Dinner and later-getting through the rest of the day

Songbird61377

During the first several hours during the day my eating habits are in great shape, things begin to get tricky in the late afternoon and continue into the late evening (4pm-night). I realize this time of the day is difficult for many folks, that's when healthy habits seem to go astray way too often. I pinpointed some reasons: everyone is tired, dinner is not cooking fast enough, kids fighting, so generally stress is the factor.
So my idea was to share some possible solutions to tackle this issues. For me dinner and later has been seriously sabotaging my weight goals in the last several months. I would love to hear from anyone! If you found your golden ticket to this issue, please share!

LKArgh

Eat a bigger (and later) lunch? Plan a late afternoon snack? Eat less during the day and plan for most calories to be consumed for dinner? Not one solution fits all lifestyles.

callsitlikeiseeit

find something to do during that time frame? go for a walk, workout, help kids with homework, work on a hobby, clean your house, whatever works to distract you.

tinascar2015

^^^ I agree. Changing the timing of my meals has helped me so much. I'll have a filling breakfast around 9-9:30, lunch around 1:30 or later, and dinner at 6:30 or 7. Some days I have an afternoon snack, some days not. I rarely snack in the mornings now. By the time I go to bed around 10PM, I'm still satisifed form dinner.

keziak1

I was a serious night-time overeater/binger. I singlehandedly kept the local 7-11 in business by purchasing junk there everyday. But now all I eat in the evening is an orange or apple. The secret? Doing it long enough to establish a habit. It doesn't happen overnight but in time the power of routine kicks in. If I could do it, anyone can! Good luck.

50452

I drink a cup of hot tea in the late afternoon and that will distract me long enough to get through to dinner. I also try to go to sleep early too. But if I can't, again, I'll have a cup of hot tea. Decaf, of course. I also come back here and read threads. Being around like-minded people is very helpful. I have also begun closing out my diary right after dinner and brushing my teeth.

There is a great thread in the Support and Motivation sub forum where we support each other in saying no to late night eating. I've found that very helpful.

Someone here told me that late night eating is a habit and it takes 30 days to break a habit. I'm clinging to that number for dear life.

maxit

I basically changed my meal timing to deal with late afternoon hunger. I eat my first meal at mid morning, the second one at mid afternoon, the last one around 7 PM and then frequently I have some calories to play with and finish the evening with plain greek yogurt. I eat a substantial amount of protein with every meal & include a good source of fat for the second two for sure. If I want to snack around, it's usually something like a clementine or an apple - the apple seems to stave off looming snack-binge pretty well - the clementine is just a sweet bit.

zyxst

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/31685211/#Comment_31685211

LovingLife_Erin

I'm not sure if this helps, but could you make some crock pot meals? If things get hard because you have to cook and it takes too long, etc. Then having a meal in the slow cooker ready for you when you get home might be a solution. That way dinner is ready when you want it, you can spend your time elsewhere instead of stressed in the kitchen, and you can relax knowing dinner is sorted. There are tons of healthy recipes online, with many being complete meals. Spend 5-10 minutes in the am throwing it in the pot, or part of one day preparing and freezing some stuff to throw in on the days you want that meal.

Good luck and know you got this!

Songbird61377

You guys are awesome, some great ideas and reminders what worked for me in the past but got lost in a way. Having a beverage during "that" time of the day helps but not always, I guess it all boils down to planning really. What I don't understand is how I derailed so badly, I used to have this dinner routine down to a t. Not so much any more, but I am hopeful.

azulvioleta6

Eat more for breakfast and lunch; stay well hydrated earlier in the day; use exercise as stress relief instead of food or alcohol.

debubbie

I try to have a snack around 4, maybe an apple with a half serving of peanut butter. Then I have dinner about 7ish, and usually have about 600 calories (more if I exercised and eat half of those back) for dinner. I write out dinners for the month on a dry erase board that is stuck to the fridge. This has helped me from wasting time on deciding on what should I fix and mindlessly grabbing food while I think about it. I go to the store once a week to pick up the fresh veggies needed for the meals and once a month get all of the other stuff needed for the meals. Most of my meals can be made in less than 45 minutes, especially if my partner cuts up any veggies or meats that need chopped.

Songbird61377

debubbie-I started doing that too, planning meals and writing them down on a erase board. I have to agree, it helps a big deal, and 4pm snack might be just the trick, as long as I do overdo the snack.

LAWoman72

I like to eat at night, so I distribute my calories so that I have enough left over to have a nice snack at night.

saraphim41

Prepare some snacks to keep on hand in the refrigerator. Tuna salad wraps in lettuce? Cheese sticks? Boiled eggs? Just 2 ounces of some protein with a little carb will get me through those nagging munchies.

One thing, save a snack high in calcium for late evening--helps me get to sleep. That old "hot milk" thing has some value.

Dragn77

If I ate dinner at 4...Id be ready for second dinner by 8 LoL But yeah, I generally eat dinner around 7-8pm, since I dont go to bed til around 11-midnight, that is perfect for me.

Also, as far as getting dinner ready in time / planning for a good meal...ive started doing meal planning. That really takes the edge off of the whole whats for dinner thing, or waiting til Im hungry to decide what to eat. When its already planned, its just too easy.

callsitlikeiseeit

tinascar2015 wrote: »

^^^ I agree. Changing the timing of my meals has helped me so much. I'll have a filling breakfast around 9-9:30, lunch around 1:30 or later, and dinner at 6:30 or 7. Some days I have an afternoon snack, some days not. I rarely snack in the mornings now. By the time I go to bed around 10PM, I'm still satisifed form dinner.

now see, I eat a lot earlier than that (but it works for my schedule). ill eat breakfast (usually) around 7, lunch around 11, dinner around 5 and around 7 i usually have a cup of tea. BUT i go to bed early too - im usually in bed around 9 to relax/ wind down and turn off the tv around 10.