I've got a bad habit !

Well, I've got more than this one but here's the one I'd like this community to help me with :)

I wake up early, 5:00 to 5:15 AM, to workout most weekday mornings. Then I get the kids off to school and I go to work. When I get home from work I often crash into a 30 to 40 minute power nap on the sofa. I wake up ravenous and often reach for items that sabatoge my diet. It's a bad habit that I need to break. I then go on to eat a relatively healthy dinner, but the damage has already been done. Does anyone have any suggestions? Forget giving up the nap!

Replies

  • schol74
    schol74 Posts: 12 Member
    Maybe try having a healthy snack before the nap? I find that I am more likely to eat everything in sight if I let myself get too hungry.
  • Axels91
    Axels91 Posts: 213
    protein smoothie before bed
  • maryellen8301
    maryellen8301 Posts: 100 Member
    i just want to give up the nap...
  • munchietoomuchie
    munchietoomuchie Posts: 7 Member
    How 'bout a healthy snack before the nap and a protein shake at bedtime? great suggestions, thanks!
  • munchietoomuchie
    munchietoomuchie Posts: 7 Member
    Mary Ellen, my mood and patience improves with the nap - my children thank me for it ;)
  • AeolianHarp
    AeolianHarp Posts: 463 Member
    Well, I've got more than this one but here's the one I'd like this community to help me with :)

    I wake up early, 5:00 to 5:15 AM, to workout most weekday mornings. Then I get the kids off to school and I go to work. When I get home from work I often crash into a 30 to 40 minute power nap on the sofa. I wake up ravenous and often reach for items that sabatoge my diet. It's a bad habit that I need to break. I then go on to eat a relatively healthy dinner, but the damage has already been done. Does anyone have any suggestions? Forget giving up the nap!

    Can you explain why this has sabotaged your diet? What foods are you eating and what about these foods "sabotage" it?
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    You could keep some healthy snacks available for when you wake up from your nap. Or, see if you can fit the "unhealthy" ones into your day. But I don't like to wake up ravenous so I'd probably go for a pre-nap snack.
  • bjc101
    bjc101 Posts: 25 Member
    Get the unhealthy crap out of your house!! Have healthy snacks prepared and ready to eat, fruit is great for this, sweet and juicy. At that point in the day your sugar level is probably pretty low, so when you wake up you're going to crave it, go for the natural sugar of and Apple, the crunch is good too. If you need that soft chew, I often go for half a bagel with some simply fruit jam.
  • munchietoomuchie
    munchietoomuchie Posts: 7 Member
    I wake up from the nap in a wierd mental fog, with my self-control tossed out the window, All I can think about are sweets. Today, my husband brought home a half-dozen cookies from Costco and there they were - waiting for me. I gobbled up three cookies after being awake around 10 to 15 minutes.

    I'd say this kind of behavior creeps in at least 2 to 3 times a week. I've lost between 12 and 15 pounds since this December and I'm currently about 7 to 8 pounds from my goal weight. I won't make it to my goal by doing this.
  • elri1908
    elri1908 Posts: 160 Member
    Healthy snack before, or during the afternoon at work - sounds like a blood sugar problem.
  • KharismaticKayteh
    KharismaticKayteh Posts: 322 Member
    I totally understand, man. I agree that you should snack on an apple. It's not my favorite fruit, but I think green apple taste like candy (probably 'cause they're sour). Plus, they're very fibrous, and it may not be the same for other people (because I'm a low-volume eater), but a single apple totally fills me up.
  • I'm just really getting into a higher focus on losing weight. For years I'd chow a a couple handfuls of capt'n crunch (the plain one to be precise) anytime I felt my energy go.
    Lately I've been reading stuff such as http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Post-Workout-Foods-You-Should-Add-To-Your-Six-Pack-Abs-Diet&id=7002177 for better ideas and to be quite honest celery with Sabra's Chipotle hummus has been my go to for some carbs and good protein. Even though this article talks about 'post workout' food, they're still some good snack ideas here that won't completely blow your diet.
    Eat it before you take a nap and you might not wake up quite as hungry!