Confessions of a Snackaholic

My name is Kelly and I am a snackaholic.  There.  I said it.  I have always known this and I have just accepted it as part of who I am.  Back in 2001 and in 2003 when I lost 35 pounds TWICE doing Weight Watchers, I learned how to construct meals to compensate for the fact that I was a snacker.  For example, I would eat a 2 point breakfast, a 4 point lunch and a 6 point dinner leaving me with approximately 12 points left for snacking...like a bag of popcorn, a skinny cow, a Fiber One bar and cookie (or four).  Done...a 24 point day and a loss of weight (usually) for the week.  The problem is that when I would inevitably fall off the wagon, the low-point meals would turn into high-point-out-of-control meals, the low-point snacks would be replaced by I-know-I-shouldn't-be-eating-this snacks and voila...a 40+ point day and weight gain of a pound or two each week.  So that's how it has happened...three times now in the last 8 years!

So let's discuss snacking for a minute.  I think that once you start to snack, it opens up Pandora's box and gets your body ready for more.  So, even if you start out with the intention of eating a sensible 100-calorie snack like 15 almonds, 4 Hershey Kisses or a small pack of Swedish Fish, you can never stop there.  I mean really, anyone who has food issues knows that 15 almonds turns into 2 cups and 4 Hershey Kisses turns into a love affair with chocolate!  Even though we know that sensible snacking by me and my peeps with food issues is a pipe dream at best, lets assume that you eat two sensible 100-calorie snacks a day.  That is 1400 calories in a week.  It takes 3500 calories to gain a pound, so you will roughly put on about a pound every three weeks.  Eye opening, isn't it??  Yes, that is what I said.  Now, I now there are many "sensible" people that can actually control themselves and snack within certain parameters and maintain or lose weight.  Good good for them.  I am just not one of them and have to look for another solution to my snacking issue.

I am now committed to attacking the problem of snacking.  And as with other addictions, I think that a cold-turkey approach is the only possibility for me.  I am a woman of extremes and once I make the rule of no snacks, that is the way it is...NO MORE SNACKS!  I am on day four of this new approach and doing good so far.  I will post more specifics about the plan soon...I just want to wait to complete a full week before start shouting from the hilltops.  I am very much looking forward to my weigh-in tomorrow...the number will DOWN and that is such a great feeling...the journey is starting out well.

Thanks for reading...let me know what you think and subscribe to my blog...maybe I can be on Oprah, someday!!