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.

@LizziesTwin

I didn’t lose weight until I stopped breast feeding. I know there are some women who do but my weight dropped really quickly once I stopped nursing. I BF exclusively until they were 6 months, that worked for me.

The same happened with me with DC1 - I effortlessly lost half a stone as soon as I stopped breastfeeding. So now with DC2 I'm not stressing about my weight while I'm breastfeeding. I'm eating healthily most of the time & that's good enough for now.

Not snacking is hard. I've skimmed your updates so apologies if I've missed this - if you like hot drinks I find this is a good way to go. Find herbal teas you like, I really like hot cacao as well (no sugar), feels like a treat and is warming and filling

Sorry if this has been suggested but herbal teas worked for me in the evenings. I agree that it’s a habit and it is perfectly possible to break habits.

Also, after dinner I sometimes brush my teeth and put my pjs on. If really hungry (I fast most days), I’ll just go to bed early. I might treat myself at the weekend to some Greek yogurt and frozen fruit which I have grown to really love and is surprisingly filling.

I too was in your predicament. It’s bloody hard, go easy on yourself. If you think exercise would really help you, might you be able to get hold of a double running buggy to take the babes on a trot every day? My toddler used to love to shout “3, 2, 1, GO MUMMY!”

The thing that helped me the most was cutting bf (my gp helpfully told me I was one of those women who’s body retained fat whilst breastfeeding) which I did around 12 months each time and then following the Fast 800. The weight flew off and mostly stayed off.

Massive respect to you staying indoors all day with two we’ans. Great job 👏

You have to wean yourself off snacking, because whatever it is it will put weight on you.

If you like something sweet after a meal, could you have a small piece of fruit or a couple of squares of 85% chocolate (hard to really overeat that) - and then go clean your teeth as a mark that eating is over for the day.

Also, can you ask your husband not to snack on the sofa for say the next 3 months? It's not too much to ask and would be supportive of you and will really make it easier for you.

@AbstractHeart

Urgh so many miserable people here telling you not to snack. What the fuck else do we have to look forward to these days other than nice food? & they're totally missing the point of the thread!

Anyway, we snack on olives, rice cakes, Quorn cocktail sausages, fruit, carrots, yogurt, etc.

Are you breastfeeding? Healthy snacking is actively encouraged if you are!

I do get this, totally.

However, I would add that I have lost more than 20 kilos in 18 months and I feel fantastic. I used to weigh myself every morning and it’s just so motivating to see the loss most days (hormonal points as side).

I have treated myself to a new wardrobe in a size 10 and I am so happy to be wearing nice clothes again. My skin is so much improved, I have more energy. Much more of a treat than the mindless eating of an evening, which I barely realised I was doing, let alone appreciated!

Best of luck, OP

Thanks very much everyone. I am really hoping that I will lose weight when ds2 stops breastfeeding but the first time it fell off after about six months naturally as I was walking everywhere. This time, obviously very different. I also don't want to count on that happening else this cycle will never stop. I am trying to wean ds2 off though as I'm back to work in two weeks, we're down to about four or five feeds in 24 hours. It's been much harder with ds2 as we get no break from one another, not even for long drives in the car to places or walks in the buggy. I'm hoping this will improve as lockdown lifts and he spends time at the childminders.
I have some recipes for applet crisps (just dried Jo sugar) and roasted chickpeas. I'm hoping small amounts of these during the day will help. We could push dinner time back abit in the summer, it's just what's got us through this winter tbh, and once I've returned to work eating so early won't work anyway

Thanks again, I do appreciate it. Warm here today but chucking it down with rain, the gods just hate us here.... Back to playing trains on the carpet 😭

If your all home and free at 5pm to eat, can you just change it up so that dinner becomes 5.30pm, and dh watches the children and finishes dinner prep 5-5.30pm whilst you get 20 mins free for a quick child free walk.

You’re hungry because you’re eating dinner in the middle of the afternoon. If you want to eat as a family then just have a piece of toast a bit later but the crux of the problem is that you’re eating too early which is why you are hungry,

Rice cakes - Salt & Vinegar not the ones with chocolate or caramel x

Corsodyl mouthwash 🤙🏼

We could push dinner time back abit in the summer, it's just what's got us through this winter
Hey if it gets you through it gets you through, keep it going if you have to!!

Bear in mind also that with any healthy eating plan you adopt, you'll need to be able to more or less keep it up for the rest of your life, if you want to keep the weight off after you've lost it. Only you will know (or find out) exactly what the right plan is for you.

I had my second baby 18 months ago. At 5 foot 10, was a little over 17st just before I gave birth, and on January 1st 2020, still weighed 15 and a half stone. After having (less significant) weight issues on and off my entire adult life with a tendency to yoyo, enough was enough, and I went full on "new decade new plan"

I thought I'd have to give a lot of things up cold turkey for good, and for a time, I did. I also took up c25k, which I credit as being incredibly helpful as I like to run 5x per week now. But as I lost weight, I realised that I needed the odd tiny treat each day, so that I could fully commit to the running and rest of my modified diet.

My personal treats are a PhD Smart protein bar or similar after lunch, and one small LoveRaw vegan dark chocolate nut butter cup after dinner. This equates to about 300kcal, which would be seen as a terrible idea by some on here. But to me, having nothing at all wasn't sustainable, and giving myself fruit, carrots or similar that I didn't really want in the first place would have led to me finding something less suitable to eat on top of that (as I have to keep a well stocked cupboard for my husband and kids!)

But a bit of what i fancy works for me. I now weigh a tad over 11 stone, and am a healthy BMI. Having the right snacks in repertoire was instrumental in this. I also relaxed my eating habits over Christmas, and if it's a special event, e.g. Valentine's Day, I'll also eat exactly what I want. But for one night only.

With this in mind, balance is key. I think there are people who are happy to give up snacks to lose weight, and people who are happy to modify them for the same aim. It's worth trying out both ways to find out which one you are.

I have a rule, no snacks after dinner. Really helps. I also have stopped drinking beer and wine only on special occasions. Gin and sugar free tonic if I want a tipple

B&M does amazing chocolate bars that are only 75 calories. They're called Skinny Crunch

Sorry I know this threads been around a few days but why the fuck are people suggesting nuts and seeds to someone who is a bit greedy and wants to lose weight!!

DO NOT EAT NUTS or SEEDS OP. Please. There’s 33 calories in a single Brazil nut. So you can have 3 Brazil nuts or for an extra 10 calories a packet of Walkers baked crisps, or a finger of fudge and a cup of tea with a finger of fudge, or 2 slices of toast (lots of bread is around 50 calories a slice) with a scrape of sugar free jam. I know what would probably satisfy you more!

Nuts massively calorific and so, so easy to overeat if you don’t have cast iron willpower!

You want to lose weight not without feeling depressed, you can get your nutrition from vegetables with your lunch.

I’ve lost nearly 6 stone and one of things I did was stop eating a lot of pseudo ‘healthy’ food.

Don’t snack in the evening - eat your evening meal and then try not to eat until breakfast. Have a cup of (decaf) tea instead. My husband also can eat for three and never put on weight - it’s really annoying. He always has a pre-bed snack as well. If only I could bottle his metabolism, I’d make a lot of money!!

Rocket leaves
Seaweed crisp sheets
Popcorn
Carrot sticks
Olives

Chewing gum for after meals. The minty taste stops you wanting anything else.

Biltong is high protein and under 100cal for a satisfying snack
embersnacks.com/

Home made low fat hummus is nice - you can flavour it various ways- I like red pepper and chilli. I make it at the weekend and have a few pots in the fridge - its around 60 calories with carrot sticks.
Cashew nuts are fairly low fat- in fact most nuts are good.

@couchparsnip no nuts are good for weight loss!!!!!

Nuts are a great part of a healthy diet... in moderation.

Eat a pomegranate while watching tv. It takes ages so you don't eat or even think about eating anything else.

@SkiingIsHeaven

Eat a pomegranate while watching tv. It takes ages so you don't eat or even think about eating anything else.

Omg don't wear light colours while doing this, I learned that the hard way

cheese 😍😍😍😍