Snacking
Oh snacking. The downfall of many people. Grabbing a cookie off a co-worker's desk mid-day and shoving it in you mouth, not even thinking about the way it taste. Eating just to eat.
I love snacking. I am a huge snacker. I crave chocolate and salty things just like everyone else. The fat and preservatives and other junk in potato chips and candy bars and other not-so-good for you foods seems to make you crave them even more. In general, I allow myself to snack a little bit, but I try to give myself healthy alternatives. Here are a few tips on how to snack healthily, so not to ruin your weight loss plan/lifestyle change.
- Prepare For Your Day: This is so important. You may think you can get through the day without a snack, but if you go off to work and there are other goodies laying around you may be tempted to eat them. I pre-portion snacks before I leave for work. I put homemade trail mix in a baggie, and I bring fruit to snack on. The trail mix has a few chocolate chips, to curb my sweet-tooth craving for the day, and hopefully to help me not buy that candy bar at the machine!
- Snack When You're Hungry: Seems like a no-brainer right? But as Americans, we stick a lot of food into our mouths mindlessly. Don't bored eat. Don't eat while doing something else. If you really need a snack, stop what you're doing, SIT DOWN and concentrate on eating the healthy snack you have on hand. This will help you to feel satisfied after you've eaten your snack and make you less likely to feel unsatisfied or in need of more.
- Don't Snack All Day: When I was first starting out, I realized I had a major problem with late-night snacking. Sitting in front of the TV in a daze and stuffing my face. Most of the time when people snack this way, they aren't even hungry. They just need something to do while they're being lazy, so they put food in their mouth. So when you first start making your lifestyle change, cut out one snack that you know you don't need. For me, I cut out late night snacking, and then I allowed myself to have a 10 AM snack and a 3 PM snack.
- Let Yourself Splurge Sometimes: It is okay to let yourself splurge sometimes, and honestly if you don't then you won't stick with it for a lifetime. I generally let myself have a Coke or Diet Coke once a month, something that I have completely cut out. I also let myself have a candy bar or a bag of chips or some no-no on my list about once a week. I know that by eating it I'm not going to sabotage myself, because in general I'm going to stick with the other changes that I've made to get as far as I have.
- Snack After You Exercise: After I exercise I always want three things: water, a shower, and protein or dairy. I almost always allow myself to have a small healthy snack after I exercise. I generally crave a cheese stick or yogurt or pepperoni, something that sticks to my sides. If you feel hungry after you exercise, allow yourself to have a small healthy snack. After all, everything in moderation is really okay. Just don't overdo it and sabotage the calories you just worked off. For example, don't go for a double cheeseburger. Choose a better alternative!
- Stay Away from Vending Machines: Nothing good comes out of that little hole on the bottom. Seriously. Almost everything in a vending machine is bad for you. Plus, you can save your money by buying healthy alternatives at the grocery store and portioning them out to yourself during the week!
- Cheese Sticks
- Fruit
- Veggies (Raw broccoli, carrots, etc)
- Nuts, any type
- Homemade Trail Mix
- Yogurt
- Edamame
- All Natural Granola Bars
- Popcorn (without butter)
- Protein (lean meats)
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