Snacking - need accountability to not do it!

#1

Hi everyone,

I need to stop snacking! I work from home most days and basically wander into the kitchen every few hours -more if I’m bored or procrastinating - and stick something into my mouth. (Dark chocolate, nuts, dark chocolate, cheese, dark chocolate… I really like chocolate!). For all sorts of reasons, I really should stop doing this.

My plan: I’m doing the upcoming ZornFast, and after that, no more snacking. I’ll come back here to post a specific plan and then hope to update regularly for accountability. If anyone has suggestions or stories, I’m all ears.

Mods, if this is not an appropriate thread (or place for the thread) then just let me know. I’m not familiar enough with the forum to really know my way around yet.

Background if anyone’s curious: I’ve been Paleo/Primal for a while (sometimes lowcarb, sometimes not, but no grains for several years now, and I love the quality of my food - vegetables, meats, fats, fish, nuts - and overall love how I feel). I could lose a few inches here and there but have always been at a normal weight and seem to have good glucose control. I found 2KD through Fasting Talk and I’ve really enjoyed the podcasts that I’ve heard (I’m still catching up). At the moment, I’m probably not quite LC enough to be in ketosis but I’m getting more curious about it by the day and I’m very much enjoying my time reading through the forum. It’s a great group of people!

(KetoCowboy) #2

Howdy Madeleine,

I know a lot of people recommend snacking on pure fat (a spoon of coconut oil or pat of butter) as they struggle to break the snacking habit.

But since any caloric intake (even pure fat) spikes insulin, I find it more effective to quell my snack cravings with a shot of apple cider vinegar or a bit of salt poured directly onto my tongue. The latter suggestion comes from Megan Ramos but is heartily endorsed by @carl IIRC.

I have had a 2-hour eating window each day (6:30 - 8:30 p.m.) for months now, and I’m pretty much over my snacking habit.

For me, eating is like sugar. The more I eat, the more I want to eat. The less snacking I do, the less inclined I am to snack.

Hope that helps.

(Jennifer) #3

I think IF is the best way to contain snacking. I also don’t do artificial sweeteners outside my IF windows because they can be a trigger for me.

#4

Thank you both! It’s a pretty strong habit - not scary compulsive but also not something that I’ve easily been able to break before.
I’ve done shorter and longer fasts so I can definitely go without food for an extended time, but somehow when I am eating I kind of auto-graze.
Anyway, I love ACV in water and I can avoid artificial sweeteners so I can put both of those to work.

#5

Perhaps there’s an app that can help you with breaking bad habits? Like one designed to help you quit smoking.

#6

Thanks, Carol. I might look for one but I also just need to post publicly about it, I think (thus this thread). I used TinyHabits for building some nice habits - would highly recommend that - but trying to NOT doing something is a little trickier (for me) to get a handle on.

(G. Andrew Duthie) #7

Yep. Good point.

Even eating keto stuff, I sometimes fall into the snacking trap (stopped buying macadamia nuts for just this reason). I can totally eat pork rinds/cracklins all day long if I am not intentional about when I eat. And the result for me is that I slowly see my weight creep up.

IF is one way to be intentional, and to reduce the amount of time your body is producing insulin.

(Siobhan) #8

I agree with ACV and salt - directly on the tongue. Easier to replace a habit than stop one.

#9

Thank you, all! Ok, so here’s the plan: ZornFast this coming week. I’ll be starting either Weds or Thursday, and when I break it (I’m planning on 5-7 days but I’ll see how I’m feeling), no more snacking. For me, from here on in, eating will be at a meal, sitting at a table.

I think step 1 if I find myself in the kitchen between meals is just to take a deep breath to make sure I’m paying attention :slight_smile: and then (step 2) if I can’t quite get myself to turn around and walk out, I’ll make a glass of water + ACV.

I’ll come back to this thread to let you all know how I’m doing.

Again, thank you for your suggestions!

#10

I just finished a wonderful 5-day fast and today is day 1 of no snacking. I’m comfortable with IF but right now will happily feast 3x/day (or to satiety) as long as I don’t eat between those times. If I end up moving to 2x/day that’s fine, but right now I’m going to make things as comfy as possible as I tackle this challenge.

I have pretty much ALWAYS snacked, and in times of high stress I just kind of eat all the time (often in place of meals). I’m pretty happy with my weight - if 10lbs slipped off that would be a nice bonus but I also like my body just fine as it is :slight_smile: -but at this point I’ve read so much about insulin that I would really like to get a handle on the snacking. Also as I experiment more with fasting I think it’s really important that my eating days are full of good, nutrient-rich foods and that I enjoy eating them! (Mindless eating seems kind of … I don’t know, disrespectful? of the food, of myself…)

(Kristin Rogers) #11

I like this idea!
Reminds me of one of the few helpful things my mom ever said to me about food/diet - pushing back against the idea that if you don’t clean your plate that you are wasting food - she said if you eat food that your body doesn’t need, that is a waste of the food as well.

I try to be respectful of the value of food, in part by trying not to buy more than my family can use. Even if I can afford the $$ wasted, it feels disrespectful of people who can’t afford that waste. And just a fundamental wastefulness.

Ok, that’s my food based soapbox…

(KetoCowboy) #12

I look forward to seeing your progress.

You have to find the way that works for you, so the purpose of this reply isn’t to persuade you to have just one meal a day, but to explain why that method turned out to be EASIER for me than having 2 (or more) meals per day.

My own response to an insulin crash is always sagging energy and surging appetite. It’s like clockwork. 3 1/2 hours after eating, I’m hungry and tired.

So if I have breakfast, I’m hungry for lunch sooner than I would be if I skipped breakfast. If I have lunch, I’m hungry for dinner sooner than I would be if I skipped it.

By finishing my one meal a day around 8:30 p.m. and going to bed at 11, I usually manage to be asleep before the insulin crash hits. The next morning, I wake up burning fat. I don’t get hungry or tired during the day UNLESS I eat something.

I then eat my one meal between 6:30 and 8:30.I eat until I am sated, get to bed by 11, and repeat.

You know how Tim Noakes has learned not to want carbs anymore?

I’ve learned not to want snacks because each day I live without them only re-enforces the lesson of how mood swingy and energy swingy I am when I have them.

#13

Thank you!

I don’t do well if I feel any sense of restriction around food, so as I get used to not snacking I’m going to be pretty indulgent with my meals (and fortunately right now I don’t seem to have big sugar/insulin swings in the hours after eating). But I’ll keep a link to your post; once not snacking is second nature to me I think I can start to play around more with IF and tweak my meal timing, and it’s helpful to hear your experience.

(KetoCowboy) #14

Good idea not to feel restricted. That may be the most appealing thing about keto–the sense of never being deprived.

#15

Day one with no snacking: done!

#16

Day two with no snacking: check :slight_smile:

So far the approach that I’ve taken is to make my meals almost ridiculously indulgent in part so that I can’t possibly be hungry between them but mostly to make sure that I don’t get stuck in a feeling of constriction or deprivation. Also, since I’m just coming out of a fast it’s nice to feast!

#17

Day 3 with no snacking was yesterday, and I’m almost through day 4. Today was a bit tougher - different work rhythm, and right about now is when I would usually fall face-first into the fridge and cabinet, so I’m checking in instead.

#18

Well done! You can do this, no question. Some salt in your mouth and water… you’ll be good as new!
Or a bit of ACV in water… or both :slight_smile:

(Carpe salata!) #19

Ok … I’m on holiday in Alaska and I ate a reindeer corndog.

1 hour later, lethargic slow and sleepy. Keto, save me. :slight_smile:

(770fd3dc0abb54bcd7e7) #20

Just adding… took a helicopter flight over the Alaska glaciers , didn’t have to pay the >240 lb $100 weight-surcharge.

Thank you KETO !