The anti-snack brigade are self-righteous, moralising nonsense-merchants.

It's cumulative. You mention something on one thread, something else on another...

But your snacks are healthy, so it is not an issue.

People who eat crisps, cakes, sweets and similar rubbish between meals will end up putting on weight. It is just common sense, not self righteousness...

You do realise that this site is anonymous don’t you? I’m sure you’re not the only one in the entire UK who does your job! 😆

This! Not sure why we needed the minutia of your daily diet either. If you need reassurance & complimenting on what you eat then that signifies a very unhealthy relationship with food.

Well, from what I remember our primary school had a fairly late start - I think it was 9.25 - so I doubt we left before 8. It was a long time ago (I started primary school in 1961), it was rural and although my sister and I famously had the longest walk, other kids had a couple of miles to walk, each way. Not one pupil was brought by car and all of the teachers who lived in the town, also walked or cycled. It was just a different mindset, I suppose.

When I was at secondary school, we had a bun lady that used to come round at 10.30 breaktime and sell us all iced buns, chelsea buns and doughnuts. We could buy a book of 'bun tickets' that allowed us to buy them. School dinners were a stodgy main and pudding and Mum also regularly stopped at the bakery on the way home from school to get bread and a cake for each of us. My favourite were cream buns. I wasn't fat despite eating this most days on top of three meals.

Me and my sister used to take the piss out of our brother for his snacking habits. He was obsessed with Coke (the full fat stuff) for a while and drank several cans a day. Also not fat. Not sure how we got away with this without piling on the pounds but I think it was just that everyone was more active, on average, than people are now - with no smartphones or devices (other than the Gameboy, which was still pretty niche) we used to do more sports and play out more. And every household didn't have two cars, so people used to walk more.

This.

We all are

I've always snacked but I eat the right foods. Fruit, nuts, and minimal processed crap. Never been over-weight.

It's WHAT people snack on that is the problem.

Being overweight is just to do with energy intake vs energy burned. Anyone can lose weight if they want to.

I personally enjoy food, so do lots of exercise to compensate for this.

I think a lot of people are in total denial about how much they eat and how much exercise they don't do.

I snack on crap but I run so just about get away with it. It is boredom mostly. Funny enough though my dd had anorexia and we told told she had to have 3 meals and 3 snacks a day. Eating through the day sends signals to the brain and stops it going into starve mode. Nothing wrong with snacks obviously just not going over the top.

Well a small healthy snack when you’re hungry is
fine, but these days a lot of people don’t snack in that way. My old boss would snack every day on crap foods- a pastry in the morning and then a bag of crisps and a chocolate bar in the afternoon for example…and then wonder why she had a weight problem. At school pick up you see parents fussing about snacks- some are handing out bananas to their kids, but others are handing out awful options- haribo, doughnuts and one little girl I know, who has a significant weight problem, was recently handed one of those huge pretzels you can buy. I recently went out with a friend for a park trip (max 2 hours) and she took a whole back pack full of snacks- little cakes, crisps, yoghurt coated raisins, strawberries, smoothies.

So snacks aren’t bad or wrong in moderation, but in my experience snacks aren’t really snacks, they’re a constant stream of just eating for the sake of it, and usually of poor nutritional value.

The odd rice cake between meals won't make you fat though.

Agree! I need my snacks! These types, normally insecure women, only seem to police other women’s eating habits, never men’s.

I’m just curious as to what job you do? I’d love a job so active

There is a faintly judgemental and critical tone to your posts. It’s often people who were overweight and then become slim, that become almost evangelical about food/diet and condemn other people’s food choices and eating patterns

Yep.

I’ve always eaten 3 meals and and at least 2 snacks a day. I’ve read threads on here where people seem really bothered about others snacking and find that really odd. Why would anyone care if others eat snacks?

Do you not work?
I tend to have a sandwich, soup or salad for lunch as I only get a half hour lunch break.

I'm not a snacker as I tend to find meals keep me going until the next meal. Also, if I snack it puts me off my next meal.

I admit to wondering why people post on forums asking for snack ideas for a two hour train journey that leaves at 2 pm, for example. Surely they will have just had lunch and can wait for more than two hours before any food passes their lips again? Yes, I admit to sounding judgemental here.

I don’t snack because I never feel hungry now anyway. But I don’t judge others - up to them. In the end, weight is generally about calories in vs calories burnt off.

Although, obviously, metabolism and some types of medication can also affect things.

Doesn’t matter how you eat though, whether it’s through little and often or 3 square meals a day. 🤷‍♀️

This. You put on 7 stone in Covid yet you are lecturing others about their eating habits and patterns, like you are some sort of dietician/ healthy eating guru?

I mean, thanks for pointing out the totally obvious…”it’s about calories in vs calories out” I guess….

When I see self-righteous and moralising I do think the people using it have massive chips on their shoulders

I have nothing against snacks but I do have issues with people who need to label other people