Snack Ideas for Weight Loss

I don't have a big sweet thing either, but I do like crunchy - salty - spicy. Instead of doritos, I reach for rye-fiber wassa crisp bread and salsa. Add your fat free cheese if you like.

Hi John: I'm not a big snacker, but I do get a hankering for a quick munchie now and then. My favorite new snack is figs, which I stole from Dave Scott's book. I buy California "figlets; that is how they are sold in small bags near the dried fruit, but they are not dried. They are moist and sweet and rich. I love them. I keep a bag at the office and at home and eat a serving (about 5) as my dessert after lunch and dinner. Lots of carbs, 120 calories, no fat, etc. My other favorite snack is a half-handful of raw, whole, lighlty salted almonds. Lots of protein there. Figs satisfy my sweet tooth, almonds my craving for salt. My other favorite snack is a 24 oz ribeye on the grill!!!

During the day, everything is pretty regimented.

Breakfast: either a bowl of shredded wheat with special k berries mixed in (I just love the freeze dried strawberries and can't find them anywhere on their own) or 3 slices turkey bacon + two eggs.

Snack 1: string cheese. No more reduced fat cause that sucks.

Lunch: PBJ (o glory be it's just wonderful, esp. w/ old fasioned peanut butter) and a braeburn apple

Snack 2: lite yogurt

Then I work out.

Snack 3: peanuts and some of whatever hubby is snacking on.

Dinner: something or other w/extra veggies

Dessert: BEER

I don't crave dessert if I'm drinking a beer. But, I only drink 1 beer a night during the week. I have to wait until 8:30 - 9:00 to drink my beer so that it'll last me until bedtime.

If I get a sweet craving after that, a swig of crystal light pink stuff will satisfy it. BUT, if I'm craving real sweets, I'm just SOL cuz there's nothing in the house.

Sometimes I drive myself nuts looking for something sweet in the house to eat, but I always am glad in the morning when I realize I didn't gorge on candy.

Malvey, this is a great suggestion!! I always have a craving at nite, so this is definately worth a try.
Thanks, and if you think of anything else, keep us informed!

Whit,

I like your dessert! Beer

LOL

Mindy

Snacks:

PB and Carrots/Celery (so good, you wouldn't even imagine! plus it's a vegetable and protein, with a little fat but the good fat- also curves my dessert cravings!)

Yogurt (freeze it) then eat it, just like frozen yogurt!

Pretzels, nuts, m&ms, raisins, Kashi cereal (perfect trail mix)

94% fat free Kettle Korn

Once in a while some chocolate covered raisins, almonds or peanuts Gotta indulge once in a while

I don't know whether grocery stores in the US sell buttermilk in 0.5 liter cups (= 17 oz. ???). But I buy tons of them and store them in my fridge. It's protein, calcium, less than 1 percent fat, low cal, cool & refreshing and pretty much fills you up. After I had one cup I'm not hungry for another 1-2 hours.
Okay, you have to like it. But I'm really crazy for that stuff now. Here in Germany they also sell buttermilk mixed with fruit juice or flavored in some kind; for those with cravings for sweet stuff.
Do you have buttermilk in cups in US grocery stores? If yes, try it as an in-between-snack or for breakfast with some fruit. It's great!
NikNak

Snack Attack! I usually justify that chocolate is good for me and run for the vending machine. This is of course only if I have not planned for the week. I usually eat frozen Banana's (I'm excited to try Malvey's yog, orange juice, banana and flax seed blended frozen treat though), or pbutter and celery for snacks. I have realized that the problem is I eat the same thing all the time - so its time to add a little variety.
This is a great post, I can't wait to go food shopping and pick up the right type of snacks. Now the only thing I have to do is convince my hubby that he doesn't want Friendly's Ice Cream every night! Boys are evil eating everything and gaining nothing.

I can't name you the specific type of chocolate whey protein powder, but I mix one scoop with plain no fat yogurt and it usually comes out tasting like cappachino yogurt. I usually have that in the morning for a snack. It seems to satisfy me longer than just a protein shake.

I do the same thing for breakfast, but right now it's Vanilla whey protein powder. I also add some fresh strawberries. I get it in a 5 pound tub, so it will be a while before we're on to a new flavor.

I've been doing Weight Watchers, which I absolutely swear by, for more than a year now. I've lost 38 pounds so far and have about 10 left before my goal. Here are some snack tips:
For sweets: Quaker Oats Quakes. They're mini rice cakes. The chocolate and Caramel corn take care of the sweet tooth. It's also good because they're crunchy. The other flavors act as good substitutes for chips. Another thing, Sugar Free instant Jello pudding. It gives you a dairy serving and it sweet. Apples with cinnamon are always good. Not to mention all the great summer fruits. Angel food cake is FF and low in cals.
Pop corn is the best, if your stomache can handle it, because of the amount of fiber. It must be hot air popped or the 96 percent fat free microwave. Sorry, no butter.
I hope this helps

Blue Bunny makes a sugar free, low fat vanilla bean ice cream that is really good. If you follow weight watchers, it is only 1 point per scoop (about 50 calories). Pringles also came out with fat free potato chips - plain and sour cream & onion flavored. You can have about 20 of them for about 50 calories also and no fat. They are really good!

My favorite "diet popcorn" for going to the movies is sugar snap peas! I cut off the ends and wash them and smuggle them into the movie in a plastic bag in my purse. Very crunchy, sweet, yum!

Ok, well I am new here and just started training again last month. When I was training last year I dropped almost 40 Lbs through diet and excercise, then started school and a long distance relationship, thus gaining my weight back easily. I have a sweet tooth like nobodys business. The "One's too many - a millions not enough" could be my montra. I do not crave grease, salt, fast food or other junk, but I do crave sugar in the middle of the day. I also had a problem of not eating breakfast, which after going to a small seminar with a nutritionist, explained my mid afternoon sugar crave. If you don't eat breakfast, your body will crave sugars towards the middle to late afternoon and after dinner because it is trying to store blood sugar until 12:00 the following day. The quickest way to get that sugar was sweets. Once I learned this, I started choking down breakfast and snacking on the following:
Breakfast: 2 Cups of Cheerios and a Fuji Apple ( About 350 Calories if you use Non-Fat milk)
Fuji Apples, sliced with 2 Tbs of Natural Peanut Butter (Fruit and a Bit of Protein)
Mini Carmel Rice Cakes — Though I just found out they are very hard on your system.
If I needed sugar I would:
Cut up half of a power bar or granola bar. (Cutting it up made me eat it slower and thus I felt like I had had more food than I actually ate)
Strawberries and 1/8 Cup MAX of Lite Cool Whip.

My problem is that I'm not a picky eater! I'll eat anything that comes past my face! Somedays it's so hard to resist that chocolate chip cookie. I like to go from sweet to salty. Low fat pop corn to a pria bar always does me well!

My snacks of choice depend upon whether I'm in the sweet or salty mode....

Salty: Edamame (soybeans), steamed in the shell and seasoned with salt (great source of protien and fiber).
Sweet: Breyers "no sugar added" ice cream. Its both low in fat and free of refined sugars, and it tastes great. There's also a ton of new sugar free candies made with sugar alcohols instead of real sugar. I'm not sure I understand all the chemistry, but the sugar alcohols don't wack out your blood sugar like regular sugar will.

For those seeking to lose weight, I know this will sound very strange, but its been proven in numerous studies...a diet high in fiber will reduce your overall cravings for food. I purchased some of the sugar free metamucil, take a spoonful before each meal in a glass of water. It may be mental, but it has dramatically reduced my between-the-meal cravings. Plus, I don't think there's a study out there that says you can eat too much fiber. The taste does take some getting used to.

One of my favs is two cinnamon flavored graham crackers with lite cool whip sandwiched between them. Put em in the freezer for 20 minutes and it's like an ice cream sandwich. If I am going for spicy and crunchy I like wasabi beans. Smoothies: crushed ice, berries or other fruit, a pack of sweet 'n'low and some vanilla soy milk whipped up in the blender. For breakfast I add some nonfat yogurt to the smoothie. Enjoy...

Robin ;-)

all this 'snacking' has got me running to the fridge - - does it count towards the day's training??

When I'm craving sweets, I have fresh strawberries sliced on toast (with light Becel). So good, & somehow it actually manages to satisfy my craving.

I am a major nibbler, a snacker, a muncher. No wonder my Chineese sign is, well, "RAT"

Here are my crazy snacks:

POPCORN, ORVILLE REDENBACHER'S 67% LESS FAT
Great, Great, Great. I eat it almost every day at work.
Too bad it as the nasty hydrogenated oi = Transfatty in it DOH!

BICK'S POLSKIE OGORKI
Salty treat. 1 pickle is about 7 cals.

CREAM CHEESE, ULTRA LOW FAT
On celery, crazy Swedish high fibre crackers...even on pizza and spag sometimes

DIET POP (EVIL)
I know. Aspartame, colorant, pooh, etc but my sweet tooth is a major problem
contained.

RICE CAKES (CARAMEL)
mentioned

SNACKWELL POTATO THINS
20 is all you need...I said 20! Step away from the bag now!...
I had to confiscate those Can't handle it. Reminds me too much of chips *snif*

HALF A FROZEN BANANA IN CHOCOLATE COAT (evil)
You take 2 semi-sweet choc squares, bain-marie them, dribble over 1/2 a banana.
let dry. freeze. wait a couple hour. hola que tal!

DALLA TERRA VEGETABLE SPREAD (AJVAR HOT)
on those swedish high fibre rye crackers (don't remember name sorry), on pumperknickle bread!
very, very good for you!

PUMPERNICKLE BREAD
Taste a lill sweet, full of fibre, low in fat, good for you, funny looking. Great conversation starter! try it at work, get sudden interest in your life from your coworkers

ASIAN STYLE VEGETABLE SOUP
Low sodium, low fat vege broth + veggies + reduce sodium soya sauce + 2 drops of sesame oil + 2 drop hot sauce + fresh cilantro + green oignons = low cal filler when you are going to a Chrismass party and you think you won't be able to control yourself, fill yourself up with this...

VEGGIES + HUMMUS
2 tbs of hummus with lots of veggies

HOT CHOCOLATE BEVIE
The one with the evil asparthame. Sweet tooth fix.

ALMONDS
Just make sure you stop at 10 of these hum'k!
there awesome for you but you just can't eat a whole lot

BENGAL SPICE HERBAL TEA
boil it for extra sweetnest/ spicy taste. great for a sweet tooth attack.

FROZEN BLUEBERRIES
This is your dessert: 1/2 cup of 0.1% yogurt, 1 cup of berries. Narl.

MEGA SALAD WITH 1/2 CUP OF 1% COTTAGE CHEESE
If you need to get filled up again, get 4 cups of salad or fresh spinach (better for you)
add 1/2 cup of cottage, 2 tbs spoon of Vege spread + 2 tbs of nonfat italian dressing + 2tbs of balsamic vinegar.
Pfffffeou, now your ready for that greasy potluck party.

I eat a crumpet from Trader Joe's with peanut butter and a chopped banana on top. Fills me right up and I think one crumpet has 70 calories.