[Jr_Bullit]

I need some ideas/thoughts or something....

Dunno if anyone else is like me, but after lunch I get the worst of my "snack" cravings, it's always for either sweet or salty, predominantly sweet.

My boss keeps baskets of chocolates around the office (along with gourmet coffee and stuff...their way of keeping us IT geeks alert I guess). In college I developed a mild allergy to inexpensive chocolates...you know the types, M&Ms, Hershey Bars...etc....well the allergy was never Horrible, I could always eat a little and stave off my afternoon sweet attacks.

Well...the past few months I've been working hard to try and eliminate the cravings...the doc said to eat 6-8 small meals a day instead of 3 big meals...so basically every hour and a half at work I eat something small....well into the afternoons...but like clock work at 1pm I'm walking past the chocolate basket and eyeing it like a recently escaped prisoner trying to figure out how to lift a few pieces. Unfortunately, any caving at this point, like one of those small itty bitty hershey pieces (you know how you buy the bag of small pieces) sends my tummy into knots and I'm miserable for an hour...

So...the obvious answer...NO more chocolate...but then comes the...well then 'what' can I eat. apples/oranges/grapes sweets like that don't cut the desire for something bad. Rice cakes...nah, they just make me eye the basket more...starvation method works kind of...but I still find my fingers itching to get in there...

So I'm looking for snack ideas...what do you eat to beat the cravings? Bananas don't seem to help much...and it can't be a lot of food because my day gets over so soon I tend to eat dinner around 5pm during the work week...

Thoughts? Ideas?

 

[Snacks]

I get bad cravings after lunch too, and the office is loaded with bad sweats!!!

I usually brush my teeth right after lunch....to get that nice clean feeling, and I pop in a piece of gum. It helps, but not always

 

[Tenchiro]

For me it is beef jerky, the second greatest wonder of the culinary world after the sandwich. A little bit goes a long way, it's tasty, and at least partially(?) good for you.

 

[Snacks]

Oh...I forgot. I have found what foods/moods set off my cravings, so for the most part I try not to eat those foods when I'm really trying to watch what I'm eating.

 

[Jr_Bullit]

No can do on the gum...customer service means no smacking on the phone...sounds unprofessional .

Jerky might work...I've found that with a slightly higher protein level my "munchies" go away some...and that's worked quite a bit...though the moment I start it's the slippery slope for me...lol

I'll see what I can find when I hit the stores tonight that maybe is a little more protein and...I dunno..it's like I gotta cut my way too healthy diet wtih naughty stuff every now and then or something...

 

[Bonk]

My favorite snack is hamburger slice pickles on rye! Mmmm.... I know, I'm weird. Pickles are a good nutritionless filler snack. I'm on my special diet here, so I'm also learning to master "cheating" without really "cheating". I also like to sneak in Triscuts...maybe with some spinich dip (which probably isn't healthy) if it's around. You could also try drinking (more?) water consistently throughout the day to keep the cravings away. I drink about 96oz. a day (but also take in A LOT of Whey protien each day).

 

[Fathead]

My snacks are tuna, yogurt, salads, pretzels (very lo fat, a little protein), apples, oranges.

Some people dig carrots or celery sticks. A little too rabbity for me.

 

[Bonk]

Originally posted by Fathead
My snacks are tuna, yogurt, salads, pretzels (very lo fat, a little protein), apples, oranges.

Some people dig carrots or celery sticks. A little too rabbity for me.

Green apples are the best for you. How about Ants on a Log? Sure peanut butter is a bit fatty, but it's not like you'd use too much for that. Also, how about Low Fat Cottage cheese with some fruit?

 

[bbmj]

Just a note on the peanut butter, use natural/organic peanut butter, normal peanut butter is filled with trans fatty acids, which are no good. But natural peanut butter makes a great snack

 

[TreeSaw]

I snack on dried fruit....mostly cranberries, pineapples & papaya lately!

 

[Snacks]

Originally posted by Bonk
Green apples are the best for you. How about Ants on a Log? Sure peanut butter is a bit fatty, but it's not like you'd use too much for that. Also, how about Low Fat Cottage cheese with some fruit?

Dude Ants on a Logs are the best I love em' after a long ride. Made sure you use natural pb!

 

[MTB_Rob_NC]

I have a few things that gets me past my cravings when I am trying to eat healthy...

Turkey slices... nothing fancy I buy the store brand that is "fat free" I think the protein and salt counter acts the craving for something sweet.

PB is great, I like to have some with a cut up Apple, it is usually what gets me past my 9pm craving.

Oh and Frozen Grapes (I prefer the "black" grapes)

 

[Jr_Bullit]

Mm....good ideas I drink tons of water during the day, so that's not really an area that's a problem...I also eat a lot of fruit and veggies during the day. I'm thinking the lack of salt/protein during the daytime is contributing to the desire to hit up the chocolate bowl in the afternoons...

Generally I'm fine in the morning, no desire to snack now that I eat my breakfast at work and have a banana around 9:30, lunch at 11:30 (yogurt and an apple usually), and then if I remembered I'll have something mid-afternoon...but somehow the yogurt and apple either isn't enough for lunch or it's too much and makes me sleepy/snacky.

Today I brought a bag of trail mix, and yesterday I had a nature's valley granola bar with peanut butter. We'll see how I do on the no-sweets today though, I didn't have any protein for dinner last night. Just an artichoke.

Thanks for all the ideas though! It kind of helps to try different things mid-afternoon...

 

[MtnBikerChk]

Originally posted by Jr_Bullit

Generally I'm fine in the morning, no desire to snack now that I eat my breakfast at work and have a banana around 9:30, lunch at 11:30 (yogurt and an apple usually), and then if I remembered I'll have something mid-afternoon...but somehow the yogurt and apple either isn't enough for lunch or it's too much and makes me sleepy/snacky.

there's almost no protein in your entire morning (unless you are eating eggs for breakfast or a protein shake that you didn't mention).

Have a piece of chicken for lunch and a salad with an olive oil dressing. The fat will leave you feeling fuller, longer - and the olive oil is a healthy fat that your body needs for proper kidney function.

 

[Jr_Bullit]

Originally posted by MtnBikerChk
there's almost no protein in your entire morning (unless you are eating eggs for breakfast or a protein shake that you didn't mention).

Have a piece of chicken for lunch and a salad with an olive oil dressing. The fat will leave you feeling fuller, longer - and the olive oil is a healthy fat that your body needs for proper kidney function.

You're probably right, breakfast alternates between hard boiled eggs or a bowl of cereal. I have a hard time with determining which meal is my "big" meal of the day, lunch or dinner. Normally I'd choose lunch, simply because I was on the go too much in the evenings to bother with food, but I don't actually take a break from my desk at work...Now that my schedule has eased up, my evenings are free but work is busier than ever...hard to get time in for "food". Good point on the chicken though...I'll try that tomorrow I brought in a small chicken breast once for lunch and had that with some kinda veggie somethin or other and was good for the rest of the day...actually if I recall...I had a hard time convincing myself to eat dinner that night too

 

[ET_SoCal]

Originally posted by Jr_Bullit
... predominantly sweet.... chocolates... chocolates... chocolate basket...

Originally posted by Jr_Bullit
NO more chocolate...

(Blasphmey)

Sorry, nothing to suggest.

If you fine out how to stop the madness, I'd like to know.
I'd drop a few pounds if I was able to...

 

[Snacks]

Originally posted by Jr_Bullit
Mm....good ideas I drink tons of water during the day, so that's not really an area that's a problem...I also eat a lot of fruit and veggies during the day. I'm thinking the lack of salt/protein during the daytime is contributing to the desire to hit up the chocolate bowl in the afternoons...

Generally I'm fine in the morning, no desire to snack now that I eat my breakfast at work and have a banana around 9:30, lunch at 11:30 (yogurt and an apple usually), and then if I remembered I'll have something mid-afternoon...but somehow the yogurt and apple either isn't enough for lunch or it's too much and makes me sleepy/snacky.

Today I brought a bag of trail mix, and yesterday I had a nature's valley granola bar with peanut butter. We'll see how I do on the no-sweets today though, I didn't have any protein for dinner last night. Just an artichoke.

Thanks for all the ideas though! It kind of helps to try different things mid-afternoon...

I'm sorry if this sounds brash, but that is all you eat durning the day?

BTW, lunch is my bigger meal of the day. I workout first thing in the morning and prefer to fuel up at lunch, then eat a smaller meal for dinner......some times pb&j with a apple.

 

[Jr_Bullit]

Originally posted by Snacks
I'm sorry if this sounds brash, but that is all you eat durning the day?

BTW, lunch is my bigger meal of the day. I workout first thing in the morning and prefer to fuel up at lunch, then eat a smaller meal for dinner......some times pb&j with a apple.

lol....yeah, not brash, I don't eat much....well I do but it sort of adds up throughout the day rather than one sit down meal. A typical food day for me is something like:

6:00am - bkfst - cereal or boiled eggs, on the weekends I might have a muffin and coffee instead
7:00am - coffee
9:30am - banana
11:00am - yogurt
12:00pm - apple/orange/fruit of some kind
1:30pm - carrots/broccoli & granola bar/trail mix
1:30 - 3:00 worst desire for snacking ever! try to avoid avoid avoid
3:00 - go home, go ride/run or whatever my evening activities are
Sometime between 5:30 and 7:00 I do dinner, sometimes it's just an artichoke, other days it's nachos, or once a week I make a huge pot of something (spaghetti/pasta/lentil chili etc) and I'll eat a bowl of that.
8:00 or 9:00pm - Tea, maybe some kind of sugar biscuit or graham cracker

 

[HedgeHog]

Holy cow. I couldn't survive on that little food. I need more protein.

I used to eat more starches and was hungry/sleepy alot. Now with a higher protien diet, I'm fuller longer and snack MUCH less.

 

[Jr_Bullit]

Originally posted by HedgeHog
Holy cow. I couldn't survive on that little food. I need more protein.

I used to eat more starches and was hungry/sleepy alot. Now with a higher protien diet, I'm fuller longer and snack MUCH less.

Well today we're tryin a wee bit more protein. I have a tuna fish sandwich and an apple for lunch today....

we'll see how the cravings go...I can't believe how bad my allergy got sooo fast!!! I have a stomach like my dads I took a 10 day vacation so no sweets at all, came back and day one just immediately...bam...bite of chocolate, an hour later, my tummy wanted to explode!
Anyways, the past few days I've done good...someone even stuck a handful of cadbury eggs in the basket and I've had zero! yesterday I snagged two hershey kisses after lunch....

I upped my tea intake in the afternoons...seems to help some.

 

[bikebabe]

If you have to have chocolate, what about trying some organic dark chocolate? Terra Nostra brand is available in Trader Joes and probably other "health" food stores. At TJ's it's not even very expensive.

Hershey's has a unique way of making their chocolate that is completely different than most other chocolatiers. If just Hershey's is causing your belly anguish that could be the reason why.

 

[Jr_Bullit]

Originally posted by bikebabe
If you have to have chocolate, what about trying some organic dark chocolate? Terra Nostra brand is available in Trader Joes and probably other "health" food stores. At TJ's it's not even very expensive.

Hershey's has a unique way of making their chocolate that is completely different than most other chocolatiers. If just Hershey's is causing your belly anguish that could be the reason why.

Possibly....I never think of any food as a "have to have"....I really do think it's more related to my desire to snack...

There's more to this twist of story, I actually kind of "have" to snack, I just have to be careful with what. I'm super hypo-glycemic, with acid-reflux and other good stuff. With diabetes running in my family the doc encourages me to sort of graze throughout the day....but sometimes that hit of sugar is sooo tempting. Usually I find it way more tempting shortly after gorging on lunch...

so for example...I just ate my sandwich for lunch...kind of a big hit of food to my system which is used to small amounts of low-calorie foods throughout the day. My head is now feeling sleepy, my belly is full, and I know that if I go grab a handful of something sugary the sleepyness in my head will momentarily abate.

The chocolate allergy is more just a bummer...I adore sweets, chocolate is not my favorite, but it's easy to acquire for free...as my boss provides massive baskets of the stuff throughout the day. I tend to categorize the chocolates I can't eat as the "cheap" chocolates, or grocery store chocolates. I can have the fancy schmancy stuff some of the time. The only time I ever crave the stuff is here at work when I'm feeling like I do right now.

lol...oy

 

[laura]

i get horrible cravings for sweets after lunch too and cheap chocolate makes me sick as a dog more often than not. i love fudgecicle. i dont know if you can handle those. they never bother my stomach, are super fake "fudgy" and only have 45 calories in them. only downside. you need a freezer.

 

[Jr_Bullit]

Originally posted by laura
i get horrible cravings for sweets after lunch too and cheap chocolate makes me sick as a dog more often than not. i love fudgecicle. i dont know if you can handle those. they never bother my stomach, are super fake "fudgy" and only have 45 calories in them. only downside. you need a freezer.

Hrrrmmmm...this could be do-able...if I can keep my co-workers mitts off of em...I never thought of a popsicle after lunch, though I wonder how cold I'd feel after....

Good idea!

 

[synchro]

Make up your own trail mix. Almonds, peanuts, cashews, macadamias, whatever for nuts, maybe some sunflower seeds too. Throw in some dried fruit (diced) like mango, papaya, banana chips, tropical fruits, raisins etc. For some extra goodness have a handfull of smarties in there too to help the choc cravings. Keep a bag/container in your desk at work and you are good to go.

Don't worry about the fats or high calorie content as this stuff is very filling so you won't eat much anyway. The best part is the mix will not only provide you with carbs/fat/protein but you also get a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals. Make it up to suit your own tastes.