Taming a Snack Attack
By Sandra Gordon | 3/16/2006


It's mid-afternoon and you're starving. Between now and dinner, you have to give a staff meeting presentation, return 10 phone calls and meet up with a friend for an after-work walk. Your stomach's growling and your head hurts. You need a snack now. But can you have one without blowing your plan?

You can - but take heed. "Snacking only really works if you've developed habits that can help you stay near your POINTS® Target," says Karen Miller-Kovach, M.S., R.D., Weight Watchers' Chief Scientist.

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That's right: Snacking can actually help you lose weight, by keeping your hunger in check and preventing you from overeating at the next meal. "Snacking is a dieting strategy," says Miller-Kovach, "and strategies that work for some people, don't work for others." In other words, if you're not a snacker, don't think you have to become one to lose weight. But if you tend to get too hungry to tame the snack tiger, you can make it work for you. Here's how:

* Be prepared. Don't let the snack attack take you by surprise. To resist calorie-laden vending machine fare, for example, keep snacks on hand with a POINTS value of 1 to 3, such as nonfat yogurt in the office fridge or a small box of raisins in your purse.
* 'Fess up. If your snacks happen to add up to more than a POINTS value of 1 to 3, that's OK, but don't kid yourself. If you have an apple with 2 tablespoons of reduced-fat peanut butter (POINTS value of 5), factor that in when you're planning the rest of your day.
* Get it write. To avoid snacking amnesia, keep a log of the snacks you eat in your POINTS Tracker. Even better, try reverse tracking, suggests Miller-Kovach. That is, record the snacks you plan to consume, then check off each after you've eaten it. (You can use this strategy for meals, too.)
* Personalize your snacking choices. To make sure the snack you choose hits the spot, "find your personal preference in terms of what satisfies you," says Miller-Kovach. For example, if you tend to like crunchy snacks, stock your desk drawer with an apple (POINTS value of 1) or your glove compartment with a small 1 1/2 ounce box of animal crackers (POINTS value of 3). If you have trouble stopping at one, bring in a portion controlled "solo" snack to the office daily and keep the rest at home.


Need more snack ideas? Here are some suggestions for a POINTS value of 3 or less:
Snack POINTS Value
Vegetable crudités with salsa 0
Diet soda (1 can) 0
Sugar-free Jell-O (1/2 cup) 0
1 Celery stalk with 2 tablespoons fat-free onion dip 1
Fresh pear, apple or peach (1) 1
Light microwave popcorn (3 cups) 1
Lay's Baked Potato Chips (11) 2
Banana (1) 2
Fat-free chocolate pudding (1 snack-size) 2
Fig Bars (2) 2
Raisin English muffin with 1 tablespoon of jelly 3
Instant oatmeal (1 packet) 3
Fat-free vanilla yogurt (1 cup) 3
Tootsie Rolls (5) 3
Milky Way Lite Miniatures (5) 3


-- Edited by Colette at 06:12, 2006-03-16