Always starving late in the afternoon

jhassan1980
jhassan1980 Posts: 28 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I really don't know what else I can do so I'm hoping to find some good advice on the boards here.

Every day when I'm at work I get crazy hungry late in the afternoon. It doesn't matter how much I snack, what I snack on (fruits veggies nuts) or what time I snack I am always a ravenous beast after work. I try to space out my meals and snacks so I'm eating every few hours and I've tried drinking water, taking fiber pills & pacing around my desk. I don't know what else to try.

I don't have a very stressful job, but I have noticed this doesn't happen if I leave work early or on the weekends when I am not at work at all.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Replies

  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
    How much are you eating at your meal times? Are you getting a sufficient micro-nutrient load?
  • jhassan1980
    jhassan1980 Posts: 28 Member
    Breakfast & lunch are under usually about 200-400 calories and dinner is about 550.

    Micros aren't great.. Depends on the day.

    Maybe I need to eat more at lunch?
  • manda1978
    manda1978 Posts: 525 Member
    try a bigger lunch and a smaller dinner.
  • wimeezer
    wimeezer Posts: 404 Member
    My suggestion would be more for lunch and or have a high protein snack mid-afternoon.
  • jhassan1980
    jhassan1980 Posts: 28 Member
    My suggestion would be more for lunch and or have a high protein snack mid-afternoon.

    Any suggestions? Please don't say Greek yogurt :x
  • jhassan1980
    jhassan1980 Posts: 28 Member
    try a bigger lunch and a smaller dinner.

    I'll give this a try

    Thanks!
  • cmeroar68
    cmeroar68 Posts: 40 Member
    I was having a very similar problem and then I started to eat a different lunch. My lunch now consists of
    1 cup Spaghetti Pasta, 1 cup sauteed mushrooms, zuchinni, and red peppers, 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce.
    Cracker chips and sometimes a fruit. (apple or grapes) This has been keeping me much more satisfied, but I do still have a snack to eat on the way to the gym, if I'm hungry, and if not I eat it on the way home. My snack is usually a fruit....apple, grape or grapefruit.
    Maybe you need more protein and fat at lunch.
    Good luck!
  • NocturnalGirl
    NocturnalGirl Posts: 1,762
    Have you tried saving more of your calories to eat late in the afternoon? Meal timing is irrelevant and if it stops you from overeating then it might be something to consider. Good luck!
  • BluthLover
    BluthLover Posts: 301 Member
    You need to eat more!! Try looking at the group Eat More to Weigh Less. I'm 5'3 and 133lbs eating 1700 a day. I would be starving too off of 900-1300 calories.
  • JessXOVanity
    JessXOVanity Posts: 33
    I think you need to eat more at breakfast, remember brekky should be ur biggest meal then lunch and dinner ur smallest (unless you workout in the afternoon)

    "Eat like a king for breakfast, eat like a prince for lunch and a pauper at dinnertime"

    Lunch should have some protein in it so keep you going until dinnertime so maybe try cut down on carbs for lunch (like sandwiches) and have chicken or a boiled egg

    I experience the same thing (always around 2-3pm) but since I started bringing turkey and chicken with veges to work instead of a sandwich i've been fine - sometimes when im super hungry I have a protein shake or banana and usually gets me going til I get home

    Good luck! :)
  • Crayvn
    Crayvn Posts: 390 Member
    later afternoon during work, i have a kellog's fiber plus bar..has 9 grams of fiber in it.. the fiber keeps me full til dinner :)
  • glitterjam
    glitterjam Posts: 145 Member
    I feel the same way. I actually moved my dinner time up to 4:00pm. So far this has worked well for me. I don't usually have a problem with late night snacking as I go to bed fairly early, around 9:00pm.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,224 Member
    It's ok to feel hungry once in a while.
  • SarahtheJillianfanatic
    SarahtheJillianfanatic Posts: 117
    A sandwich with filling wholegrain bread should carry you through. Are you drinking enough water? x
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
    you could trick yourself I mean for example eat a lot of diffrent colored veggies example: I would eat 1/2cup baby carrots, like 4 florents of both brocolli, and caulifluer ( yeah spelling isn't my thing), and some celery and dip them all in justins almond butter it is a super meal that just might get you between lunch and dinner
  • Odiliawine
    Odiliawine Posts: 116 Member
    Is it possible that you aren't actually hungry, but bored? That would explain why it would happen only at work and not when you're at home. Think about it, during that time are you doing something you hate? Have you finished all your work? Are you trying to avoid doing something so you get "hungry" instead? I only mention this because it has happened more times that I can count.
  • JraeL91
    JraeL91 Posts: 38
    after a large lunch, maybe 3 hrs later a good snack would be nuts (almonds or pistachios), a light vanilla yogurt w/ granola, or a smoothie with vegetables and a half scoop of protein to keep your stomach satisfied till dinner.

    My Favorite smoothie:(off of allrecipes.com)
    Green monster-
    1/2 c. vanilla yogurt, 1c. milk, 1c. frozen spinach, 1- 6" banana, and 1-2 Tbs PB add ice then blend till all the greens are liquified.
  • funkyspunky872
    funkyspunky872 Posts: 866 Member
    I think you need to eat more at breakfast, remember brekky should be ur biggest meal then lunch and dinner ur smallest (unless you workout in the afternoon)

    "Eat like a king for breakfast, eat like a prince for lunch and a pauper at dinnertime"

    Lunch should have some protein in it so keep you going until dinnertime so maybe try cut down on carbs for lunch (like sandwiches) and have chicken or a boiled egg

    I experience the same thing (always around 2-3pm) but since I started bringing turkey and chicken with veges to work instead of a sandwich i've been fine - sometimes when im super hungry I have a protein shake or banana and usually gets me going til I get home

    Good luck! :)

    I prefer to eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a king, and dinner like a king. I think that the OP should be eating more in general.
  • jenniferinfl
    jenniferinfl Posts: 456 Member
    My go to is about 4 ounces of chicken breast and an 80 calorie wrap, I aim for a burrito wrap or something similar with at least 2 grams of fiber. I usually wilt a cup of kale in the microwave when I'm reheating the chicken. Very filling. AND bonus! It's easy to change the flavor since it's so bland. Greek salad dressing (very small amount), or italian, or sometimes I've even used alfredo sauce in small amounts. It can be mexican with taco sauce.. lol It's my mighty morphing lunch..
  • jlohcook
    jlohcook Posts: 228 Member
    What are you taking for lunch?

    I get hungry just on salad or a sandwich, even if it is at 700 calories. It just doesn't fill me up. So I stick to having rice or noodles with meat and vegetables, which works out to 450-500 calories and stay full all the way till dinner at most times. You have to see what works for you.
  • iuew
    iuew Posts: 624 Member
    i drink decaf, have a couple sticks of gum, and maybe a few crackers or nuts before my pre-dinner workout.

    give it enough time, and your body gets used to it.

    however, delay my dinner, and i turn into a pumpkin pretty quickly. i'm institutionalized when it comes to meal times.
  • ecw3780
    ecw3780 Posts: 608 Member
    I also have the afternoon munchies. They only thing that works for me is 1 gallon of water every day, half my body weight in protein, and 30 grams of fiber every day. It keeps you full longer and the protein keeps you from crashing.
  • photojunkie28
    photojunkie28 Posts: 292
    You need to eat more!! Try looking at the group Eat More to Weigh Less. I'm 5'3 and 133lbs eating 1700 a day. I would be starving too off of 900-1300 calories.

    This ^ I am 5'5 169 lbs and eating 1700-1900 to LOSE weight at a rate of .5-1 lb per week with a moderate activity level. I am not perfect, but I eat pretty clean and eating this LITTLE is hard enough!
  • jhassan1980
    jhassan1980 Posts: 28 Member
    I don't eat a large amount of protein at lunch.. Soups mostly because they're easy.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
    Breakfast & lunch are under usually about 200-400 calories and dinner is about 550.

    Micros aren't great.. Depends on the day.

    Maybe I need to eat more at lunch?
    Sounds like you do. Or breakfast. No matter what any generic online calculator tells you, your body will send you the most precise signals. It sounds like your body is sending you the signals to eat more. Try adding an extra piece of fruit for breakfast, and maybe add a small salad with your lunch. Those wont add too many calories, but they will add plenty of fiber, water and micro-nutrients. If you are still hungry in the afternoon, add a little more each day until you find the right amount.
  • zuzumom
    zuzumom Posts: 1
    I was totally like you too. What worked for me was eating less during the day and saving my calories for later like someone else suggested. Different things work for different people.
  • tyraskanks_
    tyraskanks_ Posts: 229
    You need to eat more!! Try looking at the group Eat More to Weigh Less. I'm 5'3 and 133lbs eating 1700 a day. I would be starving too off of 900-1300 calories.

    this.

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