I struggle in the evenings

MermaidFaith

Remember: it is an awesome practice of discipline and continuing a healthy lifestyle to only take ONE cookie or ONE forkful of cake if you are craving it horribly. Being satisfied with less is a breeding ground for healthy eating habits.

this is a great statement. you are completely right and this is a huge change in my life. I am finally starting to feel satisfied with less. it's really great to have a treat sometimes, i just now realise that i do not need 10 of them at a time.

judykritikos

Evenings are tough - so I have dinner, do the dishes and get stuff ready for the next day, while the food settles. Then I do 30 min on the elliptical while I watch my soap opera or a recorded show or movie. Then while I'm cooling down, I eat a frozen banana. I peel a banana at night, wrap it in cello wrap/saran wrap and freeze it the night before. It's cold, somewhat frozen so it takes some gnawing and time to eat it, and it's sweet. Then I brush my teeth and shower - and ready for bed. Hits all the main things I need to do.
As to the craving - it's mental, it's a habit, and you can get over it. You tell yourself you CHOSE not to eat it. It's a CHOICE, and you're choosing to be healthy and thin, rather than not healthy and fat. You tell yourself you DESERVE to be healthy and thinner. You DESERVE a better body, healthier body - and so you CHOSE not to eat your sweets or your craving. Eat the fruit, or the fat-free pudding. Fewer calories, and it takes care of the sweet tooth.
I don't crave the chocolate like I used it -and believe me, there would be great bodily harm done if you stood between me and my See's dark chocolate Bordeaux. It's been over 3 months since I've had candy/chocolate, and I crave them mentally when I see them, but not enough to go buy them or get them myself. I overcome it by telling myself - it's my CHOICE, and I CHOSE to pass them up and pick something different, because I want my size 12's for years, rather than the candy for a 20 seconds.
YOU CAN DO IT! Mind over matter! Stay strong.

bcattoes

I am hungriest in the evenings too, so I exercise in the early evening and then eat my biggest meal of the day later. It's not at all unusual for that meal to contain more than 1/2 my daily calories.

judykritikos

Do you keep the cookies, candy and goodies at home? Well then - toss them out. Until you get a handle on your cravings and control THEM, instead of them controlling you - remove the temptation. Work out for 30 minutes at night during your crave time. Find different substitutions to satisfy the sweet tooth until you can manage the temptations by telling them - NO, BAD TEMPTATIONS!
Find the emotional tie you have to those foods - we're all tied emotionally and that's what keeps our weight out of sight. Find the tie, cut it, replace it - and we won't struggle with it after that. It's not easy - but then, we didn't gain our weight overnight, but over the years.
We didn't eat like we do now - when we were 3-4-5 years old. We learned it. Just need to unlearn it. Painful? Yep - but which is more painful - to go w/out stuff that's not good for us for a few months, or live a life of lardy for years and in poor health and no stamina to do the things we want to with the people we love?
We can do it!

cynthiajwoolley

I get chewable vitamin C tablets -- chew on one of those when you can't stand not to eat something.

Also, sugar free fruit popsicles!

PsiChi

Casein protein shake.