During the day at home or at the office, you might find yourself getting hungry.  You are supposed to eat breakfast, (about 3-4 hours apart from your meals)lunch and dinner, but you are supposed to have three healthy snacks in-between and after dinner (about 3-4 hours apart from your meals).  SIX PROTEIN MEALS IN ALL PER DAY!

Healthy protein snacks/meals can help normalize your blood-sugar levels at crucial points in the day. If you reduce  swings in blood sugar, it helps to curb cravings and keep you on a successful weight-loss track.

I try to keep between 50-100g of carbs a day to lose/maintain weight.  Most meats and cheeses have barely one carb in them.  Nuts, Greek Yogurt and protein bars too have carbs.  Look at labels….

10 Suggestions for protein snacks

1. Raw veggies, such as celery, green or red bell pepper strips, cauliflower, and broccoli florets. Use hummus or 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter for dipping (2 tablespoons).
2. Lean, reduced-sodium deli meats (turkey or chicken breast, roast beef, boiled ham), about 4 ounces.
3. Part-skim mozzarella cheese sticks (no more than 2 sticks or low-fat mini Baby Bells).
4. Nuts (15 almonds, 20 peanuts, or 30 pistachios, or about 1/4 cup of any nut, is a serving), but be sure to stick to one serving and count it toward your daily protein. OR Sunflower seeds (3-tablespoon serving; count these toward your daily protein.
5. Low-Carb Protein bars or drinks.  Look at the labels.  Try not to go higher than 20g of carbs.
6. Cottage cheese (1%, 2%, or fat-free varieties) with salsa, or one of your two small servings of your fruit for the day,or chopped cucumber added
7. Dry-roasted or boiled, ready-to-eat edamame (green soybeans) or a hard-boiled egg
8. Greek yogurt (plain, nonfat) (again you can add one of your two small servings of fruit
9. Low-sodium tomato juice or vegetable-juice blend, single-serving can for the day)
10. Water-packed light tuna or salmon (individual cans or pouches)

Do not eat on the run.  Go shopping on the weekend if you are too busy and buy stuff for the week and put what you need for each day aside the night before and have it ready to go for the morning.  You can have stuff to eat in the car if you have to do it that way, but PREPARE and don’t buy crap at drive-thru places, where you are likely to succumb to cravings or smells.  Learn to do this daily and it will become habit, a way of life and you are more likely to get and stay skinny!