Snacks

Bought some pepitas which are basically pumpkin seeds from Walmart and they are like 9-12gs of protein and they are pretty tasty

I try not to snack if I can help it, but if I do I usually have something with low calories or 0 calories like pickles, popcorn, cucumbers, hummus & veggies, or just something that won't waste all my calories, so I can eat something for dinner. I suggest drinking at least half a glass of water before your meal so you feel full faster, but you also won't eat as much doing this, so you can still have something for later without going over your calories.

BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »

Livhere wrote: »

I try not to snack if I can help it, but if I do I usually have something with low calories or 0 calories like pickles, popcorn, cucumbers, hummus & veggies, or just something that won't waste all my calories, so I can eat something for dinner. I suggest drinking at least half a glass of water before your meal so you feel full faster, but you also won't eat as much doing this, so you can still have something for later without going over your calories.

Are you suggesting a glass of water as a snack? It’s the only thing you’ve mentioned that has 0 calories!

I’d also dispute that houmus could be considered low calorie... it’s all too easy to dip yourself all the way to several hundred extra calories. Houmus is one of those things that need to be weighed carefully in my opinion!

No, I'm suggesting having water before your meal so you feel full & don't eat as much. And pickles are 0 calories just high in sodium. I follow the serving suggestions on meals so unless you just eat out of the container there's no need to weigh it imo. 2 tablespoons is the suggested amount on most hummus containers.

Im not home rn so I can't take a picture. But if you follow the serving suggestions on pickles it comes out to 0 calories. I want to say it's 2/3, but I'm honestly not sure on it. I eat vlasic. It's still really low if you don't do the recommended suggestions. I think they're like 7 calories per slice which is honestly practically nothing to really count imo. The popcorn I get is 100 calories I think & I think hummus is 80 calories. I know the broccoli I get is 30. But I'm not too sure on the other stuff I brought up.

BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »

Ahh ok, you’re counting pickles as 0 calories. Now I’m less confused but I don’t agree. Pickles have calories in just the same way as their non pickled versions do! If I chose to pickle a chocolate cake and you chose to eat it it would not have magically lost its calories. 😉

There is absolutely no food that has zero calories.

Here are those pictures from those foods in my fridge. The popcorn was more calories than I originally thought it was & the hummus was less calories, but you can see the pickles say 0 for a 2/3 spear.

SoleTrainer60 wrote: »

Thanks everyone for your ideas. Some have more willpower than others, and this is a struggle for me. I need to work on making healthier snack choices when shopping. Do some of you never ever eat foods that are unhealthy. If so, you must have amazing willpower.

I get plenty of nutritious food in my meals. I eat cookies, popcorn, ice cream, etc for snacks. I prelog my day to make sure I have the calories for them. I don't eat them out of the package, I weigh out a portion and then eat it elsewhere so I can't "accidentally" eat too much.

And sometimes i skip the snack because im planning on having pizza for dinner.

This worked for me when I was losing, and still works for me now that I'm in maintenance.

SoleTrainer60 wrote: »

Thanks everyone for your ideas. Some have more willpower than others, and this is a struggle for me. I need to work on making healthier snack choices when shopping. Do some of you never ever eat foods that are unhealthy. If so, you must have amazing willpower.

It takes time to get to that point of not eating junk food like the way you used to anymore. You will get there eventually! I'm guilty of eating unhealthy sometimes. I try to do my best to restrain myself from eating more than I should with junk food & sometimes I still eat more than I should, but I try to do better the next day. Point is you should just do your best. It's not going to be easy, but you can do it!

You could also try switching to dried fruit. They're really sweet with natural sugars. They're not a cupcake, but they are a healthier choice. Try to figure out how many calories you need in a day for your age to meet the goal you want & then you can start counting your calories with a food journal, so you know what it is. And as above said it works differently for everyone. I say people can still eat the things you like, but in moderation, but that is just my take on it and I know some people with disagree with me on that.

This week I had 2 slices of pizza I got to enjoy, but I knew how many calories were in them & I knew I had enough calories in the day left for me to have those slices. I didn't regret it & I was still able to stay on my goal. Just be careful not to get obsessed over the calorie numbers, if it's over by a little then that's ok.

You should also talk to your doctor about seeing a nutritionist. They can give you a lot of information on healthier eating options & answer any questions you have with your diet. Good luck!