abur0418 Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Can't stop snacking! I think it is more of a habit then a hunger. I swear I am following the template and am eating a buttload at every meal - sometimes worried I'm eating too much. I think my mind just needs something to snack on and I can't seem to kick the habit :/. Albiet I'm snacking on healthy, compliant things but I would still like to break this habit. Tips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted February 20, 2013 Moderators Share Posted February 20, 2013 Drink herbal tea as much as you want. Don't eat between meals unless you are really hungry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megmac Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Eating 3 meals a day with NO snacks was my goal for this W30. I snacked every day during my first W30 and just didn't feel like I got where I wanted to go. This round has gone so much better! There are only 2 things I can say about making this work: 1. Eat more at each meal. Protein and fat especially. 2. Decide not to snack. Okay, I hate the answer, "it's in your head", but I have to say it. I just made the commitment that I was going to do this, and it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. At night I know that dinner is it for me. As soon as I'm done I hit the "I made it another day" button on my daily W30 email and that signifies the end of my eating for the day. Now that I've been doing this for 25 days, I love it. I'm hungrier and food tastes better when I get to meal time. I definitely am going to stick to this part of the plan even after I introduce some foods. One thing I have learned this round is that I actually enjoy the feeling of being hungry now, and I don't have to address it the minute it hits. Pathetic as it sounds, I think I used to have the mentality that I was "afraid I might be hungry". It's nothing to be afraid of-it's a clue that my body is FINALLY operating the way it should. When I haven't eaten in 6 hours it's good to be hungry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rChristine Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Snacking was a problem for me when I first started the Whole30, as before I was consuming the famous six smaller meals a day, food was my every thought.. I would finish a meal and feel like I almost had to begin the next <-- which I will never go back to that! One thing that has become my new best friend during this Whole9 journey is this little concoction.. I place one ounce apple cider vinegar, two drops of ginger essential oil (or a tbsp of freshly peeled and chopped ginger), 1/4 lemon sliced, half a stick of cinnamon.. place everything into a mason jar, fill with boiling water and let sit for 30 minutes then I split it between two blender bottles (800mL water bottle) top with more water and ice, and wala (another option is sipping on it hot, I just find when I want to snack, an ice cold drink works better for me then a warm one)! This cuts through cravings and in my first few days really helped me. I would drink one bottle in between meal#1 and meal#2 then other bottle between meal#2 and meal#3. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoodles Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 That sounds so yummy! I've been really craving a yummy cold drink that isn't diet coke, I'm going to try this for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abur0418 Posted February 21, 2013 Author Share Posted February 21, 2013 Thanks so much for the suggestions!!!! "finishing one meal and thinking about the next" <<< THAT IS SO ME! this is one of my goals on the Whole 30 to stop CONSTANTLY thinking about food. I was also eating 6 times a day that's why I feel the incessant need to snack. It's 100% a mental thing and not physical. I will increase my willpower!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megmac Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 I promise you...after a little while it won't take willpower! You just change your habit and then it's not even hard. Trust me-I have been really successful giving up snacks and I do NOT have a lot of willpower. But if you listen to your body rather than the tricks your brain is trying to play on you, it's really not hard. Eventually your brain will get on board. You can definitely make this happen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xacerb8 Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 @megmac I totally agree. You just have to proceed with the belief that snacking is not an option. I used to snack regularly between breakfast and lunch and then again before dinner. I ate cashews and mozzarella sticks and peanut butter on celery and kidded myself that these were all healthy options. Or, I'd eat an apple, a banana, and an orange and still feel ravenous and unsatisfied. Like many people on the forums, I've been on pretty much every diet you could name starting at age 8 when my mom put my sister and me on a "2 hardboiled eggs and one grapefruit a day" diet. (I was not fat....she just wanted company....but don't get me started.) I have a long history of self-imposed deprivation followed by "cheat days" and "going hog wild," so I too had a real fear about feeling hungry and what it might trigger. Fortunately, I haven't had those thoughts/feelings while doing this Whole 30. Instead, I feel so happy and grateful to have found something that feels like I am honoring and nourishing my body in the way that it deserves! @abur0418 Try not snacking! Just for one day. <climbs off soapbox> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megmac Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 xacerb8-I think you just summed up one of the main goals of the W30, and I think there are a lot of us who have similar stories. (Although not the egg/grapefruit at 8 part. I don't suppose you'd like to give me your mother's phone number...) Thank you for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xacerb8 Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 My poor mother. It was a different time. She smoked through her entire pregnancy specifically to avoid weight gain and will often tell us, "I weighed less the day I came home from the hospital with you than I did before I got pregnant." It was never about eating properly, just curbing your unattractive appetites. ugh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megmac Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Well kudos to you for not passing that on! I love the "it stops with me" mentality. I have had to do the same thing with personal relationships, but that's a topic for another forum. LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krebs Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 This is a super-helpful thread! I started my Whole30 1 week ago and am feeling like I should start over tomorrow- instead of the Sugar Dragon I seem to have a Snack Dragon. I thought it would be hardest to give up wine and chocolate but I actually have hardly missed them (at least not yet!). That said, my snacking habit is bad and deeply ingrained. I eat an apple around 10:00 am everyday (and have for a long time) and then around 3 tend to eat something else (fruit, nuts, Larabar, or something along those lines-I know- not the best choices!) at those times, even if I ask myself if I'd eat steamed fish and broccoli, I find that given the option, I would so I go ahead and eat. I think I am eating enough (at least at breakfast) because I'll feel totally full but a few hours later want to eat again. I need to do as the member above said and "Just Decide" that I'm not snacking anymore! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moluv Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I eat an apple around 10:00 am everyday (and have for a long time) and then around 3 tend to eat something else (fruit, nuts, Larabar, or something along those lines-I know- not the best choices!) at those times, even if I ask myself if I'd eat steamed fish and broccoli, I find that given the option, I would so I go ahead and eat. Well here is an idea for ya: instead of just imagining if you're hungry enough to eat fish and broccoli, you could replace the apples and nuts with sardines and sauerkraut. Then you'll REALLY know if you're hungry or not. That'll fix your snackwagon right up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I think I am eating enough (at least at breakfast) because I'll feel totally full but a few hours later want to eat again. I need to do as the member above said and "Just Decide" that I'm not snacking anymore! I felt the same about my meals for several days. I am feeling a little less full after meals now and more satisfied. After 1200 calories spread over 7 meals for so long, I think my stomach capacity may have been very low and my blood sugar was definitely a little low at first. I am not sure if the stomach size thing is true or if it was mental, but I do feel more capable of making it about 5 hours between meals now. Any snacks are very mini meals with a protein and a fat, and maybe veggies, but definitely mini. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tclass Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I agree with the "Just Decide" poster. My main goal with this Whole30 was to eliminate my snacking at 4pm (dark chocolate) because I really wasn't hungry. The first couple days were hard so I just made myself really busy around 4pm. I took several walks to get out of the house, made some herbal tea, ran errands (we have no car so this was just more walking). After about 4 days I stopped "needing" that 4pm fix. And surprisingly I feel better without it. Tricia www.expatpaleo.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoodles Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I had the same problem, and what helped me was eating the snack I knew I'd have later, with my meal. I just couldn't get my head around eating bigger meals, they seemed so big already and I was terrified about eating more. I used to religiously drink a cappuccino and have a couple of brazil nuts in the morning, and have something in the afternoon (fruit or carrots or whatever) and something again before bed, probably sweet like a piece of fruit. So during my whole30 I decided to just add the next snack onto my meal, or at least a similar amount of food, and see what happened. It helped! I still struggle after dinner, miss the sweet finish, but it's really nice to feel truly satisfied and truly hungry, instead of never really being either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenderbender Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Every time you feel the urge to snack.... Take a moment.... Breath in deep through your nose and fill your lungs to capacity, then breath out through your nose slightly slower.... With each breath, breath deeper and slowly let your exhalation double your intake..... Breath in and say in your mind the word " let". Breath out and say " go". Let go.... Simple mantra, but just let go..... Only takes a minute but it really works....your anxiety and cravings will pass and your will nourish yourself with oxygen from deep breathing... Try it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xacerb8 Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 I think anyone who's spent time dieting learns to fear hunger because it's seen as a trigger to a binge. Going "on a diet" is doable, because you know in your head that when it's over, you can eat <insert forbidden food here>. I like what megmac said about hunger. I try to see it as just another bodily cue, "Hey, I could eat any time now, just saying...." My meals tend to fall around the same time because of my schedule: 7:30, 1:00, 7:00. I never could have fathomed lasting six hours beetween meals without a snack. I drink a lot of tea (boiling water over fresh ginger chunks and a cinnamon stick <adaptation of @rchristine's recipe.) and water throughout the day. I do notice that if I have NOT had enough fat at Meal #2, I get a headache, so I often will have 3 thumb-sized portions instead of just 1-2. That seems to do the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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