Trying to lose some weight, gotta cut the snacking, advice?

[altlover85]

I would do a calorie count, if possible. Also you might want to question if you are eating when you are hungry or if you are eating because you're anxious or excited or for some other reason.

I don't know much about building muscle, so I can't really say anything about that.

I'll be interested in how this thread develops because I have a snacking problem too and would like to lose 5 to 10 pounds.

Good luck!

 

[SteveyBoyLA]

Check out the RealJock link below. It has some good information and forums on everything from workout routines, meals, recipes, etc. I find that snacking on food that is high in protein or has no refined sugars tends to satisfy my hunger until lunch or dinner.
http://www.realjock.com/gayforums

 

[ThreeCrows]

One thing you can try that will have an immediate effect is cutting out all soft drinks (soda/pop) and fruit juices and switch to just drinking water and tea. Sometimes people don't realize how many calories and sugars they are taking in through their drinking because it isn't considered eating.

 

[Scottyboi]

heh I'm 6'4" and 220 and *can't* drop below it. All i drink is water and I don't snack. And while I'll still eat pasta or brown rice, eggs etc I carefully water my portion control (getting smaller glasses and plates helps)

What I realized was that I wasn't exercising enough, sometimes you just gotta stop counting calories and start running a few miles a week

 

[onetwothreefour]

I normally open these threads and am not too interested but you are very close to me in my stats. I am 6'3" 225 lbs. (recently down from 231 lbs.). My main problem is eating at night after I take my seroquel dose. Because I also just found out I am becoming type 2 diabetic, I have tried to go lowER carb. I say lower rather than low because I am vegetarian, so I can't really go all the way low carb. For snacks, I have tried switching to almond butter and blueberries mixed together which I find very satisfying. However, I am still getting a lot of calories from the nut butters and nuts I eat. But my general trend is to eat low-glycemic foods, and I've almost entirely cut out grains.

I guess with the snacks it's good to know which things are "safe." Although for me "safe" doesn't mean I will lose weight, only that it won't spike my blood sugar. Besides nut butters, nuts, berries, and cheese, I let myself have 90% dark chocolate. I have also experimented with forcing myself to eat a hard boiled egg for breakfast as I've heard that having a lot of protein in the morning can help with weight loss and curbing appetite. I haven't been dieting long enough or had eggs for breakfast long enough to know if it works for me.

I personally hate eggs. For a while when I was first dieting, I would force myself to eat high protein things like eggs I don't like, and the disgust actually helped with eating less! Lately I have had so much work with school and been sick and my family keeps making desserts and high carb food, so already after a month I'm not doing as well, but still much better than I had been.

I don't think I have given much good advice. But I like that you are in a similar spot as I am!

As far as exercise, I do very, very little. I started walking 1.5 miles a few times and stopped as soon as my life got stressful and I felt sick with diff things for the last couple of weeks.

 

[ThreeCrows]

May I ask what is your body type? Do you tend toward the Ectomorphic, Mesomorphic, or an Endomorphic body type?

ecto = long and lean - basketball player type
meso = muscular (maybe how we would all like to look)
endo = tends to be thick/large - the football/rugby player type

Like you, I am 6'2" myself but I go between 175 to 170lbs. I wish I could put on some lean muscle. For your diet though, be careful about cutting down too quickly.

Any good tips on how to change my snacks...I don't want to starve haha, but I also don't want to keep eating fattening stuff.

Have you tried low fat/no fat mozzarella string cheese? It fills you up without carb loading.

*edit
You could also use cashew and walnuts as a healthy fat/snack break

 

[bendted]

What worked for me was eliminating all dairy and takeout (already a pescetarian). So now I exclusively cook everything at home (well with the rare exception I will go out to dinner). The pounds have been shedding to the point where I question the accuracy of my scale. By the way, I am never hungry, but yes, it was a sea change in my diet, yet remarkably painless.

I don't have a sweet tooth, but a great sweet snack that I eat regularly are figs (unsulphered!).

My goal weight is 160 lbs...9 more pounds to go!

 

[FameMonster]

I'm trying to loose weight as well, just because I want a sixpack But it's really important to remember that you can't just chance your eating habits in like one or two weeks.

You obviously decided to change things, but youneed to do that slow, go for the result on the long term. I used to skip my lunch and eat junkfood and stuff. A good start is to eat at least three meals a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. And if you feel like eating a snack, you should! Many people start to eat very healthy at first and deny junkfood, chocolate, fries, everything. But when you do that you can't keep that diet for long because you start craving it more and more and eventually you loose control and start falling into your old patterns again. That's why you should eat chocolate if you want to, not the whole bar but just a few bites. The hardest part is telling yourself to stop eating, but I always try to motivate myself with saying 'if I'm gonna give in right now, I'll never reach the weight I want' And believe me, I'm doubting at least twenty times a day wether I should give in or not, but I don't. Because if I don't loose the weight now and just eat whatever I want, I'll be stuck in that circle of diets, falling back into my old eating pattern and feeling bad about myself, so starting a new diet.

Keep your eye on the long term. Eat three meals a day, and if you are hungry, eat some fruit and drink at least 1,5 litre of water a day. If feel like eating chocolate or something, do that, but know when to stop. Good luck!!

 

[gourami]

You can loose weight by eating less refined carbs(breads, pastry, processed foods, white rice) and less foods that have high glycemic index. Look into diets such as the paleo diet.

I don't eat any less than I used to, just changed what I eat. I've lost a 4 inches off my waist(kinda of a pain having to buy all new pants now, but can't complain)

 

[gourami]

Those desserts, pretzels and chips sure aren't helping. Hummus is ok.

Some better alternatives;

Smoothie - easy one can be made from spinach, banana, plain yogurt, frozen berries.
Yogurt - better to get plain and add your own fruit.
Nuts
Fruits
Sweet potatoes
Atkins shakes and bars are tasty but expensive.

Learn to make salads

 

[Giselle]

cut out all the carbons (bread, pasta, potatoes, sweets etc). this will work wonders. and do some sports for perfect results.

 

[mbamike]

I am 6' and started a diet back in February weighing 195. I am currently down to 170.

I greatly reduced my sugar intake and increased my proteins. Proteins burn slowly so you don't get hungry as fast.

Always eat breakfast. Stay away from cereals.

Cut out hydrogenated oils and processed foods. Switched to real cheese from Kraft Singles, whole grain bread from white bread, etc. Just read the labels.

Eat real meats not processed meats.
Real vegetables and fruit.

Eat a small amount every three to four hours.

I have plenty to eat.

I don't exercise. That is just not me. I would rather mow the lawn (with a push mower), rake leaves, saw wood, etc. to stay active.

Examples.

You can cook an egg white omelet in the microwave under two minutes. Add some real cheese for a cheese omelet and/or some salsa for a western omelet. This is high in protein too.

You can get a pack of five Atkins protein bars for $5.49 and a four pack of shakes for $6.49 at Walmart. Stay away from Slim fast, it has too much sugar in it.

Eat an apple, orange, or banana instead of chips or pretzels.

Personally, I love coleslaw. I make it now with a balsamic vinaigrette instead of mayonnaise. This is quick and easy to make snack using shredded cabbage from the supermarket.

I hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[rollex_2000]

I will give you a good advise. Start slowly. Step by step. By making adjustments.
For the begging

1. increase water intake (a galon a day )
2. decrease salt intake (no salt pretzels, less salty food, less/no salty cheese)
3. Cut or decrease your sugar intake (cut the sweet snacks fully, no sweet drinks)

If you keep this up for a month, you will see a very good difference (i promise 10-12lb minimum). This will get you motivated to do more.

I am assuming you eat no junk food right? Be easy on fried stuff (better to cut fully).

And try not to eat after 7pm (or 3-4 hours before your planned bed time).

It's all about making changes, and making healthy choices

(e.g. in the restaurant, you can order pan fried salmon, with some creamy dressing and rice versus grilled salmon, with some steamed veggies seared with vinegar and side of house salad with no dressing or some low cal/fat dressing)...

Gradually start snacking on fruits (apple, melon, berries, banana)

It's a long process, you can't do all the changes at once....


However if you want to make sure that you are not setting yourself up for some sort of failure, embrace a mindset of a permanent change.

You are not switching to some sort of 'diet'. you are changing your lifestyle for your lifetime and forever.

Don't do anything you cannot keep up with....

ONLY AFTER you have made all of your adjustments and you still feel like you need to loose weight, you can temporary alter your food intake for short period of time....


If you work really hard in half a year you can be on fully correct track and by the time a year passes from today you will be at 180-185 lb with NO DIET, not staying hungry.