I never nibble. If I do, it inevitably turns into a full-blown meal (or at least a much larger snack than I wanted). That's a huge part of why my weight crept up on me in the first place.

If I'm hungry enough to eat something, I just go ahead and make it a snack worth 100-200 calories.

Ah yes, those free samples. I admit I almost NEVER pass them up, unless it's a food I actually dislike.

Thanks for the interesting responses, everyone. It seems like many of you experience nibbling as a trigger to keep eating. I suppose I do too, to some extent, though I'm usually able to rein in the urge. Still, your collective comments have me thinking it may be a good idea to experiment with a no-nibble plan for a while and see how it shakes out.

F.

No nibbling for me -- I would much rather have the extra food as part of my meal. I prefer larger meals to smaller frequent meals/nibbles.

I do make an exception for free samples that I REALLY like -- because one sample prevents me from buying a whole package and eating the whole thing! Samples are a great way to taste a food you love without having the temptation of multiple servings in the house!

Nibbling is the top of the slippy slope that leads to weight gain. It's one of the reasons we gained weight in the first place. It has no place in a healthy maintenance diet. It also is a form of mindless eating.

Like others have said, for me nibbles turn into binges quickly so my meals and snacks are pretty well planned. Also, since I'm strict about counting everything I eat and drink it becomes too cumbersome to go "off plan" so to speak.

I respectfully disagree that it's always mindless, and leads to weight gain for everyone. If you are intentionally mindful of it, I believe it's something that one can work in to their way of life, way of eating. Nibbling does not equate mindless, unless your definition of nibbling differs from mine, in which case we may not be talking about the same thing at all.

I think there is rarely a case where something is ALWAYS the case for every person.

If I'm nibbling, its usually while cooking and it's never really enough to be worth measuring. Like seriously, for instance, when you measure out a tablespoon of peanut butter and not all of it makes it into whatever you're using for, how do you even measure THAT? I feel like, at that point, I'm being extremely way too obsessive about it and if I'm gonna get all freaked out over a little smidge of peanut butter, then I'm crazy and need help beyond just losing weight, lol.

I just read through this thread and it's funny because if just last week you asked me the same question I would have been in the "absolutely not... NO NIBBLING!!!" camp... but I been feeling like I've been being just a little bit too rigid lately...

I mean when it comes to dieting I have A LOT of rules that I'm following... I'm restricting calories... I'm restricting carbs... I'm not eating ANY grains, bread, pasta, or potatoes... I've pretty much cut out all "added sugars"... Oh, and I incorporate Intermittent Fasting into my "plan", so what I do eat I only eat during an 8 hour "window" or less... and on top of all that if I don't run at least 5 miles a day I feel like I've "failed" somehow...

So my days of "mindless eating" are pretty much completely over, since I can't put something in my mouth these days without thinking about how many calories are in it... So I've decided that it's OK to have a few "nibbles" like a handful of nuts or some berries or a little piece of cheese once in awhile since I've got all these other crazy "rules" in place... not to mention the hopping on the scale what seems like every five minutes just to make sure God forbid, that I'm not regaining...

Now as to whether or not it's a slippery slope... Well I guess I just have to file that one under... "To Be Continued..."

I have been doing it A LOT and I haven't lost any pounds because of it. That's a hard habit to quit. Today, I have been randomly eating chocolate whenever I go into the kitchen. It sucks because I've been good all week!

Before I started planning meals and snacks I added up my nibbling in a day and it equated to 400 and almost 500 calories on consecutive days. That's partially what pushed me to calorie counting. Today, I differentiate planned snacking from nibbling because I have a calorie goal for each "planned" snack whereas when I nibbled it would be because I walked into the kitchen and saw something or because I was bored, or because (fill in the blank). I would not choose to eliminate snacks (or all between meal food) though because of my drops in blood sugar. If I go that long without eating I'm almost guaranteed a drop and a resulting headache.

I have to be very careful of nibbling and snacking (evening my planned snacks). I don't nibble that much, but when my snacking turns into continuous grazing that might be considered nibbling then. Lately, I have found that when I get upset, I was grazing by eating my "planned" snack and then going back into the kitchen for something else; most often eating way too much of something.

I don't eat when I cook unless it's fruit; so I am thinking of making a rule that I can't snack at certain times unless it's fruit, veggies, or lean protein; maybe that will help me. I have gained back weight after my surgery but now I am getting concerned for my maintenance. Time to pull out some new strategies for sure, I think.

Wow; that's quite a declarative sentiment. While everything you say may be true for you, it doesn't apply to every person out there.