Snacks!

I don't know about you, but I love snacks. I'm not into sweets; I prefer savoury snacks like popcorn or tortilla chips and salsa. My mom is a champion snack food maker - she does lovely stuff like guacamole, cheese dip, and chicken wings. I've inherited this from her and love to make all kinds of dips and things like that.

Cutting out snacks was very difficult for me. I love crunchy snacks so I tried eating rice cakes. Three medium rice cakes are only 1 Weight Watchers point which is great, but I usually would start eating them and not stop until the entire pack was gone. I know they're relatively low in fat but a whole pack of them is about 500 calories! I had to nip that in the bud.

One of the easiest ways I found to do this was firstly, to only take about 4 out of a pack and take only those 4 to work. I was guaranteed not to overeat. I eventually just stopped buying them. I get small 35 gram packs of popcorn which is low in fat and calories and satisfies my salt craving. I allow myself one per day in the afternoon before I go to the gym.

I recently got some advice on snacking as well that has helped me immensely and I hope it will help you too. Firstly, you should know that I am an emotional eater. When I'm feeling stressed or upset I feel like I need to eat something. I was told that if I ever feel that way that I should tell myself, "Ok, I'll wait 30 minutes and if after 30 minutes I still really want that snack, I'll just go and get it." This worked very well for me. I almost always found that after 30 minutes, I didn't want whatever it was I was craving anymore.

I still make guacamole as well but use low-fat sour cream. My mom actually suggested low fat natural yogurt as well which I will try next. Instead of dipping tortilla chips in it, I make myself a nice salad and use it as a topping. It's wonderful!

Of course, you're not always going to find a suitable substitute for something you really crave. My advice is, if you want it, just have it! Once in a while it's ok to have something you want. I have found that by doing this, it helps keep me on the right track because I don't feel so deprived. I know I can have what I want, even if it's just a smaller amount. If I go completely off track, I know that I have a chance to start over again tomorrow and I don't obsess about it.

Some nice snack options -

Rice cakes with low fat cream cheese
Pickles
Carrot sticks
Veggies with low fat hummus
Popcorn (in moderation - you can get light versions of microwave popcorn, about 6 WW pts)
Fruit

Feel free to send on any more suggestions or comments!