TT# 9: How to Snack Less + Master the "Snap Back"
Happy Thursday Team!
Today at a glance -
A simple strategy if you struggle with snacking + how to get back on track with your fitness goals after a break/holiday.
The purpose of snacking, theoretically, is to solve a problem.
The problem of hunger.
So it’s crazy to me when I see people snacking on things that have 0 chance of doing that.
Crackers, chips, chocolates, and nuts (yes, nuts) are terrible snack ideas.
You can eat pounds of this stuff and not feel full.
If you need a snack, the food you choose should solve the problem you’re trying to solve: it should make you full.
Simple guidelines for snack foods:
Protein and/or Fruit
Protein does make you full, and protein is also awesome for many other reasons I frequently ramble on about such as that it builds lean mass, boosts metabolism, and supports immune functioning.
But for our purposes here, protein will satisfy your hunger.
Fairlife shakes
Beef Jerky
Light cheese sticks
Tuna
Sardines
Turkey
Greek Yogurt
Hard-boiled egg
Those are a few examples of snacks that would actually solve your (hunger) problem.
The other option is fruit because fruit has fiber.
Fiber also makes you full.
Most fruits have a low energy density, meaning you can eat a lot of volume without the calories adding up, making them a great tool for hunger.
A snack should be protein and/or fruit.
None of this empty carb nonsense.
Eat Bigger Meals
I don’t snack much.
I never really want to snack because I don’t get hungry.
I don’t get hungry because I eat 4 high-protein meals per day.
I typically eat a combination of eggs + egg whites in the morning.
It seems like a lot, but 3 eggs + 125g egg white + 20g cheddar cheese is less than 400 calories and has over 40g of protein.
And it will make you full.
The secret to killing the snacking urge is to eat high protein high volume meals, so you can eat large, satisfying meals without adding a ton of calories. But these meals will keep you full.
A few weeks ago I talked about how Eating more to lose fat really works, and I mainly focused on the benefits of keeping energy levels high and avoiding crash dieting. But food choices matter a ton here.
You will be shocked at the volume of lean protein + veggies you can eat while still keeping calories relatively low. Adding more of these to your diet will reduce your snack cravings.
Change Your State
Here’s another benefit of choosing protein/and or fruit for your snack: it may show you that you don’t want a snack.
If you “want a snack” but have no interest in a Greek Yogurt Cup, 1 light BabyBel, and an orange (this is a solid snack), then it means you are not hungry.
You want the chocolate/crackers/cookie not because you’re hungry, but because you want distraction.
You don’t need a snack at all.
If you’re genuinely hungry, you’ll have no problem with protein or fruit.
If you recognize this, you can do something about it.
You can slam a large glass of water or choose a 0-calorie beverage (tea, coffee, or a fizzy drink).
You could go for a short walk, or do some pushups to change your state.
Movement is the best cure for this.
A change in physical state nearly always works.
Come up with a list of movement ideas that are realistic for you to do in your work environment.
Stretch breaks, short walks, body squats, or just getting outside for a minute can all work well.
3 step strategy to snack less:
Eat large meals with lean protein and foods with low-energy density (whole grains, veggies, fruits)
Follow the protein and/or fruit rule for snacks
Recognize when you don’t actually want a snack and are just feeling bored/ existential angst
On Getting Back on Track: The Snap Back
I had a call with a client the other day who admitted to falling off track a little bit.
Everything had been going swimmingly until Thanksgiving.
But then 4 days of eating a lot and getting off schedule happened, and then it was hard to get back on track, and then work got busy, and….
This is honestly the fate of most people’s fitness goals. It’s going well until something throws off their routine. A vacation, a holiday, a busy season, it can be anything.
But then they fall off, struggle to get back to a system, and then a few weeks later they’re back to square one.
Most people repeat a version of this cycle for years.
Fortunately, when you have a coach, you have someone who doesn’t let you fully fall off.
We got on a call and locked in our strategy to get back on track, and I’m following up with him daily while we get back on it.
If you don’t have a coach, the next best thing is mastering the snapback.
The snapback is when you recognize a period of life is going to throw off your routine, you accept it, but you pick a date when you will snap back into your routine.
Picking a pre-determined date to snap back into your routine holds you accountable to yourself and helps you stay on track.
My client and I created a game plan for this for the next life curveball: Christmas.
We decided that the 24th, 25th, and 26th are going to be days off. Spending time with the fam, enjoying good food, no worries.
But the 27th is our snap-back day.
That’s when we’re back on it with the set of habits.
I’d encourage you to pick a snap-back day for your holiday.
Choose a few days to relax a bit, but then pick the day when you’re going to get back to your routine.
This isn’t just for holidays. It applies to any event in life that threatens to throw off your routine.
The biggest difference between people who stay fit and those who struggle is consistency.
I know it’s cliche to talk about consistency, but it’s the truth.
Developing the ability to have a change-up in your routine and then snap back into the zone is a crucial skill to develop.
When you’re ready, here’s how I can help:
If you want help with a custom solution to get you in incredible shape that works with your life, book a free strategy call to see what that could look like:
Peruse the free programs I offer and see if any look good to you:
2 Hours Per Week
Upper / Lower Split
Dumbbell Only Home Workout
Resistance band-only Home Workout
(free when you subscribe)
Pick up 70 High Protein Recipes (reg $29) for just $10 with code THRIVE at checkout