Can't stop snacking in the afternoon

SanDiegoSarah

Ahhh... can't stop snacking today (and every other day for that matter!) Has anyone had success in stopping the need to snack by increasing their calories at meals? My meals are small - I guess I buy into that idea that you should eat 6 times a day so my meals and snacks end up being similar in calories. This would be okay if I would hold myself to my 6 "meal times" but often times I eat double/triple the calories in just the afternoon. I'm thinking maybe I need to try and eat bigger meals in hopes that this will fill me up enough where I won't have the desire to snack. Anyone have success with this? Any tips? Thanks so much!

rockerbabyy

my first suggestion would be more protein with breakfast - maybe bigger breakfast as well. some days i eat 6 times a day, sometimes i eat two times a day. how often you eat really is up to you - theres no set mealtime that works for every one.

brookeg20

When I first started it seemed like I couldn't stop snacking too. I kept track of the time, and it seemed to be at the same time every day. I started to think that I would get hungry at that time just out of habit. I would eat 30 to 45 mins before that and then make sure I was busy so I couldn't eat then. And the more I ate before I got hungry, the less I felt that strong urge to eat everything!! Hope this helps. Good luck!

Rays_Wife

When I first read the title of this, I thought it said "Can't stop snacking in the bathroom" :huh: :laugh:

Fairysoul

Choose low calorie snacks, like olives, pickles, carrots that sort of thing!

VanishingGnome

I get like this too. Sometimes it seems like my cravings are completely unstoppable in the afternoon. I've started eating a protein bar 30 minutes before "the witching hour" and chewing gum. I still have the cravings but have an easier time controlling them. I'm hoping that over time my body will stop the cravings since it seems like they are learned, not biological.

maryrr88

My biggest weakness was stuffing my face as soon as I got home from work, around 5 pm. For a while I'd grab anything in the house - chips, cereal, whatever, and chow down for a good 15-20 minutes nonstop. I've pretty well broken myself of the habit by now, but that's due to a large amount of willpower and also 2 evenings a week I work a second job where I go straight from one to the other, which leaves no time for stuffing my face at 5 pm! Also, now that I'm doing 30 Day Shred, on the days I don't work my second job I come home and pop in the dvd right away. I find that the exercise keeps me from wanting to munch... that and my fiance and I are on our own and paying for all our food, as opposed to just a couple months ago I was living with my mom and she was paying for our food.

I just wanted to say that I feel your pain and I've been there before... it's not easy, and really I can only say that in my experience, willpower is the only thing that gets me through. That and just simply not buying as much of those tempting yummies anymore.

LindsayChick

I totally know the feeling. I do the exact same thing. I try to cut up a bunch of veggies and dip it in hummus. It's filling and low calorie. Another one is the Fiber 1 original cereal (only 60 calories per half cup) with some unsweetened almond milk give you a big bank for your buck. Then you're satisfied but still hungry for dinner later.

Apazman

this topic totally speaks to my past, I snacked so much in the afternoon. What I found was I kept a journal about how I felt after meals, I found that I had to force myself to eat breakfast, and if I skipped breakfast I was hungry by lunch but if I ate breakfast i was STARVING by lunch and would eat lunch then snack till I got home. Point is that I would screw up my diet by the end of the night.

Solutions that work best for me are ones that are more binary. I don't want a bunch of rules about what you can and can't eat or when you can eat them, or to make sure you eat every 3 hours blah blah blah ... I went another route, I went with intermittent fasting, During the week I only eat dinner, and maybe desert if I exercise that day. Not eating during the day is a lot easier than most make it out to be. and Since I didn't really like breakfast anyway, it works for me. Now I am not suggesting that this will work for you, as there are as many ways to lose weight as there are to gain weight. what I am suggesting is explore options even if they seem a bit unconventional. You can usually learn something and if you're lucky, learn something about yourself when trying several different options. remember you aren't trying to win a batter you are trying to win a war!

zephyrionitis

Next time you get those unstoppable craving, try journaling first.Or blogging. Or whatever, You could be stressed and eating your emotions. When I get upset I crave a lot of snacks. Also, do try to eat more "filling" meals if you aren't already!

NaiaNZ

I used to snack aaaaaall the time, and constantly feel hungry no matter what I had eaten in the previous meal. (I also had crazy sugar cravings!!!)

So, I upp'd my water intake!!
I now have my meal (whether it be Breakfast or just a snack), and make myself drink a bottle of water before i'm 'allowed' to eat again. The water really full's me up, and by the time i've finished the bottle, I generally don't feel like snacking anymore!
(It's a good way to make sure you're properly hydrated too!)

Don't know if this is something that would work for everyone, but it's definately helped me, so thought i'd share!

Goodluck!
Xx

Oo_BrookeNicole_oO

When I first read the title of this, I thought it said "Can't stop snacking in the bathroom" :huh: :laugh:

How weird.. I thought it said that too!

ladylu11

The thing that helped me most was logging my food for the day first thing in the morning (meals and snacks). That way I know what I have to work with and can make adjustments to keep me on target for my daily calories and since I've started this I rarely go over.

elis_mama

When I first read the title of this, I thought it said "Can't stop snacking in the bathroom" :huh: :laugh:

Hahaha!

jadedone

Hmm, I just budget in an afternoon snack. Some days I don't need it, and other days I do. I have a couple of go to ones:
almonds (around 150 calories work)
greek yogurt
a piece of fruit
decaf cappuccino or latte

They all seem to do the trick and keep me full till dinner. I pair it with a cup of tea or glass of water.

birdieintx

eat fiber rich foods at lunch they make you feel full longer!

shaycat

The thing that helped me most was logging my food for the day first thing in the morning (meals and snacks). That way I know what I have to work with and can make adjustments to keep me on target for my daily calories and since I've started this I rarely go over.

I log all my stuff in the morning to.
Today I couldnt help snacking and snacking even though I am full from a big lunch.
Some days I just want to eat.
Tomorrow I will NOT snack so much, wait I said that yesterday

Shelby814

What are you snacking ON? If you snacks are 100-200 calories & healthy I wouldn't be too concerned. I snack on natural almonds, greek yogurt with 1/2 fresh berries & granola, a banana or apple with PB2, 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese, 2 TBSP hummus & baby carrots or fresh mushrooms. Sometimes I eat something every 1-2 hours if I'm hungry & had a good calorie burn. I can't see your diary so that's the best I've got.

heyghoge

eh, maybe you should just plan to have your greatest calorie intake be in the afternoon? i'm a night owl and tend to eat my largest meal(s) in late evening. i found i only frustrated myself/wound up eating excessively when i tried to make all my meals equal in calories (i eat multiple times during the day too) b/c i thought that's what i 'should' be doing. naahhhh.

lovely2cu

I have the same problem and I've discovered the following about myself: (1) it was dehydration or (2) i was anxious or stressing about something, or (3) i was just plain tired at the end of a long day. I've read sometimes we can mistake hunger for just lack of sleep or rest. Anyway, maybe ask yourself what are you feeling at that particular time. Is it true hunger or something emotional or just lack of rest. Grab a tall glass of water and ponder it before grabbing a snack. I even made myself a little reminder and put it on the refrigerator door. Hope this helps!

Articeluvsmemphis

When I first read the title of this, I thought it said "Can't stop snacking in the bathroom" :huh: :laugh:

:blushing: :blushing: :blushing: so I wasn't alone? our brains do weird things.

I snack a lot as well, and for this reason, it has deff. helped me lose weight because I just learned how I am. I try to make good choices when I do eat because I know I have an fixation with eating even if I'm not hungry, so if it's tea or a serving of nuts, or fruit, I always have something portioned out and handy for when I want to eat, and sometimes I pre-log to make sure it fits within my calories. also, are you getting in physical activity? just curious. and also are you eating enough? sometimes MFP sets a calorie goal that may not work for your needs. I eat about 1800calories of more a day. when I go below this, if I give it a few days, I am ravenously hungry from having been under that 1800calories for several days. hope this helps.

squishycow7

I go through phases where this is a huuuuge issue.

My only real success is eating low cal things in large quantities... Like popcorn (obviously not the kind with tons of butter, etc), pickles, big salads of basically just lettuce and a LITTLE dressing.... Frozen veggies... Etc.

For me the act of eating is more "important" than WHAT Im eating. So just find something low cal and go crazy with it

melrn

I had that problem and it turned out that it was my adrenal glands. I had to snack because my blood sugar was dropping dangerously low. Its a survival mechanism. I felt like I was possessed in the afternoons. Find a doctor that knows about adrenal fatigue. You may need to branch out into naturopathic medicine. Regular MDs aren't very fluent in this area.

susandg

I just started eating Lundberg's Organic Brown Rice Cakes Lightly Salted. I LOVE THEM. One usually fills me up and they've got enough crispy crunch and salt to remind me of tortilla and potato chips (sans all the bad stuff). At first I was eating four rice cakes a day and after a week, I'm down to two a day. Good luck!

2kidsandadonut

I had this problem too. I found that the more I ate during the day the hungrier I would get. Breakfast would mean STARVING by lunch and same with dinner. So what I found worked was during the day I have a liquid diet. Breakfast is water and a shake, lunch is water and a shake, if I get a craving in the afternoon it is crystal light. Then I eat a healthy dinner. I find this works great for me and I am less hungry in the afternoon and I'm less likely to snack between and after dinner. Remember a great deal of the time you think you are hungry you are probably just thirsty. So try drinking first and then wait 30 mins I guarantee the need to snack will subside.

SanDiegoSarah

Thank you so much everyone for your thoughtful replies! You gave me some great ideas and strategies to try tomorrow. I will make a point to read through this thread when the urge to snack hits. I need to work on my willpower mostly. Thank you!

maf66

What works for me is high protein and high fiber snacks I try to keep my snacks around 200 cal and 10g protein. A few things that work for me, and honestly, I do not get hungry, are greek yogurt with 2Tbs organic cold milled flax seed. Thats around 200 cal, 16g protein and 4 g fiber. Mini whole grain pita pizza's, split mini pita, spread on both pieces, tomato sauce, low fat feta (or other variety), fresh spin & chopped artichokes, bake for 10 min at 350 in toaster oven. These are around 200 cal 10g protein 6g fiber and they ROCK! A pack of Albacore tuna on a whole grain tortilla or whole grain crackers, around 200 cal 24g protein and 4g fiber. Hope those suggestions are helpful!