to think that if you want to lose weight you need to stop eating all the time?

[OrmIrian]

There are some women in my office who are always talking about losing weight. Always. And at the same time they never seem to stop snacking. But it?s all low-fat, low-cal snacks, branded stuff like Weight watchers, Go-Ahead and their ilk. Never an apple. Or some carrots. Or anything that is actively good for you, just stuff that isn?t fattening. And then lunch will be more low-fat over-priced crap. Or a lettuce leaf with reduced fat cottage cheese. And then ten mins later a low-fat yoghurt. Are they really really that hungry that they need to stoke the fires all the time? Any if so why not just eat a normal meal with more calories and taste and then STOP SNACKING?

Or alternatively walk to work sometimes .

It's OK I am being sooo unreasonable even I want to tell myself off but for some reason it winds me up...

YANBU to think it all. Just don t EVER say it. Here speaks the voice of experience.

Lol - tis like the xl macdonald's with a diet coke

at all

actually hedge thats not necessarily true - snacking continuously particularly on things like rice cakes can keep your insulin levels high throughout the day. High insulin = predisposition to deposit fat and not burn it.

Probably only relevant to those who are insulin resistant though.

But HW, you don't lose weight by stuffing your face with snacks all day. I know that I can lose weight just by cutting out eating between meals -- finding the willpower to do it is obviously a whole 'nother game. But the effect of all the extra calories in the little inbetweeny bits must add up terrifyingly fast, just like you can spend a fortune on little cups of coffee, magazines etc.

Snacking on packaged low snack stuff sounds a bit rubbish to me.
And certainly if you eat less and take more exericse, you lose weight. Now I need to find a way to package that information into a bestselling diet book.

youlose weight by energy in to energy out ratio, that can be reduced in many ways.

but the rate at which you burn energy is affected by the kind of energy you consume. So what you eat does affect how quickly you burn it off.

It's not even the calories in the snacks that bothers me. It's the fact that they never stop thinking about food. Work is the one place I never even think about food so why bring so much stuff in? And a snack that actually contains some protein or fat would actually fill them up properly rather than just raising the blood sugar and laying the foundations for more hunger pangs in an hour or so.

YABU Because if they are doing weight watchers then the points in the snack should be allowed for. I find it is better to eat little and often if I am trying to lose weight - if I dont get "hungry" then I dont crave bad things. I do eat a lot of fruit and none of these crap 'low fat' crisps or bars as some of the other healthy snacks are actually worse than the normal ones!

I do know what you mean though I had a friend who wanted to lose weight but drank loads of diet coke - whats wrong with water?

As an ex very thin person I can say you really dont understand how difficult it is until you are trying to lose weight.

In reply to original op - Nah ... go-on say it out loud to them

I would say they are bored and the job doesnt stimulate them

there is even some evidence that indicated diet coke may be fattening. Not because it has any caloreis but because your body is ffoled by the weetness into producing insulin to metabolise the sugar. HIgh levels of insulin hanging around unused then means you tend to deposit other things you eat as fat instead of burning them off.

A bit of an oversimplification but roughly true (if research is right).

Personally, I'm in the camp that more weight problems are due to emotional problems than are due to bad habits/greediness. I know that my Mum put on weight for years in an unhappy marriage, and it's only since I had DD ("the light of her life" - bless ) that she has lost weight. Lots if weight.

Ah yes, kept thinking this during that big babies thing last night- if you're worried aboyut him being bulied like you stop giving him chps!

I say this as a very round (I claim post pregnancy but time running out on that lol) always hungry person who is well aware why she's gone up 2 dress sizes!

3 regular meals a la weighwatchers has worked for me in the past

losing weight is not easy. the diet industry taps into woman's desire to be slim without any effort. all that low fat crap sucks woman in to a perpetual cycle of binge and purge.

i agree eat one tasty full fat yogurt instead of 2 low fat gelatine enhance ones.

I do tend to snack when I am trying to lose weight. Am currently munching my way through a pot of cherry tomatoes. But that is to prevent me from heading down the corridor to the vending machine. I do see your point re the type of food they are eating, mind you. I am rather trying for healthy eating - but did have a toasted teacake for breakfast.

LOL at joash

When my work colleagues ask me how I manage to stay so slim I just say 'I keep me gob shut a lot'

Works for me.

wilywombat - beleive me I've struggled. I still do to a certain extent,,

The thing is - it is annoying when people go on and on about dieting. I'm currently trying to lose 2 stone but have told no one - rather do it myself.

Snacking on obviously diet products is a way of almost 'showing off' and it does get very tedious. Like people who put a tiny amount on their plate and pretend not to make a fuss but somehow everyone ends up noticing it. Very passive aggressive.

ban diet foods

dd's violin teacher had acupuncture to depress her appetite and it seems to work very well, she's lost 16 kilos so far this year. Said it made her ratty though.

Mind you if you're playing violin all day I don't see how you can snack much.

"low fat" is a false economy.

Because although a lot of these snacks don't contain fat most of them do contain higher quantities of sugar and salt and other things that just aren't good for you.

Well exactly wannabe.