Weight Loss: Got a Snacking Problem?

So it's the same scenario again. You had to stay late at work. Your boss was a jerk. Traffic sucked. You didn't sleep great last night. Your package got lost. Your cellphone died. Your freaking hamster probably died too. You know the kind of days I'm talking about. You got your workout in anyway, you ate your precisely portioned pre-planned dinner, and you're proud of yourself. You should be, but are you out of the woods yet? If you're like many of us, when you're stressed your snacking instinct goes into overdrive. The primal urge burns inside you, and you declare a silent war on every edible cookie, doughnut, cracker, cake, etc. This is a war you've fought before, and this is a war you will win. By 'win', I mean lose. You hate yourself, you cry, you get stressed out, maybe you repeat it again tomorrow.

What can you do about it? Ideally, you want to get all that crap out of your house. Stop buying the cookies. Stop buying the doughnuts. Stop buying the ice cream. That iron discipline you imagine yourself developing, because you think that fitness model you saw on Instagram must have it, does not exist. At least, not in the way you probably think it does. Remember, roughly 98% of dieters fail. The accuracy of that number is disputed, but let's just agree that it's almost everyone. I think one of the biggest, if not the biggest reason for this, is because we resist our basic instincts and the instincts of our body instead of reaching a compromise and working around it.

What if you have a family or significant other who buys the stuff anyway? If you're a serial snacker like me, this has probably been a sticking point for you at one point or another. Probably as we speak. Whether you live alone and can make all the grocery decisions, or you share the pantry with others, the solution is still the same. Embrace the snacking monster within you. Yes, you read that correctly. I'm not going to suggest you learn better self-control or learn to manage your stress better. You should do that, but you're probably already trying hard at that if you're on a diet in the first place, and you'll struggle with that the rest of your life. Accept that your body's messages are correct, even when they aren't. Make them correct.

You've read this far, so now let's get into the good stuff:

You're going to fill your fridge with snacks. Yep. Next time your stomach says "I think you need to eat mo-" you're going to interrupt it and say "HELL YEAH LET'S DO THIS!!!". 

Here are my suggestions:

In general, just about any vegetable is going to be a safe bet. Eat them raw like I do, or steam them. Doesn't matter. We all have our particular likes and dislikes when it comes to vegetables, so do your research. You're looking for super low calorie options. Ideally you're looking at calories so low that your body burns that much or more just to process what you're eating. You want to achieve as close as you can to a net zero calorie input. Fiber is a big plus in that regard. Fiber is generally always net zero, and anything eaten with fiber is passed more quickly through your system, meaning you absorb far less of the nutritional content. This is why you should never take your medicines or supplements with your fiber. Take them a couple of hours before or after you eat a high amount of fiber if possible. 

Calories below are close approximations.

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186 calories for a POUND of baby carrots. You can find these just about anywhere in one pound bags for a couple of dollars. Roughly half that nutritional content in carrots is fiber. You like to gorge until your stomach hurts? Go for it, with a smile on your face, you savage.

151 calories for a POUND of broccoli. Yes, our big boy pants are still on. Over half of broccoli is fiber. Steam it. Salt it. Don't salt it. Eat it raw. It's commonly understood that broccoli is a net zero food. You can eat as much as you want. Don't hold back.

113 calories for a pound of cauliflower. I'm not going to bold it anymore. You get the picture. Almost half of cauliflower is fiber. This is one of my favorite vegetables to eat raw.

My personal favorite, with some caveats, are dill pickles or "no sugar added" sweet gherkins depending upon your taste. If you have any health problems that make you vulnerable to salt, stay away from this one. If you have a tight budget, this one can get expensive at 2-3 USD per small jar. Barring those two obstacles:

Roughly 0 calories. Let's consider what it takes to burn zero calories. That was fast, the answer is: not a damn thing. You burned more than that moving your eyes to read this. Congratulations.

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These aren't the only foods that fit the criteria. Consider celery, greens, cucumber, and a host of other things. Google the calorie content and pay attention to the fiber composition in the nutritional value.

These snacks are intended to be combined with a high protein, low calorie diet. Get your protein in first, preferably from meat source for sake of simplicity. If you're vegan, keep in mind that most plant-based sources of protein suck for absorption. Consider a plant-based protein supplement like Optimum Nutrition's 100% Plant to get you what you need, especially if you're a guy looking to build muscle and/or preserve muscle gains.

I can always go into more details about that in another article. What topic would you like to hear about next?