Have you ever had a great day of healthy eating, only to come home and suddenly find yourself scooping every last crumb at the bottom of a doritos bag? Are you stuck in a place where you feel like you know what to eat at mealtime, but just cannot quit snacking? If you feel like snacking is ruining all your progress, or preventing you from making any progress at all, this post is for you. Please don’t jump around in this post like you do from snack to snack. Stay with me here from start to finish and read the whole damn thing.

{Disclaimer: I would like to make it clear that I am a registered nurse and certified personal trainer. It is out of my scope of practice to give advice or guidance on eating disorders. If you struggle with an eating disorder, I am so sorry for what you are battling. By all means you are still welcome to read this article, but this piece is not meant to be advise for anybody struggling with an E.D. I encourage you to reach out to your primary health care professional and request an appoitment with someone who specializes in E.D. treatment.}

Did you see the picture of me with all those snacks? Tostitos, cheetos, coffee cakes, ice cream, fritos, and a hershey bar which I consumed in it’s entirety after taking the picture. The point is, I eat all of these items. Surprise! In this post I am not going to tell you to stop snacking. That’s right. I’m not telling you to quit snacking. Anybody who tells you that you need to stop snacking to reach your goals is wrong. I love snacks, and if you’re here, so do you. I’m happy to tell you that you do not need to stop snacking in order to lose weight, get toned, and feel like a sexy unicorn.

What I am going to do in this post is teach you how to snack better. Snack smarter, not harder. When people tell me that snacking is their biggest problem, there’s always one common theme: you believe it is out of your control. How many times have you said to yourself in complete discouragement and frustration; ” I cannot stop snacking “. So let’s address this first. Yes you can. I will not be telling you to quit snacking, but I want to make it clear that if that was the answer – you would be capabale of doing so. You might not be happy about it, but you can. The processed sugar foods we love to snack on are not a requirement for our survival believe it or not. So yes, you could quit snacking if you needed to. And if you’re shaking your head, you’re only confirming the main issue at hand. You must honestly believe you are capabale of controlling how you snack. If you do not believe this, you will continue to let the demons in your head win. Sit down. Journal. Talk to yourself in the mirror. Whatever you need to do to get yourself to honestly believe it. The snacks do not control you. You have power over what you put in your body. You are capable of feeling confident about your ability to enjoy your favorite foods while still reaching your health and fitness goals.

So how can you snack and still make progress with your health and fitness? I want to give a shout-out to one of my online coaching clients Jueliette Noone. Juliette came to me for one-on-one nutrition coaching. She wanted to lose weight. Snacking was her biggest obstacle. She complained of being constantly hungry, turning to food to cope with stress, and frequently eating to the point of feeling overly stuffed and bloated.

As I am writing this post, Juliette has just completed her 3rd week of nutrition coaching. She has been doing an absolutely amazing job following her nutrition guide; she is tracking her calories, protein, and fiber. Managing all of this so incredible well has lead her to losing over 6lbs in the last 3 weeks!!! She has not quit snacking. So what has she done?

I asked her on our phone call this week what advice she had for people struggling with snacking getting in the way of their goals. She told me she gives herself 2-3 snacks a day, rather than the 5-6 times she would mindlessly snack throughout the day before. She consumes the recommended serving sizes on packages so that she knows how many calories she’s spending on the snacks. This leads her to consuming less so that she can stick to her calorie deficit. She also mentioned that by eating less, she slows down and makes an intentional effort to enjoy the snack more. And by follow the suggestions in her nutrition guide to help her increase her daily protein and fiber, she is feeling more full during the day with less desire for snacks in general. She feels held accountable through coaching not to let her snacking be the killer of her goals. Looking for new snacks with less calories was another tip she gave. We agreed popcorn is a personal favorite low calorie snack for both of us. One of the biggest takeaways I want you to walk away from here is that Juliette is not depriving herself of her favorite snacks. She even told me one night she made the choice to go over her deficit because she wanted a late night snack. The ability for her to make this choice knowing it would not ruin her progress is incredible. The same is true for you. As long as you get back on track, you cannot fail.

I hope this article helped you learn some tips and tricks for snacking while reaching your health and fitness goals. Holding yourself accountable is hard. But if you stick to your calorie deicit you will lose weight. Your calorie deficit might be 1,400 / day. You could eat 1,400 worth of snacks as your days worth of eating and still lose weight. Hopefully you pick up on my satire. I don’t recommend this, but I’m trying to make a point. Make a plan for your snacking. Stick to it. Eat in a calorie deficit if you have a weight loss goal. Prioritize your protein. Hit your recommended daily fiber intake. I’m not saying it’s easy. But I know you’re capable. Remember, the snacks don’t control you. You’ve got the power.

Now go get after it, and enjoy some chips and dip along the way.

Meg xx