Eat more to lose weight - ten healthy snacking tips for you!

With snacking such a popular sustaining thing between meals, the important thing to remember when embarking on a weight loss programme is to remain regimented in your approach to snacking as much as your approach to mealtimes. Snacking has a part to play in your programme, but remain focused, be disciplined and use these handy hints below to aid you along the way. I sourced this from 'ezinearticles' once again (http://EzineArticles.com/4402778) and this one is written by Personal Trainer and Fitness Coach Monica Tangry (http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Monica_Tangry)

In order to lose weight more efficiently, you need to eat more. It may sound too good to be true and it contradicts the entire concept of dieting, but it is a proven fact. The catch is, however, you need to eat more of the good stuff.

For a fire to keep burning it needs to be stoked, much like our metabolism, which is our internal fat burning furnace. Stoking your metabolism requires eating a small meal or snack approximately every three hours. Over the course of a day this will add up to five or six small meals (for example: breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, dinner, evening snack). The size of the meals will depend on your total daily calorie allowance.

It is recommended that snacks generally be between 100 and 200 calories each, which does not seem like a lot. You are probably wondering what type of snacks could possibly be 100 to 200 calories and still be satisfying. You can be certain that it rules out any sort of processed or junk food options, which are loaded with empty calories and next to zero nutrition. Processed snacks will not satisfy you for long and generally cause a drop in blood sugar levels, which lead to unhealthy food cravings. The key to avoiding this viscous cycle is to find foods that are naturally low in calories and nutrient dense.

Top 10 Nutrient Rich Snacks:

• Nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews, pine nuts)
• Dried Fruit (raisins, dates, prunes, cranberries, cherries - unsweetened)
• Veggies (baby carrots, celery sticks, sugar snap peas, etc)
• String Cheese
• Fresh fruit & Berries
• Popcorn (air popped, unsalted, no butter or margarine)
• Cottage cheese & fresh or frozen berries and honey
• Whole grain crackers with Hummus, Peanut butter
• Smoothies
• Dark Chocolate

These healthy snacks are great for on-the-go or at your desk at work. Portion control is very important even with healthy snacks. Measure out and pack proper portions in advance so they are ready when you need them, this requires a little planning and preparation, but is well worth the effort. By having these healthy snacks readily on hand, you can avoid any dietary pitfalls and feel good that you are stoking your body's natural fat burning potential.

WhyWeight - don't hesitate, participate, before it's too late!

-Steve, at WhyWeight-