Don’t let snacking be your downfall!

Who doesn’t like a snack?! I am a sucker for a snack. So many people I know who are on a weight loss journey struggle with snacking, and I don’t want that to be your downfall! Please also know that snacks are not inherently bad!! I want you to be able to have them and enjoy them! But, if your goals are important to you, and you have frequent cravings or a sweet tooth, then having some advice to help manage snacking might be useful for you, so please read on for 5 helpful tips…

I have personally employed some of these strategies to help me control my snacking and like anything, the more you do it, the easier it becomes…. I promise! (And – spoiler alert – YOU CAN STILL HAVE SNACKS!!)

1. Drink water – staying hydrated is important to help you feel fuller for longer, so you are less likely to experience cravings. It’s also really bloody good for you, so try and drink lots of water every single day, regardless of your snacking habits!
2. Introduce a NEW RULE! One snack per day. Limit it. Set yourself a rule. If you are serious about achieving your goals, you’ll understand why this is important! If you are tempted by a snack after you’ve already had your daily allowance, save it for the next day. You’ll probably enjoy it even MORE if you wait! Delayed gratification!
3. Only have it if you REALLY want it. Make it a ‘HELL YES!’ snack! If there are biscuits in the office which you think are ok, but aren’t your favourite, just say NO! Practice it! Remind yourself that saying yes to the biscuits is like saying no achieving your goals. Or flip it – saying NO to the crappy office biscuits is like saying YES to your goals!! Get serious about it – nothing changes if nothing changes.
4. Enjoy your snack as you eat it, take the time to savour every bite. This is important, let yourself enjoy it, guilt free, especially if you’ve factored it into your calorie intake (which I encourage you to do!)
5. Create a barrier or remove the stuff likely to tempt you. Don’t buy it, or if you do have it in the house, or move it somewhere else to interrupt the automatic habit of opening the snack cupboard (or your equivalent!). Create a barrier, or do something which makes you pause before taking action.

Hope this is helpful and you’re able to take some pointers away to help you take control. Snacking isn’t ‘bad’, but having some strategies to implement will definitely help you achieve your weight loss goals! Please let me know how you get on!