Afternoon Slump

lanoreco

Hi,

I work 8:45am - 5:30pm and I've been eating pretty well as far as breakfast & lunch. Around 300 cals in the morning (usually eggs and an english muffin or lox and english muffin with cucumber, etc) at 9am. Lunch time is usually a salad around 12pm. I don't eat a midmorning snack because I am usually not hungry in-between breakfast and lunch, but definitely hungry by 12pm.

However, once 2pm hits, like most people, my energy dies but I also get incredibly hungry. I'll eat a snack to tide me over until the gym but it never works. I usually have to have two snacks in the afternoon before I make it to the gym and sometimes that doesn't even help. I'm usually so hungry that I just go home and have dinner. I've tried holding off being hungry until at least 4pm and having a Luna bar so I can at least make it to the gym but I'm usually starving by 4pm and then the Luna bar does nothing.

Does anyone else have this problem? Are there any snacks that usually fill you up enough to make it to the gym in time?

I'm thinking maybe I should have a mid morning snack instead of an early lunch and push my lunch back or have a higher calorie snack in the afternoon since I'm skipping the midmorning snack anyway?

PaytraB

Do you have any protein in your salad? Some beans, cheese, tuna or meat? I find that fills me up longer than just veggies. A veggie salad doesn't have a lot of calories. You may need to add a half sandwich or something to that.

A snack of 1/4 cup of nuts is quite filling, I find. Add an apple to that if you're still hungry.

aeb09

Fat and protein are more satiating than carbs, so make sure you have plenty of each with your salad. It also seems like your body wants to eat every few hours (whereas I eat breakfast at 6am, lunch at 12, dinner at 6pm) so maybe you could try 5-6 smaller meals eaten more frequently to satisfy your hunger? Or push lunch a little later, maybe until 1?

ajax041813

I am very similar in my schedule to yours and my eating cycle. I would echo what the PP said. make sure you are getting protein & healthy fat at every meal. Maybe even up your protein and fats. I would also recommend eating a snack of that mid afternoon and then maybe again closer to your gym time.

Avocados are a great source of healthy fat you could add to your salad.

Nuts are great for a snack, it's easy to overdo it on these though.

I love smoothies, I make a big batch in the morning, keep them in small mason jars so I can snack as needed through the day. There are tons of recipes online depending on what you goals are.

Hope this helps!