My last blog about snacking (‘Don’t let snacking be your downfall’) really resonated with people, so here’s a bonus part 2! It’s all about acting with intention. Have a bit of what you fancy and don’t deny yourself anything if you really want it, but keep your goals in mind when you do.
Here are some of my personal tried and tested additional tips for managing those tricky snacking habits…
- Have one of something sweet (or savoury), then wait it out.
I do this quite a lot – I’ll just have one chocolate, or one small biscuit (and ENJOY it!), then intentionally pause before grabbing more. I’m not saying this is easy to do, but it can work really well as the craving often disappears after about 10 mins, but you have to wait it out!
- Opt for a low calorie snack
Sounds like basic advice, but the smaller snack bars, protein yoghurt pouches, small packets of dried fruit, etc, can really hit the spot when you’re craving something sweet! In the evening, my go to is a low calorie hot chocolate with a few marshmallows. No, it’s not the same as a chocolate bar, but it allows me to stay on track with my goals! And that’s important to me!
- Eat proper meals.
If you eat 3 proper, satiating meals it will impact how you feel psychologically and physically. If I have a ‘small’ meal, I tend to automatically want to pick later in the evening. I have found that it’s much better to plan, look forward to, track and cook a larger meal in the evening so that I feel satisfied. I’m MUCH less likely to want to snack afterwards. ‘Spend’ more of your calories on a filling, nutritious meal and you will probably consume fewer calories overall.
- Say it out loud.
I read this ‘tip’ in Atomic Habits by James Clear (great book!)… And I do sometimes do it! I feel like an idiot, but it helps! Haha! Before you eat a snack, say it outloud… “I’m going to eat this KitKat now” – it interupts the usual pattern and should give you an opportunity to think about whether you really do want it. Sometimes I just put it straight back in the cupboard (not every time though)! Haha!
- No powders / tricks / supplements needed!
In my view, there’s no need to invest in appetite suppressants / other pills / shakes, etc… It’s simply about being more mindful and helping yourself as much as possible to make choices / decisions that are in line with your overall goals. Willpower will only get you so far, so trying new ways to implement some discipline can really help.
Please remember – snacking isn’t bad. Just think about moderating what you have, using whichever methods work for you. Hopefully these tips (plus the ones in the other blog) help with that!
If you’d like more structured advice or help with overall nutrition, target setting, accountability, someone to lean on and someone to help you develop better, healthier habits, please reach out to me via the website or via Instagram – I’d be more than happy to chat to you about what you’d like to change / achieve.
