I am really disheartened. I gained 3-4 pounds over the holidays and they wont budge. Not only that... but my life in general is just being very difficult right now.

I've given up soda and ice cream for my New Year resolution. Normally when i've given up soda in the past five or six pounds just fall off. But nothing is happening. And Im trying so hard to reign in my snacking.

Night time snacking is the worst for me. I feel like I have to have a dessert and my stomach aching to be full/satiated. Otherwise my brain keeps telling me Im hungry. I've started writing down at work everything I put into my mouth so I can estimate where I have to be at realistically for dinner. But I feel like my nerves are shot. I've gnawed my fingers raw, some of them have started bleeding a little, and I didnt even notice until it started hurting!

Doesnt stress make it harder to lose the lbs? Between stress and snacking I"m not sure what to do!

What are some tricks (other than mint gum, keeping busy,and brushing your teeth) can you do to help moderate your snacking habits?

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

Hey!

Gosh, why so much stress?

I find that if I eat moderately throughout the day, and then have more at dinner, I am less likely to snack in the evening. But, I have to admit that evening snacking is a hard thing to avoid for me. I always leave some calories in my daily plan for that.

Fortunately I don't crave dessert foods so much. So, I make sure I have foods to provide myself with a snack that doesn't do so much damage. Here are some of them:

- Celery sticks with a little bit of lowfat cream cheese, Kraft Easy Cheese, or peanut butter (I like organic, no sugar added).

- A slice of 70-cal per slice bread, toasted, with 1 TBS peanut butter and 1 TBS Polaner All-Fruit preserves.

- 1/3 cup lowfat yogurt with some blueberries (canned) or strawberries, with a half-TBS of maple syrup or agave nectar drizzled over the top.

- An apple or half apple, sliced, with 1 TBS peanut butter.

- A serving of "light" microwave popcorn, like the 50% less fat kinds.

I decide on ONE snack and when I'll have it, and then I'm done. I hope this helps.

Jay

I'll second the . It's a favorite for me in the evenings.

I get the brain shut off thing. My brain doesn't know dinner is over until I've had chocolate. A tiny little Hershey's kiss will do the trick though.

Sometimes after dinner I do a 60 calorie pudding cup with a tablespoon or two of light whipped cream. I try to force myself to wait until 8-8:30 to do this so I don't get hungry right before bed and am tempted to snack.

Sounds like you have a hunger problem. I would work immediately on finding healthy (or even just healthier) things that fill you up and work on eating those every time you get hungry. I've found that things with a lot of protein are really filling for the calories. I always keep protein bars or shakes available if I'm really craving and just need to remove the hunger. Personally (shelled) sunflower seeds work wonders for me because they take forever to eat for the calories and I feel like it's a long snack.

I also find that the more I exercise the less I think about being hungry. Days I stay engaged and busy with life I think about food less. The days I veg out at home on the couch are the days where my mind is constantly going to what's in the cupboard.

Also I realized that some food is beyond my willpower. I simply can't keep say Doritos in the house...so I don't.

If you HAVE to have a dessert- then have one- I'm not saying eat a cheesecake- but I actually also have eaten the 60 calorie pudding cups at night- gives me my chocolate fix and it's only 60 calories! I get the sugar free cuz it's only like 10 grams of carbs a serving

I have a few dietary restrictions that make this more difficult:

- I am allergic to popcorn (its the weirdest thing ever, but I get very ill whenever I eat it)

- and I am a nanny and my little guy has severe allergy to peanuts so nuts arent kept in the house. The upside is, Im constantly running up and down stairs, chasing after kids, and keeping busy all day.

I am trying really hard to keep my days complex-carb free until dinner. No rice, pasta, couscous, quinoa, bread, crackers, etc. So I think I'm simply just not getting enough fiber. I actually broke down and a bowl of soup with noodles in it because I am just not feeling like I'm getting enough of... something!

Thanks for the ideas though, I'm trying to make a list of go-to low calorie, satiating snacks to keep handy.

How about a bowl of cereal? Or maybe some fruit mixed in with some fat free whipped topping. It feels like you're cheating and it's so good. Another thing I have done is make a shake using fat free milk, ice cubes, bananas or berries and some sweetener or flavoring. It's not like an actual shake, but it's very filling and tastes really good.

I usually eat an orange at night since it takes me forever to peel and get all the skin crap off plus a lot of little bites come with it! Also if you LOVE soda and ice cream i dont think you should give it up, save it for like once a week treat but still add it in to your caloric daily intake. Making yourself give it up completely will make you gorge on it in massive amounts when your having a weak moment. (which is bound to happen!)

Now for stress, do you work out? I find that helps A LOT. I don't actually have too much stress but i know if i go there and i'm in an awful mood i find that i'm in an amazing mood after im done working out for about 90-100 mins.

I do work out... and I hate every damn minute of it. I wish I was one of those people that found joy in it, in any way shape or form. I do it. But I find it to be tortorous and boring. LoL.

As far as my Diet Coke w/ Lemon and Frozen yogurt/ice cream addiction goes... I, no joke, could drink an entire 12pack a day to myself and go through a carton in 4-5 days. It was a nightly ritual with my boyfriend and I. We'd sit in front of the TV with our ice cream, snuggle, and watch our favorite shows. So, to break my plateau, I feel that those are two things that I have in excess that I need to eliminate until I gain a little more self control. My boyfriend is giving them up too, and we've selected specific dates in which we will treat ourselves to soda and ice cream (next up, Valentine's Day!)

Those are all great ideas, thank you everybody! I have a container of fat free coolwhip that I keep in my freezer and when ever I'm craving, I go in and tear off a little chunk. Its almost like ice cream! I love it!