Snacks!
 

Assuming you are on a diet to lose weight, what would be a good snack? Some of you tell me you are eating 3 snacks a day!!! I almost fell out of my chair, ha ha. Please share what is a good snack that you all enjoy that you can eat AND STILL lose weight. Thanks!!! Pat

My main snacks are:

Just about any type of fruit. Right now I have apples and pineapple - I eat about a cup serving, and it comes in about 75 calories.

Veggies and low-cal dip. My favorite dip is some nonfat sour cream mixed with salt, chili powder, cumin, and ground pepper - spicy Mexican dip and veggies is great for high volume and low calories.

A laughing cow cheese wedge and some wafer thin crackers (they are 6 crackers for 40 calories) - 75 calories and super-satisfying for a salty/crunchy craving.

Air-popped popcorn - I actually make mine in a paper bag in the microwave. 1/4 cup of popcorn into a paper lunch sack with a spray of cooking spray, fold the bag flat again and fold the top over 2-3 times. Place bag-bottom down in the microwave and pop on high until there are 2 seconds between pops. Top with salt and enjoy!

In a pinch, such as when I'm traveling, there are some 100-cal protein bars (Balance Bar makes a 100 calorie bar, Fiber One bars are filling for 140 calories, etc). I try not to make these an "always" option if I can help it, but when I'm out and about its great to have something.

Plain yogurt with some splenda and mixed berries. So tasty! Lots of people use greek yogurt for the extra creaminess factor.

Basically, I work out my meals for the day, see how many calories I have left, and divide into snacks.

nuts are a good snack for me. I package up little baggies of pistachios for me or almonds for hubby.

a piece of light cheese and a couple of crackers.

yogurt

fruit -- love fruit!

veggies and hummus!

PAt, I think what you need to do, is redefine your "idea" of what a snack is. Which is what I have done and though I can't speak for Heather and Mandalinn, probably what they have done as well. There's no reason on earth why you shouldn't be able to have snacks AND still lose weight. Of course those snacks need to be nutritious, healthy, filling and/or low calorie. Not high calorie, fat laden and void of any nutrients.

Some of my favorites, which also depends on whether I am home or on the go-

-Egg white omlette and a broiled sliced zucchini
-Fat free/sugar free yogurt with 1/4 cup Fiber One cereal mixed in. I like to partially freeze the yogurt.
-an apple
-1 or 2 clemintines
-raspberries, blueberries and/or strawberries
-3 oz can of tuna in water, with either a salad or stuffed in a bell pepper
-grape tomatoes, baby carrots, sliced bell peppers
-raw green beans
-cucumber salad
-sugar free jello
-measured amount of dry cereal
-sugar free ices
-sugar free/fat free ice cream pop

I eat three meals and three snacks a day and still maintain my 1300 calorie plan. My snacks usually consist of oatmeal{with apples or dried blueberries and almonds}a banana with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, a bran muffin{I use a mix and add apples, bananas or almonds} or some low fat yogurt with 1/2 cup frozen raspberries. These are my faves for right now. Whole grain toast and sugar free jelly is another or even a bowl of cereal.

My snacks
 

Hi Pat, Snacks are critical to my food plan. They reduce my hunger feelings so I approach each meal on a more level keel. And they help me to avoid unplanned eating because I tell myself that a snack is coming soon. I eat 3 snacks a day (a 4th between work and gym on gym days).

100 ish calorie snacks:

Apple, pear, Clementine
Quarter cup of roasted soy nuts
Two corn tortilla, toasted with salsa
Grapefruit, Navel Orange
Melon in season (or, like last night, stretching the season a bit)
Cup of cheerios (actually Trader O's)

Rather disappointingly, granola bars don't work for me. My body responds just as if I'd had a candy bar - it immediately wants another.
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I feel the exact same way. And I feel that way about those 100 calorie packs as well. So therefore, I steer clear of them, totally and completely.

THANK YOU! I am writing down every single snack you all posted and I am putting it on my refrigerator. I now need to plan healthy meals with the snacks on fitday and try to stay around 1500 calories. And I am going to have to find a way to get my husband involved because his diabetes has gotten so bad lately, he feels bad all the time, and lately acting very depressed about it. He also needs to lose at least a hundred pounds. We have gone from diet to diet and always do well when we are at home, but as soon as his father or my brother and his wife invite us out to eat, we go there with good healthy-eating intentions, but leave with biscuit and gravy rings around our mouth and then add another failure-notch to our belts. IT is the determination of having to say no to people and put ourselves first no matter whose feelings it hurts is what we need to focus on...either that or move away from everybody.

Yes!! That's is. DETERMINATION. You do what ever it is you think is necessary to get your weight and that of your husbands under control - NO MATTER WHAT. If that means avoiding certain people, not eating out, not having guest over - whatever it takes - for a while - then do that. Set yourself up for success. You will never, ever regret losing the weight. Not for a single, solitary second. That is something you can not say about keeping the weight ON.

Remember you CAN do this. You DO have the strength for it. :hug:

I agree with Robin about eating out -- if it's something that you can't control right now, just don't do it. The world won't come to an end! Later, when your new eating habits are better established, try again and see if it's easier to keep to your plan. Honestly, though, I don't like eating out except on very special occasions because everything seems to have twice as many calories than if you prepared the same food at home.

As for "snacks", I don't do 'em. Instead, I eat five mini-meals a day, all around 250 calories. All have protein and a veggie, fruit, or complex carb. I need to eat a good quantity of food every three hours or else I lose my mind! :dizzy:

Pat -- I'm glad you're finding the info helpful, but you don't have to stick to just the foods we mention! They are just some ideas. I hope you can learn to branch out and find your own snacks that you like and that work for you! Good luck!