacking (for me) with mindless eating -- eating food just because it's around.
I do consume some of the same foods people will have as snacks (nuts, fruit, yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese) but prefer to have them as side dishes or an immediate post-dinner dessert.
I totally get that some enjoy more having lots of mini meals or grazing, but I honestly can't relate, it seems like a much less pleasant and satisfying way to eat for me -- but that just shows we are all different in some ways!1 -
I'm a snacker, but my snacks are planned and low-calorie. Often protein like veggie dogs and string cheese or a weighed-out portion of dry cereal to help me hit my iron target. I tend to be a night owl and want something to munch on after supper, so I budget for a couple of cups of Skinny Pop popcorn. I think part of it is that my base calorie target is covered by meals, but I tend not to factor in my exercise calories until I've actually exercised. Then I eat back half of those in snacks.2
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I eat 3 snacks and 3 meals a day. All preplanned. I like knowing when my next meal is coming and it helps me not get derailed by the office Halloween candy that is popping up on desks everywhere. I also know that if I really want to, I can swap all/part of my snack for one of those goodies if I want it because I know what my calories look like for each meal/snack.1
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I'm not a big snacker person, but I do have a snack late afternoon/early evening...usually these pre-packaged nuts with some dried fruit and cheese things. I have an early evening snack because I typically eat lunch around noon and I don't eat dinner until around 8:30.
When I train for cycling events I have to snack more just to get in the calories...while this goes against my typical nature, I'm usually pretty hungry so it works out...0 -
shinycrazy wrote: »I eat 3 snacks and 3 meals a day. All preplanned. I like knowing when my next meal is coming and it helps me not get derailed by the office Halloween candy that is popping up on desks everywhere. I also know that if I really want to, I can swap all/part of my snack for one of those goodies if I want it because I know what my calories look like for each meal/snack.
I'm very similar.
I eat 3 meals, and 2 snacks a day, all pre-planned/weighed. For me, there is two benefits to this:- Without planned snacks/meals, I forget to eat, and then overcompensate at meals to make up for being "hungrier."
- Without morning/afternoon snacks, my blood sugar drops between meals and causes drowsiness.
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I would be inclined to agree. But that's just because it makes it harder for me. I really have no idea about other people.0
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I eat planned snacks to make sure I am not starved by meal time.
For example a peach at 11:30 ensures I make it to lunch at 12:30 without feeling sick from hunger....the greek yogurt of 4:30 lets me get my workout in before dinner...
after dinner if I am hungry then it's a similar snack or a sweeter something...
The only snack that makes it hard for me to stay in goal is the after dinner one...
I used to plan better when I was actively losing...but now I just don't care enough to lose the last couple of vanity lbs since I am in my maintenance window.
So I think it depends on the person and their goals...
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I think it is usually lack of planning or over restriction that makes it hard for people to stick to their goal. Snacking is not the cause of the problem but uncontrolled snacking is probably a reaction to whatever isn't right about their plan for them.
A snack to me is just a small amount of food. It could be vegetables, fruit, cheese or something less nutritious.
Planning a snack or two totaling 100-300 calories into my day is helpful to me. I am around food all day. It would be easy to eat more than I should without a plan whether it is a snack or a full meal.1 -
Speaking in general terms about the masses, I think it's probably true. But not for any deep, scientific reason. I just think most people have no idea what a reasonable calorie intake is nor how many cals a given meal/snack/whatever is.
But you used the phrase "calorie compliance"... so if you're talking specifically about people counting cals as a means for weight management, then I'm not sure. I'd bet it's probably a fairly even split and dependent more on personal tendencies than anything else.1 -
I agree with this. The general population is completely ignorant about calories, caloric demand, and how much they eat. People eat more than they need to as they've been conditioned to - e.g.
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What a great discussion! Thanks!1
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I absolutely NEED the snack. I can't go more than a couple of hours at most without eating something or drinking a protein shake. I don't have the time to eat five meals so three meals and two snacks are the best option for me.0
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I love to snack! My husband laughs at how I plan my life so the ti have lots of snacking calories at night. I don't eat till one or two to make that possible. I'm happier this way and have no issue staying in my calories. Now if I wasn't my snacks would be the same only larger. I just have to track my servings.0
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