Whether you’re trying to maintain your weight or trying to slim down a bit, you’ve undoubtedly heard of the advice of relying on snacks to keep hunger at bay and keep fat melting. However, like all good intended advice, implementation is not as straight forward and well directed as one might think. This discrepancy, unsurprisingly leads to many snacking mistakes. Let’s focus on the most frequent such mistakes and see what we can do to use this otherwise smart tip to our advantage. 
Overlooking snack quality Snacking might seem like a great way to have a treat without ruining your efforts, however, if you choose alternatives without too much nutritional value, your hunger will be exacerbated rather than toned down and you might overeat at your meals to compensate, which might make your efforts less effective. To avoid snacking mistakes, opt for nutrient rich indulgences while still keeping an eye on the total amount of calories they pack.
Using snacks as mini meals If you skipped breakfast, it might seem like it makes sense to use snacking to catch up. This strategy is dangerous as it can make you overindulge. Be sure to plan your meals accordingly and avoid unscheduled modifications to your eating style.
Focusing only on dry snacks Being aware of the fact that liquid meals don’t pack the same hunger-busting punch as solids, you’ve decided to stick to dry staples only. Water rich veggies or fruits can prove an equally satisfying treat which can help you save some calories. Stick to raw options for the most part for maximum benefits.
Nibbling sub-par temptations Whether it’s a treat you bought for your kids and ended up finishing it or you just want to try a new variety of treats your coworker/girlfriends just bought, it’s easy to consider these behaviors as harmless. Stick to the options you grew to know and love instead and don’t waste calories on simply ‘ok’ foods.
Avoiding pre-workout snacks Thinking about how hard you’ll work to keep the weight off or making progress towards your goal paired with the perceived difficulty of the workout can be powerful arguments against snacking. But, while rich meals are a bad idea, so is skimping on a choice that could fuel up your workouts and make you burn more calories. Opt for something light and nutritious instead.
