Protein and late night cravings

Justarcy

I need help with two different questions with a bit of background.


My goal is not much to loose weight but rather to tone up and get rid of my jello flabby arms and legs and get rid of my back and mid section fat.

I am currently doing Jillians 30 day shred (followed by the Body Revolution). The past year I gained about 5 lbs of fat working on a political campaign which required eating out all the time and ZERO exercise. I have a great metabolism and hence why I have never really had to worry about watching what I eat (I do eat very little during each meal though). I have never been extremely active and so exercise does not come natural for me. I am determined however and so once I start something, I will see it through.

I am not one to follow diets nor count carbs or weigh anything. I crave it, I eat it in moderation (portions in europe are not big). I do consider myself a foodie, I love food. Since being unemployed, I have developed bad eating habits though, I sleep late, wake up late and therefore have a late breakfast, snack on something relatively healthy, have a late lunch and yes, dinner very late. I try to cook relatively healthy and everything from scratch.

Example breakfast: either 2 sunny side up eggs with some refried beans and a slice of toast OR 2 table spoons of oatmeal with one table spoon of chia seeds, one table spoon of flax seed, one table spoon of raisins, water and almond milk.

Lunch: either left overs from dinner or a tuna salad (a tad bit of japanese mayo, lime juice, olive oil, onions and tomatoes) or avocado sandwich (wheat/wholemeal bread)

Dinners: chicken, meat, brown rice, veggies, homemade sauces, not much fish (i'm not a huge fan)...

The first part of my question is, for someone who does not go through the 5 meals a day nor counts calories, is it recommended that I take protein shakes? I currently take one scoop of Syntrax Nectar in Cappuccino.

The second part of the question is: Since I go to bed late (1ish, 2am) I get really BAD cravings around 11pm. This is when everything goes downhill as I will head to the cupboard and grab the potato chips or cookies or candies, popcorn or some natural yogurt ice cream or whatever else is there that is not healthy. I try to drink water to see if the craving goes away but it doesn't help at all. I try to go to sleep early but my body refuses. I normally don't eat a whole lot but enough to feel guilty. How do I overcome this? It is a HUGE huge problem for me. I can seriously be good ALL day and once night falls, it all goes down the drain. I would be in so much better shape if it weren't for these late night cravings.

Thanks in advance for all your advice!

Cheers!

_Zardoz_

To me that really doesn't sound like much food to me. Maybe that's why your getting the cravings?. As you say you don't count calories it's difficult to give specifics I would though recommend at least counting them short term so you can find out how much you are really eating

RodaRose

We could help you better if you were tracking.
Are you getting enough fats and oils? - They help with many things including saity.

essterne

I second the advice above to try tracking to make sure you're getting enough of the main nutrient categories. We do tend to crave things we need.

As for late night cravings, try apple slices with peanut butter. That will give you a crunchy, sweet, savory treat that's full of healthy fiber, protein and fats that you need. And if you're just craving something strongly flavored, try a pickle or two.

Justarcy

To me that really doesn't sound like much food to me. Maybe that's why your getting the cravings?. As you say you don't count calories it's difficult to give specifics I would though recommend at least counting them short term so you can find out how much you are really eating

To be honest, I'm really not eating much. Being unemployed and home is boring and I don't get very hungry during the day. During a normal active/work day, I did have my 5 meals religiously. Because I do not eat large portions, I get hungrier more often and hence why eating 5 times a day was effortless.

We could help you better if you were tracking.
Are you getting enough fats and oils? - They help with many things including saity.

Good question. My meals are always prepared with olive oil, coconut oil or butter and I use pink Himalayan salt to prepare my food. I don't eat avocados or nuts every day but I can safely say I may have them at the very least 3 times a week. I take my Omegas everyday via capsules.

I second the advice above to try tracking to make sure you're getting enough of the main nutrient categories. We do tend to crave things we need.

As for late night cravings, try apple slices with peanut butter. That will give you a crunchy, sweet, savory treat that's full of healthy fiber, protein and fats that you need. And if you're just craving something strongly flavored, try a pickle or two.

Apples with peanut butter!!! Haven't had these in ages!! Thanks for the reminder :-D

What is the benefit of tracking my meals (honest question)?