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| at least I haven't been snacking on this! |
Monday this week supposedly marked the start of my new training program and getting back on a good meal plan. Goal in sight, to get lean again which means dropping about 2-4 kgs but more importantly lowering my body fat and maintaining muscle mass.
Confession:
You might note I said supposedly. Whilst I only decided on a training program (more on that in another post,) 5 minutes before I trained on Monday evening; this has been going fantastic so far. The meal plan that I have been umming and ahhing over since December, has been a little less successful!
I did all my usual food prep and planning on Sunday, but it appears that sometime during being totally sugar free I have developed a bad habit. What's this habit? The habit of "needing" to eat something else "little" after dinner. Yes I've developed a case of P.D.S (Post Dinner Snacking) and it has crept into my meal plan. I only just realised this morning, sitting on the bus that whilst P.D.S is really not on my meal plan, I've done it the last two nights! Seriously?! What am I doing?!
Now, sugar free means these snacks are hardly unhealthy but they are not conducive to keeping calories in check, serve no purpose of fueling my body and are purely useless, empty eating. So it will be something like homemade kefir & chia seed pudding with raw cacao and maybe some coconut flakes or soaked nuts or nut butter. Anything with some fat in it obviously seeing I can't have sugar still. Nourishing for sure, but seriously high calorie foods. This is an old food habit of mine that has reared it's ugly head again - so at least I know how to kick it in the ass. Or as you know I like making words and sayings up, I'm going to share with you how to Smack that Snack!
Ten Tips to Smack that Snack!
1. Be aware.
Honestly, this sounds rather simple and a little obvious, but it is normally the first thing that gets me! I just don't realise I'm snacking every night until I wonder why I've put on weight or am not sleeping well. If you aren't aware of what you are putting in your mouth, then you are in no position to make choices. So take the time to stop and look at what you are eating each day. For me, sometimes I will count calories and track my food on
MyFitnessPal.com to get me back to noticing.
2. Wait!
This one is pretty simple too. Next time you feel the urge to snack on something after dinner (or any time of day for that matter,) wait 20 minutes. Then see if you still want to eat something. Now I don't mean sit there for 20 minutes thinking about food! Most of the time you will find that the craving will subside.
3. Lock your fridge.
Seriously. Ok not seriously. But how about putting a little note on the fridge door, or pantry for yourself. Try "Are you really hungry?" or "Is eating going to help you reach your goals?" or "You look bored, not hungry!" etc... Don't forget to change this regularly or you will not notice it.
4. Drink water.
Sometimes we feel hungry when we are actually thirsty. In fact I'm thirsty right now. Ahh, much better! If I have a busy day or forget my water bottle at home (I hate that,) then I am often a bit dehydrated at night. I always try to go to bed hydrated so I don't wake up thirsty (although I generally wake up because I need to pee.) Get a big glass of refreshing water and sip away. Try adding fresh lemon or lime, some spearmint flavoured chlorophyll or even sparkling water for a special treat. You probably aren't drinking enough water anyway.
5. Time for tea.
Water a little boring for you? Fine, I'll never quite understand people who say that, but each to their own. I also love my teas for a little treat after dinner. Don't get caffeinated tea, stick to the herbal tea so you don't ruin your sleep. I seem to have acquired a good collection of delicious teas just for this reason. There are so many different flavours out there, some of my favourites are Yogi Teas (particularly Aztec Choco Spice), spearmint & peppermint, blueberry, chamomile, chai, vanilla chai, lemongrass, italian almond, lemon & ginger. It is very soothing sipping a hot drink. I particularly like making a pot of tea so I can pour it out into the cup, this action alone makes it feel more....eventful. If you are craving chocolate, try a few teaspoons of raw cacao or cocoa powder in hot water with some stevia or a teaspoon of honey (add a splash milk if you are so inclined.)
6. Brush those chompers.
This is a great trick I discovered last year. Brushing your teeth soon after dinner signals to your brain that you are getting ready for bed, winding down and have stopped eating for the day. Plus food really doesn't taste good after toothpaste has been in your mouth!
7. Distract yourself.
I often feel like eating if I'm bored. How bad is that?! But it's true, and pretty common too. It's called mindless eating and people have written books on the topic. So if you are finding that after dinner, you are watching tv and feeling the urge for something to nibble on (because tv isn't really that entertaining,) then try distracting yourself first. Go and do something that requires more focus like reading a book, go for a walk around the block, do some sit ups or squats in front of the tv, stretch and do some Yoga or foam roller that ITB, have a relaxing bath, do some ironing...ok don't iron, that's probably boring enough to make anyone hungry.
8. Try supplements.
If you are craving snacks or you are genuinely hungry, but are on a focused nutrition program for fat loss, then supplements can be useful in the short term. Or to help kick the habit. I don't think it is good to use them for the long term though, but once the habit is broken, it's much easier. I don't recommend appetite suppressants, but you could try something like Chromium Picolinate liquid, L-Glutamine, L-Carnitine or the herb Garcinia Cambogia.
(Please seek medical advice before taking any supplements.)
9. Find the real reason WHY.
This is the psychological side of it. Food for most people can hold a sort of emotional power, we can have preferences for foods from our childhood or associate other tastes with bad memories. Although there is physiological reasons for cravings, often if you break the mental association you are at least half way there. Think about if there is a real reason why you are eating. Are you fueling and nourishing your body or are you simply tired, stressed, a bit down or does that peanut butter jelly sandwich make you feel happy like kid?! Perhaps its something deeper but whatever the reason, find it and work on the cause of your snacking habit. For me, I have always loved food, cooking it, sharing it with others and eating it, but it took a good year of structured nutrition and educating myself that food is not primarily a source of pleasure. It used to personally offend me if I was told I couldn't eat something! Now I'm so used to not eating things (with meal plans, food intolerances and through healing my gut flora) that it rarely phases me. I've learned there are far more important things in life and my health is just one of them.
10. Go to bed!
There are a few side to this. The most obvious being that if you are asleep you aren't eating! I find that if I am up late (working, watching a movie or blogging about snacking,) after dinner I invariably crave something or feel hungry. The other important side to this is that when you are tired you hungrier. Ever noticed that after a few late nights? Those days when you eat and eat and are just constantly hungry? Well there is a reason for it. When you don't get enough sleep, your ghrelin levels become elevated. Ghrelin is a hormone created in the stomach to signal your brain to feel hungry; when elevated we are hungrier and as it drops we feel satiated. I like to call it the Ghrelin Gremlin. I'm going to let the science people explain this one clearly for you -
There are two main hormones involved with food consumption and appetite regulation, and they both dramatically change while the body is at rest.
The hormone leptin is immediately involved in the regulation of appetite and metabolism as well as the burning of calories. Put simply, leptin is the chemical that tells the brain when you're full, when it should burn calories and when it should create energy for the body to use. While asleep, leptin levels increase, signaling to the brain that there is enough energy available for use and there's no need for more food. When the body is sleep deprived though, the presence of leptin may have decreased significantly enough for the brain to think there's not enough energy present. This signals as the feeling of hunger, even though the need for food is not actually prevalent at that time. As a side effect, the calories ingested are stored as fat so that there will be energy when you next need it.
Ghrelin is a known appetite suppressor and is almost the complete opposite of leptin, telling your brain when to eat, when to stop burning calories, and when the body should store energy as fat. Unlike leptin, ghrelin levels decrease because sleeping exerts much less energy than being awake (unless you are one of those that like to sleepwalk I guess). A lack of sleep causes the buildup of too much ghrelin, and the body thinks it's hungry. If you act on this hunger, the body stops burning the calories and stores them as fat because it thinks there is an energy shortage.
source: http://www.science20.com/variety_tap/lack_exercise_causes_obesity_what_about_lack_sleep
I know for me personally, if I'm tired, I'm hungry. It doesn't mean I will necessarily eat, but the combination of tired and hungry (or the Hangrys) sure can make me pleasant to be around! I think we can all see the importance of getting enough quality sleep consistently now. More sleep + less Ghrelin Gremlins = less hungry & better fat burning.
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| nuts and seeds can be a good munchy snack |
A smarter Snack Attack.
If you MUST eat because you are actually hungry, working late or are not necessarily on a focused meal plan that is more flexible, there are some better choices and ones that should be avoided. I would suggest not allowing snacking every night, don't let the P.D.S monster become a habit!
1. Don't go crazy!
If you are going to have a snack, keep it as a snack. 100-200 calories should give a rough guide (depending upon your goals and weight of course.) If it's 20 almonds, then don't end up eating 40.
2. Don't have caffeine.
Great appetite suppressant, but not so great before bed. This will ruin your night's sleep. See above why we don't want that happening.
3. Don't have low fat or sugar free.
Your body doesn't recognise this artificial stuff and tries to clean it out which means you will absorb the horrible chemicals. If it's low fat, it's likely to be high in sugar. If it's sugar free, it's full of chemicals. If it's labelled low fat and/or sugar free, it's in a package and that means it's processed. Choose something real please. Don't even get me started on artificial sweeteners and low fat products.
4. Do have a some nuts.
Nuts are a great thing to fill you up without the extra carbohydrates, and they are delicious. Make sure they are soaked for at least 12 hours first to allow for easier digestion. You can eat them the next day soaked, or dehydrate them and store them longer. Watch your portion sizes and I wouldn't recommend nuts if you are trying to lower body fat as they are still high calorie. I like walnuts, macadamias, brazil nuts or almonds generally. Seeds would be ok too. Nut butters are delicious, but watch portion sizes 1-2 tablespoons will likely be plenty. You could mix with a little almond milk and use it as a dip for some cut up veggies or berries.
5. Do include protein.
Protein is great as again, it makes you feel fuller for longer. Low carb protein shakes (I use
Vital Protein only,) boiled eggs, omelettes or if you are ok with dairy then you could have a high protein greek/natural yoghurt or even cottage cheese. If you are cool with it, then have a little tin of tuna or some chicken breast. I would stay away from red meat at night as it is harder to digest and you want a few hours to do so before you hit the sack.
6. Do have a small hot chocolate.
I make hot chocolate with raw cacao or plain cocoa powder, a little stevia and sometimes a splash of almond milk. Note that cocoa/cacao have some levels of caffeine though so careful if you are sensitive.
7. Do have raw veggies or fruit.
Veggies are always our friend! Celery, capsicum or even carrot (a little high GI if you are watching the carb intake) are great crunchy snacks. Try making some roasted kale or spinach chips if you are craving crunchy savoury. Have a big green salad with a teaspoon of olive oil and sea salt if you are hungry. That's a good test to see if you are really are hungry, because I'm pretty sure most people won't eat a salad out of boredom (except me as I love salad.) Fruit depends on your goals, but I would say low sugar choices like strawberries, blueberries or raspberries.
8. Do count calories and macro balances!
Ok some people may not agree with counting calories or think it is obsessive, boring blah blah blah. That's ok, don't count the calories then. I personally find it useful to do so every now and then so I am always aware of what I'm consuming. Knowing the difference between a "handful" of almonds and 20g of almonds can make a difference to your calorie consumption over the day, week, month etc... Plus it just keeps that snack as a snack and stops you eating a second dinner.
