How to stop snacking while on a diet?

Unconscious habits that affect your final body weight

We usually forget about snacking because we don't pay much attention to it. Unfortunately, everything we eat between scheduled meals negatively impacts insulin spikes. Food and drinks (except for water, black coffee, and unsweetened tea) trigger an insulin release, and failing to leave gaps between eating prevents it from dropping properly. This behavior disrupts hunger and satiety signals, which makes it difficult to maintain a healthy body weight. Fortunately, there are a few simple rules that can help you stop reaching for snacks.

• Confusing hunger with cravings. Physical hunger usually builds up gradually and is accompanied by a growling or aching stomach. It is satisfied by eating any kind of food. A craving, on the other hand, appears suddenly and is linked to a specific product or group of products, like a sudden urge for chocolate. In such a case, eating an apple won't make the chocolate craving go away. It is easy to distinguish when you are truly hungry and when you are simply having a craving.
• Out of sight, out of mind. Even when we aren't hungry, we involuntarily reach for products that are within our line of sight. That is why you should avoid keeping snacks within arm's reach, or better yet, don't keep them in the house at all. Sometimes, just knowing there is chocolate in the cupboard is enough to trigger a craving. Getting rid of these traps is one of the simplest things you can do right now.
• An unbalanced diet. Imposing overly strict calorie restrictions or skipping meals can lead to hunger pangs or difficulty feeling satisfied. Eliminating too many food groups can have a similar effect. A lack of variety in your diet and a feeling of restriction can also contribute to the urge to snack. Furthermore, a lack of sufficient calories causes the body to seek out any opportunity for a quick energy boost in the form of food.
• Emotional eating. Stress eating—or rather, eating under the influence of stress to release emotions—is also quite common. Unfortunately, the brain quickly gets used to dealing with emotions in a specific way. If we reach for food during moments of stress or low mood, this repeated pattern creates neural pathways in the brain that associate these situations with the need for food. This is often a deeply ingrained habit that requires mindfulness and patience to change. Instead of eating, try going for a walk, jogging, or calling a friend to distract yourself and take your mind off food.
• Habit. Snacking can also be a habit in itself. We often condition our bodies to the constant act of chewing, the sound of crunching, or having something to do with our hands. Furthermore, we teach our brains to reach for snacks during various activities meant to be relaxing, such as watching a movie. By linking relaxation with eating, we teach our bodies to unwind through food consumption. As a result, food itself can become associated with something positive.
• Irregular meals. Skipping meals or eating on the go makes you feel hungry more often and makes it harder to achieve a sense of satiety. Moreover, when you follow this eating pattern, you may feel like you haven't eaten much, leading you to "make up" for the whole day of not eating once you get home. To avoid increased appetite and snacking, it is worth planning at least three meals a day that you can always find time for.
• Feeling bored. Boredom is one of the main reasons people reach for food. When we are bored, we start planning our next meals and suddenly feel hungry, deciding we could go for a snack. But that is not the right approach! If you have eaten a meal recently and feel unsatisfied again, find yourself something to do.

Self-awareness is key

Identifying the reason behind your snacking is the first step toward success. Recognizing the situations in which you eat despite not being hungry will allow you to better control and eliminate this habit. Snacking makes it significantly harder to stick to a weight-loss diet and, furthermore, does not support good health due to the constant stimulation of insulin secretion, which can lead to diabetes or insulin resistance.

References:

1. Hall KD, Kahan S. Maintenance of Lost Weight and Long-Term Management of Obesity. Med Clin North Am. 2018;102(1):183-197
2. Nicole M. Avena, Pedro Rada, Bartley G. Hoebel. Evidence for sugar addiction: Behavioral and neurochemical effects of intermittent, excessive sugar intake. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. Volume 32, Issue 1, 2008, Pages 20–39