Snacking is the New Smoking

There is a meme out there that says ”sitting is the new smoking,” capturing the idea that not exercising is bad for you, perhaps even as bad as smoking? Frankly, I am not totally sure that is true but, no doubt, exercise is good for you (the human body is designed to move, after all) and so a lack of exercise is probably harmful. Regular readers of this blog (I know there are a few of you out there!) may have noticed that I am not a big fan of snacking and so I want to propose a new meme….”Snacking is the New Smoking”. Since I am not on Twitter (or whatever it is called now) I can’t start a new hashtag but if anyone wants to, feel free…

Why do I say this? Well, after 20+ years in practice as a bariatric surgeon I have noticed a few things. One of those is that when a patient who had surgery more than 5 years ago comes back with weight regain (luckily this is a rare thing, but it still happens) part of the problem (and often the main problem) is snacking.

Let me start with some basics…no one needs to snack. There is no biological need to snack…just like smoking, there is never any need to do it. If there is no need to snack and we know it often causes problems, then why do it at all?

The analogy I often use is, imagine you are going to Atlantic City and there are 2 tables you can play at: one table has good odds, and one has bad odds. Which table do you want to play at? In case the analogy isn’t clear the table with bad odds is the snacking table and good odds is the ‘no snacking’ table. Of course, there are no guarantees in life, but we can tilt the odds one way or the other with our behavior…so the new mantra is “Snacking is the New Smoking”.

Having been a bariatric surgeon for many years, I understand that snacking is an emotional habit that can be difficult to break. I also see how the results of snacking impact my patients’ weight loss journeys. If you’re struggling with snacking, get in touch with us. We can provide you with the motivation and strategies you need to succeed.