From skwigg's journal:
I snack. Or maybe I just have a small and goofy fourthmeal most days. I realized that when I was talking about Sun Chips. I used to be pretty rigid about eating 3 meals and NO snacking. Now I usually have an extra eating occasion either mid morning or mid afternoon. It may be fun-related or hunger-related. If it’s fun, that’s like eating a handful of popcorn because my husband is popping it and it smells amazing, or a cold Pepsi on a hot day, or a cookie when I’m taking them off the cooling rack. If it’s hunger, that’s usually in the afternoon when I realize I’m going to be too hungry for dinner if I don’t have some cheese and crackers or a candy bar or something. I don’t graze. I don’t mindlessly eat things all day. Whatever I have is usually carefully chosen for the purpose of joy and satisfaction. It’s often not whole food. When I want M&Ms, I want M&Ms. Not almonds, chia pudding, or a sweet potato. I love that the intuitive eating author Evelyn Tribole tells people she’s a dirty eater. I feel that way, very over clean eating. I still eat plenty of nutritious whole foods but a person needs brownies, ones without black beans hidden in them.
I realize that I don’t do preventative eating when snacking is an option. I’m not getting overly full just in case. If I get hungry later, I can eat something then. Having the ability to eat exactly what I want when I want it has shut down the urge to overeat certain foods. I can have a couple spoonfuls of ice cream right now, and again later, so I’m no longer tempted to eat the whole pint at once. Having a few bites never worked when I was too hungry all the time, but having a few bites becomes possible when meals are satisfying.