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Keeping snacks in the house is what gets me. I can go months without thinking about snacks, but once they’re in the house I can’t stop going back for more.
The reason Debbie is thin yet always snacks is because, even though she "luvs luvs luvs" brownies and muffins and cookies and cakes and lattes and all that shit, she is one of the 1/479 people who eats two Oreos and feels happy and sated closes up the package and moves on with her day. I eat a whole large pizza, three sleeves of oreos with half a gallon of whole milk and then start making PB&J because I ran out of other "snacks."
I once met a thin dude and watched as he litterally ate half a chocolate chip cookie, put the other half back in the package, put the package back in the pantry and went on with his day. I was blown away.
this is the hard, painful, briefly depressing truth - snacking adds up FAST. You have to know yourself and whether you are a better restrictor or moderator. I don't have the self control to be a moderator; restricting and eliminating is more successful for me.
I have pretty good moderation self control and I still think it's easier to just restrict. Pringles is right, once you pop you can't stop (especially when hungry due to cutting).
This is one of the big reasons why fasting actually works well for me. If you commit to not eating anything after 5pm or whatever… you’re not likely to drink as much alcohol or stumble into snacking mode
When I prep for a competition I stop all alcohol sources and losing weight is becoming easier since I can drink 2-3 days per week when not in prep. Drinking Diet version of soft drink helps a lot too.
I've dropped 227 pounds (as of this morning) and mostly eliminating snacking was a big part of it. If I do snack during my cutting phases, it's something like tuna pouches. During my maintenance phases, it'll be something like the small bags of popcorn.
I think a huge part of this issue is how most people are miserable at the office and snacking gives them quick dopamine boost that helps with surviving in the desolate corpo environment. If I have to keep existing at the office and also not snack, that's like all meaning of life got sucked out of me. Personally for me, a more "real life" approach would be to let yourself snack moderately at the office, preferable with pre-packaged and calculated in your calorie apps snacks, preferable same ones every day, and when you are finally free to leave the office, cut all snacks out and occupy yourself in other ways. Some advices that come from fitness influencers are also directed at fitness influencers. Most people can't revolve their lives around fitness and adjust their schedule to that lifestyle. I was getting great progress at the university, when my day was training + video games. I didn't snack at all, because I could just have fun all day, but it's not like that in adult life.
Snacking for me in the office isn’t an issue esp if I have healthy snacks. It’s more when I don’t get my workout in I could feel that excessive stress and energy.
I’m massively guilty of this. You’ve queued up snacks as your reward or as a kind of little emotional comfort. When I’m stressed or miserable at work (most days) all self control goes out of the window.
Hey Dr. Mike. Quick question/suggestion for the diet app and upcoming hypertrophy app. I’m a firefighter, so my schedule bounces around a bit. Sometimes I work Monday, sometimes I don’t - for example. This makes it turbo annoying to try and schedule with the diet app because sometimes I work out Tuesday, sometimes I’m at work for 24 hr. I know I can commit 4 days a week to lifting, but it’s not easy to tell the app that. Could you add a feature where I can just say today is going to be a workout today or not? Like in the hypertrophy app - this morning I select that yes I’ll do workout 2/4 for the week as opposed to every Monday is chest day.
Yeah, I was thinking that setting workouts as days of the week makes it a little annoying for someone with an asynchronous workout program need. Like Day 1, 2, 3, etc
As a school teacher, when our schools went through the COVID shutdown and I was teaching on Zoom, I gained over 10 lbs. of fat from munching on Cheez Itz, peanut butter pretzels, and bowls of granola in between breaks/passing periods and virtually logging 0 steps sitting in my home office. When we resumed teaching for the final 8 weeks of school in 2021, I lost 8 lbs. quickly because I was no longer snacking during work and logging 6,000 daily steps just from walking around campus.
This is pretty much what i do. When i bulk i eat generally healthy, and have a bucnh of snacks. When i cut i dont snack, cut down from 4 meals a day to 3, and replace snacks with gum, sugarfree drinks and black coffee. Keeps me satiated, and its way easier to cut out 500-1000 kcals a day. Very easy to stick to, because its not too different, it way less kcals, and you dont have to swap out any meals.
As soon as I tell clients to write down EVERYTHING they eat for a week or two (and they actually do it), they find several hundred (or thousand) more calories they didn't even realize they were eating. One was taking in 16,000 calories a week from SHEETZ alone.
I'm unbelievably bad at controlling snacking. The only solution for me had been to eliminate it but that didn't kill my frustration/boredom. I found an amazing fix recently. DIET SODA, the saviour of my world. The discourse around NNS is so polarizing so whenever I have a sip of that, I get two parallel feelings. "wow I must have died and I'm in heaven rn". The former makes me not drink more. So, I seldom overdrink my diet coke(unless I don't have water nearby) and even if I do, it's not adding any calories.
If you like a certain snack… eat it every damn day in the same quantity. Track it. If you’re not losing weight, then choose whether you’re want to cut it out, substitute it for something with equal protein and fewer calories, or decide you really love that freaking snack and subtract calories elsewhere in the diet.
Dr. Mike, I know this isn’t the kind of content you make but I am really wondering how to combat cravings around my menstrual cycle.I stay in a calorie deficit the majority of the month but a week before my period there’s no stopping me. During that week I feel like I have gained weight from bloating so I do a bunch of intense cardio which makes me even more hungry so I end up binge eating. Would you please make a video over the female menstrual cycle and how to combat cravings. Love your content! Thank you ❤❤❤❤❤❤
😂😂😂DR. Mike how do you deal with your menstrual cycle? 😂😂I always knew Dr. Mike had a vagina hidden under there somewhere. Probably how he pays Scot the camera guy. By the way great job stopping the camera guy from continuing talking boring crap😂, that was a close one. Tell him to just answer yes or no and keep his mouth shut. We want to hear funny not put me to sleep conversations. You will use him as the butt of the joke if needed and keep it at that. Btw good luck with the menstrual cycle question Dr. Mike 😂😂👍.
I struggle with my luteal phase and have tried reducing my deficit a little bit for 3-5 days like upping my calories by 100-200cals and upping carbs/fat. On face value it may seem like slowing down progress but it improves my adherence when I plan to give myself some wiggle room during hormonal hell.
For me personally, as soon as I learned about the concept of instant and delayed gratification and realized that the moment I swallow the last bit of the chocolate bar (or whatever snack), the pleasure is gone and now you just feel guilt. It became super easy for me to resist snacks. It just isn't worth it.
I find snacks are a great way to fit more fruits and protein. I just cannot keep hunger at bay between meals but something like some kiwis and a protein bar/shake really help keep me full, so I just plan for about 1 meal's worth of calories for snacks, and track it like normal.
Tracking is amazing. It takes so much pressure off choosing "good" foods and avoiding "bad" foods. Instead, making vegie lentil soup for dinner means I have the calorie budget for chocolate and almonds before bed. It also lets be pick the foods with the best calorie-tastiness ratio for me.
for me its snacking and eating out of boredom i can easily diet and not experience really any hunger, even when i got down to 9% bodyfat, i wasn't really hungry the reason it took so long for me to get that lean though was because i'd constantly set myself back by snacking between my designated meals and ruining some weekly progress.
I try to tackle this by snacking on protein rich foods I enjoy like beef jerky, light cheese sticks, kefir, nuts(have to moderate these😅) I’m lucky that I am obsessed with milk products though, so as long as I go low fat I can manage.
I’m a snacker. I know this about myself and have committed to allowing them - but no junk. Don’t even have protein bars anymore. They just made me crave more very tasty things, to the point where I had to back off. My current snacking go-to’s are the 100 cal bags of SmartPop (I pop 2 bags for a movie) and whole apples. Tip - biting into the apple rather than cutting it up helps it last longer. Diet soda & chewing gum also help me hold off between meals.
I usually only have snacks at home for a few days, then they are gone. Because I ate them... I ate all of them... They have been eaten, every single one of them... Not just the M&Ms, the Chips and Candy too... They are Snacks and I demolished them like snacks... I am addicted...
May Iask what are the healthiest snacks for someone with chronic gastritis? I dont know if I can eat many olives or stuff like that because of the vinegar. What do you guys recommned?
One tip for people working desk job at office/home. Get your wallet as far as you can from yourself, had mine on desk and that gave me frequent urges to just go and buy snacks.
The thing that always fucks up my calories is having to eat because i'm hypoglycemic. I'm a type 1 diabetic, after years of exercising i managed to use a very low amount of insulin, but now if i miscalculate by only one unit of rapid acting insulin i get hypoglycemic and have to stop whatever i'm doing to eat. It doesn't happen when i'm on the gym, since the amount you burn on the gym is usually pretty linear, but when i'm doing sports it always fucks me up, because there's no way to know exactly when you have to eat, some days you will burn more calories than others. And you can't take too little insulin and be hyperglycemic either, because it has a really heavy effect on performance, at least for me. The way around it was to account for 2 snacks (usually those sweet granola bars) when counting the calories and just adding that amount of calories to dinner if i don't have to eat them. But some days i'll have to eat 3 or 4 of them anyways. It makes me mad, but it's better than passing out.
A benefit of keto if it's feasible for you is that if you eat a cheat meal, your body rapidly stores the carbs as glycogen with associated water and potassium, and then you feel dehydrated and a bit sick. So that's a natural incentive for adherence in moments of weakness (I might want one of Debbie's mini-donuts, but unless she's an amazing cook I don't want one enough that it's worth feeling unwell afterward).
As always well spent time with you Dr Mike I have replaced most of my snacks with nuts and kivis, but sometimes I cant control myself when theres a waffle around..
I've had the most success with replacing sweet snacks with a cup of frozen fruit ~80 calories, and savory snacks with mixed veggies and low fat ranch ~85 calories.
I only eat two meals a day but I work in a kitchen with lots of sweets and fried food, so yeah, extra hard to not snack all day. Thinking about making my breakfast protein pancake and dividing into bits to snack whenever I feel the urge at work.
Having loads of fruit at home was a gamechanger for me. Want something sweet, eat an apple or a kiwi. Sounds stupid, but for me it works. Most of the time at least it takes the edge of :)
Would have liked to see some better alternatives to snacking for improved adherence. I sometimes get hungry between meals and keeping veggies to snack on in the fridge at work as well as protein and a shaker in my desk means I can get super high volume, high satiety snacks that are on plan and I can proactively include them in my meal plan. If I don't get hungry at work I just add the shake after my workout or after dinner to hit my protein targets
I am the same when it comes to snacking, some people can do it, but generally speaking I feel it's a bad idea for most people. The main reasons I am not a fan: 1) Most snack foods are not easy to put down. 2) You just increase the frequency of eating, more likely to overeat. 3) You create the habit of eating more frequently, your body starts to expect food more often.
The two things I got out of this #1 I’m glad you’ve got good insurance 😂 #2 a visual of a really nice cooling memory foam donut cushion in that chair you’re sitting on! 😂😂😂 I literally just laughed out loud through the entire 2nd half of this video! Lmfao!
I think snacking is an inevitable part of some people's diet. But what I've done is only snack on foods that are high in protein. Bars, yogurts, biltong etc. The satiating effect of the protein when snacking, whilst also knowing I'm hitting my macro goal, helps lost weight and maintain muscle.
Just snack on healthy things: yoghurt (0% fat), fruit, nuts (no salt)... It is so much fun to find delicious meals replacing your bad habits. When you stop snacking you will not snack again. Because you know how hard it was to stop.... just like smoking... Eat 50% less than you normally do and you lose weight like crazy.... so easy... I eat two meals a day and never more then 500 calories a day... As soon as you kn ow how much calories have and you care about your body you will look at it as poison. I say that outloud: Oh you can eat but I so do not eat that. Eating less is so much more easier than going to the gym!
Can someone please advise? I eat a totally clean meal of chicken, rice, and broccoli and then like 30 minutes later I am absolutely craving 2 rice krispy treats. . . I'm a truck driver snd they sell these damn things everywhere in stores and vending machines. How to stop the post meal sweets craving?!?!
A lot of times even if people make the right snack choices (e.g., nuts and raisins over doritos and twix), they still need to be soundly educated on calorie content; a few fistfuls of peanuts however may be natural and sound healthy but they are some of the most calorically dense foods on the planet. Imo gradually coaching them into time-limited eating protocols until the habit is broken is oftentimes the answer to get them self-conscious about what and when goes into their cans
I dont snack, I count calories (only 1000 a day), I eat only two times a day, drink a lot of water and I started excersicing and I just don't see any progress at all I don't get it. What am I doing wrong?
I eat about a kilo of granny smith apples a day for snacks, breakfast and my afternoon meal. I'd say I'm probably a bit addicted to them at this point, but I figure that's a pretty good thing as far as addictions go.
I don't keep snacks or beer in the house. It's not a hard rule, I just don't buy them for the house. I don't think about them when I'm shopping unless it's something to have specifically for the journey home or something. Never been a problem. 🤷 Living with my one ex, the snacks and sweet baked goods were constant (she genuinely force fed me at times). One of the few bad habits I didn't take with me when I moved out. 😎
I snack much more on a cut. Bringing a trough of veg to chew between meals keeps me from killing people. When on a cut, I feel like I spend half the day eating.
It's the anxious snacking when work is stressful that gets me. Thankfully, my snacks are rice cakes, seaweed, miso soup and carrots, so I get full before I get fat. Maybe I need dog chew toys. Or cigarettes.
Happy medium for me was just snacking on broccoli and fruit throughout the day. Broccoli sucks and fruits good but hard to realistically overeat. Knowing I have the snacks on deck actually prevents me from overeating on my regular meals which was my old problem
Replacement works a bit better than restriction. So, instead of 'let it pass', maybe replace what you are craving with something healthier. And always track. It is so easy to track these days, there is no excuse not to. You don't eat chicken without cooking, don't eat without tracking. 380 lbs -> 220 lbs in the last 2 years. I'm not an exceptional person. If I can do it, most other people can.
I agree about replacements but for cheat meals/day context. Like make a lower calorie version of Pizza, doughnuts, ice cream, etc for both enjoyment and lower calorie intake
I feel attacked 😂 Thank you Dr. Mike. I just input the mini snickers and 4 hershey kisses I just stress ate and look at that! It was my allotment of carbs for my next meal 🤡
hopefully this helps someone. I buy a huge bag of like ruffles queso or popcorners. Only after I go to the gym or when i get home from work and I want them i take a handful out of the bag and eat them one at a time until the flavor bothers me 😂. I literally try not to have any beverages with em unless its part of dinner. While it knocks down my craving i get tired of the same flavor over and over fast af. For chocolate cravings I only use it after a hard gym session and i keep all of my chocolate peanutbutter cups twix butterfingers in the freezer. I do this because they take just a bit longer to eat and I dont want to break my teeth. Sometimes im at a point where im like mehh i dont even wanna deal with it. I am personally down about 18 pounds since i left my online college in 2022. I also put on wayy wayy more muscle so these are my little “snack rewards” for myself. Keep gaining and never give up if your reading this! Sometimes it feels like you are moving at turtle speed but it all adds up in the “long run”
Artificial sweetners are my saving grace. I can't just stop drinking my canned syrup water, I will go insane. The canned syrup water that uses aspartame and erythritol does the job but without all those empty calories
Yes! Snacking is my downfall. I love my carby snacks but I end up having too many servings. Sitting in front of a computer or TV is when I snack. Good for me I start a new job next week where I won't be in front of a screen. We'll see how I do.
This is why I pre-weigh my snacks and put in separate containers for each day....and then eat several days worth while Im looking for something to cook for dinner standing in the pantry
I find myself needing to reel it in from snacking on food drug reps bring frequently to my work (fajitas, donuts, breakfast tacos, mini bundt cakes, etc).
Will power is the key cant lets snack take away from your goals at the beginning but down the line i see no issue having a snack only if u have self control not binge that major key if not stay away if u do make sure walk around the neighborhood jump on treadmill u feel better about it later than be concerned all day i just ate a bag of chips
Stupid question, but say I start out at 190lbs and I'm eating 2000 calories, and I end up at 180lbs. Do I adjust my calories then or continue on with 2000 calories until no more weight comes off and then adjust the calories?
I don’t get the Debbie analogy unless she’s bulimic. At my old job, all the guys ate fast food or microwave junk food EVERYDAY for lunch. They were slightly chunky. If I ate that, I’d be 300 pounds.
Switched office snacks from Trader Joe's cookies to Trader Joe's organic carrots. 99 cent bag lasts a week. By the time I'm done chomping through a whole carrot I'm tired of snacking and getting back to work.
A very useful video for me (and I believe for many people) would be: how to do a massing/bulking season when you often go over your calories on the weekend? I’ve done some successful rigid seasons when I didn’t diviate even in weekends. But right now I don’t want to do that. So if I want to maintain a slow pace of weight increase… should I do a very low calorie Monday… should I do 2/3 days of low calories…?
I recommend RP’s Advanced Nutrition Concepts videos, which are currently free on RU-vid. There’s at least one video on massing that addresses this. However, I think you are unlikely to find a good plan of action. Most reputable sources warn you away from this sort of calorie cycling for building muscle. Bulking, unlike cutting, does not really allow for your calories throughout the week to average out. In cutting, you can eat 1000 calories on Monday, 2000 on Tuesday, and sleep safe that you’ve eaten an average of 1.5k calories per day. Bulking is different: you need excess nutrition to be available to your body as often as possible; at any given moment, if your body has received a signal for muscle building (via training) but insufficient extra nutrients swimming around inside you… you just don’t build muscle in that moment. These moments add up. In your example, you contemplated a low-calorie day during the week - let’s say Monday. Essentially, you are suggesting you cut on Monday, bulk most of the rest of the week, and overeat on the weekends. Let’s say that when you’re bulking, your amazing genetics allow you to gain 1 lb of muscle per day, along with 1 lb of fat. Let’s say this is your optimum rate of gain. If you bulked every day, you’d gain 7 lbs each of muscle and fat per week, right? Now let’s apply your proposed plan to allow for fun weekends. On Monday you cut and lose, let’s say, 1 lb of fat that day… but of course, you gain 0 muscle. For four more days you bulk as normal, gaining 1 lb of each per day. Then on the weekends, you go ham: you still only gain 1 lb of muscle per day - you were already bulking at your optimum rate, remember? All the extra fun on the weekends didn’t let you gain at a better rate. But since you’re eating more than you do when bulking optimally, that weekend DID net you more fat: 2 lbs per day instead of 1. So if we tally everything up at the end of the week, compared to bulking every day, you’ve now gained only 6 lbs of muscle in a week, and 7 lbs of fat. The actual numbers for any real person would of course be different, but the mechanics are the same. Whenever you’re undereating, you’re not gaining muscle. Whenever you’re overeating, you’re gaining extra fat. It all adds up to less muscle, and probably more fat, the longer you do it. It’s therefore most optimal to find your best rate of bulking, and stick to that as consistently as you can.
Dr mike, could you do a video od preworkout and/or how to train muscles in your hard like a thumb, we aremwrestlers do it but i wonder whats the best type of movoment still
I tried to join the RP Face book group, and got den ied. It asked if I bought anything from RP, I said no not yet, and I got rejected. I guess it’s all about the mo ney
I started gaining fat from bring emotional snacks to the office. I've now swapped them for sipping on a litre of coconut water and 2 litres of waters with my daily bcaa mixed in (which makes the water take like berries). While I didn't fix the emotional snaking at least the swap means I'm get the sweet craving without so many calories. I also feel more full.
I've got sick dieting hacks: if you're one of those who stops eating or loses their appetite when in emotional distress, just get dumped every time you diet.
Do you have any specific recommendations for transforming the power belly? I went from being a shredded six pack athlete in my 20s into powerlifting, and I purposefully increased so much intra abdominal pressure that I created a big ol power belly (I wanted it at the time). Now I am unhappy with it and would like the roundness to calm down a bit!
