Evenings and diets

Morty90210

I'm usually really good all day until I get home from work. Then I get hungry and risk over eating or eating stuff I shouldn't be. Anyone else have this problem? What to do about it?

Hello_its_Dan

If it's in the house, you or someone you love will eat it.
This goes for trigger foods AND wholesome foods.

kommodevaran

Have you set your calorie goal correctly? Are you hitting your calorie goal every day? Have you tried planning/prelogging your meals? Plan meals and eat food you like.

Then work on your mindset. Don't be "really good". Eat enough. MFP tells you how much enough is. Don't divide foods into should and shouldn't. That is how you set yourself up for failure, via guilt-ridden deprivation/binge cycles. And it's not dangerous to feel hungry as long as you eat enough. It's not even dangerous or "bad" to occasionally overeat. It's the regular overeating that harms us.

rosebarnalice

Are you really "hungry" or just bored/ relaxed/ tired? I struggled with eating in the evenings until I realized that my behavior was almost never triggered by hunger-- it was some other emotion, good or bad.

Also, I experimented with my per-meal calorie allotment, and found that I need to eat about half of my calories during the day spread out between breakfast, lunch and snacks. If I eat less than that, I feel terribly virtuous at about 5:00 p.m., but then I really AM hungry come about 6:00 p.m., and I use the excuse "well, I haven't eaten very much all day!" to overeat at night.

When I up my daytime calories a bit, I feel less hungry in the evening, and when I head to the fridge or pantry for some feeling OTHER than hunger, a quick look at my MFP log sets me straight again: "Hey, you've eaten plenty today. You're not really hungry, so what the heck is going on in your head that has you standing here with the fridge open?"

MonkeyMel21

I like to eat light through out the day while at work so I have at least half my calories leftover for the evening. I try to wait to eat till dinner is ready but if I need a snack to tide me over I'll have hummus or something under 200 calories.

mikemelick

I had the exact same problem for years. At the same time I joined MFP, I made lots of changes at once. But as for snacking after work, I started having an apple and a bottle of water on the drive home. Then instead of snacking I head straight upstairs to do something relaxing like reading a book or guided meditation with a nap maybe. Basically swapping out the food for a new pleasurable activity. Plus I found that by rigorously tracking every calorie, I don't want to log any junk foods. The relaxation has been a good substitute.

Need2Exerc1se

I eat about 80% of my daily calories at night so this is no longer a problem for me.

Ming1951

I always save calories for night snacking. I like to watch tv and snack though thats not really a good habit and one I she stop but..thats what I like so I don't feel deprived.

beerfoamy

rosebarnalice wrote: »

Are you really "hungry" or just bored/ relaxed/ tired? I struggled with eating in the evenings until I realized that my behavior was almost never triggered by hunger-- it was some other emotion, good or bad.

Also, I experimented with my per-meal calorie allotment, and found that I need to eat about half of my calories during the day spread out between breakfast, lunch and snacks. If I eat less than that, I feel terribly virtuous at about 5:00 p.m., but then I really AM hungry come about 6:00 p.m., and I use the excuse "well, I haven't eaten very much all day!" to overeat at night.

When I up my daytime calories a bit, I feel less hungry in the evening, and when I head to the fridge or pantry for some feeling OTHER than hunger, a quick look at my MFP log sets me straight again: "Hey, you've eaten plenty today. You're not really hungry, so what the heck is going on in your head that has you standing here with the fridge open?"

^this. Just, this was me too
I used to get home and think - right, what shall I do.... wash up, nah, tidy up, nah...sit on *kitten* and watch tv - yep!
Which would lead to a raid on the cupboards and fridge (chocolate, blocks of cheese, crisps etc)
now being able to see that I have eaten enough during the day helps enormously.
If the 'hunger' gets bad (usually between 7 and 8pm) and I cannot blame it on boredom (or I can but don't care), I can have a protein bar or something within calorie limit and not worry.
(and I have a tidier house!)

WinoGelato

What are examples of "stuff you shouldn't be eating"? You reference a "diet" in the title of your post which leads me to believe you've engaged in an approach where you've cut out certain foods believing you can't eat them and still lose weight. You also reference being too hungry when you get home which leads me to believe you've cut calories pretty drastically.

Take a step back and look at your overall goals.
What are your stats: height, weight, goal weight, activity level, age and gender?
What rate of loss did you select?
What calorie goal did MFP provide?
Do you exercise? If so, do you log and eat back a portion of your overall exercise calories?
What does a typical day of eating look like?
Are you approaching this as a temporary "diet" or a "lifestyle change" that you can sustain for the long term?

Making sure you've got a good foundation for all this, then building a plan that enables you to stay in that calorie deficit while eating foods that are nutritious (macro and micro nutrients), satiating (fill you up) and enjoyable (keeps you on track) is critical for success.