Weight management

himes91i1
himes91i1 Posts: 1 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I tend to have trouble maintaining my weight, it’s nothing off the charts but about 10 pounds up and down I love chocolate and I tend to have cravings around 4 pm any suggestions

Replies

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,197 Member
    10 pounds up and down over what kind of time span? Unless you're talking quick cycles, that may just be your definition of maintenance.

    I drift up, then have to consciously drift back down, over a few pounds' range myself - it has been as much as 10 at times, but the gain was over multiple years so quite gradual. I'm OK with it, personally. (I'm in year 7+, nearly 8, of being in a healthy weight range and the same jeans size.)

    There are quite a few people here whom I've seen write that they drift up a few pounds every Winter (less outdoor activity, maybe richer foods), then drift back down again in summer, over a range of a few pounds.

    As far as late in day cravings, for me it tends to be related to one of fatigue (poor quality/quantity sleep), stress, sub-ideal distribution of meal sizes or composition earlier in the day, or maybe boredom.

    In terms of meal sizes/distribution, for me I found I needed a really solid breakfast with ample protein, then protein through the day. That reduced my later in day cravings.

    Some people find they do better by skipping breakfast, having one or two bigger meals later. In other words, satiation can be quite individual. Maybe experiment with your routine, see if you can improve things?

    One obvious thing to try would be allocating some calories to have a snack at the time you usually have cravings. It can even be chocolate, in a controlled amount, if you want. (The individually wrapped good-quality chocolates work best for me in this kind of scenario.) It could be some other snack, though - whatever you find would quell your appetite.

    One thing to do would be to notice if there are days when you're less crave-y or more crave-y in the afternoon. If so, what was different? Sleep? Stress? Exercise type or intensity (that day but it can even be the previous one)? Eating patterns (calories or nutrients or even specific foods consumed that were more or less filling)? Etc.

    I think you may be able to experiment, see what happens in various scenarios, and puzzle your way through to a better solution, if you work at it.

    Best wishes!

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