Avoiding snacking help

[Exostrike]

Hi I have a problem with snacking.

I'm trying to lose some weight and get generally into shape. But every time I've been to the gym I get the urge to have a snack bar or something so I end up regaining the calories I've just worked off.

Any advice for dealing with this?

[Aielyn]

Try eating fruit or vegetables instead of a snack bar. Not only will it provide you with a more sustained calorie source (rather than it all hitting at once), thereby reducing your urge to snack more, but it'll also provide you with various important dietary substances.

Beyond that, I suggest you look at your diet. If you're feeling seriously hungry at a time that isn't a meal time, then it may indicate that you're eating too infrequently, or not providing your body with enough nutrients, etc.

[brutus]

After working out, your body craves nutrition and to replace spent calories. You need nutrient dense snacks around.

[The Magus]

Nutrition, IMO, is about more than snacking, it's about your consumption over the entire day and throughout the week. My best advice is to keep track of everything you eat in a food journal, and to calculate what your average daily caloric needs are. A snack here and there won't kill the average person's diet, so long as you're staying within what your body needs to maintain itself.

But after a workout, brutus is right that your body craves something to refuel. Personally, I try to get some protein and some carbs in me right after a workout (like a protein shake and some fruit) and a substantial meal an hour or so afterwards.

[MLMuscle]

I like what people have said above about snacking and have a few small items to add. I'm a natural bodybuilder and therefore watch my diet very closely. I am very ripped and vascular virtually all of the time but the one thing that, at least for me, seems to adversely impact vascularity and body fat is snacking involving the three "Cs" (chips, cookies, and crackers). I LOVE this stuff, but avoid it because the fat content is terrible. Even, for example, some of the "low fat" cheese crackers (the leading brand - you know what it is) contain almost 50 grams of fat per box (11 oz). The "full fat" variety of cheese crackers contain nearly 100 g of fat per 11 oz. box. Potato chips are worse (leading brands contain over 100g of fat per 10 oz bag). Most cookies are bad, especially the ones with "palm kernel oil-based chocolate" coatings, some of which have 5 g of fat per cookie. I avoid all of this stuff and, instead, I buy low fat choices. For example, there are the "baked" variety of chips (much less fat) and things like pretzels (some companies have cheese and mustard flavored ones that have virtually no fat), chips that are "popped" in air, rice cakes (yes, some do taste good), "animal crackers" (the low fat kind not coated with frosting), etc. Also, sometimes, I will buy a box of cereal and snack on it dry (for example, oat cereals like chocolate-flavored Cheerios which are very low fat but taste good with a fair amount of protein). Granola cereals are "sneaky" and can have up to 10 g of fat per serving. I know that all of this stuff does have calories (and needs to be eaten in moderation), but they are much less than regular snacks and have much less fat. So, if a person has to snack (and we all do) there are options - just read the labels very very carefully!

[silong]

MLMUSCLE - useful hints man. IMy problem is 'm cutting at the moment and I tend to consume my calories by about 9:30 at night which would be fine if my partner didn't come in with chicken fried rice and salt and pepper ribs - then I can't help but snacking on his takeaway!!!

[MLMuscle]

Rice cakes - YES! Chicken Fried Rice - NO! (I know, I know - I love the fried rice too, but just imagine all of your vascularity disappearing before your very eyes with each spoonful of fried rice!! LOL! (An average 1 cup serving of chicken fried rice is approximately 34 - 40% FAT)!

[silong]

MLMuscle - what's worse is that I know it's bad but these restrictive diets can put you into feeding frenzy mode when the wrong food passes in front of you. Cutting does not make you popular or sociable

[MLMuscle]

Cutting also does not make you very popular with your friends when you go out to eat with them at a restaurant and they have to watch you peel the skin off your chicken breast.

Hopefully your partner won't come home with an order of Kung Pao Chicken. I used to LOVE that stuff (especially if you order it with extra peanuts and extra fat on the chicken) - YUM! BUT, a number of years ago I learned that Kung Pao Chicken has more fat than one of those suet-balls that you hang out to feed the birds in winter (probably around 30 - 50g of fat per serving or more). So, I've haven't eaten it for years (but I still crave it!).

[nfotxn]

What I like about eating clean is occasionally having a cheat day. For two reasons: I know I'll fit all my macros, and then some, with no problems. And if I go out with friends my pleasure of even the simplest foods like beer and pizza are just awesome. It's way better than being bored of those options all the time.

[MLMuscle]

I agree with the concept of a "Cheat Meal". A very famous old-time bodybuilder (I can't remember now who it was) advocated a "Cheat Meal" once a week for, if anything, the psychological benefits that it provides, However, when it comes to a Cheat Meal, I still avoid certain things like, for instance, All-you-can-Eat buffets. If you go to those places which have heaps of food laid out in long lines like troughs at a farm, it is not just the temptation to grossly overeat and "graze" for an hour or two (which can happen if you are on a restricted diet), but much of the food at those places is extremely laden with salt, fat, and sugar. The last buffet that I went to (quite awhile ago) actually had, for dessert, lumps of compressed coconut bound together with sugar syrup that you dipped into a melted mixture of coconut fat, sugar, and cocoa. In other words, fat dipped into fat (although, I have to admit, it was incredibly good-tasting - "fatty-licious"!). So, I avoid buffets and, if I am going to eat a "Cheat Meal", I usually eat something that at least has defined, limited portions...

[LauraNelson]

Try to have an apple or some carrots, whenever you feel like having some snacks. It will quench your hunger and doesn?t regain calorie.

[inflated]

I have found that when I was cutting weight what helped best is to drink lots of unsweetened sun tea, and brush your teeth very often, having a minty mouth seems to curb hunger for me-and most snacks do not even taste good right after brushing your teeth. These are some little tricks that can help.

[brutus]

I am trying to get healthier too, and I find that having some healthy snacks around helps curb hunger well (almonds, baby carrots, etc.) Also, nutritionally dense food helps: your body is not trying to find nutrients in a SAD diet (like super-foods, and veggie juice)

[RosettaWood]

Hi,
Discipline is one of the keys to successful weight loss. Since you are in a diet as well, the urge to eat is frequent. With this, in order to lessen the urge, you can eat small meals 6 times a day, so your stomach will not feel empty.
-Rosetta