Best snacks for those times...?

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Fiftyfitfunk
Fiftyfitfunk Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
When one is munchie... It's later in the evening, not many calories left, just needing to feed the hunger pangs :o

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  • Cheesy567
    Cheesy567 Posts: 1,186 Member
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    Are you really hungry, or are you having difficulty settling your mind from the busy day? Do you need to adjust your eating plan earlier in the day to have a more satisfying dinner/ save some calories/ slow your weight loss goal so you have more calories to work with…. Or do you need to work on non-food related ways to calm and soothe yourself as the evening draws down?
  • sbelletti
    sbelletti Posts: 213 Member
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    Do you crave something in particular (salt vs sweet) or just anything to keep the tummy from grumbling?

    I'm hooked on Dove mini ice cream treats. The dark chocolate ones are 60 calories and I pre-log calories for them every day so I can have a treat before bedtime. Whatever you choose, just make sure you plan for those calories in advance.
  • goal06082021
    goal06082021 Posts: 2,130 Member
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    +1 to thinking about are you actually hungry, or are you just bored/restless/stressed/in the habit of having an evening snack? You said yourself you don't have many calories left, so, you probably don't actually "need" to feed the "hunger pangs."

    If you don't put anything in it, hot herbal tea has negligible calories and can be a pleasant way to wind down on a cold winter evening. It's also harder to chug hot drinks, so it takes a little while to finish - if you're just bored or restless or trained to snack, you can wait out the impulse by sipping on some Sleepytime (or whatever tea you prefer).
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
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    I find if I deny those feelings all the time, I'll end up bingeing at some point. :( Look at all the above suggestions and pick something that might work into your routine.
    For me, I save about 200 calories for bedtime eating. It's such an ingrained habit now that I'm sure I'd miss it. I have a good amount of nonfat plain yogurt doctored up with a bit of sugar free syrup. I've been thinking about switching to plain popcorn with nutritional yeast sprinkled on.
    Find what you're craving, whether crunchy, creamy, salty, sweet, etc., and fit in something that can become a healthy enough habit.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,182 Member
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    Actual hunger pangs? Aside from what others have said (for example budgeting for an evening snack, finding another evening habit...), are you sure you're not simply eating too little in general?

    What weight loss rate did you select in MFP and how many lbs do you have left to lose?
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
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    Just to add some ideas:

    If I want crunchy....rice cakes(the chocolate ones are my go-to cause I like chocolate), carrots/hummus, popcorn, pretzels
    I stay away from chips/nuts/crackers, etc. because I could eat way over calorie limits with those. :(

    If I want creamy/sweet I'll go with the yogurt, SF pudding or diet jello/FF topping, even a 40 calorie fudgsicle

    Even a bowl of oatmeal made with water for 150 calories would be good. Or a sandwich using lite bread(80 cal.), couple of slices of tomato, lots of spinach and a slice or 2 of thinly sliced turkey, all for about 150 cal. Or a cup of SF hot chocolate which is about 50 cal.
  • Xellercin
    Xellercin Posts: 924 Member
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    I have found that hunger pangs are often more related to my stomach expecting food at a certain time of day rather than actually being hungry. Once I got used to never snacking between meals, the usual snack-time hunger pangs disappeared. I haven't snacked in over a decade.
  • Mom24_2021
    Mom24_2021 Posts: 42 Member
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    I also second the eating less in the morning and double checking yourself to make sure it’s hunger. I truly am hungrier at night. I’m a night person so my body just doesn’t care for breakfast as much. I eat a small breakfast, usually around 200 cal, and a small-medium lunch, around 200-400 cal and go all in at dinner to finish up my day, I’m usually left with 600-800cal after afternoon snacks this way. I then do my workout after dinner to regulate my glucose and give those later in the day calories something to work on. I absolutely do not snack after dinner and instead drink water. You could always try these things if you think they may help.

    As far as snacks go, given the above suggestions are not the issue and you are truly hungry, go for fruits and veggies. If I’m going to snack at night, I generally try not to go for things I will really enjoy because I will eat more of it. Think of a fruit or veggie you like but don’t love and eat that.
  • MercuryForce
    MercuryForce Posts: 104 Member
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    If it's actual hunger, I agree with some the strategies discussed here to make sure you aren't hungry at the end of the day.

    But, if it is your brain just feeling snacky, I've recently started eating Persian cucumbers dipped in Penzey's pico fruta. It makes my brain happy because it's got the sweet, salty, and crunchy all in one very low calorie snack.
  • LaurenMargott
    LaurenMargott Posts: 24 Member
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    Popcorn (not the packet stuff, from plain kernels) or my sweet favourite Smooze fruit icecream/ice block super low KJ but sweet and fruity and filling and lovely.
  • AZAlyssa
    AZAlyssa Posts: 22 Member
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    Pre-logging calories for a snack lessens my psychological craving. If I'm out of calories. I invariably crave something. If I still have calories, I can determine if I really need one or not. Weird, I know, but it works.

    I usually have a cup of chai or herbal tea sometime in the evening and if I have a snack, I make sure that it is heavier on protein and lighter on carbs to support more stable blood sugar overnight. If I had a carb-based snack like popcorn or pretzels, I would not feel good in the morning and there's a good chance I'd wake up hungry in the middle of the night. Others with a more normal insulin response may not have this issue, but I sure do. An ounce or two of chicken, egg, or baked tofu, wrapped in a low carb tortilla, some cottage cheese, or an Oikos yogurt with hemp seeds and cinnamon are a few of my standbys.
  • californiagirl1969
    californiagirl1969 Posts: 50 Member
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    A crunchy apple and something to drink works for.me.🍎☕🥛
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
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    Maybe something that takes time to eat? Like clementines or peanuts in the shell?

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