I'm snack happy! This is my biggest downfall. I have even kicked regular soda, which, was sooooo hard for me. But I can't stop the snacking. I have no idea why I do it... boredom, loneliness, actually hungry... I dunno. I just do! I am constantly wanting something sweet/something salty/something sweet/something salty and it goes on all day! What can I do? Any hints?

It could be a lot of things. What do you do during the day...could it be you are bored? Or eating to procastinate other things? You also could be eating something that is a major trigger food that makes you have cravings. For me it was sugar...I cut out sugar and most of my cravings went away. It was super hard though, I went through withdraw and it was miserable for the first week...but after that I feel so wonderful without all those cravings. I know other people have other trigger foods...I can't eat spagetti or pizza without going overboard then binging all night, so I lump them in with sugar. You have to think what it might be for you and cut it out, if that is the problem. If you are just bored, then you need to find some way to get active...get the mind off food.

Hi Queenie - I know what you mean!! Sometimes the "small" temptations like snacking are harder to break than the big ones - which for me, was fast food. I just cut it out altogether. But the snacking urge creeps up on me whenever I'm watching TV, mostly, or on the computer - yikes! While I sit here and read and post, I'm wanting something to munch! Thank goodness for the 100-calorie packs - there are soo many of them out there now, including pop corn and ice cream! Grab a bottle of water, too. Limit yourself to one of those packs and some water, then get up on go walk for 10 minutes, or brush your teeth. Something about having a minty-mouth makes me not want to put salt back in it !!

and Purplefirefly -- hi from another Tarheel! WHere are you located? I'm in Graham!

for now, i'm in the "just can't snack" zone. i don't know what it is - one of those cutie little 100 cal packs leads to 10 LOL which defeats the purpose yes?

So i have nice substantial meals, and after dinner i have tea and a biscuit, and the kitchen is closed til breakfast, that's the only thing that's worked for me but obviously everyone's different!

what about keeping your hands busy? knitting, sewing, video game, anything!

and i agree about the brushing your teeth - after i'm minty i don't wanna eat anything

I'm with Trazey - I'm in the no-snacking zone right now. My kitchen is closed after dinner, and the only thing I do now is drink herbal tea (no sugar, no milk) and water.

I think partly because I am not eating food that makes me want to snack....definitely sugar makes me want more sugar then MORE salt then MORE sugar, then chocolate....you get the idea.

I agree with brushing teeth too - it does help some people.

I don't know what else to say - it is hard when your brain is in that "snack zone" mentality. I've fought it a million times in the past and I am sure it will creep up on me again in the future.

Can you eat an apple instead or crunchy carrots? Anything beside crap-food that we all know makes us FAT!

I'm about an hour outside of Charlotte, near Gastonia...and I have no idea where grahm is! I am from Ohio, so don't know everywhere in NC

For me, it's a balance. I snack everyday. Even at night. But the trick for me is to find a healthy snack that doesn't lead to a binge. I just finished a snack of almonds and dried fruit. But too much is bad -- about 1.5 ounces TOTAL. Portion control is important!

Other portion controlled snacks:

- some raw veggies and light dip or hummus
- ff vanilla yogurt and frozen blueberries with some kashi go lean crunch
- light cheese and crackers
- some apple and peanut butter
- a slice (one!) of whole grain bread and peanut butter
- frozen grapes

And then, I have to make my portion and walk out of the kitchen. I find drinking water/tea helps too. Especially tea!

Anyway, just wanted to offer an alternative to not snacking...

I agree, I have to snack. So what I tend to do is plan when they happen. I try to wait 4 hours between food, and schedule 3 snacks a day. I make myself eat one thing that I have chosen to be my snack, one fruit every day (can't indulge since I am diabetic), low carb ice cream, nuts, carrots, low carb yogurt, very dark chocolate. Everything I eat, I eat the serving size and that's it. Nuts are dangerous for me and I know I am not doing well if I have more than 10 of those at a time. Anyway, challenge yourself, maybe you need to schedule 4 snacks, but really if you can't stop, schedule it and stick to it.

For sweet cravings I like frozen raspberries. Pop 1 in your mouth, shove your tongue in the centre and let it melt. Refreshing and it takes time to eat them.

Sometimes just chewing SF gum makes cravings go away - keeps your mouth busy.

Oh, I DEFINITELY have to snack. So I PLAN the snacking...I eat 3-4 snacks a day, all around 100 calories. Then I make my meals slightly smaller so they fit into my goals for the day along with the snacks.

Eating regularly is good for your body, too...keeps the metabolism going all day long. So you might want to see if you can PLAN snacks, rather than just banning them. If you can't control your snacking even with the plan, then it is time to consider a "no snacking" zone.

I'm a HUGE snacker. The only difference now is that my snacks are healthy, low cal ones. Like Mandalinn, because of my frequent snacks, my meals are on the smaller side. Which works out more then fine for me.

I make a couple of different salads every day and keep them in containers. I eat them a good 3 or 4 times throughout the day. As well as a handful of grape tomatoes, a few baby carrots, a fat free sugar free yogurt, an egg white omlette with some sauteed veggies. Clemintines, seckle pears, lady apples, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and grapes are sometimes also on my menu. So, yeah, I'm beyond a snacker - I'm a grazer.

Due to this, I avoid getting hungry, so it works out quite well for me.

But if you're choosing the WRONG snacks, and I think you know what I'm talking about, and you're not willing to change them up, then you might want to set some very strict rules and stick to them no matter what. Remember, just because we want something, doesn't mean we have to have it.

I also snack a lot but it's all accounted for in my daily calorie allotment. I tend to think that mindless snacking is more a habit than anything else. You simply get used to wandering into the kitchen to grab something; at some point there isn't even a thought process anymore. I certainly used to do more than my share of it.

I broke the habit by actually thinking about why I was eating, every single time I wanted to put food in my mouth. The answer most times was simply "because it's there" or "because I'm bored". Once I started recognizing the issue, it became a lot easier to overcome.

Hey rockinrobin, I want to hear about your various salads you make and keep to snack on. Thats a very good idea.

Personally I think you have to figure out what emotion you are avoiding or stuffing by the snacking. In my experience, it is usually about emotion and not hunger. So, is it boredom, fear, procrastination, loneliness? Find it and journal about it or talk about it to someone. Tell yourself, "eating this food is not going to help me feel better/fix the problem." SPend the time working on the issue.

To stop a snack attack in progress, brush and floss your teeth, or go for a walk, or take a hot bath. Or clean the toilet. I never feel like snacking when I am scrubbing a toilet

Also get rid of your trigger foods. Just throw them in the trash. Don't treat yourself like a human garbage disposal. Keep healthy snacks on hand and if you are hungry, have them. It's hard to binge on celery. Also chug a huge glass of water everytime you want a snack. That helps you get your water in, even if you DO end up snacking.

Good luck with this, it is hard for me, too, but I am finally getting a grip.

One of my snack problem times occurs when I'm at work and feeling stressed about everything I have to do. I am sitting at a computer and if there's food around, I WANT it... I try to have veggies and tea around -- that helps. I think if I can, I will try taking a walk, but sometimes I'm chained to the office...

It seems to be helpful to me to identify the problems and then try to come up with solutions to those that recur!

I love to snack but I keep all snacks to fresh veggies and hummus or fruits. It keeps me from overindulging.

At work around 3:30 my coworkers put cookie dough in the toaster oven so the entire office smells like freshly baked cookies. It's like the smell of a binge! So, I make a huge cup of tea (stash's caramel creme) with FF condensed milk and a bit of splenda and I usually have a 100 calorie pack of dessert or a 110 Pria bar or something else better for me. When they're all moaning about how disgusting they feel, I'm just about done sipping my tea.