Do You Snack?

[BellaHMB]

Good morning!

I was reading The Thin Commandments last night and the author
is pretty negative about snacking, or to be precise unplanned
snacks. He says you should plan your daily meals and include 2-3
snacks at specific times. Otherwise there is a tendency to eat
too much of the wrong things.

I have remained 100% faithful to my plan including carb counts
and foods. But I do snack! So Im wondering what others do-
do you think it important to have healthy snacks around that
you can grab when you feel like it, or is it important to limit
them?

I don't want to set myself up for failure. I have maintained well since
May and even lost more weight June-August and landed at 135 where
I am now.

So Im curious- do you snack?

Bella

[LaurieRobo]

Yes and No....

Most mornings I have a snack - I eat breakfast usually at 6 so by 10-11 I am hungry for something, but too early for lunch.

Afternoons - not so much anymore, but usually a cup of tea or a snack if 1. I am going to the gym after work or 2. If I know dinner will be really late.

I go through phases... if I'm hungry I'll eat. It also depends on how heavy or light my meals are... I kind of just go with it.

Something I don't add to my regular food plan - is that I have usually 2 pieces of coconut bark a day (2tbls coconut oil). One in the am and one in the afternoon.

HTH

[FatFatFat]

I snack constantly. I mean several times a day. I always keep it very healthy and low carb, but I'm always snacking. I snack on cheese cubes, string cheese, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds, sugarless pickles....ahhhh...I love it. They're filling and make me feel good, as opposed to my "previous" snacks of Pop Tarts and HoHo's.

It keeps my metabolism up. I'm never hungry, so I don't overeat at meals. Also, because I'm never "starving" I can pass up carb temptations a lot easier. (Think the candy aisle at the grocery...that box of donuts at the office....etc).

Do what works for YOU, not a book. I have adapted LowCarb to fit with the way I NORMALLY live. This way, I know I can stay on plan with very little effort.

[Loretta V]

I'm not sure if you call it snacking, maybe planned eating.

I eat a late breakfast, Brunch at about 9 or 10
Then I eat again at about 1 pm
Again at 4
Supper at 6
Again at 8 or so.

My eatings are small lc except for Supper which includes meat, a veggie and always a salad.

[hhhmom74]

I eat all day long. I have atleast 3 snacks and sometimes 4. I have to snack because I have problems with my blood sugar crashing. I do plan my snacks along w/my meals daily.

Breakfast between 6 - 7 AM
snack between 10-11 AM
Lunch noon
snack between 2:30 - 3:30 PM
sometimes snack between 4:30 - 5:00 (depends if I am working out w/weights)
Supper between 6:30 - 7:30 PM

[Texoma]

I have a snack everyday when my DS wakes up from his nap so at around 4pm. It is our routine and it works for me. BUT if I was ever hungry in between meals I would eat a bite of cheese or something just to get my mind off of food. Who wants to obsess?

[steady]

Bella-
I don't plan snacks on LC, but I will have a snack if I am hungry but I always ask myself if I am truly hungry. Prior to low carb, I use to snack between meals, because my meals were only 250-300 cals so I lived for those snacks (mini meals)...but eventually all it did was create a bad habit of grazing and mindless eating whether I was hungry or not. Not to mention the snacks I was eating tend not to be as nutritionous as a meal.

Just looking over some of your menu posts...it looks like your meals aren't that big either so you NEED a snack. If it works for you (as it appears to be), you should definitely stick with it. If you find that you are living for your snacks to cut the hunger before your next meal, having the snack out of habit not hunger, or that your snacks are less nutritious than your meals you might want to consider bulking up meals. Again this is just my suggestion based off my experience with snacking. I personally think you are maintaining very well and shouldn't let your snack need bother you. We are all different and I think we should stick to what works and snacking appears to work for you...but it is good that you take a moment to reevaluate once in while.

[BellaHMB]

Thanks everyone for all your thoughts.

I think my meals are usually veggies or salad plus protein
and so I find myself wanting something a few hours later.
I might try eating more protein aka no carbs at my meals
and see.

Im not sure why Im having a hard time with this now....?

Bella

[JuliaL]

Bella - I don't snack, but have 5 planned "meals" per day. They are actually more like 3 meals and two snacks, but I consider them meals, and I don't eat anything else unless I'm absolutely starving. Once in a while if I'm really hungry and it's more than an hour until mealtime I'll have a few almonds or walnuts. It really curbs my hunger, but I have to be very careful about limiting portions.

[BellaHMB]

So yesterday I was late to work so I stopped at the local drug store
and bought a single Atkins PB bar which tastes remotely like PB
I ate 1/2 on the way to work, and 1/2 on the way home and remarkably
enough it stopped my hunger dead! I didn't eat any of those during
my weight loss, but it did seem to work and I had no cravings.

Anyone else eat these?

Bella

[pennylovesdarren]

Yes, periodically. I think they taste pretty good.

[2big4mysize]

no bars for me, but I am allergic to them so it was never an option for me.

I don't plan snacks in saying I will snack af such and such a time but I do plan my days to allow for the carb count in almonds should I need to snack and then I just keep a baggie with them handy just in case.
I'm a firm believer in listening to my body and feeding my hunger no matter how much i've already eatten and not eating just cause it is "meal time" if I am not hungry

[steady]

No, I don't eat them, but I will admit I probably would like them too much.

[BellaHMB]

Well I ate one late yesterday and it was quite good. But then I had dinner (yummy salmon and broccoli) and I had pretty bad bloating and gas which I think was from the combo of the sugar alcohols and my regular food.

Bella

[LaurieRobo]

Originally Posted by BellaHMB

Well I ate one late yesterday and it was quite good. But then I had dinner (yummy salmon and broccoli) and I had pretty bad bloating and gas which I think was from the combo of the sugar alcohols and my regular food.

Bella

LOL or the broccoli... there are just sometime ya don't want to be near me if I eat it -