Mini-meals can help you fuel your body
Snacking
for weight loss is a thing, as counterintuitive as that sounds. Eating
more often to lose weight? Yup, it can work. "People trying to lose
weight may want to skip snacking in order to cut calories, but then you
tend to become extra hungry between meals," Samantha Finkelstein, R.D.,
founder of Nerdy Girl Nutrition, tells SELF. "Any time your blood sugar drops and you become ravenous, it's harder to make sound food choices."
Before we get into it, though, important disclaimer: Losing weight
is different for every person, so what works for someone else may not
work for you. There's no such thing as a quick fix, and if your goal is
to lose weight, it's important to have realistic expectations and to
approach the goal in a healthy and thoughtful way. Losing weight isn't
just about food intake, also; your sleep, your stress levels, your
health, and your hormones can all play a role, making it a super
personalized thing that looks different from one person to the next. And
if you have a history of disordered eating,
it's important to talk to a doctor before you begin messing with your
eating habits. Even if you don't have a history of disordered eating,
it's important to think about why you're trying to lose weight, and to
consider what kind of energy you might need to put in to doing it—and
really check in with yourself about whether that kind of effort will be
healthy for you in a holistic sense. In many cases, the healthier thing
is to eat mindfully, pay attention to your body, and not spend time or
brainpower thinking about calories or the numbers on the scale.
Again—it's personal. The most important thing is to be good to yourself.
Now
let's talk snacks. Snacking is a superstar habit, even if you're not
trying to lose weight. Peppering healthy mini-meals throughout your day
keeps your energy stable, allowing you to power through the day, and it
prevents you from overeating at proper meals. Here, registered dietitians share eight key rules for how to snack the right way.
1. Try to eat every three or four hours.
"Once
you pass that four-hour mark, that’s when your blood sugar levels drop
and you get into trouble," Brigitte Zeitlin, R.D., M.P.H., C.D.N.,
founder of the New York-based BZ Nutrition,
tells SELF. Think of your eating schedule like a clock that starts at
breakfast, which Zeitlin recommends having within 30 minutes of getting
up. "After that, you should eat a meal or snack every three to four hours
until dinner," she says. "Make sure to stay awake for at least 30
minutes after your final meal to allow for proper digestion and a better
night’s rest."
2. Get the right mix of nutrients.
Snacking
for weight loss—or snacking, period—can seem intimidating because you
have to figure out the proper balance of what your body needs, but
dietitians have some helpful guidelines. "Check the nutrition labels of
what you eat, or look up the item online," says Zeitlin. "Aim for 3 or
more grams of fiber and at least 5 grams of protein."
Together, fiber and protein create a super-filling combo that helps you
stay level-headed until your next meal. You should also keep an eye out
for sugar and sodium, two potential troublemakers. "Keep sodium below
170 milligrams per snack, and limit sugar to 5 or fewer grams," says
Zeitlin. snacking for weight loss
3. Consider snacking your top priority when it's actually happening.
Multitasking
is a hard habit to quit, but it's worth it to cut down on other
activities when you're eating. This practice, also known as mindful eating,
is based on the premise that fully concentrating on every aspect of
your meal ultimately makes the food more satisfying. "While snacking,
take the time to sit and eat without distractions," says Finkelstein.
"Step away from your desk, the television, computer, or anything that
might divert your attention from the sensation of what you're eating."
4. Turn your snack game up a notch if you're a workout fiend.
Eating
right before you exercise is a recipe for stomach pain. Finish up your
pre-workout snack at least an hour before you start sweating so you have
enough time to digest, says Zeitlin. "That also helps you have enough
energy for a really great workout!" she says. Here are a few pre-workout snacks that also happen to be low-calorie.
As for post-workout snacks, Zeitlin recommends going for one if your next meal is going to be more than four hours after you're done working out.
5. Avoid the BLTs.
"Bites, Licks, and Tastes—or BLTs, as I like to call them—can add up to 500 additional calories
a day," says Finkelstein. That's because people sometimes confuse
grazing and snacking when they're two completely different things.
"Snacking the right way means you have specific times of day that you’re
eating and stopping, while grazing is a casual, constant state of
eating throughout the day without really paying attention to how much
you’re consuming," says Zeitlin.
6. Stay away from low-fat or "light" items.
They sound ideal, but those keywords are giveaways that the food is likely loaded with sugar and added sodium to compensate for flavor loss, says Zeitlin.
7. Actually, skip most packaged foods altogether.
The
convenience is tempting, but you're often better off taking the time to
make your own snack. "With pre-packaged foods, you run the risk of
consuming artificial ingredients," says Finkelstein. "Not only do they
not provide health benefits, they don’t tend to keep you full
either." That just leads to mindless grazing to fill the pit in your
stomach—not ideal, whether you're trying to lose weight or not.
8. And stock up on real ones instead.
Courtesy Self
