Go away Munchies!

Drink a glass of water. No really, it helps. Another trick believe it or not is to brush your teeth. Try it. Best of luck.

You feel weak as in giving in to something other than carrot sticks? Or you feel weak as in you might not be eating enough? I ask because it is really two different issues.
For one make snacks more interesting than just carrot sticks if they are not what you want, and can in your calorie allowance.
Or if it hits same time every day, need something else to work on.
But if a true hunger, then why are you eating enough calories?

Love Bolthouse Farms! 💕

I find that when I get the Munchies, it is either because I haven't had enough water, or because I am stressed or bored. So, the first thing I do is drink a full glass of water and then I also chew gum. Gives my mouth and brain something to do and short-circuits the tummy from trying to convince me that I am hungry. 🤣

kimny72 wrote: »

First off, are you eating enough? How much weight do you have to lose and how fast are you trying to lose it? An overly aggressive deficit will leave you hungry, because you need to eat more.

Are you hitting your protein, fat, and fiber goals? Those three are typically filling, so if you're falling short on any, bringing up the stragglers may help.

Are you eating a boring diet and avoiding all the foods you like? There's no need to in order to lose weight or get healthy, and doing so can leave you constantly craving enjoyable food. Work on finding ways to fit yummy foods in if you aren't already.

Some people crave snacks when they are bored or stressed. If the other suggestions don't help, try to figure out if there is a trigger to the munchies. If you can figure it out, you can plan for a substitute way to keep busy or self soothe.

Stuff like drinking water, chewing gum, or brushing your teeth can help when munchies are just occasional. But if you are constantly hungry/snacky it's best to see if you can figure out why first

This ^^^^, as the core.

I'd add that for me, personally, number and timing of meals/snacks, relative volume of each**, and which macronutrients to emphasize in which meals/snacks, were all variables I played with to avoid feeling cravings.

** Here, I'm talking about things like big breakfast vs. small breakfast to save calories for evening snacks, and that kind of thing.

It's also important to consider well why it is that you're feeling snacky: Habit? Stress? Inadequate sleep? Boredom? etc. If the underlying problem isn't actually hunger or nutrition, the answer isn't food. Self-reflection can help. If you zero in on some other factor(s), you can address those with more targeted strategies.

For me personally, some things that helped (but that would differ for other people!) were getting a solid breakfast with plenty of protein, using snacks with some protein if I got hungry when meal-time was not near (so I didn't get ravenous and overeat) including keeping some shelf-stable ones in my car for emergencies, eating plenty of whole fruit to reduce cravings for less nutrient-dense sweets like cookies/candy, spreading my protein through the day, and making sure that at least one meal (usually dinner) was high volume (usually via lots of nutrient-dense but low calorie veggies).

ReenieHJ wrote: »

Weak as in wanting to eat eat eat and not stop. Last night was particularly bad in feeling that way but I got through without overeating. But, yes, sometimes I feel like I NEED to have something and once I start I know I wouldn't stop.
Looking at my calories, I think I'm doing okay, such as protein, etc.
Last night I grabbed a stick of gum and it worked just fine.

You can help us drill down on that by answering the following:

1. What's your goal weight and how many grams of protein do you eat per day on average?
2. How many pounds do you want to lose total and what is your weekly weight loss goal set to?
3. If you exercise, what % of your exercise calories do you eat back?

psychod787 wrote: »

Theoldguy1 wrote: »

Learn to mske cattot stivks work. Sometimes have to get out of comfort zone.

Good luck.

Sage advice @Theoldguy1 . Not sure what you sate your "munchies" with, but learn the principles of caloric density. 1 snickers bar is equal in calories to 3 medium apples. Jmho

I end up eating what many people would consider a lot of fiber. I believe the general recommendation is 25-30g per day and the average American eats about half that. As a 6'2" 205 pound guy I'm in the 40-50g+ range most days. Here's a discussion if anyone is interested:
https://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/increasing-fiber-intake

In any case I'm on 5+ servings of fruit and veggies a day, typical lunch will have some sort of lean protein in a flatbread that has 10g fiber. I found some Kirkland (Costco) protein bars that have 21g protein and 15 g of fiber for 190-200 calories, usually have one, sometimes 2 a day. I drink at least 100 oz of liquid a day, probably 60% of that water with Mio throughout the workday.

This routine tends to fill me up and really don't get "unplanned munchies"