One of my friends actually asked me about snacking as I was writing this post. She said that it was one of her biggest downfalls while trying to lose weight. In the weight loss world, there are 2 people: snackers, and the anti-snacker. In case you haven't realized it already, I fall in the former category. If you don't want to snack, by all means nobody is going to force you. However, if you do, there are some tips to keep it from totally derailing all of your efforts.
- Treat everything you eat as a mini-meal. If you know that in 3-4 hours you're going to be eating again, there isn't much need to eat huge meals. Have some of your main course and a couple of sides, then leave it at that. The next time you're hungry, eat again guilt-free. For example, last night for supper (around 5pm) I had part of a pork chop and some green beans. That was all I really wanted because I had snacked just a few hours earlier. Later, around 8pm or so, I was hungry again, so I had a green salad with a bit of chicken and just enough leftover pasta salad that I made a few days ago to satisfy me. Around 11:30 I was ready for my bedtime snack, which was a handful of grapes, a few almonds, and 2 graham crackers spread with a thin layer of nutella and fresh blueberries with earl grey tea. Every time I ate, I never ate a lot, but I had enough that I was satisfied, not stuffed. Portion control is of the utmost importance if you're choosing the mini-meal route. Eating a full 3 course meal every 3-4 hours isn't going to help you lose any weight. Listen to your body and eat when you're hungry, but don't stuff yourself. You will get to eat again soon!
- Spoil your appetite. I know, I know. Your mother probably told you the opposite of what I just said, not to spoil your appetite. However, most of my readers are adults who make their own eating schedules and/or buy their own groceries. Spoiling your appetite, so to say, will help keep you from overdoing it when mealtime comes. Getting too hungry is one of the quickest ways to overeat and throw off your whole day of eating well. Going to a party tonight? Eat something before you go. It doesn't have to be huge. Just a small snack with some protein and complex carbs will help you avoid overdoing it when you're faced with the vast array of options most parties present to you.
- Make sure every mini-meal involves something fresh, something with protein, and a bit of fat. Get in that produce!! In my Top 10 Tips (which has the most views to date), I advised those trying to lose weight to get no less than 5, and to shoot for 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. If you eat every 3 waking hours, and you're up for 16 hours, that is 5 eating opportunities. If you have one serving of fruit or vegetables every time you eat, there's your 5 for the day. Double that, and you've hit 10 servings! A serving of fruit isn't nearly as big as you think. If for breakfast you have an apple, a banana, and an egg, there's your two servings. For snack, you have some celery with nut butter, there's a third. Have a big green salad for lunch and you can easily get 2-3 more servings. Keep track of what you're eating in your food diary, and you'll see how simple it is to get your 5-9 servings a day. The protein and fat in your meals are crucial for keeping you feeling full and satisfied. You can eat 10 fat-free cookies and never feel as satisfied as 2 regular cookies will make you feel. Fat is important for your body. So many people are afraid of eating fat. It isn't fat that makes you fat, it's overeating that makes you fat.
- Remember: a calorie is a calorie no matter what time you eat it. A lot of people follow the old advice to never eat past 6pm. Well, what if you're up until 2 in the morning? What if you work the graveyard shift like I do? Blanket advice doesn't work for everyone. All of my tips are what work for my body. You need to find what works for you. Granted, the later you eat, the less time you have to work off what you're eating. Let's just say, though, that you ate lightly all day and had a rigorous workout in the evening. You will be hungry, and you'll have probably burned off most of what you ate that day. If you're hungry, eat.
- Get your water in! Going along with the whole eating five times a day business, if you drink 16 ounces of water (the size of the average water bottle) every time you eat, there's 80 ounces of water you've had. For someone who weighs 160 pounds, you've reached the amount of water you should be drinking each day! It's the little steps, people.
There you have it. Here are 5 of my tips to help you snack and still lose weight! Do you have any other tips you swear by? Leave them in the comments below!!
xoxo,
Rachel
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