To ask how to stop bloody snacking !

[Floridabadger]

I need to shift a stone or so (maybe closer to 2!) . I know how many calories I should be having, I know to shift my arse more and all of that. I’ve got my meals sorted , lots of veg etc but snacking is still an issue.
I try healthy ones such as those Ryvita cracker breads but I end up having 10 which amounts to about the same as if I’d just had a Kit Kat anyway!
I think I need to lose the snacks altogether. Those of you who never snack, how do you manage it? If you’re hungry and it’s 4pm and you’re eating at 6, do you just wait it out?

I also drink lots of water and like to be quite hungry for meals anyway. I would happily be hungry from 4 until 6. If I was hungry at 4 and dinner wasn't until 8 I'd have a slice of toast - yum. For some reason I'm never tempted to snack after dinner - maybe because I like to go to bed quite early.

When I really, really couldn't resist snacking, it turned out I was anaemic.

if you're hungry at 4 can you not just have your dinner at 4? then if you want some supper before you go to bed you can have some thing low salary/fruit/crudites etc

The other side of it is, are you actually hungry at 4? Or are you tired/thirsty/fed up/bored???

I know what you mean, if i banned myself from eating on the sofa or in bed, i would lose a stone in a month easily!

For some reason I'm never tempted to snack after dinner - maybe because I like to go to bed quite early.

Me neither. My danger point is about 4pm. I literally never snack after dinner. I don't have that tv=snack association either, thankfully. Of course, I often knit in front of the tv anyway, and nobody wants their knitting to smell of cheese and onion crisps, so that helps.

@nannymags absolutely not starving, peckish at most. Perfectly feasible to wait until tea time at 6 ish, Ive just been giving in to the treats. I think if I ate my tea earlier I would just be snacking more into the evening.

@lazylinguist funnily enough when I started teaching 6 years ago I gave up smoking as I was so paranoid marking books On the sofa after a cig that a student would pipe up ‘ Miss why does my book smell of fags?!?’

When you feel an urge to snack, tell yourself to wait 30 minutes. 30 minutes doesn't feel like an unmanageable amount of time whereas 3 hours until dinner probably does. Then try to become immersed in an activity and with any luck, 30 minutes or even an hour will go by before you think about eating again. At the end of the day, it is just willpower though.

If you must snack (if you're actually hungry and it's a while until the next meal), don't have carbs or sugar. Have some nuts, a small amount of cheese, a hard boiled egg etc. A diet high in carbs will leave you constantly hungry and craving something.

I used to shake with hunger and get terrible headaches just a couple of hours after eating, but it was because I was eating too many carbs. A higher protein diet fixed it for me.

I don't buy many snack foods. There are almonds in the cupboard. Honey Greek yogurts for my DS that don't interest me. There is fruit, I have tomatoes, grapefruit, bananas, and blackberries in the freezer. Anything else I'd have to make, like peanut butter, honey, or cheese on toast. It's all food I only want to eat if I'm hungry. I buy a bar of dark chocolate with my weekly shop, but when that's gone I wait until next week.

So much sensible advice on this thread. Really showing my lack of willpower. Quite ashamed of myself really.

Right I have had my tea and there will be no further eating tonight!

@Unobtainium you are exactly where I want to be with number 4. I need to sort it out. About 5 years ago I lost close to 3 stone and I just can’t get back into that headspace. I’ve not put it al back on but a good chunk certainly. I just can’t make it click this time ... yet.

Actually not where I want to be, where I need to be.

OP you have to get used to feeling hungry sometimes, as someone else said its normal.
I had the same problem as you ,constantly snacking during lockdown, I never felt hungry.

Try not to have the snacks in the house , that's my number 1 downfall ! I keep a few treats in for ds but they are things he specifically likes and I don't.
I'm feeling less hungry now and I'm getting used to it . I put on 11lbs during lockdown and although I haven't weighed myself recently in the past 3 weeks I can see a difference due to not snacking.
Will power and distraction!

Lots of different approaches I think. Definitely not easy but some ideas:

1- agree with PPs about protein. Increasing protein and making sure it's a good 20-30% of overall calories through the day helps

2 - again agree that you have to set yourself up with the right kind of breakfast. Greek yogurt or eggs both good!

3 - a weird one but peppermint and liquorice tea is meant to help sort out sugar cravings and is naturally sweet

4 - all that said I really don't think snacking needs to be a problem, it's just choosing the right snacks! Do you track the calories you eat in a day using an app/scales to check portion size? I find this the most helpful thing in keeping snacks in the biscuit tin!

Also what about using an app to track things, like myfitnesspal

I don't because I can't risk it. An underactive thyroid and PCOS has done a lot of damage to my metabolism, and I can't really eat more than 1200 calories a day without gaining. I like to use those calories for good meals with lots of fibre and protein to keep me full, just can't afford to waste precious calories on snacks 😂

So much sensible advice on this thread. Really showing my lack of willpower. Quite ashamed of myself really.

No shame needed! I've decided relying on willpower is a big mistake. Resisting through sheer willpower all day every day is virtually impossible for almost anyone. That's why almost all diets fail. What we need to do is make it easier for ourselves by implementing strategies that reduce the need for willpower!

I watched an interesting video by a highly respected doctor and researcher the other day (linked to on a thread on here). One of the many things she showed stats for was that pretty much any weight loss diet is equally effective. Low fat, low carb, Mediterranean, whatever - pretty much no differences in outcome. The only thing that determines your success is how well you stick to it. The easier you make it, the better you'll do. Make it inconvenient and less appealing to snack and you won't be so keen to snack.

The other thing that works is proper fear. The two times I've lost lots of weight were 1) when I was diagnosed with dangerously high bp after dc2 was born and was convinced I was going to drop dead of a heart attack any minute and 2) When I had gallstones and eating more than 10g of fat at once gave me childbirth level agony! Not sure I'd recommend either of those though...

Are you a yo yo dieter? If so, have you ever looked into Intuitive Eating? The original book is really very good.

This is NOT directed against OP, but WHY is anyone snacking? (apart from culture/adverts etc encouraged by mass-production fast "food" industry). It's not necessary and there is considerable evidence that it is no good for our insulin production.

I'm old in Mumsnet terms, and we were brought up - like generations before us - to eat two or three meals a day only. Nothing in between. Crisps, salted nuts etc were almost unknown. Biscuits and cakes and ices were treats for rare special occasions. Sweets and chocolates were restricted; two small portions (eg a boiled sweet or a square of chocolate) per day. (And also - sandwiches never had crisps with them - where - and why - did that start? Nutrionally, it's nonsense. I and others have eaten sandwiches for decades, without the need for greasy extras.)

I know that looking back it's easy for me to say all this,. I'm honestly not being smug. But as a really quite active child, I genuinely can't recall feeling hungry. Possibly the old ways might be worth re-examining?

OP here ! I made a throwaway email to sign up for this today and had private browsing on my phone so when I signed out I’ve completely forgotten what the damn thing was! As people have taken the time to comment and offer advice I really didn’t want to just bigger off.
Thanks you @Unobtainium that is really kind. @lazylinguist yes I do just need to stick to it! I’m sat here now with a cup of tea and a glass of water. I’ve made a little log sheet so I can list snacks I’ve had and also tick off days when I haven’t as a little achievement. It’s a start ....

I find won't power works better for me than willpower; as in I won't have a handful of mini cheddars.

@florascotia2 I absolutely agree and no offence taken ! I think to what my mum talks about her childhood and crisps were the ultimate treat! I currently have 2 multipacks in my cupboard !

@Knittedfairies that’s a really interesting change of mindset. I like that