Here is me- a history of eating disorder that is partly under control (the purge side is but the bingeing isn't), a serious carb addict and one bored mama onced the kids are in bed.

That is a recipe for disaster isn't it

I would like to know if maybe, maybe it would be better for me to just bypass the snacks altogether.
have a healthy bkfst, lunch and dinner but nothing in between to set me off and go on an all day eating frenzy.

I know that snacks are a healthy part of any diet but I don't think I can handle them right now.
Anybody else NOT snack and still lose weight ?

I tend to eat only when I'm hungry, now that I've started low carb that is. I'm a carb addict too, but instead of telling myself "no snacks" I just tell myself no high carb foods. So for breakfast (which I usually don't eat until about lunchtime) I have some protein and a salad. Then after work, I will come home and snack on something from the fridge, maybe a slice of cheese, or some meat or high protein food in the fridge.

A few hours later I make dinner which I try and make meat, some vegetables and a salad (and I eat wonderful low carb but higher fat salad dressings).

Then I'm pretty much done eating for the day. I guess it works out to three meals a day but one of them is really a snack. If at some point I needed or wanted a snack other than these three meals, I allow it, but only high protein or very low carb/calorie veggy type snack (lettuce, celery, tomato that sort of thing).

That is what I am trying to do..3 balanced meals and no snacks between meals. It is tough. My problem is snacking in the afternoons.. Good luck of no snacking method. It's sounds so simple, but oh so tough. Hang in there.

I just don't buy snack food. If I have string cheese and crackers and chips around, they'd probably last until just a few minutes after I laid my eyes on them! (It helps that I'm a college student and really can't afford the fun snacks.)

Maybe you should find something to do instead of snacking. If it's just that you need something to do with your hands, maybe you should knit or work ona huge puzzle. Or hang out in the 3FC forums!

Thanks for the support guys

As to not buying snacks, its not that easy with a toddler and a baby in the house. Not that I buy the BAD snacks because I don't but even the healthy organic crackers call my name.
Dh is very understanding and goes and buy his own snacks when he wants something but that doesn't prevent me from eating my dd's raisin boxes or graham crackers (by the half box full ). I am not even gonna start with leftovers ...oy!

I have been thinking for a while about buying a knitting starter kit and I might just go buy one this afternoon..ok, I WILL do that this afternoon.

OK, I just finished a BLT wrap (homemade with a smidgen of low fat mayo and 2 strips of center cut bacon and lotsa veggies) and I am now done until dinner ...update later.

There is a lot of science behind the need to eat several small meals throughout the day and I believe every word of it. However, YOU have to do what works for YOU. So, if eating three squares a day is what helps you feel in control then stick with it. As you get a handle on your overall diet you may find yourself in a better position to add healthy snacks between meals without ending up in a binge. In the meantime, take a look at the kinds of snacks you currently eat and consider why it may lead you to binge. For instance, if I snack on a half cup of cottage cheese and 1/2 an ounce of almonds I am perfectly satisfied. It is filling enough to seem like a little meal rather than a snack. On the other hand, if I just grab a little bowl of snack mix I'm going to end up sticking my hand in every other open bag in the kitchen. That isn't to say I never eat things like snack mix but I've learned my limitations and my trigger times. Like you, my kids' bedtime is a danger zone. If I am hungry (or bored, which is usually the case) then I know better than to walk into the kitchen and start digging around. Instead, I take a minute to unwind and consider what it is that I'd really like to snack on. That way I'm not just standing in front of and open fridge nibbling until I find what it is I REALLY want.

I don't snack. I've been continually losing. I don't need to snack, because, well, I'm just not hungry between meals.

I eat five meals a day- I don't consider them snacks. I'd be gnawing my arms off if I tried to go 5-6 hours without eating.

I was a carb addict too, and have/had many of your problems. I've had to mentally decide that those just "aren't MY food". I choose not to eat them because I know the consequences.

Mel

Same here. I do much better going 3 hours or so inbetween eating and then eat approx 300 calories at each meal - other wise I get too hungry and overeat. My meals usually include a lean protein, veggie and healthy fat. Although my first 1 or 2 meals include oatmeal or a protein shake. Like PP said though - you have to find and do what works for you! GL!

I eat every couple of hours too. And some protein with every mini meal ... feeding ... refueling ... snack ... whatever you want to call it.
I've eaten five times today and it's only 4:15.
If I wait too long, I'll eat anything in sight.
Look at Mel's history. Man! I'd do anything she told me!

Snacks definitely worked for me - I don't like to be hungry and when I get hungry I make really bad food decisions. That being said, my snacks were rarely carb-based - usually fruits, vegetables, hummus, low fat dairy.

Typical day:

B - oatmeal with dried blueberries (or whole wheat toast with peanut butter or egg beaters/whole wheat tortilla/salsa/spinach leaf wrap)

S - organic low fat yogurt

S - banana (or berries if I didn't have berries with breakfast)

L - turkey sandwich on whole wheat, spinach leaves, tomato, spicy mustard, bowl of spicy roasted red pepper tomato soup (or lentil, usually) (or a big salad with turkey or a pita with veggie burger and lots of veggies)

S - orange (or whatever fruit is in season - pomegranate/watermelon, etc)

S - cottage cheese (1/4 cup almonds with low fat string cheese or 1/4 cup trail mix or 1/4 cup home made hummus with veggies/pita to dip)

D - veggie/tofu stir fry over brown rice (or home made pasta sauce over whole wheat pasta or whole wheat tortilla/spinach quesadillas with lots of salsa or home made chickpea/zucchini/leek/tomato/spinach soup)

S - (if hungry, I tend to eat late and don't want a snack) baked apple (or mashed sweet potatoes or a fudgesicle or smart pop single serve kettle corn)

I try to eat about 4 times a day. I have breakfast when i get to work at 8:30. I was making homemade egg mcmuffins, but now i am going back to 2 fried eggs and 2 peices of turkey bacon. then at lunch, i walk for 30 minutes before i go in to eat my lean cruisine lunch. then, i hold off until about 4pm to have a jello sugar free pudding, and then at about 6:30 i have dinner at home. unless it's gym night, then it's more like 7pm before i eat.

Well, you have a toddler. So realisticly you're setting yourself up for failure to say, "NO snacks". You have to feed the food to your kids. It's there.

I really think you're setting yourself up for failure by saying, "I'm a recipe for disaster". You need to start talking about things like that in "past tense". "I WAS a recipe for disaster. Now I know I need to become fit so I can be around for my kids and set a good example for them".

People who are addicted to drugs can feasibly avoid their addiction. People like us, who are addicted to food, have to eat to live. So we need to condition ourselves to eat healthy choices and to eat within limitations. When has "denying yourself" ever worked?

Three square meals a day can do a lot of harm to somebody trying to become fit. For one you are putting large amounts of food in your stomach at once, which stretches it and then it becomes harder to get "satisfied" without eating large quantities. 3 meals conitions us to get "really hungry" and then eat and by the time we eat our defenses might be down. I used to eat no breakfast, a small lunch and dinner. I'd usually eat around 3000 calories on a GOOD DAY. That's because I gorged when I ate.

Now I eat 3 meals a day and two snacks. I try to keep the nutrient ratio for the whole day at, "30% Fat, 30% carbs, 40% protein". To do this I use Diet Power software, which is easy to use. My snacks are slightly smaller than my meals and less formal (meaning not cooked). A snack for me would be cottage cheese and fruit, or 1/2 pack of heart healthy nuts and an instant oatmeal, or a happy apple (apple with PB).

I really think that what you should do is make yourself a menu each day that includes snacks and STICK TO IT. Don't tell yourself "I'll never be able to" or you are giving yourself a ticket to fail. Don't tell yourself, "One more won't hurt" or you're giving yourself another failure ticket. Plan everything you eat and stick to it. Eventually it will become habit and your "recipe for disaster" will be past tense. But if you keep giving yourself excuses to fail then you will. Don't try to "avoid" food to lose. Food does NOT control you. YOU control food.

We are always here to help.

Karma

Karma, excellent post! And I'd like to add that chips, cookies, teddy grahams, etc aren't any better for your toddler than they are for you. While your children are still young and YOU control what goes into their mouths, take advantage of this time to teach them to enjoy healthy food. Make apple, raisin, peanut butter "happy faces" on a plate. Let them make "flower arrangements" on plates with julienned carrots, celery smeared with cream cheese or peanut butter, and raisin. Be creative! Snacks don't have to be oreos.

Mel

I absolutely agree Mel! My kids are the three healthiest kids I know. There is not a cavity in the three, they have six pack abs, they are fit. I WILL NOT allow pickiness in my house. They eat healthy. And they like it. You should see the little vermin making protein shakes after they workout! Or snacking on a happy apple. Teddy Grahms are something they've only gotten at school. Sadly, when I've yo-yoed I've done a lot of it eating all the right food in WAY TOO MUCH quantities. LOL!

Karma