Struggling with snacks

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Reedern
Reedern Posts: 525 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I work my *kitten* off at the gym every week and even try to get some additional exercise at home as well. I burn plenty of calories and have to work hard to do so. My frustration come because I generally make good meal choices, however I snack too much on things that are unhealthy. I tell myself every day that I will do better but then without even realizing I do it, I grab a little of this and a little of that which adds up to a lot of garbage! How do I convince my brain to avoid these bad foods and stick to my healthier snacks if I need one at all?

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  • Glucocorticoid
    Glucocorticoid Posts: 867 Member
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    How much protein/fiber do you get everyday?
  • katythemommy
    katythemommy Posts: 437 Member
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    Honestly I would do the same thing, this is why I have to keep those types of food out of my house. Only healthy and nutritious snacks are allowed so I don't go crazy!
  • McLifterPants
    McLifterPants Posts: 457 Member
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    I deal with this by shopping healthy and keeping snack foods that are fairly good for me at my desk at work, so that I am never around junk food. My go-to snacks right now are Kashi 7-grain crackers with peanut butter. 15 crackers with 0.5 oz of PB (enough to hit all the crackers!) is 200 calories. Another favorite, for when I'm craving something sweet, is Special K's chocolate covered pretzel bar. 90 calories, and a great little treat.
  • ericgAU
    ericgAU Posts: 271
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    Easy solution. Dont buy the stuff in the first place. And if someone else does, tell them to hide it. If it aint there you wont eat it. Stock your fridge with plenty of fruit & yoghurt and your pantry with natural nuts like almonds, sunflower seeds, walnuts etc. After dinner I too get hunger pangs which I usually satisfy with drinking water or failing that I'll eat some nuts or fruit.
  • ebahde
    ebahde Posts: 89 Member
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    If these things are in your house and you know that you can't avoid eating them, then stop buying them.
    My problem in the beginning is that there are always unhealthy snacks in the conference room at my work so now at the beginning of the week I just pack a ton of healthy snack options (fruit, protein bar, greek yogurt, sugar free pudding, etc...) into my lunch bag and leave it in the fridge at work all week. This way whatever I am in the mood for I have available so I am not as tempted by the not-so-healthy options that are usually around me
  • cbeutler
    cbeutler Posts: 667 Member
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    I had the same problem. My solution no snacks. It may not be the best solution but I eat three meals a day with nothing in between. If I need something with flavor I have coffee or iced tea. So far I'm going on 10 weeks with nothing in between. The first couple of weeks were tough, but if you tough it out you won't miss the snacks.
  • LittleSimoni
    LittleSimoni Posts: 24
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    Ditto. I have the same exact problem. I keep telling me myself that if I buy this bag of chips, I'll just have ONE serving ..... but I end up eating the whole bag. :( So, it comes down to not buying anything and avoiding the treat bowls at work. Very hard to do so hang in there!

    I love ice cream and on occasion will have a Mini-cone from Trader Joe (70 calories). I also started buying Motts Healthy Harvest (50 calories, I pretend it's sorbet). One snack I keep at work is the Just a Handful nuts from Trader Joe, too. I can't bring nuts home, I'll eat way more than a servings worth. I also like (again from Trader Joe) the low-fat mozzarella stick (60 cals) for snacks.

    Good luck to you/everyone! :)
  • HelloSweetie4
    HelloSweetie4 Posts: 1,214 Member
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    It sounds odd, but i have found some really good snacks in the food section of Dollar Tree. There's mini bags of pretzels and organic unsweetened apple sauce.
    I live in a house with 3 other people (2 of which don't tend to eat healthy) so there's always junk in the house. I just keep telling myself that I can't have it (either because someone else bought it or we needs it for something else) and I go for the snacks that I bought instead. I still cave and go for chips sometimes, but coming up with reasons why I can't eat the junk (other thans it's bad for me) has been helping
  • katejkelley
    katejkelley Posts: 841 Member
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    I feel your pain! I'd rather snack than eat actual meals. I'm finding it helps to log in everything I eat - makes me more accountable. I've only been at this a week - down a couple pounds, then back up one. I know that's normal, but sure can be frustrating. One of my favorite snacks is cashews, but I always eat more than I should. I guess I need to not eat the first one - just like I've had to do with sweets. I sure wish I had that kind of craving for carrots and celery!
  • cbh142
    cbh142 Posts: 270 Member
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    I still eat chocolate almost every day, just not a lot of it. Find some healthy snacks you like. Fiber one makes good 90 calorie brownies.
  • RobinvdM
    RobinvdM Posts: 634 Member
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    At first I had the same issues.

    My solution was to stock up my fridge with yogurt I liked and have resealable small tubs of various nuts on the sideboard where I would usually have kept my 'junk' snacks. I haven't really gotten into the fresh vegetable snacks, it's a hang up of mine I guess. However, I keep my fresh fruits constantly stocked (Bananas, oranges, apples.) I also made up a batch of really great homemade granola bars. So I suppose, my answer would be swap them out with healthier alternatives.

    I have 2 "adult" kids (19 and 18) and they are constantly buying junk but I tell them if it's laying around I'll toss it out. So they keep it out away unless they are the ones consuming it. I am happy to say my choices are rubbing off on my 9 year old :-)
  • SweetSammie
    SweetSammie Posts: 391 Member
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    There is plenty of junk in my house. I try to purposely buy things that are more my husband's favorites (wasabi flavored nuts, jalapeno potato chips, golden oreos) and NOT my favorites (kettle chips and dip, brownies, pecan pie, cheez-its).
    I also always serve snacks into pretty little crystal bowls. That way it' s pre-portioned... and pretty to look at. I make sure to keep plenty of healthy snacks (tonight I ran out super late so I would have my Fage yogurt). If I am going to have one of my favorites (who wants to live life without some of their favorite snacks). I plan to have them, I buy single serving or small servings and have them. If it's pecan pie or brownies, I take them to work so they aren't in the house.

    Snacks aren't so much my issue.. my general love of FOOD is. MMMM Gouda cheese, olives, homemade bread, good butter, pizza...
  • yokogriswold
    yokogriswold Posts: 3
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    Fiber One brownies are very yummy and only have 90 calories. It also has 20% of daily fiber. Just eat one a day. Also, don't buy junk food. If you don't see any junk food in your house, you are less likely to eat them. Another thing is I have read you feel hungry when you are actually thirsty, so drink a glass of water when you feel hungry for junk food.
  • Jezebel_Barbie
    Jezebel_Barbie Posts: 198 Member
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    I love to snack, so I decided to work with it rather than against it. After tracking my food for a couple of weeks I realise I don't snack at ALL during the day but after dinner (which is at about 7pm) is when I want to eat. I'm not always hungry, but I want to eat. I save a portion of my calories for the evening so if I want I can have something else to eat. That helps massively because I'm 'budgeting' for my snacks so I don't go over.

    The second thing I do is make sure the house is filled with healthy, easy accesible snacks. The fruit bowl is full, there are yogurts in the fridge and I keep little tubs of dried fruit in single serving portions in the cupboard. I'm not saying I've never grabbed a packet of crisps or a slice of cheesebread as a snack, but on the whole I make healthy choices instead now.

    The other thing I've done is plan, plan, plan. For example, tomorrow we're going on a four hour round trip to visit relatives. When I'm out of the house it's harder for me to make healthy choices. So I'm packing a tub of dried fruit and an oatmeal snack bar thing and a bottle fo water. It will stop me getting sugary snacks at the petrol station if I know I have food with me. Last time I did this I didn't even eat the snacks, it was just a case of knowing I had them, y'know?

    One more thing: I gave up chocolate for Lent which has actually made this whole process easier. I used to be a chocolate fiend and at first I had pretty bad cravings. I thought about chocolate every day! 6 weeks on and honestly, I don't really crave it any more. The one or two times I've thought about it in the past few weeks is, I assume, a normal craving for chocolate and not my previous addiction cravings! So it does get easier, you just have to make it easy on yourself. xx
  • Reedern
    Reedern Posts: 525 Member
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    Thanks everyone for the great advice. I try hard not to buy a lot of the snacks, but of course when I do they are usually for my todler and my husband. I guess I need to train my brain to realize that there are a lot of great snacks out there that are much healthier and taste just as good. I know I can do it, I have trained myself to make sure I exercise everyday so why shouldn't I be able to train myself to make better food choices right?

    Someone asked how much protein I get in a day, well my goal is around 80 grams per day to help with muscle and metabolism. This is what my doctor recommended.

    Thanks again all..... here's to better choices with a new day!!!! :drinker:

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