What snack/food do you turn to, in order to head off a binge?

Today I was heading towards the cliff, I could tell.  Not the "Oh, I ate 200 over my plan" cliff, this was the whole hog, going to eat 5000 in calories coming on.

I was looking at the peant butter jar, the JIF for the kids, thinking, hmm, how about I eat half a cup of that... when I was struck with inspiration.

I pulled out a can of Apple Pie Filling (No sugar added) and my PB2.  If you eat the ENTIRE can of the no sugar apple pie filling, it's still only 245 calories.  I spooned a serving of the PB2 on top and proceeded to stuff myself silly.  On 299 calories.   

I am full now, absolutely stuffed, and no brownies are calling my name. Yay!

Does anyone else have a desperation snack?  Or if not, what do you do instead?

my fave is pickles, i know it sounds crazy but they are VERY low in calories and crunchy, salty, i just love em!

I like to microwave a red potato and eat it with lowfat cottage cheese and homemade hummus. It's a great "comfort" food for me and leaves me feeling full for hours :)

LOVE all your ideas!!!  Thanks so much!  I'll grab up some baby carrots and hummus if I'm craving something salty.  I really have cut down on the chocolate, but sometimes you just gotta give in.  Best thing I've found . . . I make my own.  Take one square of dark baking chocolate, melt it in a pan with some skim milk and add in splenda.  I throw in a small handful of walnuts to make me feel a little fuller and eat the whole thing with a banana chopped up in it.  This way, I control the number of calories & fat, but I take care of the Monster Chocolate Craving!!

pickles..always they are salty and tart and will make any craqving i have for sugar go away in a second..plus at 5 calories a piece how could you go wrong..

And if you find regular pickles boring, try pickled okra... it is sooo good--crisp and salty, and only like two calories a spear or something ridiculously low like that!  There are also lots of other pickled vegetables that are great, like cauliflower, carrots, etc.  You can find them near the olives and stuff in the grocery store.

I eat air-popped popcorn with no-cal spray butter and a little salt. I eat it until I can't eat any more!!  And at about 200 cals for 5 cups, it's not bad at all.  I had to get the chocolate and cookies out of the house.  It's just too easy when they're right here!!(:

i'm all about the apple and peanut butter combo. i swear, it is the answer to most of my food cravings and has stopped me from binging more than once.

otherwise, if i'm really really really craving something junk-foodish, i'll pick up my knitting. i know, knitting? but i hate stopping in the middle of the row, especially when it's a big project because it's such a hassle to put everything down and get up, all for one cookie. so as long as i keep starting a new row everytime, it works like a charm.

anyone else have something they do to wait out a craving?

once slice of toast with a little bit of peanut butter and a nice cup of hot black tea with milk and sugar - comforting and filling. I nibble the toast and sip the tea.

I just learned a new trick...Schmirnoff vodka is about 40 calories for a 2 oz serving (typical drink amount). If you order a vodka and water tall and mix in half of a crystal light "to go" packet you're up to about 45 calories.

 Still not great for you but better than beer and wine!

This is an awesome post.  ( :

I like as much cucumber as I want with a little spicy Mrs. Dash and fat free Italian dressing -- same for carrots, celery, cauliflower or brocolli --whatever is on hand. 

I made my own Rice CHex "mix" the other day and it's my new fave "chip."  cup and a quarter of rice chex for 120 cals + afew spritzes of I can't believe it's not butter spray + whatever flavor Mrs. Dash and other salt-free seasonings I want. 

apples, oranges, bananas

one apple with caramal 60 cal jello pudding

60 cal jello pudding in all flavors -- YUM!!! (all kinds of different yummy chocolate flavors)

a Tortilla Factory whole wheat wrap + turkey + lettuce + fat free Italian = delish and only 100ish cals.

For me, it is all about finding alternatives that make me feel naughty and satisfied without it being bad for me. 

homemade veggie soup = 40 cals a cup

Case in point, my favorite soup at the soup/salad bar we got to is by far, their chicken enchilada soup.  I made my own!!!!!!!   TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!!!!!!!

Frozen fruit is key!  Bored eating is the worst - you get the idea of food in your head, and really there is little/no hunger involved, but an hour after the idea occurs it seems like the stomach is screaming for sustenance! 

 Keep a few frozen bananas, strawberries, grapes, blueberries etc.. in your freezer- berries and bananas are best I think.  You can grab a handful (or more) they are fairly low in calories, high in nutrients and take a while to eat because you can suck on them until they defrost. 

 also for salty cravings - I go for air-popped or low-fat popcorn.  Not the best thing in the way of health - but it's filling and if you buy the small bags - the calories are nothing.  

 Also celery and iceberg lettuce - totally useless nutritionally, but you can eat a ton with almost no calories - even throw some spices (a good spice mix works) on them - you can munch for a while like they are chips or whatever.  

 good luck!  Personally, I'd remove the brownies from my kitchen though - too much of a temptation for me. : )

If it's near bedtime and I have the munchies I have a glass of water, then brush my teeth.  That usually stops me from having any food, as I hate the taste of mint, so anything I eat will taste of mint and the water will fill me up a little.

Mushrooms and Broccoli...
Under 100 cals and filling .

Low fat popcorn (mini bags are good).  It's the only thing that stops me sometimes.

First I have to tell yo uthat I WAS the queen of stuffing my face! =) I'd make a batch of brownies and cut them up nicely before my husband got home (only so he wouldn't see I already ate half of them!)...

Something that has made a HUGE difference for me is that I eat every 3-4 hours.  Not only does that give my body the opportunity to digest my food, it helps my metabolism to continue, but one of the biggest benefits is that I never feel that "GIVE ME FOOD" hunger... I can actually think about what I'm eating instead of just devouring whatever looks good!

When it comes to snacks though... The Quaker 90 calorie Chocolate Chunk granola bars are very satisfying to me... Also, the Sugar Free Fudgesickles are AWESOME... only 40 calories in each one! I typically have 2 at night when my husband is pigging out on Ben & Jerry's! ha ha ha

I hope that helps.... being able to think about what you're eating before you're just HUNGRY truly helps!!!

Good Luck,

Nicole

Sometimes I binge because I'm just in the mood to graze.  It's not that I'm hungry or even craving anything specific.  It's just something about the action of eating that is calming, especially when I'm reading or studying.  Constant eating helps me focus, I think.  So, I find foods that take a really long time to eat.  I used to crack sunflower seeds, but they have a ton of sodium and quite a few calories.  My new alternatives:

Fresh pineapple - A whole pineapple is only around 240 calories!

Green beans

Sugar snap peas

Is it still considered a binge if you eat a lot of food, but few calories?  There is something quite excessive about a WHOLE pineapple.  Mmmm... pineapple!

diet cherry vanilla dr pepper is the best!! i normally hate diet pop or just pop in general but this is just so delicious and it totally hits my sweet tooth and keeps me satisfied and full for absolutely ZERO calories!!!! :)

nzm, how small is this pineapple?

For some reason my newest thing to snack on when I need to curb the binge instinct are little red hot candies.  They are fun to chew and suck on and the cinnamon flavor helps to distract me from thoughts of chocolate or, my weakness, BREAD.  And at only 60 calories for, essentially, a handful...?  

In fact, I'm snackin on them as I type ;-)

Original Post by moscovite82:

nzm, how small is this pineapple?

About 475 grams