Snacking

Ok I know snakcing/grazing can be HORRIBLE!!!  But right now that is all I want to do.  What are somethings that are some what ok to snack on??  I know beef jerky but what else?
Heather

I've been doing turkey pastrami and LF cheese roll ups recently.  I also like cottage cheese with a variety of different things mixed in.  One thing that I find often helps me as well is to drink something warm (tea or coffee) when I want to snack first.  Often that takes away the snacking urge (for a while anyway).

Debbi

Thanks fo rthe ideas Debbi.  I haven't heard of turkey pastrami, I love turkey pepperoni.
Heather

Turkey pastrami is the bomb!! And I don't like turkey!! Piece of marble rye bread,turkey pastrami, provolone cheese run it under the broiler...yummo!!!
Meggie

I will add cheese and almonds.  Crystal Light also has a strawberry bannana, hunger control mix with protien (5 grams).  You're doing awesome, keep up on workin' that tool!

Quite honestly, don't be afraid of snacking. It's not the end of the world. What you need to do is make sure your want for a snack is from pure physical hunger - and not from boredom, loneliness, fatigue, or just wanting to eat! Head hunger is killer. Pure physical hunger is a sign of your body needing something. So listen to that bod of yours - it won't lead you astray. Your brain on the other hand - watch out. LOL! 

Healthy snacks to keep on hand are protein rich and/or complex carb heavy. Not simple carb heavy. Doritos ain't gonna get the job done (unless you're dealing with head hunger - then it's the perfect snack food - LOL). What I did when I was early out like you are was keep 4-8 ounces of chicken in the fridge. When I was what I considered hungry, I allowed myself as much chicken as I could get in with a smidge of italian dressing on it. That's it. Because of the density of chicken, I could only get so much in, it's low in calories, and would make me feel sated. Guess what? I learned I wasn't that hungry. When the thought of eating chicken made my stomach turn because a serving of crackers sounded better, I knew it was head hunger. True physical hunger will make you eat anything because you're that hungry. Head hunger wants specific tastes and usually shows up to fill a need (usually boredom for me). It was just a little trick I did on my head.

Great snacks to keep on hand are mozzy cheese sticks, raw almonds, raw walnuts, raw sunflower seeds, protein shakes, cottage cheese, yogurt, fiber bar, protein bar, chicken salad, tuna salad, celery and carrots in ranch dressing, apples, strawberries, blueberries, smoothies made out of berries and yogurt, and decaf iced coffee with calorie countdown milk and SF syrups. I recently started making a pot of chicken chili that really hits the spot when I feel ravenous. Chicken breast, kidney beans, chili beans, black beans, onion, yellow peppers, celery, chicken stock - and any other veggie I can come up with. I heat it up for a couple mins and have a protein and fiber rich food just ready to fill me up. And it's tasty too! Just get creative. And don't be afraid of true physical hunger!

Thanks so much Jenny.  That is alot of help, I am afraid most the time it is mind hunger and I have to say NO..  I can't wait to try that chicken chili.
Heather

I always keep popsicles, frozen protein drinks and fudgesicles for "sweet" and carrots and radishes for "crunch".  I also have a "snack basket" with ziplocs that contain approx 100 calorie snacks:  trail mix, popcorn/trash mix, chocolate animal cookies, nuts, etc.  That way I can grab one as I run out the door.

Thanks Stephhanie,
Good idea about keeping the ziploc baggies handy.
Heather

I needed to increase iron in my diet and was craving crunchy stuff, so I did some research and have been eating 1 cup of dry cherrios daily.  Satisfies both requirements and feels like I'm eating something bad!   But, I'm not :)