Work vs Diet - aka: those damn cravings in the evening :)

Gwynnether
Gwynnether Posts: 27 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I wanted to hear a little bit about how you people manage work and dieting, as the way I eat currently I just end up with these crazy cravings in the evening.

I've never been very good at eating breakfast in the morning. I rather sleep in 15 minutes longer than get up to make myself something eat. So if I have breakfast, which at least I consciously do now that I'm calorie counting, I opt for a bowl of cereal with skimmed milk and some fruit, which I'll have at my desk at work.

During lunch I'll have something between 300-400 calories, which usually leaves me with around 600 calories for the rest of the day.

Work keeps me really busy, which keeps my mind off food pretty well, but on the downside, I often work until 6pm or 7pm and by the time I'm home to have dinner, it's 8pm or later... at which point I'm battling with cravings ("I *could* order take away, couldn't I? Just for today...!") .... and the guilt of eating something so late.

How do you guys manage your work and calorie intake?

Replies

  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    Well when I was losing...I was eating 1600 calories a day...looks like you are at what 1200-1300???

    Next if take out fits why not eat it? why feel guilt over eating late it won't matter as long as you are in a deficit...

    I work 40hours a week...I bring my breakfast to work...usually a protien fruit smoothie in the morning, have leftovers for lunch and a good dinner...and snacks after dinner...maybe pie...

    even when I was in a deficit I still ate chocolate everynight because I craved it...

    But the only tip I can give you is prelog/preplan..it's helped me a lot.
  • BombshellPhoenix
    BombshellPhoenix Posts: 1,693 Member
    You don't have to have breakfast if you don't want it. You could always save calories for the evening. I always do. Somewhere around 500 calories +. I like to snack and watch TV with my husband (all the animes!). Eat when it makes you feel best!
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    I keep snacks in my desk - low sodium trail mix, Pepperidge Farm baked Goldfish cheese crackers/pretzels, fiber bars, protein bars, soups, instant grits/oatmeal, etc. You could also take boiled eggs, 80 calorie cheese strings/blocks and yogurt if you know you are going to work late.
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
    i work from 7-330
    i dont eat until lunch at noon - sandwich totalling around 300-350 cals
    then snack after work - usually cheese meat and crackers around 300-400 cals
    the dinner around 6- usually around 1000 cals
    then i fill out the rest of my daily allotment around 8 or 9, could be made up of anything depending on what in my pantry
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    and the guilt of eating something so late.


    Why would you feel guilty eating at a certain time?
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,268 Member
    I just plan for it. as far as a late dinner, eat it. it doesn't matter when you eat. it matters what you eat and how much of it. just plan for it when you do the grocery shopping and have easy to prepare meals on hand. buy snacks to eat like frozen grapes, celery etc to eat after dinner or while cooking and there you go. problem solved. I think it helps out a lot to discover your most trying part of the day and then come up with a plan to be in control of it instead of it controlling you.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
    First of all, calories can't tell time. Eating "late" isn't bad.

    Second, you're probably so hungry because you're not eating enough. If you're on 1200-1300 calories, bump it up!

    Finally, plan out your dinners beforehand and log them. That really helped keep me from the, "well, maybe just tonight I can get fast food" mentality, because I felt guilty removing my planned out meal that fit into my calorie goal for a meal that made me go way over my calories. Going home with no clue what you're going to eat sounds like a recipe for disaster if your willpower is low.
  • jeffd247
    jeffd247 Posts: 319 Member
    Here are some things that I do to fight off evening food cravings (i.e. between 8PM-Bedtime):

    1. I don't watch ANY television about food. No Triple-D, no Food Network, no Travel channel, no Anthony Bourdain. No food
    2. I try to distract myself with a tablet game or book or magazine.
    3. I stay away from any alcohol
    4. I go to bed. I've been going to bed ~10:00PM because I am done for the day, there isn't anything interesting on T.V., and all there is to do at that time of night is... eat.


    I also save ~150 calories a day so I could pop a bag of popcorn or have some chips and salsa for a low calorie treat. Otherwise, I have to work those calories into my deficit the next day.
  • accelerashawn
    accelerashawn Posts: 470 Member
    I have a protein shake when I wake up most of the time.

    I couldn't survive without breakfast...i'd get too hungry to function. I normally have oatmeal and eggs...eggs only take a few minutes to fry up and the oatmeal is microwaved. About 580 calories

    I'll take leftovers for lunch...I'll measure it out and typically get around 8oz of lean meat and veggies...sometimes a complex carb.

    After work i'll have a banana or something i'f i'm hungry otherwise I'll just go to the gym.

    Protein after the gym

    Then dinner.

    Then prebed protein shake.

    I sort of turn into a hulk when I am hungry...so i split my calories up a lot.
  • accelerashawn
    accelerashawn Posts: 470 Member
    Oh and to get rid of cravings...i don't buy any food worth craving. I'm damnsure not gonna go to the store for something so I don't have to worry about the cravings most of the time. cept peanut butter...mmmmm
  • CrusherKun
    CrusherKun Posts: 353 Member
    I was the same way before I started MFP tracking - I found that eating small meals regularly through the day and my biggest meal for supper and my pre-bed snack (at least 2 hours before bed and 2 hours after supper) I was able to curb most of my night binging. I still have some trouble, but its all about learning what works best for you.

    Some may say you could be a candidate for Intermittent fasting...I have even considered it, but being a diabetic I am always worried I will go too long without food and blood sugar will drop too low.

    CK
  • Gwynnether
    Gwynnether Posts: 27 Member
    Thanks so much for all the awesome replies :)

    I seem to have been under the misconception that eating late in the evening is bad for you :D I've always been told that. I figured it was true, assuming that your body wouldn't burn those calories when going to bed soon after... Well... I guess I can scrap the guilt part then, haha.

    Pre-logging is a great idea! I'm definitely gonna try that out. I don't know why I didn't think of that beforehand... and I like how that would also discourage you from pigging out, seeing you'd then have to remove whatever you had planned for the day. :D

    And thanks for all the other tips :) Very much appreciated
  • Kita328
    Kita328 Posts: 370 Member
    i know i am late to the thread...but a suggestion

    I too carry breakfast to work.
    Protein packed breakfast makes me last longer until lunch I am sure you could try that from lunch to dinner.
    My breakfast is usually cottage cheese or greek yogurt plus a hard boiled egg or two. Sometimes if I am in a really big hurry Ill just grab a string cheese or two with hboiled eggs.

    Just some breakfast ideas that are low calorie high protein.
  • kwaz29
    kwaz29 Posts: 190 Member
    Something else that might be helpful is if you prep your food for the week in advance!

    On Sundays I cook big batches of chicken, ground beef, and sometimes another meat, and then will chop up vegetables and portion them out. This is super helpful for me because I work from 9-6 and then go to the gym after, so I too am not getting home until 8 or later every day, and it's easy for me to just toss everything in a pan and heat up.
  • samthepanda
    samthepanda Posts: 569 Member
    Something else that might be helpful is if you prep your food for the week in advance!

    This, or use a slow cooker so food is ready when you get in.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I work from 9 to late many evenings and on those when I don't I often workout after work, so I tend to eat late. This used to be a big problem for me when I was gaining weight (and ordering takeout because I was tired and craving Indian or whatever was a big part of it), so one major thing for me has been to try and get in a regular schedule and have a snack available if I end up staying later than planned. I also will try to have lunch a bit later and make sure that I get a good amount of protein and vegetables with lunch, as that's more filling for me. (Ideally I bring leftovers, but I often do buy lunch. I'm lucky to have a variety of good options around me, but the cost is less than desirable, of course.)

    Anyway, I've gotten into a habit of mostly eating dinner around 9 pm (no kids, so this works for me), and I actually really like this. I never have time to get hungry after dinner, and as others have said there's no problem with eating later, despite what one hears unless it's too close to bed and giving you problems with digestion or sleeping (never has for me).

    The other trick is to be organized so I don't have to stop at the stop on the way home and then cook for longer than I'd like. I generally plan out what I'm having (meat, carbs, as the vegetables don't take long) before the week begins, plan to have leftover main dish with mixed and matched vegetables a couple of nights at least, and for the others have something in mind that I can just quickly pop in the minute I get home (or almost) and have ready very quickly. How this works is that I usually cook a dinner that takes longer on Sunday night and prep anything that needs it and then have anything else I might want on hand as a side. If I want brown rice, it's going to be on a day when I have more time, whereas other options take less. If I know I have something at home waiting for me that will be good and take little time, and I'm not already really hungry, it's much easier not to feel tempted to just order. Frankly, getting the shopping organized so I can always find something quick to cook, even if it's just an omelet, based on what's in my refrigerator and pantry was the most helpful.

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