How to stop being a serial snacker

[froggie255]

I have about 2 stone to lose. My meals are improving and I'm trying to eat in a calorie deficit. But I have a huge problem with snacking at the same time everyday. It's like I go on a compulsive binge. I will have done brilliant at meals and calories all day then it hits 5pm and something takes over me and I probably eat as many calories in about 20 minutes as I have all day - biscuits, crisps a, crackers, cheese, chocolate. I have them in the house for dc but I just can't stop myself gorging on them.

I know this is preventing me losing the weight I need to and everyday I promise myself I won't do it but like I said, it's almost gone past a choice now and is something I just do. If I were busy at that time it might help but it's my toddlers mealtime and while I'm in the kitchen preparing her evening meal I just constantly pick at stuff. How can I overcome this?!

@snufkinhat so breakfast is usually yoghurt, granola and fruit or protein pancakes and fruit. Always a coffee. If I'm out and about a cereal bar.

Lunch varies but is usually a variation of salad, sandwich or wrap. If I'm at home I'll have homemade soup and a roll or scrambled egg/mushrooms on toast.

Dinner is a hello fresh meal which are usually pretty balanced.

The snack binge is between lunch and dinner and includes anything I can get my hands on, sometimes even scraping butter or cream cheese directly onto a cracker.

If 5pm is your snack time I would consider
-increasing lunch esp protein
-having a snack on your way home from work/4pm something big enough to keep you going
-try a hot drink like options, skimmed milk latte etc

Don't buy them - your kids don't need biscuits, crisps etc. You can all improve your health together. Can you eat with your toddler, and then stop eating after that until next morning, to have a proper break overnight.

when you see your hand reaching for a sugary snack, visualise a dog standing over the food vomiting on it.

This works for me!

I think I would just end up eating the week’s treat boxes in one go.

The problem is sugar is addictive, you will eat those treats and still want more.

The only that works for me is cutting out sugar entirely, including artificial sweeteners.

I find it helpful to have lots of protein and very low/zero carbs for the first meal of the day. That could be breakfast but if you're not hungry in the morning you don't need to force yourself to eat. I can have carbs later on but that first meal of the day really seems to set the tone for the rest of the day.

I can't just have a low calorie snack and stop so I swapped it for a drink instead
Bouillon, a mug of veg soup, a low cal hot choc, a protein shake, anything like that helps me

Honestly I just don’t think the same meal plan suits everyone. I’m a snacker and hate eating 3 meals a day and nothing else.

If losing weight is a concern why don’t you make your main meals smaller to allow for snacks and then make your snacks healthier and portion controlled?

I Do intermittent fasting and when I need a snack I have cubes of cheese, salami, sun-dried tomatoes and olives

That's kind of what I'm doing. I used to eat quite calorific meals (processed food, lots of cheese and butter, chips etc) AND snacks on top. Now my meals have improved but im still struggling to stop the snacking. I do think it's habitual as much as anything. Yes im peckish at that time but not keeling over or anything. I do it because I enjoy the comfort of snacking and picking.

The secret for me is to have 3 filling meals a day and then low calorie snacks if I want them. Over 3 stone down now so it works for me.

If you eat proper meals and it's not genuine hunger... I would say find something else to do at your "snack time" - go to an exercise class, have a home hobby, have a bath, read a book etc

I don't snack at all. I find that easier than having an allocation of low calorie snacks as for me that makes me keep thinking about food.

I have a cup of tea instead

It's good you have identified this, you basically need to redirect like you would with a toddler.

So if there's a 'danger' time, find something else to do, a quick walk round the block would be enough, something to just break the cycle.

Eat a proper meal at lunchtime. So a decent amount of protein plus veggies / salad. protein and fat are what fill you up, not carbs.

Just don't buy the snacks In the first place. You deffo don't need them "for the children", if anything they'd be better off without. I have 2 young children and have never once bought crisps to have at home.

Do you feel full up and satisfied after those meals? Some of the lunches you describe don't sound very filling. I would be ravenous in the afternoon if I only had a wrap or a bit of soup for lunch.

Same with things like cereal bars and granola/ fruit for breakfast - they will spike your blood sugar and cause hunger after a pretty short time. You ideally want a savoury breakfast with protein.

you're probably doing it because you're restricting to heavily throughout the day
my advice would be to increase your lunch and dinner calories by a little and lose weight slower
you can also drink tea whenever you get cravings to snack, tea is an appetite suppressant

The good news is I haven't snacked today. The bad news is it's probably because I had a massive cookie and coffee in town earlier....

I find that, for me, having no snack is much easier than having a small, sensible snack. Once I eat something between meals, it starts the mind games and I convince myself a little more is fine. Then a little more. Before I know it, I’ve eaten a huge amount, it’s a slippery slope! If I don’t snack, no slips! (I appreciate that this is easier said than done)