How to Snack Without Getting Fat

Did you know that when you are on a diet, if you eat something and no one sees you - it doesn't contain any calories! Of course that's not true...but it is how many of us think! Learn how to beat the hunger pains between meals.

Are you a secret snacker? Do you eat when you are bored, upset, angry? Does every day mean a chocolate bar for you? Snacking...the secret sins of most people wanting to lose weight.

As a wellness mentor I find that people are often feeling so guilty about snacking they are embarrassed to talk about it openly. Women in particular laugh nervously when I ask them what happens to their food consumption around 4pm. This often is the time of the day when the "Snack Monster" rises up and takes control of them! Often these women berate themselves with ideas about being weak and out of control. They either eventually give up on their diet altogether or develop counter thoughts so they don't feel so bad. "It didn't really matter - it is fat free". Or, "if no one notices, the calories don't count".

Your diet does not have to be like this.

You can lose weight without being hungry. You can learn to take control of the "Snack Monster" and your program can be one to set you up for success, not failure.

An important key is to learn how to recognize what your body requires, the signals it gives you, and learn how to respond to those signals appropriately - diet and guilt are two words that do not belong together.

Hunger is the body's way of telling us we need to replenish depleted nutrients. Unfortunately our body can't say "I need more vitamin D". That would make things so easy! Many of us interpret hunger pains as our body saying "I need more fat", "I need more sugar".

The keys to healthy snacking are:

1. Know what foods to avoid, and

2. Planning - get yourself organized.

What is a healthy snack? One that contains little or no sugar, little or no salt (sodium), no white flour and no saturated fat. Check the food labels to see what is inside. Many foods are now labeled 'fat free' but are laden with sugars and will still cause an influx of calories. Do not assume that 'fat free' means healthy! Western societies are eating more and more fat free foods, and yet obesity levels are rising faster than ever.

Healthy snacks do not live in a vending machine.

Here are some healthy snack ideas.

· Raw vegetables, such as celery, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, green pepper, green beans, cucumbers, mushrooms or zucchini may be served with a lowfat dip.

· Fresh fruit in season.

· Low fat quick breads and muffins, such as pumpkin, zucchini, banana or bran.

· Non-sugared cereals, snack mixes made with popcorn and whole grain cereal.

· Low fat yogurt with fresh, frozen or canned fruit.

· Shakes with low fat milk or yogurt and fruit.

· A few squirts of butter-flavored spray and a sprinkle of garlic or onion powder on popcorn

Organize yourself to stay on track.

. Plan to have a small snack mid morning and mid afternoon. It is much better to curb your hunger than to starve yourself.

. Plan your snacks as part of your overall daily food plan.

. Organize your week - especially if you work outside the home. Write a list of snacks for the entire week and make sure you shop ahead. Buy enough to last the whole week.

. Buy a variety of healthy snacks so you don't get bored.

Studies show that people who have a healthy intake of food in four of five episodes throughout the day are less prone to obesity than those who eat three or less times during the day.

Snacking CAN be good for you!

(c) Copyright Kim Beardsmore

Kim Beardsmore M.B.A., B.Sc. is a writer for the weight loss, health & fitness website Weight Loss Health. For reliable information and resources free from hype, visit Weight Loss & Health Information

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3 Answers When Using Green Smoothies to Lose Weight

Exactly how much weight can I drop consuming green smoothies?

That will be based on a few factors. If you need to get rid of a speedy 5 lbs. or so quickly, it's definitely practical to drink green smoothies throughout the day - morning meal, lunch, bed time snack - and consider a reduced fat but yummie salad with chicken breast for dinner. Add in a regular walk and you ought to realize that goal very swiftly.

If you posses a loftier idea to drop a hundred pounds or so, that too can be expected by enjoying green smoothies, however you will want to account for all the high-calorie, minimal nutritional food that is eaten. I shed forty-five pounds in four months and never had to starve myself.

How can anything so simple help me to lose so much body weight?

There are several reasons why a diet filled with green smoothies will help one to shed weight.

One - A usual quart serving of green smoothie has 250 to 400 calories but is jammed with nutritional ingredients. Having just two quarts of smoothies each and every day will only be a few hundred calories, yet will fill you up.

Two - Virtually all meals we eat in the course of a typical day have significant calories yet minimal nutrition. They tend to be loaded with sugars and various other manufactured, nasty chemicals which our body was never made to break down in the significant amounts we give it. We are overfed and under nourished.

Whenever we give our body those things it truly desires from live foods, it remains satisfied for a greater period of time during the day. Drinking a smoothie rather than a processed snack during that mid-day craving will go a long way toward keeping your body fed while getting rid of pounds.

Three - Whenever we introduce green smoothies into our diet and lifestyle, our body will start to function as it was designed. It doesn't have to waste all its energy having to breakdown the gunk just crammed into it at dinner time. It can begin to get rid of additional fat and harmful toxins that have been stored for years.

You will find yourself wanting healthier foods instead of junk. Foods you did not realize you liked will suddenly be delicious.

A green smoothie can definitely take the place of that McDeath morning meal or caffeinated drink and sugary muffin on the way to a job.

What are some suggestions to help me personally shed weight with green smoothies?

Here are three ideas:

1 - keep away from using processed fruit juice or dairy to use as the starting point for your smoothie. They contain manufactured ingredients and sugars. Using water works well and has zero calories.

2 - blend your smoothies and bring them to work for a snacks. Additionally, bring a few cut mango, peaches, and orange or cherries to snack on instead of that processed or fattening snack.

3 - you may initially feel worse the first week drinking green smoothies. Your body will go through withdrawal symptoms from processed sugar and you could even encounter headaches and loss of energy as it eliminates the nasty toxins stored for many years. This is not out of the ordinary so be ready for it.

There are many other health benefits accompanied with green smoothies. Your skin will restore that healthy glow it maintained during your youth, you'll more than likely sleep much better, and you will notice a decrease in your stress levels.

I am amazed at what green smoothies have done for me in just one year of drinking them. You'll feel pleasantly surprised as well. For more information on the health benefits of smoothies as well as the best smoothie maker information, visit SmoothieMakersHQ.com.

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