How Much Food Do I Need

It's an absurdly silly question, but I don't really have an answer. Plenty of online calculators will give me a target -- but, I know well that a number target in your mind says nothing about what your body craves as it goes throughout the day.

I've been playing around with my schedule lately in an effort to get in more time at the gym. I have much more energy during the day and feel better mentally and physically, but it seems like my mindless snacking has increased as well. I know that pure cardio in the mornings revs my hunger and often causes me to overcompensate for what I feel I've lost. Conversely, weight training suppresses my hunger in the mornings. With this and the impending bathing suit in mind, I think I am going to try something new (or, not so new) to help moderate my snacking.

Quite frankly, I think I've gotten too comfortable with snacking on poor food choices (crackers and cookies), which leads to an endless cycle of sugar crashes. I've mentioned here before that Weight Watchers worked and that I was hesitant to go back because of the program's emphasis on core (aka fiber-filled) foods that I am supposed to avoid. However, I've learned a lot about what I can and cannot eat and what I can and cannot do. So, I figure its worth me revisiting the plans maxims in an effort to learn moderation.

I've given this quite a lot of thought and will break it up into several posts over the next few days.