Good All Day Then 4pm Tumble Into Overeating!

LooklikeJaylo

For many years I have had the same pattern to my day. Breakfast and lunch I do great- all healthy.
Then evening comes and from 4pm I go wrong- some of it is tiredness, some lack of willpower, but most of my calorie intake is consumed after 4pm. Anyone else and how did you stop it?

KarenJanine

Is your post-4pm eating taking you over your calorie goal? If not then you're fine - meal timing is personal preference and if eating most of your calories later in the day works for you then that's fine.

However, if you end up eating too much later in the day and going over your goal then you may need to reassess what you are eating earlier in the day. Are you restricting too much earlier in the day which leads to binges? Are you getting enough protein, fat and fibre (which satiate you)?

ETA also, what is your calorie goal set to? With only 14 lb left to lose you should be aiming for just 0.5 to 1 lb per week.

fushigi1988

You probably need to eat more at breakfast and lunch, your body is screaming for easy calories because you undereat.

GarbageCollector

I had this problem, too.
I eat my breakfast and lunch at work, which works totally fine.
But in the evening, when I come home, my boyfriend is hungry and wants something to eat. So we cook something, which I really enjoy because we always have a nice time cooking together. I used to say to myself that I would only eat a small portion and guess what, our meals are so delicious I overate most of the time.

To stop this, I trained myself into eating salad at work. By now, I don't even need any dressing to this. I just cut some salad, tomatoes, cucumber and bell pepper and eat it with salt and pepper. Or eat some carrots with low fat curd cheese and chives. Perfect. Makes you full for some time. You can even get some of the cake your co-workers always offer. And in the evening I can enjoy dinner with my boyfriend without feeling guilty.
Another trick I use: We decide what we will eat for dinner in the morning or at least before I have lunch. Then I already log what I will eat in the evening (for example, he wants Lasagna. Then I search for a nice recipe, and log one portion of it in my food diary). This way, I can see how much is left for me to eat for lunch.
Another thing: I don't buy any sweets or chips or anything that would endanger my progress. If I do so because I really feel like it, I don't eat a full bag of chips at once. I decide before how much I want to eat and put this in a bowl. Then I put away the bag and only eat what's in the bowl. Moderation is the key.

LooklikeJaylo

My calorie goal is 1350. I have Chronic Fatgiue Syndrome so can't exercise. This should be pulling off half a pound a week as long as I don't eat too much in the evening!

MegE_N

While I've only been at this in earnest for a month, I'm very happy with the trick I've been using - keeping your hands busy.

So when I get home and my fiance and I will have dinner, after that I will do ANYTHING I can to stay too busy to eat. Housework, decorating projects, sewing, going for walks, a hot bath, playing video or computer games. As long as my hands are busy and I'm distracted, I avoid evening overeating.

MegE_N

Another trick I use: We decide what we will eat for dinner in the morning or at least before I have lunch. Then I already log what I will eat in the evening (for example, he wants Lasagna. Then I search for a nice recipe, and log one portion of it in my food diary). This way, I can see how much is left for me to eat for lunch.

I love doing this. Every morning I plot out what I'm going to eat so I know if I have room to slip or cheat a little bit, or if I'm under eating. I can also tell if I'm likely to be over for that day, so I can make a point of finding some more calories to burn.

BrittDoesIt

I usually eat most of my calories later in the day too. I really try to have a light breakfast, usually a smoothie which is about 200 calories, and then a light lunch, I try to stay under 350 calories for lunch so that in the afternoon and evening I still have about 900-1000 calories left after I work out. I agree with the person who said if you stay under calories its no problem, just try to shift when you are eating and make it work

sherambler

It could be food-related, like everyone else said, but I'm wondering if it goes a little deeper than that. I have the same problem. I eat very well in the mornings and afternoons and then at night it's a problem. I binge eat though. I don't know if this is a concern to you. Part of it might be, like you said, you've created a habit where now you sort of expect yourself to overeat once that clock hits a certain point.

Here are some tips my therapist has me use when I want to binge eat. I'm not saying you're a binge eater, but some of the tools I use might still be useful.

1. Drink a glass of water before you eat something. Sometimes we mistake dehydration as hunger.
2. Make a distraction list, essentially things you could do to busy your hands and mind. I found that a lot of my binge eating came from needing to do something with my hands. It tricked my brain into being productive, which was one of my triggers to turn to food.
3. Focus on low-cal volume. Eat something like a salad, a cucumber, carrots, or celery to fill you up without the guilt.
4. The 20 minute rule. If you eat a lot in a short period of time, then try waiting 20 minutes between food items. or even if you eat and watch a show, then say "no more bites until commercial break". It's all just about making you more mindful as you eat.
5. Log as you eat. It's a pain, but does work. You see how everything is adding up in real-time.
6. My therapist also made me put up little post-its around my house reminding me of my goals. I stuck them on places where I most often visit when overeating--the plate cupboard, the fridge, the pantry, etc. She also had me make this 4-squared piece of paper with each box labeled something different. Positives to binge eating, negatives to binge eating, positives to not binge eating, negatives to not binge eating. It's just another tool to look at to be mindful of your food choices.
7. Spend a little time somewhere else where there's no food---spend an hour at the library or at the park or volunteer.

Good luck!!

blackizbutiful

I was having that same problem as well for a while then I started eating salads or bean soups for lunch at work. Always have a green smoothie for breakfast. So if I eat cooked meals at dinner I wont be hurting myself.

KatDJZ

I'm the exact same way! I can do great all day, but the evening is where it all goes wrong. I don't know if it's because I'm bored or genuinely hungrier then, but whatever it is, it's a constant struggle. I find it's not so bad when I'm at home because I don't have much food that tempts me here. But if I'm spending time at my family's where there's lots of food I don't usually have, that's when I go nuts. So I just try to avoid foods I know I shouldn't have, exercise that day to offset at least some of what I'd eat if I slipped, and just try to keep busy and distract myself with something.

KseRz

You probably need to eat more at breakfast and lunch, your body is screaming for easy calories because you undereat.

Nope, couldnt disagree with you more.

This used to happen to me between 3 and 4 PM every day, like clockwork. I used to tend to want to seek out small farm animals, put them into my oven and devour them until nothing was left. Especially the heart. Mmmmm YUMMY.

Until I STOPPED EATING BREAKFAST.

The earlier I ate, the more I want to eat the rest of the day and into the evening and before bed it was bad also. It was actually very easy for me to stop this as I really wasnt hungry in the morning for breakfast anyway. I was eating breakfast because I believed I needed it to "jumpstart my metabolism" or because breakfast was the most important meal of the day or the best one was, if I dont eat it my body will be in starvation mode.

Anyway, I wasnt hungy and I drank coffee instead. So then around 11am I got hungry, so I ate then. Simple really. I ate when I was hungry, not when the clock told me it was time to eat. Sometimes I dont eat until 1 or 2pm. Ever since, I havent been hungry, much less ravenously hungry in the afternoon ever since.

Hope this helps OP

KaelaLee88

When I come in from work I feel hungry too so I try to do some small task to keep me occupied until it's time to eat!

I pre-log everything so that I don't go over board with my meals :-)

I'm sorry to hear about your CFS, you must find it very difficult to regulate your body. Can I recommend a small snack at around 3pm? A handful of cereal or nuts or fruit or a grain bar, just to sit on your tummy a bit.

Kaela x

fushigi1988

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Nope, couldnt disagree with you more.

This used to happen to me between 3 and 4 PM every day, like clockwork. I used to tend to want to seek out small farm animals, put them into my oven and devour them until nothing was left. Especially the heart. Mmmmm YUMMY.

Until I STOPPED EATING BREAKFAST.

The earlier I ate, the more I want to eat the rest of the day and into the evening and before bed it was bad also. It was actually very easy for me to stop this as I really wasnt hungry in the morning for breakfast anyway. I was eating breakfast because I believed I needed it to "jumpstart my metabolism" or because breakfast was the most important meal of the day or the best one was, if I dont eat it my body will be in starvation mode.

Anyway, I wasnt hungy and I drank coffee instead. So then around 11am I got hungry, so I ate then. Simple really. I ate when I was hungry, not when the clock told me it was time to eat. Sometimes I dont eat until 1 or 2pm. Ever since, I havent been hungry, much less ravenously hungry in the afternoon ever since.

Hope this helps OP

It depends per person, if I don't eat breakfast, i pass out from low blood sugar.
It was just a suggestion for OP, everybody is different.

fat2skinny50

I to have that problem, what i do is keep busy. I walk the dogs, i make my husband play cards with me, i call my friends and chat on the phone. When all else fails, i have carrotts, cucumber or something along those lines. Good Luck OP and so sorry to hear about your CFS

DrJenO

You'll have to play around with your daily meal plan. You have had several suggestions. I personally eat 5 times a day (6, if I have enough calories left for dessert after dinner). I find that I am hardly ever HUNGRY MUST EAT ALL THE THINGS if I eat every 2-3 hrs.

Also, protein is your friend. I hardly ever eat a meal or snack that doesn't incorporate at least some protein (or protein and fat) in it.

jenlei7231

You know, I am doing the exact same thing. Eating first thing in the morning. I do love breakfast foods, but I am not usually hungry for it first thing in the morning. I eat anyway, and find myself eating (albeit healthy) more often. This completely makes sense to me. I am not losing anything like I want, but hopefully will see some changes soon.

CherylLee77

You found some great advice with your post! I bet a LOT of people have the same problem you do. Some of the things mentioned already worked great for me and are worth repeating:

1. Make sure your breakfast and lunch are nutritious. I aim for at least 10g fiber and 25g protein each meal, never fat free.
2. Keep busy when you know you are prone to grazing. I make up excuses to get out the house. If you're tired because of your CFS, you can still play cards or crochet or whatever you like doing.
3. I also pre-log as others have mentioned. GREAT TIP!

And if a therapist is not an option for you (works great for some), you can get to the root cause of your grazing through journaling. There is often a heart issue triggering negative thinking which affects our actions. Ask yourself some probing questions and pour your heart out on paper.

Conquer one bad habit at a time and you will make slow progress from being an evening snacker to a healthy meal planner. Some suggestions for breaking up your grazing habit into little mini-goals could be:
Pre-log dinner
Tell yourself you will not snack 90 minutes before mealtime
Choose one or two snacks each morning that you will let yourself have that day and pre-log them
You could probably think of more mini-goals that better suit your life, but you get the idea- Break the problem up into little bite-sized pieces.

healthygreek

My calorie goal is 1350. I have Chronic Fatgiue Syndrome so can't exercise. This should be pulling off half a pound a week as long as I don't eat too much in the evening!

I looked up Chronic Fatigue on WebMD and exercise improves energy levels for those who suffer from it.
The trick is "graded exercise". Start out with very little and then gradually increase it day by day. It will help you feel better and eventually give you some extra calories to work with!

eldamiano

I would physically stop myself from walking into the kitchen, getting something out, cooking it, putting it on to a plate and then putting in to my mouth.

So about 6 stages there where I could say 'Stop!'.

iplayoutside19

You probably need to eat more at breakfast and lunch, your body is screaming for easy calories because you undereat.

Nope, couldnt disagree with you more.

This used to happen to me between 3 and 4 PM every day, like clockwork. I used to tend to want to seek out small farm animals, put them into my oven and devour them until nothing was left. Especially the heart. Mmmmm YUMMY.

Until I STOPPED EATING BREAKFAST.

The earlier I ate, the more I want to eat the rest of the day and into the evening and before bed it was bad also. It was actually very easy for me to stop this as I really wasnt hungry in the morning for breakfast anyway. I was eating breakfast because I believed I needed it to "jumpstart my metabolism" or because breakfast was the most important meal of the day or the best one was, if I dont eat it my body will be in starvation mode.

Anyway, I wasnt hungy and I drank coffee instead. So then around 11am I got hungry, so I ate then. Simple really. I ate when I was hungry, not when the clock told me it was time to eat. Sometimes I dont eat until 1 or 2pm. Ever since, I havent been hungry, much less ravenously hungry in the afternoon ever since.

Hope this helps OP

Whether a person can function without breakfast is up to them. Personally I can't, I try to make breakfast my largest meal. BUT what I was going to suggest is eat smaller "main" meals, and have a snack at 4pm. Preferably something with protein or another food that will provide satiety until you can get to dinner. That way you don't feel the need to devour a Diplodocus when you do get to dinner.

It takes some planning, but it helps.

Beckilovespizza

While I've only been at this in earnest for a month, I'm very happy with the trick I've been using - keeping your hands busy.

So when I get home and my fiance and I will have dinner, after that I will do ANYTHING I can to stay too busy to eat. Housework, decorating projects, sewing, going for walks, a hot bath, playing video or computer games. As long as my hands are busy and I'm distracted, I avoid evening overeating.

Agree with this 100% it's hard to eat with freshly polished nails. I also do lots of housework and laundry etc. Maybe due to vanity and wanting to keep my hands busy i have been keeping my eyebrows tidy, exfoliating my face and body, moisturising etc all to keep busy but getting a nice look and a clean home as a by-product!