Snacking Is Spoiling Your Progress

Let’s be honest: we all love nibbling between meals or sipping on something “harmless” during the day. But those little extras add up. Here’s how:

1. Extra calories

You might eat “clean” meals, but if you add two or three snack sessions of 200 calories each, that’s 400-600 extra calories a day. Over a week, that’s 2,800 to 4,200 calories, roughly equivalent to nearly a kilogram (or more) of fat gain, depending on your metabolic rate. Many clients tell me they’re “eating well” but forget that snacks (or drinks) are contributing to too much energy.

2. Blood sugar

Most common snacks are high in refined carbs, sugar, or fat and low in fibre or protein. That causes a rapid blood sugar spike followed by a crash. The crash makes you hungry again, sooner than you’d expect, and that drives you to grab more food. This cycle promotes overeating and fat storage rather than fat burning. Research shows that frequent intake of ultra-processed snacks is associated with excess weight gain.

3. Reduced metabolic rest time

Your body benefits from periods when you are not digesting food; time to reset, repair, and burn stored fuel. If you’re constantly snacking or sipping caloric drinks, you shrink that “rest window” and may blunt metabolic efficiency. A study found that fewer meals (less snacking) correlated with better long term weight control in healthy individuals. American Institute for Cancer Research

4. Habits & portion sizes

Snacks are often eaten in front of screens, in social settings, or while distracted. That means your brain doesn’t register fullness signals properly, so you overdo portions or sneak extra bites. Also, many people ignore or under-count snacks in their food logs, thinking “these don’t count.” That’s a big oversight.

5. Liquid calories

Sugary, fizzy drinks, fruit juices, fancy coffees and energy drinks all carry 100-300 calories per serving (or more). Because liquid calories don’t satisfy as well, you don’t feel full and you still go for solid food. All those drinks quietly add up.

How This Blocks Your Shape and Weight Goals

When you consistently run a small surplus of calories (even 200-300 extra per day), fat storage occurs. That surplus also undermines your attempts to create a deficit through workouts. You may train hard, lose a bit, then plateau. Over time, those snacks can neutralise your efforts and scupper your transformation.

Also, an erratic fuel supply (constant snacking) tells your body not to use fat stores, because it assumes food is coming soon. Meanwhile, metabolic flexibility (the ability to switch between burning carbs and burning fat) becomes impaired.

Finally, extra calories from snacks often come with few nutrients, so your body may still crave micronutrients or protein, which prompts more snacking. It’s a vicious cycle.

Simple Solutions You Can Start Today

Here are some easy, realistic tweaks I suggest to clients in my gym.

✅ Plan your snacks (or bin them)

Decide in advance whether you will snack, and if so, when and what. Don’t leave snacking to impulse. If you don’t genuinely feel hungery between meals, skip snacks altogether and extend your fasting window.

✅ Choose quality over quantity

If you snack, pick options rich in protein, fibre and healthy fats. So, not candy, crisps or sugary bars. Examples:

• A small handful of raw nuts (almonds, walnuts)

• Greek yogurt with berries

• Carrot sticks or cucumber slices with hummus

• A boiled egg & raw vegetables

• Cottage cheese & a few slices of fruit

These will satisfy you and have slow energy release.

✅ Keep the snacking window early

If you must snack, do it earlier in the day (before mid-afternoon). Avoid snacking late at night, after dinner, or in front of the TV. Studies show late-night snacking is linked to higher BMI and poorer metabolic outcomes.

✅ Hydrate

Replace sugary or high calorie drinks with zero-calorie options: water, herbal teas, black coffee (if you tolerate it). If you want flavour, add slices of cucumber or citrus to water. This helps keep your liquid calorie leaks under control.

✅ Track everything, including tiny bites

When you write down or log your food, include all snacks and drinks, even the little tastes or sips. That way you see the full picture and can adjust what you need to. A lot of people are surprised how much those extras add up. 

✅ Improve your main meals to reduce hunger

Make your main meals more satisfying: include lean protein, fibrous vegetables, healthy fats, and complex carbs. When meals are structured and filling, the temptation to snack weakens.

✅ Create snack-free zones or times

Declare certain hours (say after 8pm) or locations (e.g. the couch) snack-free. Train your brain to stop automatic snacking in those moments. The old saying “out of sight, out of mind” works very well.

How Your Shape Will Transform

Here’s what starts happening when you reduce snacks and drink habits in favour of structured meals:

• Sustained calorie deficit: Without hidden munching, your daily calories can fall in the right zone for fat loss.

• Stabilised energy levels: No more 3pm crashes from sugar highs and crashes.

• Improved fat metabolism: Your body learns to use stored fat because you’re not feeding it constantly.

• Better hunger signals & self-control: You become more in tune with real hunger, not cravings.

• Visible changes in shape: Over weeks, you’ll see a leaner midsection, firmer muscle definition and reduced bloating.

• Momentum, confidence, habit formation: As you succeed, the good habits lock in and it becomes easier to maintain.

When clients commit to these tweaks for just a few weeks, they often drop body fat, feel stronger in workouts and see meaningful inches lost. And best of all they feel empowered, not deprived.

Give yourself 30 days of commitment and see how different you feel and look. Let me know how it goes.

Claire

Oswestry Power & Fitness specialises in Strength Training, Olympic Weightlifting and Progressive Fitness Training for all abilities. Helping you achieve your fitness, confidence and body goals.

If you have any questions, contact Head Coach Claire on 07393 195353.

To book a session click HERE