Evening Munchies: Slider Food Territory

After weight loss surgery, and truly for most of our dieting life, the evening munchies have been a nemesis for many of us. That feeling as the day winds down that a little something snacky would be oh-so-good right now. For me, denying the evening snack urge is unsuccessful. So I've had to re-define "snack" to things that support my health and weight loss goals.

Refresher: Understanding Slider Foods

Here is a new way of looking at this nightly battle of mind over body:

What if the Evening Munchies was a blessed opportunity to one more time nurture your body with nutrients? Rather than it being a danger zone to traverse with the potential to undo all the good work you've done during the day, what if it was an opportunity to gift yourself the reward of healthy indulgence? Here are some options:

• Cheese, cottage cheese, string cheese
• Yogurt with chopped almonds and a drizzle of honey (promotes sleep)
• Fresh strawberries dipped in dark chocolate
• Warm tea with milk or frozen protein drink or "shake"
• Protein Oatmeal (Quaker Instant) with milk or yogurt & chopped almonds
• The left-over chicken-fish-meat etc. you couldn't finish at dinner
• Microwave Mug-Eggs (one of my favorites!)
• Bran Muffin (good before bed to start the morning regular)

The Strategy:

• First - acknowledge you enjoy a bite to eat in the evening.
• Second - acknowledge your health and weight loss goals.
• Third - define specific food morsels that allow you to enjoy an evening snack while promoting your health and weight loss goals.

I have learned that I seldom succeed when I "forbid" myself specific food or eating occasions (such as NO SNACKING AFTER 7pm, etc) I do much better when I acknowledge and solve the puzzle while keeping the big goals in mind.

Learn more ways to stick to the WLS High Protein diet in my book Protein First: Understanding and Living the First Rule of Weight Loss Surgery available for instant download on Amazon Kindle and wherever fine eBooks are sold.