Snacking can help some people lose weight (by keeping the metabolism going) while it can completely derail others. I am a nighttime snacker, reaching for things like goldfish or string cheese while watching TV with my family either out of habit, boredom or to satisfy my salty tooth. Unfortunately, my snacking has nothing to do with actual hunger, and helps to keep that extra ten pounds of baby weight on (even years after having the baby).
Obesity specialist Dr. Primack shared the most life-changing rule of thumb for snacking that guarantees to shift the way you think about snacking in a way that could have a meaningful change on achieving your weight loss goals. Without further ado:
Head Hungry vs. Body Hungry
“The first key point is to figure out if you are head hungry or true hungry (body) hungry,” Craig Primack MD, FACP, FAAP, FOMA and Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine tells us.
“The joke is that if you are truly hungry, you would even eat peas,” he remarks. “All other hunger is head hunger.” Wow–that is a life-changing rule of thumb!
“If you are truly hungry, we need to figure out if you are fueling yourself properly during the normal meals that you are eating.” This would involve looking at your food intake and determining whether the right amount of filling foods such as fiber and whole grains are contained in your meals.
“If its head hunger, its a very specific hunger for a particular food,” he explains. This can often be triggered by seeing a food commercial on TV, for example. Other factors that can contribute may be boredom, stress or even thirst (might be time to drink a glass of water!). This type of hunger should be managed, Dr. Primack suggests.
Eat Approved Snacks
If you are body hungry and are looking for a healthy snack, Dr. Primack suggests this list of low-calorie, filling foods:
A green salad with dressing on the side, celery with salsa, cucumbers, dill pickles, a handful of carrots, roasted vegetables (broccoli and cauliflower for example, cooked with olive oil spray), kale chips, greek yogurt and cottage cheese.
