Snacking rule

flutistgurl26 · Post by **flutistgurl26** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 6:29 pm

If I drink a glass of 100% juice in-between meals, is that a snack?

Post by **reinhard** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 6:44 pm

I would say no, it's not a snack (or a sweet). Go ahead and have your juice. Unless you find yourself drinking enormous quantities, I don't think this should be a problem. It's probably not ideal, but much better than breaking the literal habit of no food between meals.

Juice is very caloric. But it also tastes very caloric. It's hard to drink the obscene quantities that we often do of similarly caloric but easier going down (and nutritionally bankrupt) soft drinks. I have yet to see someone drinking a 64 ounce big gulp of orange juice.

If after a few weeks or months you do think it's a problem, then reassess. I do tend to keep my drinks between meals non caloric, just so I don't have to worry about it. But I don't consider it a failure if I do have juice or milk or wine in between once in a while.

Reinhard

BrightAngel · Post by **BrightAngel** » Wed May 21, 2008 7:44 pm

I think it's clear that an envelope of sugar-free Nestle's cocoa
(made from skim milk and 50 calories)
dissolved in hot water is a beverage...similiar to milk,

Whether or not one should consider it a "sweet" would depend
on one's position re artificial sweeteners in beverages.

BUT, how do you feel about chicken broth, beef broth, or Miso soup...
..with nothing floating in these?
Would these be acceptable between-meal beverages
or foods only for meals?

Nichole · Post by **Nichole** » Wed May 21, 2008 7:55 pm

I personally stay away from orange juice just because it has about 24 g of sugar in one cup and 110 calories (Minute Maid)! Not worth it in my opinion.

Dawn · Post by **Dawn** » Wed May 21, 2008 9:01 pm

Always step back and look at the big picture.

What is the point of no snacks on N days? It gets rid of that nasty snack habit most of us have and are out of control with.

The idea that a beverage is OK is because you are still getting the no snack habit in place. In the beginning we all find we a need a little help. A beverage does minimal damage and keeps you on track.

In my early stages I did the hot cocoa trick. I was so dying for a dessert late at night that I thought I'd go mad. The diet hot cocoa did the trick and after a short while I was able to ditch that little crutch all together.

And to answer BrightAngel: I would put the broth in the same category as the hot cocoa, juice and milk.

For me it was important to understand that a beverage is a crutch of sorts and should be used in case of emergency only. Like Reinhard says, if we abuse one rule, then we tend to lose respect for the other rules. And you know us crazy serial dieters, we are always looking for a loop hole!!!

NoelFigart · Post by **NoelFigart** » Wed May 21, 2008 9:15 pm

Honestly? I'll have a glass of wine while cooking dinner sometimes if dinner is going to be late. If milk or juice is okay, I figure that is.

That being said, I usually only do it on the nights were my kids have karate. They don't like to have dinner before it and frankly I don't blame them. Sparring on a full stomach can be disastrous! Dinner is quite late on those nights, and yeah, I'm probably having a little glass of wine as I'm choppin' veggies.

If I were breaking the Glass Ceiling by doing this, or if I were drinking a LOT of juice or milk between meals it might be a problem. But I do think cementing the habit of "No Food Between Meals" is a good thing to do.

FarmerHal · Post by **FarmerHal** » Thu May 22, 2008 12:15 pm

This is an interesting topic to me. On Thursday late afternoon, dh has ultimate frisbee practice and the kids want to go "watch daddy" which means they play around in the dirt and grass and go running gleefully around the field= a LOT of work for me LOL. But I go. Now, mid afternoon, about 3pm, I know I'm already getting really hungry for supper (we eat about 5:30-6). So when we get hom from frisbee I'm FAMISHED. And I've been having red days because I inevitably dive into the kids' snacks because I'm sooo hungry. (And I KNow, hunger is just a feeling) but I get the headache to go along with it.

I think I might have some juice or some sort of drink during this time on Thursdays to help get me through to dinner, which ends up being close to 8pm (noon to 8 is a looong time!) Or maybe on Thursday only I'll add a 4th meal about 4 pm, something like an apple with cheese slices or something. What do you think?

I'm going to cross post this.

BrightAngel · Post by **BrightAngel** » Thu May 22, 2008 1:48 pm

shamrockmommy wrote: On Thursday mid afternoon, about 3pm, I know I'm already getting really hungry for supper (we eat about 5:30-6). So when we get hom from frisbee I'm FAMISHED. And I've been having red days because I inevitably dive into the kids' snacks because I'm sooo hungry. (And I KNow, hunger is just a feeling) but I get the headache to go along with it.

I think I might have some juice or some sort of drink during this time on Thursdays to help get me through to dinner, which ends up being close to 8pm (noon to 8 is a looong time!) .

shamrockmommy,

It seems to me that you are describing the situation where Reinhard's
advice is to drink a glass of juice or a glass of milk...
and quantifies that a beverage...even a caloric beverage...is better Habit-wise than a snack.
To me, it seems like adding a snack on one N day could lead to snacking problems on other busy N days, etc.
and delay the formation of a no-snacking habit.

About your dinner time delay, since this happens every Thursday,
it seems like some advance preparation could do a lot to help you with that.
Your goal would be to get Thursday dinner on the table as close to your normal eating time as possible.
For Thursday, either plan a simple fast meal and make sure
the night before (Wednesday) that you have all the ingredients together in your refrigerator ready to go,
or fix a meal for Thursday on Wednesday night, and just cover it and put it in the refrigerator for the following day.
Or on the weekend make some large meals and freeze them in portions,
then on Thursday pull some portions from the freezer and stick them in the microwave.

Anyway those are some ideas that I use for myself.
Good luck.

silvermoon · Post by **silvermoon** » Fri May 23, 2008 6:01 pm

Thank you all for this topic. I'm on my first week of attempting No-S, and I'm not having much success yet (only one Green day so far). What's getting me is the long wait between lunch and dinner at our house. Lunch is around noon, and dinner isn't until 7ish.

I've been having some almonds (7-8 ) the last couple of days at snack time, but maybe some hot tea would also work. Thanks for the help!

Does it take others a while to catch on to this, too, when they first start?

fkwan · Post by **fkwan** » Fri May 23, 2008 6:08 pm

If dinner is late, move both breakfast and lunch ahead an hour.

f

designsbybriana · Post by **designsbybriana** » Fri May 23, 2008 6:09 pm

I'm new to the No-S diet but being that I'm a newbie I don't find it hard between meals. I really load up on water and I make sure I eat a balanced breakfast and lunch.

For instance my lunch just now involved a chicken wrap with hummus and feta cheese (and veggies), cantaloupe and a low-cal soup loaded with veggies (cabbage and tomatoes). I am pretty sure that because I put enough protein (chicken) and veggies/fruit in my meal, that it should carry me until 7pm.

Are you making sure to eat ENOUGH at lunch/breakfast and is it balanced? That could be why it's hard. That and it's hard to break the snack habit! I used to snack about every 30 minutes all day long! It was so sad!

I do have to say last night was the first time in forever that I actually FELT hungry. I actually forgot what that was like since I snacked like crazy all day usually.

Good luck!

silvermoon · Post by **silvermoon** » Sat May 24, 2008 12:37 am

You make a good point about making sure to eat enough. I think in the back of my mind I'm afraid I'll stretch my stomach out and then be starving all the time if I eat bigger meals. Sounds like good advice to focus on the "what" and not the "how much" I'm eating.

That said, I did make some hot tea this afternoon, and it did help me wait until dinner time to eat again. There may be hope for me yet!

blueskighs · Post by **blueskighs** » Sat May 24, 2008 12:42 am

You make a good point about making sure to eat enough. I think in the back of my mind I'm afraid I'll stretch my stomach out and then be starving all the time if I eat bigger meals.

Silvermoon,

Briana and others have made some very good points. As far as your stomach stretching out, my experience is that the more you stick with your three meals a day and nothing else, your appetite actually shrinks over time and you gradually, probably without a great deal of effort, find yourself reducing the size of your meals if that is necessary.

But I agree, first make sure you are getting enough to get you from one meal to the next. You will also get better at assessing how much that is as time goes on.

Blueskighs

silvermoon · Post by **silvermoon** » Sat May 24, 2008 12:54 am

Blueskighs and Brianna,

Thank you both for your help. I suppose it's time to learn to trust the system and take that leap (eat enough to make it to the next meal). It's also a matter of learning to trust that my body will figure out what it needs.

Here goes!

-- silvermoon

designsbybriana · Post by **designsbybriana** » Sat May 24, 2008 3:23 am

You can do it!

Just keep at it and it will get easier!

It's hard for me to not snack too but I think it's mostly habit right now!

Everyday Systems

Snacking rule

Snacking rule

Broth