The 3:00 sweets trap

brandifleck
brandifleck Posts: 10 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Does anyone else have this same problem? All morning and afternoon I do really well at eating a balanced meal. I will have eggs or oatmeal with almond milk and for lunch a salad with chicken, tuna or bacon bits and a little dressing. I drink water all morning.

Once 3:00 hits I am craving chocolate, chips, candy and pop. I just wants SUGAR. What kind of snacks do you eat to curb this need for sugar. I try eating a strawberry banana yogurt bar or a cinnamon roll yogurt from Kroger. Sometimes it works but other times I just want more.

This last about two to three hours and then I am back to eating more nutritious meals and small portions.

HELP, Thanks

Replies

  • aliwhalen
    aliwhalen Posts: 150 Member
    I don't have a sugar craving in the afternoon necessarily, but I do tend to get VERY tired between 2-4. I usually try to eat an apple or banana and drink some cold water. Seems to help a little bit.
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
    I eat a Quest bar pretty much every day at work at 3:00 or so. Feels like dessert to me.
  • Lives2Travel
    Lives2Travel Posts: 682 Member
    For me 3:00 = Coffee. Kills my hunger and gets me through until dinnertime. Love me some coffee with SF flavored creamer!
  • mdcoug
    mdcoug Posts: 397 Member
    Chocolate. Chocolate fixes all the things. I have stashes of little single-serve chocolate pieces, like Godiva, hershey's kisses, York peppermint patties, etc. I let myself have one (or two) with a large glass of water and I'm over the hump.
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
    For me 3:00 = Coffee. Kills my hunger and gets me through until dinnertime. Love me some coffee with SF flavored creamer!

    I've never noticed that coffee killed hunger........
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    i used to crave a pick me up around 3pm as well. usually a soda and some candy. but one day i read something that an apple has as much energy as a can of coke, so i switched to having an apple and some almonds.

    i still occasionally have a coke and some candy, but not often.
  • joolywooly33
    joolywooly33 Posts: 421 Member
    chocolate tea - 0 calories and works for me!
  • amm8589
    amm8589 Posts: 55 Member
    When I want something sweet, I usually eat some fruit. Greek yogurt is also good. I'm not into chocolate, but I hear the Atkins bars are good.
  • amethyst7986
    amethyst7986 Posts: 223 Member
    I've been drinking the cucumber/lemon/mint water and noticed those cravings stop when I drink it all day. If I don't then I get those cravings too. I usually have a piece of fruit or diet Dr.Pepper, sometimes I'll keep 100 calorie cookie packs in my backpack and have a little dip into those too. Its just enough sweetness and chocolate to get me through the rest of the day.
  • D_harrell
    D_harrell Posts: 1 Member
    YES!!!! I've had a sugar addiction for most of my life! To try and control it, I set a 3 day goal to not have any desserts. Day 4 I have a dessert, then I start over again.
  • raintail8
    raintail8 Posts: 18
    Try some vanilla yogurt with granola and honey, or dark chocolate. Hope that helps :)
  • Lives2Travel
    Lives2Travel Posts: 682 Member
    For me 3:00 = Coffee. Kills my hunger and gets me through until dinnertime. Love me some coffee with SF flavored creamer!

    I've never noticed that coffee killed hunger........

    Some people report it makes them hungrier. For me, it's the opposite. Guess I'm just lucky.
  • Lives2Travel
    Lives2Travel Posts: 682 Member
    Duplicate post.
  • sjbtiger
    sjbtiger Posts: 105 Member
    I have a peach or strawberry greek yogurt most every afternoon. It is plenty sweet, but there's also a protein benefit.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Keep snacks in your drawer in case the yogurt's not quite enough

    Protein bars or snack bars - most are 200 cal or less.
    100 cal packs of almonds, especially cocoa or cinnamon roast - yum!
    100 cal packs of microwave popcorn
    even packs of instant oatmeal can make a good snack - I like the Kashy go lean Honey Cinnamon
  • cuinboston2014
    cuinboston2014 Posts: 848 Member
    Coffee also kills my appetite so I'll tend to drink a cup either black or with SF creamer.
    I also have protein bars, single serving chocolates, fruit of various kinds, yogurt, and dry cereal on hand. always.
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
    I actually think this is quite common and I have a theory about it.

    I think, no stop laughing, I really do think, that it is a habitual thing because in childhood we finish school at around 3-4pm and when we get home parents usually give their kids a snack (usually sugary or "junky") to tide them over until dinner. We condition our bodies and mind to expect this sugar hit over time and it's not an actual need.

    Knowing this we can consciously say to ourselves "I am not actually hungry and I am choosing not to eat now" and ride it out until dinner. The more times this is done the easier it becomes more time and one habit gets replaced in favour of another.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    Have you tried having a little something sweet (small candy bar, yogurt, etc) paired with something high in protein and fat (nuts, cheese, etc)? That might kill your sweet craving, and the fat and protein will help fill you up to keep you from wanting more.
  • LFA50
    LFA50 Posts: 58
    I have a decaf Chia tea and a small square of chocolate (Hersey's Special Dark miniature) usually does the trick.
  • lulz14
    lulz14 Posts: 36 Member
    Frozen red grapes

    They are really sweet, take a while to eat because you kinda have to suck them to defrost and there are only about 120 cals in 2 cups, which is a huge amount!
  • psych101
    psych101 Posts: 1,842 Member
    I have a cup of fruit tea, or a coffee - apples are good and I have a stash of quest bars just in case
  • manicautumn
    manicautumn Posts: 224 Member
    Or, save some calories and have a piece or two of your favourite chocolate in single-serve packages or only bring one serving from the bar/bag.

    I'm not a clean eater, but I'm always within my calories and don't feel like I'm "on a diet".
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
    Push ups.....do push ups to beat the sweets! I am seriously just kidding.....I just budget some calories for a snack in the afternoon. Today was a peanut butter/dark chocolate granola bar, 160 calories but worth it.
  • kaseyr1505
    kaseyr1505 Posts: 624 Member
    I like KIND bars for sweet cravings, my favorite is the KIND+ protein. I don't think they're super healthy, but I enjoy the protein boost and sweetness.
  • Mr_Bad_Example
    Mr_Bad_Example Posts: 2,403 Member
    I don't have this problem... because I have a Snickers for breakfast.

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