To ask for your healthy snacks to eat of an evening (that actually taste nice but will help lose weight )

[ItsAllBlahBlahBlah]

I'm at a loss. Baby born last year and I've lost no weight thanks to covid. I've basically been trapped inside with a 3 and 1 yo or toddling at 0.5mph. I'm about to return to work and with spring looming I just can't bear the thought of wearing anything that's not joggers and a jumper. I have a monstrous apron (thanks two c sections) and a terrible habit of snacking when the kids go to bed. I've just about got through the christmas food (EVERYONE brought us chocolate, biscuits etc this year) so I'm determined to not buy any myself and make a new start when I return to work (at home) to exercise where I can and stop the terrible snacking.

Any recipes, or ideas to step away from the packet of biscuits and still feel like I'm living (I'm not going to get excited about celery) please.

Sorry, Halo Top tubs are around 320-380 cals still good though

Honestly - I've had to go no snacks.... It's a habit. And regardless of the seemingly endless bowls of cereal my OH munches on the sofa, I have to look after me. I don't need to eat in the evening and it's a habit not a need And having broken the habit, it doesn't even occur to me to eat after dinner any more. I had many false starts and it was tough for a while. But I pushed through and it's worked (for me.. not saying it's everyone's solution)

I blitz a tin of peaches or apricots up for DD and stick them in ice lolly moulds. They might work as they are small so not massive amount of calories.

Thanks everyone. I think I may have to go cold turkey as, some of you have pointed out, eating lots of healthy snacks is as bad as eating one bad one sometimes. It's the habit I need to kick. I am going to give myself grace and go for it. The snacks suggested here will be great for lunches etc or day times. I'm generally quite good in the day!!

I'm very much against snacking so can't suggest any particular food I'm afraid other than try to avoid it, and if you're craving something sweet have a small amount of fruit. Get into the habit of only eating when you're actually hungry, and clean your teeth 30 minutes after eating your dinner so you'll be less inclined to eat anything.

As a compromise perhaps limit the days you snack in front of the TV in the evening to 1 day a week? Also, it would be far easier if you DH also gave up snacking, so do you think he would do that to show solidarity?

Low cal hot chocolate or a small bag of sweet and salty popcorn

What you need is an all consuming hobby that keeps your mind occupied......and no snacks.

Exercise in the evenings so you’re busy and don’t have time to think about snacking!

@LadyCatStark I'd love to but I have no idea how. The kids are in bed, there's no gym (I'm not a member anyhow) and we got rid of the Cross trainer when we cleared the back bedroom for ds2. I'm crap at running so not sure what I can do besides walking during the day.

I only let myself snack on Saturdays - the rest of the week I only eat between 11.30am (because some days thats how lunch works out between meetings) and 7pm.
DS and I are doing the Joe Wicks Lean in 15 DVD (£1.99 on Ebay) and its amazing the difference that the 20 minute workout is making to my body.

Define healthy.

You want high protein snacks to keep you full.

Boiled eggs
Ham
Light babybel
Cheese string
Nuts
Protein cookies

Other low calorie snacks I love:

Picked onions
Gherkins
10 cal jelly
A LOT of small chocolates are less than 100 calories. A kitkat chunky from a multipack is 166 calories.
Pombears
Carrot sticks (yes really. I love the crunch)
Sandwich made with Thins. A thin is 100 calories, slice of ham and light light Mayo and you’ve got a sandwich for around 150 calories.

Do something with your hands - take up knitting or crochet or sewing or something so that your hands are occupied.

[quote ItsAllBlahBlahBlah]@LadyCatStark I'd love to but I have no idea how. The kids are in bed, there's no gym (I'm not a member anyhow) and we got rid of the Cross trainer when we cleared the back bedroom for ds2. I'm crap at running so not sure what I can do besides walking during the day.[/quote]
You Tube videos!

I never snack, I only eat three small meals a day that's how I lost 9 stone.
You don't need to be putting things in your mouth 24 hours a day. If i feel like snacking I just drink a pint of water.

Sometimes if I'm craving something healthy but trying not to snack, a sweet herbal tea like cinnamon and something else is good. Or a vietnamese tea - jasmine green tea, sliced ginger, sliced lemon and honey, it feels like a bit of a treat
Or mini cans of low calorie posh flavoured tonic or something?

I like to have a sliced up apple with either a few nuts or a very small piece of nice cheese. I avoid buying chocolate, biscuits or crisps so there is less temptation!

I know that evenings are my hungry time, so I have a small piece of cheese and a few almonds after dinner.

And then don't have any breakfast.

Roasted almonds (sometimes very lightly sprayed with a vegetable oil and tossed in slice) and sliced apple with peanut butter are my go-tos. Full of monounsaturated fats and yum. All fat, good or ‘bad’ is 9 cals per gram so watch your intake still.

Spices*

If you like snacks, eat the snacks you want to. Just cut the size of your main meals accordingly. You can split your calories any way you want.

Frozen grapes. The green ones. I'll much through a whole punnet in an evening.

Dark chocolate coated rice cake.

I am actively trying not to snack after my evening meal so it’s only an occasional treat.

@Icenii

Large jug of fizzy water with slices of lemon, lime and ice. Honestly, I would keep snacks to a Friday and Sat night if you want them.

This

If you want to kick the snack habit altogether, then I agree with other posters that brushing your teeth 30 minutes after dinner is a great way of doing it.

As for exercise in the evening, I would start with a week of stretching. Then slowly build in some more active elements. But if you are unfit, then loosening up before you start a regime is a nice way to ease into it. And yes to YouTube videos!

It helps to think of it as an eating window. For example, your eating window is 10am to 7pm. After that the kitchen is closed. No more snacks or drinks apart from water. Abstinence is easier than moderation in my opinion. It really is just a habit and the urge disappears after about 3 days. You'll probably find you sleep better too.