I’m a nighttime snacker. It’s a habit. I enjoy it. I don’t want to give it up. I routinely eat something between 11 and midnight daily. I always have, even while losing. Generally I keep the snacks light. Fruit, Popcorn, light ice cream treats, soy crisps and salsa or crackers with some laughing cow cheese.
However, recently I’ve been overly snacking. Indulging. Do I dare say bingeing? Last night it was a half a gallon of ice cream. The night before I actually broke into a bag of chocolate chips. And the husbands Swedish fish have been slowly disappearing.
I’ve been in a rut. It happens. I know this. BUT I can’t let it continue or snowball into weeks or months. That’s when you get yourself into trouble.
Instead of grabbing something mindlessly tonight I decided to make an effort and look for something to cure the snack attack for maximum flavor and minimal points.
As I write this I’m eating a Fudgy Peanut Butter Chip VitaTop with a glass of light vanilla almond milk
I’m new to almond milk. I picked some up today for the first time and am pleasantly surprised how good it is. Trying new things as been a big part of my success and every time I get into a rut like I’ve been, discovering a new healthy snack helps me out of it. It reminds me that there are so many healthy ‘lite’ options out there that are so much better then bingeing my way through a bag of semi-sweet chocolate mini chips. I just need to take the time and look for them. :)
Just so you know…
- 8oz light vanilla almond milk is approx. 70 calories with 2.5g of fat (2 wwp)
- Fudgy Peanut Butter Chip VitaTop 100 calories, 1.5g of fat, 6g of fiber (1 wwp)
Both eaten together slowly while blogging and watching TV is a very satisfying snack! :)
I’m feeling much better today. The toddler and I had an eventful morning running errands. I got a good workout in. We went to the library. Had lunch together and took naps! Besides a little back pain I’m feeling good. Oh! and we have a showing tomorrow! Someone is coming to look at the house (cross your fingers for me!)
Here’s my food journal from today. Proud of myself for not eating lunch out when I was so hungry BUT I did break into the meringues from Trader Joe’s (which, by the way, I’ll be adding a few more things to my Trader Joe’s shopping list soon!)
P.S. If you are interested in trying vitaTops remember to use the code RonisWeigh for 10% off!
| Food | Units |
|---|---|
| french toast, grapes and tea | 4 |
| orange | 1 |
| granola bar | 2 |
| bites at trader joe’s and some meringue cookies | 3 |
| leftover moroccan inspired beef stew with orange and couscous – a bit extra :) | 8 |
| roasted turkey tenderloin with balsamic cauliflower (forgot we had strawberries for dessert) | 7 |
| fudgy peanut butter chip vitatop and almond milk | 3 |
| Total: | 28 |
Table provided by Roni’s Food Tweet, Eat, Post Generator.
38 Responses to Finding New Snacks
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About Roni
Roni started this blog in '05 to journal her weight loss. 70lbs later, she's committed to living a conscious, healthy life and hopes to inspire others along the way. Read more on the about page.
wow the picture makes that look so delish…I love late night snacking too, i guess i will have to just go get my ol’ standby WW ice cream treats right now cause i got points left to use. thanks for the idea. u da bomb.
So it is 11:20 here. I just sat down at the computer with a late night snack, hummus and crackers. I like to have something in the evening too. I am new to almond milk too. I have been eating it in my cereal. I buy the unsweetened and then just add a packet or two of splenda. It is only 40 cals for 1 cup (1 wwp).
I am sorry that you are having those struggles, but so glad you found a new snack. I just want to say I love reading your blog and I love that you share your ups and downs with us. It makes me feel good to know that even those that are successful in weight loss still struggle, but that it can be corrected. Thanks!
I want some of those fudgy PB chip VitaTops! They look delicious.
Hi Roni,
I’m totally a late night snacker too. The last few months though I’ve had the same exact thing for my snacks and its definitely something I look forward too and keeps me from getting distracted by other things. I have hot tea with honey and a Nonni’s Turtle Pecan Biscotti (so yummy!)
Oh and almond milk is so good. Its really light and refreshing. I actually tried making my own almond milk a long time ago – of course I can’t remember how now or where I got the recipe – but it came out very good.
~ Gina
TJ meringues are a lifesaver especially for that 3pm need something sweet! I have not been brave enough to try almond milk . .. I am not a soymilk person so I not sure I would dig it . . .?
I use the unsweetened one that’s 40 calories for things like cereal, some baking applications…and in HG’s nog. I love the stuff. I’m a nighttime snacker as well and usually it’s popcorn.
Thanks for your honesty as always! Best of blessings with the showing today!
Hey Roni — whenever I make baked goods (cake, cookies, etc) I freeze small portions to have later. For example, I *really* wanted cake the other night. I made a full fat cake, counted the calories, and portioned accordingly. I froze 15 small pieces at 150 calories each. I wrapped them in saran wrap and placed them in a freezer bag. I also include an index card w/the date and nutritional info. Because they are out of site, that bag will probably last 3 months. Microwave for a minute and it becomes instant desert. I think, for me, having the regular, full fat stuff (as opposed to sugar or fat free) soothes my cravings faster. And — Because they are portioned, one usually does the trick — and I don’t have force half a cake on my neighbors!
I also like drinking tea to stop cravings. I must have 20 varieties of tea — peppermint and green (plain, just hot water) help me stop snacking.
Have you tried the chocolate almond milk? It’s great in cereal!
Nicole – The almond milk is WAY better then soy in my opinion. Much better flavor. If you like almonds you’ll probably like it.
I’m going to try this one in a few weeks… http://www.noveleats.com/raw-homemade-almond-milk
Annalisa – I do the same thing but I also like to experiment with “lite” ideas. And I’m TOTALLY discovering tea myself. I have about 6 different flavors already! :)
What a great post! All the different diets always say, “no snacking after 8pm” (or something similar. But I find that you really need to listen to your body. If you are hungry or snacky before bed, eat something or else the craving will just follow you and result in eating something (usually MORE) at a later time :)
Have tried to get myself to like soy milk but just don’t like it that much. I will definitely have to try the almond milk. I LOVE almonds!
Kaye
I CANNOT LIVE without my Vitatops! I have one almost every night for dessert and try to come up with different toppings for them so as not to get bored (yeah, like that would happen!!).
I’m new to almond milk, too. I didn’t like it “straight up” but, I love it in cereal and even in my coffee.
Yay for you finding some new ways to manage your nighttime snacking!
I must not understand WW points. If almond milk is 70 calories and 2 points, why is the Vita Top that is 100 calories only 1 point?
A point is not equal to a calorie… if i was then we would just be calorie counters! LOL Fat an fiber play a role. More fiber lower points more fat higher points. There’s a formula.
I love those vita-tops. I have never tried the peanut butter ones but they look great.
Darn you and those vita tops! They look SO good, but taste so vile to me! =) Why do they look soooo good, though? I might have to try them again. Maybe I had a bum batch. I love almond milk. My favorite is Blue Diamond Unsweetened Vanilla.
Snacking at night was something I’ve had to cut out completely, because I’m a total binger! Can’t I just have three cups of popcorn? Hells NO! It MUST be 12 cups and throw some melted butter on that badboy!!
Sigh.
I’ve found healthier foods to eat and snack on, and limit my nighttime snacking to only once a week. Popcorn and Biggest Loser. Tuesday is my FAVOURITE day!!
hey roni,
just a thought–maybe the extra snacking urges have to do with the increased training and your body is trying to let you know? there might be a difference between a “binge” and your body actually needing more calories to keep up with all the extra running.
Hi Roni,
Thanks for keeping your blog real. Some weight loss only blogs have a tendency to be too negative. Likewise, some healthy living/eating blogs have a tendency to be too positive. It’s hard to find a blog that’s educational, entertaining, inspirational, and RELAT ABLE…but yours strikes a perfect balance!
Thank you. You are treasured. :-)
Krista S. – That is so funny. Maybe you just don’t like them. I will have to say most of the non-chocolate ones I don’t like either.
EB – I thought of that too. I recently talked to my trainer about it. I feel like I don’t have a grasp on what I should be eating for my training yet.
lainb – Thank you so much for you compliment! This blog is really a product of what I go through/how I feel no holds barred so it actually kind of makes sense. Sometime I’m happy, sometimes I’m not. Sometimes I’m motivated sometimes not. :)
Thanks you again. I really appreciate the kind words.
Just to comment on what Kaye said, I agree, listen to your body. But Roni, your post starts by saying ‘its a habit’. I’m wondering… are you hungry at 11 PM? I was a HUGE mindless snacker for years and years. Then I stopped, and it sucked for a week or so, but now I never eat after dinner. Unless I’m actually hungry. Which is rare.
Erika – Sometimes I’m hungry, sometimes it’s habit. I’m trying to cut the mindless stuff out as well. :)
I’ve just recently found almond milk, too. It makes everything I put it in taste so much sweeter. It’s lower in calories and fat than even skim milk. Higher in protein. And I LOVE the taste of it!
I realize this wasn’t the point of the post at all, but what brand of soy crisps do you eat? I am continually trying to find chip-like snacks that are not complete junk (I really like the baked ruffles, which would be fine if I only ate one serving, which I never manage to do). I have tried at least four different brands of soy crisps, several flavors, and they all taste like rice cakes. What kind do you like?
Ashley – Trader Joe’s, Glenny’s, Genisoy as they are the ones I find the most. Most the time BBQ flavor. Next time I stock up I’ll write a post about them!
Great post and I’m going to look into the Vita Tops. Are they available in the store or only online. I’m also wondering do you use a program to help determine points from different recipes? That is one of my hardest things in determining the points.
Hi Wana! I use a combination of sites but mostly nutritiondata.com. Check out my about page on GLB I talk about it a bit… http://greenlitebites.com/about/
hope that helps!
I forgot all about Vitamuffins!! I used to buy them when I was “really” trying to diet/”be good” I would take 1/2 of a large chocolate muffin, put sugar free chocolate pudding in the microwave a few seconds to warm and pour over the 1/2 muffin and top with a spoonful of low fat cool whip!!!
Talk about heaven!!!………think I need to go buy some Vitamuffins!! LL
~TidyMom
I read about vita tops a couple of years ago, but I’d forgotten about them. Thanks for the reminder!
this is how I’ve been getting my milk in lately (though I “cheat” and just have 2/3 cup so that it is only 1 WWP :) Loving my chocolate vitatops these days with milk – so satisfying in so many ways!
FYI at trader joes I just picked up something I hadn’t seen before – raspberry and vanilla cream bars. Small but very tasty (real cream I think) and only 2 points :)
Almond milk is a favorite of mine. I love how it tastes.
Now that is a worthwhile late night snack. I need to try almond milk, as I have been eyeballing it around the blogosphere for quite some time. I didn’t like how it has so little protein, but it might be a good flavor for oatmeal and such!
Is there anywhere, besides the internet, where you can buy VitaBrownie Mix and/or Fudgy Peanut Butter Chip VitaTop??
This may help… http://vitalicious.com/store-locator.html
Wana, also if your store doesn’t carry Vitatops (or any other item you want), you can ask the manager or go to the service desk and they should have a list of requested items. You can usually specify the flavors you want too.