Yesterday, I noticed an article that was recently published in the health/blog section of the Wall street Journal titled, “Midmorning Snacks Associated With Smaller Weight Loss”.

I won't go much into the article as you can read it yourself, but it does bring up some interesting points, and one thing that isn't played out in the article, is exactly what the test subjects were eating for their snacks.

Let's face it, anyone that suffers from being overweight has a problem with food in general.  I love food, there's no denying it!  However, some people go beyond that and eat more than they really need to.  When it comes to food, their resistance level is usually low and they end up eating or snacking more often.  And, the foods that are usually chosen are nothing more than junk foods.

Many people who are dieting find it extremely difficult not to snack, especially for the hours in between meals.  Some diets offer their own branded label snacks which are still processed foods, but they are at least a better choice than a bag of chips.

Other people suffer from just the need to keep eating, which can be brought on from living a hectic lifestyle, stress or any other number of complications.  Dieting for many of these people is hard to say the least, and most of them will actually give up within a few days to a week.

But, is snacking bad for you?  Not really, especially if you take a look at your present lifestyle and the combination of foods that you eat.  Obviously, the question is, are the foods that you eat considered healthy or are they basically fast foods and junk foods?

If you are not on a weight loss program that encourages eating smaller meals throughout the day and you can't stop snacking, here's something you need to do now.  Take a week and write down the food items that you are snacking on between your regular meals.  That means everything, don't leave out anything, no matter how small the portion is.   Also, include sodas on your list.

If you are overweight and suffer from constantly eating in between meals, this will help you to identify all the extra foods that are helping you to stay fat.  This was something that worked for me and also helped me to open my eyes as to all the extra foods and calories that I was sneaking in during the day.

Every day was not the same, but the point is that I was eating a lot of junk for snacks and didn't realize how often I was doing it.  A graham cracker here, candy bar there, handful of potato chips, (actually it was Doritos), frozen pizza rolls, frozen egg rolls and the list goes on.  Some of these I took to work and warmed in the microwave, others I bought out of the vending machine.

The question again, is snacking bad for you?  For me, it was definitely yes.  When I did my list and added up just the calories for foods that I was snacking on for each day, I was simply amazed.  On one day alone I had almost 1,200 calories just from the junk foods that I was snacking on.  These didn't count any calories from breakfast, lunch or dinner, only from snacks.

So, how did I change things for myself?  I didn't!  What I did was, instead of eating all the junk foods that were contributing to my weight gain, I simply replaced them with healthier choices.  Things like vegetables consisting of broccoli, carrots, pea pods, cauliflower, chopped cabbage, celery and of course, fruits.  One other thing that has really helped me in controlling those hunger pangs, drinking plenty of water. 

Snacking on something each day is a habit, and it can be a healthy habit for you when you learn to replace the bad things that you eat, with more of the good things that are healthier for you.

Here's the link to the article above: Midmorning Snacks Associated With Smaller Weight Loss