Best Snacks That Helped Me Lose 80 Pounds + Recipes

January 8, 2022 Stan

Last year, I lost 80 pounds without giving up snacking and foods I love.
Some of my favorite snacks are yogurt with toppings and air-popped popcorn with mix-ins.
I love air-fried zucchini bites, Yasso bars, and Brownie Brittle, too.

Improving my health was incredibly daunting to me because I thought I’d have to give up my love of snacking.

I’d struggled with emotional binge eating since I was a kid and it got more severe when I lost my mom when I was 17 years old. When I turned 19, I had no idea how I’d ever lose the weight I gained much less keep it off.

Fortunately, all I needed to do was make a few modifications to my eating habits. And finding satisfying snacks and sharing them on my TikTok @spenceralexisfitness has completely changed the game for me.

I love picking snacks that I get excited about and I try to focus on how much I eat instead of what I eat.

Of course, everyone has different strategies when it comes to losing weight and eating mindfully, but this is what works for me.

Keep reading for some of my go-to snacks.

I eat popcorn-mix bowls nearly every day because they’re simple and customizable

I throw air-popped popcorn with low-sugar chocolate chips, crackers, or other small things into a bowl to enjoy like a trail mix.

This can be made sweet or savory — or you can do a little bit of each.

Yasso bars have a decent amount of protein

Spencer with a box of Yasso pops — Yasso bars come in different flavors.

Protein has been really helpful in my

weight-loss

journey because it helps me feel more satisfied — and Yasso bars are packed with it because they’re made with Greek yogurt.

One Yasso bar typically has 5 grams of protein. For reference, an egg has 6 grams of protein.

Yasso makes many different flavors but my favorites are definitely chocolate-chip cookie dough and birthday cake.

If you’re not a fan of these bars, you can also try other high-protein frozen desserts from brands like Enlightened, Favorite Day, or Halo Top.

I love making zucchini bites in my air fryer

My air fryer is definitely my best friend because I can use it to satisfy most of my cravings in under 10 minutes.

To make these bites, I top sliced zucchini with grated parmesan, paprika, garlic salt, and black pepper. Sometimes I switch it up by topping them with taco seasoning or by using sliced sweet potatoes as my base instead.

My candy-bar oatmeal tastes indulgent but has fewer calories than most heavy desserts

A spoonful of oatmeal with marshmallows and chocolate — I like to upgrade oatmeal with caramel syrup.

I am not a big oatmeal fan, but I think the high amount of fiber and number of toppings makes this a solid breakfast for anyone with a sweet tooth.

To make candy-bar oatmeal, mix ½ cup of oats with ½ tablespoon of sugar-free caramel syrup and 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder. Then cook the oats you chose according to the package instructions.

Add a Rolo to the center of the oatmeal while it’s still warm and top kitchen-sink style with whatever you want. Sometimes I crush a Fiber One brownie over the top, then add mini marshmallows and low-calorie chocolate syrup.

When I make this dish it typically comes out to about 275 calories.

Pretzel Thins are a versatile snack, especially if you pair them with dip

Pretzel Thins come in just about any flavor, from chocolate caramel to Buffalo wing.

You can snack on them plain or pair them with a dip. Some of my favorite dips are Aldi’s chickpea-based brownie batter, TGI Friday’s frozen spinach dip, or classic roasted red-pepper hummus.

I love frozen fruit with a twist or chocolate shell

green grapes and bananas on a plate on a tray — I like to put lime juice on green grapes and freeze them.

I love drizzling green grapes with lime juice and then popping them in the freezer. They taste like sour candy.

Sometimes I also buy chocolate-covered frozen fruit from TruFru or Banana Babies — they make for a great end-of-night snack.

Brownie Brittle is great if you’re craving chocolate

Chocolate is my weakness, and snacking on Brownie Brittle helps me satisfy my cravings in moderation. I love the salted-caramel flavor, too.

These chip-like snacks typically have 120 calories per serving.

My version of dirt and worms makes me feel like a kid again

a cup of chocolate pudding topped with crushed chocolate cookies and gummy worms for a Dirt and Worms dessert — Dirt and worms usually contains pudding and gummy worms.

I like to make this classic dessert from my childhood with sugar-free chocolate pudding and crushed Oreo Thins. I use Smart Sweets’ gummy worms that don’t contain artificial sweeteners or classic ones, since I only add a few on top.

You can also substitute the worms for whipped cream.

There are a few kinds of yogurt I reach for

Yogurt is a good way to get extra protein, especially at the beginning of the day.

Dannon Light and Fit Greek Crunch yogurts typically have less than 150 calories and come in a bunch of flavors. The strawberry cheesecake one is my favorite.

I also like to stock up on GoGurt — each tube is just 50 calories and a suggested serving size is three of them. I like to freeze them to make fro-yo-style popsicles.

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