How Can I Stop Snacking Between Meals?
If you’d asked me this question ten years ago, I’d probably have sighed before answering it.
Not because I didn’t know what I should have been doing. I’d read all the advice. Drink more water. Keep busy. Brush your teeth after meals. Don’t buy tempting foods. I’d tried every trick going, and for a day or two, I’d convince myself I’d finally cracked it. Then three o’clock would arrive. I thought I could stop snacking between meals but often I was just putting it off.
Looking for snacks
Almost without thinking, I’d wander into the kitchen. I’d open the fridge, stare inside, close it again, then open the cupboard instead. There was rarely anything in there that I desperately wanted. I wasn’t searching for one particular food. I was just… looking.
Does anyone else do that, or is it just me?
I’d often walk away empty-handed, only to find myself back there ten minutes later as though something exciting might have appeared while I’d been gone. Looking back, it’s almost funny, but at the time I genuinely thought it meant I had no self-control.
For years, I believed I was simply greedy and should just stop snacking between meals!
It sounds awful to admit that now, but that’s honestly how I felt. I looked at people who seemed able to eat three meals a day and barely think about food in between, and I couldn’t understand them. Meanwhile, I was already thinking about my next snack before I’d even finished lunch.
After losing 10 stone, I assumed that feeling would disappear. Surely once I’d lost the weight, I’d stop thinking about food all the time?
It didn’t.
In some ways, it actually got worse.
I became so focused on eating the “right” things that food occupied even more space in my mind. I’d tell myself I wasn’t allowed chocolate, crisps or biscuits, then spend half the afternoon thinking about… chocolate, crisps and biscuits.
Funny how that works, isn’t it?
The more I tried to stop snacking between meals, the more I seemed to think about snacking.
I Was Asking The Wrong Question
For years, I kept asking myself, “How do I stop snacking between meals?” It wasn’t until much later that I realised I should have been asking something completely different. “Why do I want to snack?”
Those two questions might sound similar, but they’re worlds apart.
Sometimes the answer really was hunger. I’d been trying so hard to keep my meals as small as possible that by mid-afternoon, my body quite reasonably wanted more food. Instead of recognising that, I’d tell myself off for being hungry.
How ridiculous is that?
I’d praise myself for eating a tiny lunch, then beat myself up for wanting a snack two hours later.
It took me far longer than I’d like to admit to realise that perhaps the problem wasn’t the snack. Perhaps the problem was that I’d barely eaten enough to keep me going.
These days, I try to make my meals satisfying rather than simply as low-calorie as possible. I include protein, fibre and foods that actually keep me full. It’s amazing how much quieter my afternoons are when I’ve had a proper lunch instead of something I chose simply because it had the fewest calories.
Sometimes It Was Never About Food
One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that not every craving comes from an empty stomach. Sometimes I’d find myself heading to the kitchen simply because I was bored. Sometimes I’d stare at my laptop for hours and need a break.
Sometimes work felt overwhelming, and making a coffee gave me an excuse to step away from my desk. Of course, once I was in the kitchen, I’d start looking for something to eat as well. It had become such a habit that I wasn’t even aware I was doing it.
Even now, I occasionally catch myself opening the fridge and standing there wondering why I’ve walked into the kitchen in the first place.
Old habits have a funny way of hanging around. The difference now is that I notice it. Instead of automatically reaching for food, I pause for a moment and ask myself what I actually need.
Sometimes the answer genuinely is food.
Sometimes I need a drink.
Sometimes I need to stretch my legs.
Sometimes I just need five minutes away from my computer.
That tiny pause has made a huge difference.
Food Rules Made Everything Worse
I don’t think I realised just how much energy I was wasting thinking about the foods I’d labelled as “bad.” When you think you must stop snacking between meals, as it is bad, it just gets worse.
If I told myself I couldn’t have a biscuit, suddenly biscuits became fascinating.
I’d think about them far more than if I’d simply allowed myself to have one.
Eventually, I’d give in, eat two or three and immediately convince myself I’d ruined the day. Well, if today was ruined, I may as well eat the rest of the packet and start again tomorrow…
I’m sure I’m not the only person who’s ever had that conversation with themselves. The irony is that once I stopped banning foods, they lost a lot of their power over me.
A biscuit became… just a biscuit.
Not a reward.
Not a failure.
Not proof that I lacked willpower.
Just something I might fancy with a cuppa.
There’s something incredibly freeing about taking the drama away from food.
Sometimes, The Best Answer Is To Have A Snack
I know that probably isn’t what people expect to read in an article about how to stop snacking between meals, but it’s true. If I’m genuinely hungry between meals now, I eat something.
I don’t spend an hour trying to ignore it. I don’t tell myself I have to wait until dinner. I don’t bargain with myself or promise to skip dessert later. I have a snack, enjoy it and carry on with my day.
Ironically, that’s usually the end of it. Years ago, I’d have spent the whole afternoon trying not to eat, only to end up raiding the cupboards later because I’d become so hungry and fed up.
Giving myself permission to eat when I’m hungry has actually helped me snack less mindlessly, not more.
Be Curious, Not Critical
If you’re reading this because you constantly find yourself reaching for snacks between meals, please don’t assume it’s because you’re weak or you’ve got no willpower. Maybe you don’t actually have to stop snacking between meals, you just have to be more mindful about it.
I spent years believing that about myself, and I couldn’t have been more wrong. Instead of criticising yourself, try getting curious.
Have you actually eaten enough today?
Did your lunch leave you feeling satisfied?
Are you tired because you’ve had a rubbish night’s sleep?
Are you stressed, overwhelmed or simply looking for a break from whatever you’re doing?
Or are you genuinely hungry?
The answer won’t always be the same, and that’s okay. For me, learning to ask those questions has been far more helpful than any diet tip I’ve ever read about how to stop snacking between meals.
After losing 10 stone, regaining some weight, spending years obsessing over food and finally beginning to understand my relationship with eating, I’ve realised that stopping mindless snacking was never really about finding more willpower.
It was about understanding myself. I still snack sometimes, and I don’t see that as a failure anymore. I see it as being human. And honestly, that’s been one of the healthiest changes I’ve ever made.
So, having read this, do you think you need to stop snacking between meals? Or perhaps you realise you just need to stop snacking between meals on the wrong things or for the wrong reasons!
