My problem is snacking....

I'm a stay at home mom to a 2 year old (I have an 8 and a 6 year old, both in school). I know that the reason I can't loose weight is because i'm constantly snacking (i'm still working on switching from soda's/tea to water-the headaches are MURDER). Anyway, my question is, does anyone have any really healthy snacking suggestions, besides veggies, that satisfy salt/sugar cravings?

Check out the 100 calorie packs or also try the Flat Earth chips.  As for what to drink.. I've been drinking the vitamin water drinks..

Good luck..

for salt cravings go for popcorn. Also, ever hear of spray butter? It is like either 0 cals or very few cals and it tastes good-you can spray it on basically anything to create that salty, buttery taste.  Another suggestion is to snack on fruit snacks.  These packets I have are only 80 cals and they are like eating candy! The brand is sunkissed. hope this helps!

If you snack because you're bored it can help to make the snacks a bit more complicated to prepare so they take longer to eat.   Fruit smoothies or vegetables with some hummus dip, for example.  And a simple vegetable soup is a great snack - very few calories and being hot liquid it's pretty filling.

If you're snacking because you need an energy boost then choose snacks that combine protein and fibre... they'll give you long-lasting energy.  So something like a couple of oatcakes with peanut butter or a high-fibre crispbread with some cottage cheese.  And make your main meals as substantial as possible.  Don't try living on a green salad for lunch, for example! :-)  Best of luck

The 100 calorie packs are a god-send!! I love them!!


Clarice

I'm in the same boat.  Being a SAHM seems to guarantee too much snacking!  Try the 100-calorie packs.  My afternoon "snack" these days is a cup of coffee with cream and sugar (which is less than a 100 calories)... not the healthiest choice but it works for me.

I'll give you example of my snacking...

popcorn snack bags

cucumber with vinegar

grape tomatoes

orange

apple

jello (sugar free)

~H~

I am curious why you say besides veggies.  Vegetables, nuts, and fruit are really the best snack options out there.

I would actually recommend against the 100 calorie snack packs.  They don't provide much in the way of nutrition at all.  They are mostly just empty calories.

For sweet cravings I love Fruitini ice lollies! They're 100% fruit juice, and have three sweet fruit flavour layers - delicious! And only 44 cals each =]

The reason I say besides veggies is just because they are a given. Of course i snack on veggies, and fruits, and pecans. I guess you just have to be a girl to understand food cravings, and how they hit you at different times. for example, a woman will generally crave salty snacks right before her period (which adds to the whole water weight gain issue), i know i do. no offense to the men out there of course.

i agree with the 100 calorie snack packs though, but just because they all taste the same, like cardboard. Thanks for the idea about the spray butter, i'll have to find that cause i love salty popcorn.

For salty, dried seaweed, hands down. Oooh, and pretzels. A big handful (9 of the larger twist kind) is only ~100cal. For a sweet snack, other than fruit, there's yogurt with honey, some oatmeal with pure maple syrup, a tbsp of chocolate chips, a mug of 25 calorie swiss miss, or some dry breakfast cereal can get the job done with a small amount of calories.

Sprite Zero also usually keeps me from wanting a snack at all, too. :]

how do you eat the dried seaweed? Do you have to cook it?  Do you get it at asian grocer?

thanks :)
~H~

A slice of Healthy Life brand bread (or any low cal bread) and a little less than a tablespoon of jam or pb&j. It's no more than 80 calories per piece (and that's including the jam toping), and it's very filling. Ummmmm. yummy!

I totally understand the cravings of salt and sugar. For the sugar I like to do a chocolate type protein bar (depends on which ones you get) or rice cakes 60 cals or even the jello pudding snacks 60 or 100 cals (depending on which one you get). For the salt I do the 100 calorie snack packs with the party mixes in them or Orville Redenbacker's smart pop popcorn only 100 cals, I also do pickles if I am craving salt- only 5 cals.

As a SAHM also, I find that if it's not in the house, I can't eat it.  Honestly, it's as simple as that for me.  I felt bad at first for "denying" my kids and husband the snacks we had become so accustomed to eating.  That is until I see them grabbing at the fresh fruit bowl, getting excited because we are having brown rice for dinner and actually enjoying, understanding and craving the healthy foods.

Don't get me wrong, Doritos still make their way into the house, but a bag now lasts us weeks.....instead of hours.  And since they were never my favorite, I have no problem with them.  It's cake, brownies, cookies that are my downfall.  No self control when it comes to baked good. 

Cut the junk from the shopping list, save $$$ and avoid the temptation.

 

Cravings can develope because of many things...

• Lack of water - your brain thinks your body needs food when it really needs water. Try drinking 1.5 litres a day.
• If you have a small breakfast you are more likely to snack during the day. People say 'have breakfast like the king, lunch like the queen and dinner like a servant' so try making sure each meal is smaller throughout the day
• Try keeping snack foods away from a long distance maybe in a cupboard that i high up. If the food is further away you are less likely to want to bother getting it. If you work at home keep snack away from your desk as well.

I hope this helps good luck :)

 

Don't go cold turkey on the caffeine, ease back so that you don't get those headaches.

Crystal light can help to give you something low calorie to drink, but be careful as for some people it triggers sugar cravings.

A low carb tortilla with a thin layer of cream cheese and pumpkin butter is yummy, so is peanut butter with a drizzle of honey.

 

I know what you mean about the caffeine, those headaches are MURDER!! I've been limiting myself to one Cherry Coke Zero a day...what a heaven send!! I've been thinking about sending the person who invented Coke Zero a thank you card. Other than that, I drink green tea once in awhile, which is also a natural metabolism  booster.

Another trick I've found is not denying myself the snacks, but instead limiting myself to a normal portion, or even a half-portion. (I have two school aged children in the house, so of course I have the snack bags of chips in the house, graham crackers, and stuff like that.) And since I also have a two year old, I share my snacks with him, that way I'm not giving him too much junk, and I'm not getting too much either.

Another trick: I keep all snacks in the kitchen. I count out my portion, and then I go somewhere else to eat it, whether it's the living room, or outside, and I find something to keep my hands busy (like posting on forums...). I leave the box or the bag in the kitchen, that way, I'm not tempted to sneak more. And I keep busy, for the same reason.

Anyway, thank you for all your suggestions, anybody got anymore?

Popcorn is the way to go!!!  90 calories for some bags, the WHOLE thing!!  My love!! :D :D :D

 

100 calroie packs are also really good when all you want is cookies!!

 

(by the way, is tea bad for weight loss? :[  I didn't know that!!)

My fiance drank soda all the time until about a month ago.  I convinced him to try drinking Crystal Light instead because I worried about the excessive caffeine.  When he tried switching from soda to other drinks in the past, he had terrible headaches.  This time, he didn't have any headaches at all.  We have no idea why he didn't get them, but he is now soda free for nearly a month. 

There are many different flavors of Crystal Light so hopefully you can find at least one that you liked.  My fiance went through nearly all the flavors before choosing the Fruit Punch and the orange-flavored ones as his favorites.  I prefer the Peach Tea and the Cherry-Pomegranate ones.

The sweetness of the drinks also helps keep me from snacking.

I just recently discovered Ocean Spray Craisins that come in little 100 calorie bags.  You wouldn't believe how many cranberries fit in there!  There is the downside of added sugar, if you're watching that.  They're not particularly sweet, but it keeps me from eating those tasty artificial fruit snacks.  Yogurt would be a good option for sweet.. You could get the flavored kind or get plain and add some fresh fruit. Yum.

For salt I like Triscuits...very salty, but they have some fiber and way fewer ingredients than most other snack foods.   Cheese is good too.