I Could Eat A Horse Early Evening! :-(

[Spangle51]

Hi! I'm new to the forum and could do with some advice! My worst time of the day for managing food is early evening before dinner,when I get home from work.I manage reasonably well with food intake for breakfast and lunch but get through the door at night and then start picking at food in the fridge (cooked meat and cheese being the main culprits!) before I've even started cooking dinner and then feel really bad about it afterwards. Any tips for kicking this bad habit?

[BadHare]

Perhaps eat more during the day, so you're less hungry in the evening, or get something you like that's low calorie & good for you, to snack on.

[IndigoBlue61]

Bigger lunch or breakfast! I definitely find eating more earlier in the day works for me 😊 Especially carbs. Prefer a lighter evening meal 😊 Good luck!

[deejames]

Surely the answer is to have fruit or nuts as an mid afternoon snack. Also make sure you are not dehydrated. We tend not to drink water in the late afternoon for some reason . Big glass of water as soon as you get home and if you haven't had a mid afternoon snack. Put a few crackers or fruit on a plate and sit down to eat slowly. It the grazing that ends up being a lot more than you would ever consciously lay out for yourself.

Dee

[cathalicious]

Plan to have a snack as soon as you get in from work. If you are careful with your calorie planning throughout the day this should be fine and you can make it into a little ritual (cup of tea, feet up, snack) which you can look forward to rather than feeling guilty about

Good luck!

[Spangle51]

Thanks for all your replies,they are really helpful and I will definitely take your advice on board.☺️I think my problem is because I work on afternoon shifts,I leave the house at 11.30, then have a 15 minute break at 3 and get home at 6.15.I end up having breakfast at 8, fruit and a couple of slices of protein at 11.30,a banana and a drink at 3 (no time for much more!),so then pick when I get through the door at night, before I actually sit down to a proper meal.I'm definitely better with my food régime on my days off!😐

[cathalicious in reply to Spangle51]

It does sound like you are not eating enough throughout the day. Maybe you need something a bit more substantial for that 3pm snack, which is essentially your lunch.

Also, whilst bananas will give you an instant energy hit (and are yummy to boot!) they are almost pure carb. You may be experiencing a carb/ sugar drop late in the afternoon which is why you feel ravenous.

I would suggest experimenting with that 3pm snack and maybe trying something wIth a bit more sustenance to it, such as a healthy, balanced salad (assuming you have time to prepare one before you leave the house) a protein bar, or a selection of fruit and nuts.

You can still have that snack when you get home before dinner, but you might not feel like you want to eat the plate too x

[Amynah]

Hi, I think everyone has given you good ideas. I will only add - have green tea - simple or flavoured - when you get through the door. Green tea helps me from binging on food. I have it at 6pm everyday and then I am okay until dinner at 8pm. Goodluck

[Macrovioletics]

Have you tried something more filling instead of quick carbs or fats (fruits and nuts) to keep you going more steadily? Whole grains and beans as a staple go quite far, you have many different varieties and they can be cooked in various ways.

Soups are also very filling, using round sweet vegetables to make them naturally creamy without the need to add dairy, even better! Or add some beans to the soup to give extra plant-based gentle protein boost. Warm creamy soups are great to relax in the evening and just feel content.

I would advice to even take some of that hearty soup to work, or some sushi wholegrain rice snacks.

Good luck!

[Spangle51 in reply to Macrovioletics]

Great suggestions, thank you!☺️Eating something really quick and filling is definitely what I need to work on,for that 15 minute break. What with popping to the loo and catching up on a couple of text messages,it doesn't leave much time!

[Macrovioletics in reply to Spangle51]

If you want more information on filling whole foods try looking for macrobiotic recipes online. I haven't put any on my website yet, but I'm sure there are plenty out there! (Or get a cookery book, even from the library if you don't feel that committed

And also make sure when you are eating you calmly sit down, that helps relaxing the stomach and when you stand up you feel more full, as the guts contract.

[Spangle51]

Well since the start of the month,I've really taken stock of my eating habits and,as I have a clear month with no socialising on the cards to sabotage my efforts,have really tried to alter my mindset in relation to food.By totally abstaining from alcohol and really cutting back on sugar and carbs (in the form of bread,pasta and potatoes),I'm finally starting to lose the weight.

Reading Michael Moseley's Blood Sugar Diet (£3.85 from Tesco) and following a Mediterranean way of eating is making a big difference to my life and I finally feel that I'm getting on top of my food demons. I think if it hadn't been for all your encouragement at the start,I would never have felt sufficiently motivated to make some lifestyle changes,so thank you so much to everyone for being so supportive.