Eating goes overboard before supper

EmmaR35
EmmaR35 Posts: 41 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi all! I am hoping someone will have a tip for me. I am generally good during the day but find myself starving just after getting home and before making supper. This is where I do most of my snacking and I just don't know how to control it!

Any advice will be welcome :)

Replies

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    So skip supper. Or just eat supper when you get home.
  • PumpJockeyy
    PumpJockeyy Posts: 98 Member
    ^^^^ I'm assuming she snacks while cooking supper.....

    It's really just a self control thing. Are you not reaching your goals because of this "window" of eating? If you can fit it in your calories for the day, I don't see a problem.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    Eat your calories later in the day
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    I had that problem so I found that if I was just going to be sitting around waiting to eat dinner, going to the gym and doing some mindless cardio helps to suppress my appetite at least for a little bit. I also budget into my daily calories an afternoon snack. And if none of that helps, I'll turn to coke zero to try and hold out.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    EmmaR32 wrote: »
    Hi all! I am hoping someone will have a tip for me. I am generally good during the day but find myself starving just after getting home and before making supper. This is where I do most of my snacking and I just don't know how to control it!

    Any advice will be welcome :)

    I bring a healthy snack to work and eat it on the drive home. This way I've had my snack before I walk in the door. Too much variety at home. Easy to tell myself a cookie here, a few chips there.....I graze. It adds up!

    Another plan of attack.....pop some air popped popcorn & keep a bowl handy. Easy to grab a nibble here and there without sabotaging your whole day.
  • Snip8241
    Snip8241 Posts: 767 Member
    I make a large iced coffee and I sip that while I cook. It keeps me from snacking. I also have recently started eating a bit bigger lunch. It seems to help.
  • penkwin
    penkwin Posts: 25 Member
    I try to eat my lunch a little later in the day because this used to happen to me all the time! If you're starving, try having a healthy snack at hand for when you get home, too. I don't think simply "skipping supper" in favor of snacks is doable, or a great idea, especially if you are making a meal for more than just yourself. Maybe you can find some recipes that take 20 min or less though, that may also help.
  • alibean
    alibean Posts: 7 Member
    I have the same problem. I either pick on some baby carrots or steamed veggies while Im cooking or I chew gum.
  • andria1011
    andria1011 Posts: 1
    I have the same problem too! And I haven't come up with a solution yet except that I just started planning out my meals in advance so I leave calories available for snacking. Oh and I try to buy snacks that I'm not a big fan of so it's easier to say no. My typical afternoon snack is pita chips and hummus but I am trying to switch over to veggies and hummus this week instead. Hope that helps, good luck!
  • Beckilovespizza
    Beckilovespizza Posts: 334 Member
    Same problem here too. After work if my boyfriend is going to be late home i will go to the gym or browse the shops, anything to keep busy. If i get home before my boyfriend i put dinner on and do some housework until he is home.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    I keep celery sticks, carrots sticks, rice cakes, and sugar free gum to munch on when I am making dinner, need something to munch on. I log it in the evening.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    edited October 2014
    Just dont eat supper. End of. Preparing supper involves several separate actions. It shouldnt be that difficult to stop at one.
  • AmyMCGS
    AmyMCGS Posts: 32 Member
    What about putting supper in your crockpot? That way all you have to do is maybe make a salad or a side and supper well be ready. There are tons of healthy crockpot recipes out there.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Yeah I don't really get it... If I'm starving at 4.30pm, I'll just have dinner then. Yes, my husband doesn't come home until 6pm, but it's not the end of the world if we don't all have dinner together some nights.

    OP never came back though so I guess it's hard to tell what the problem exactly is.
  • GulfcoastAL
    GulfcoastAL Posts: 74 Member
    I plan ahead for a snack. The snack will be before dinner. If not hungry, the snack will be after dinner.

    I eat a small portion (1/4 cup) of either cottage cheese or Greek yogurt. I usually keep a large container of Chobani vanilla Greek yogurt in the fridge for this type of thing. If I can, I add milled (ground) flax seeds for protein and yummy texture. This fixes my bread/cracker-type cravings.

    Alternately, I have cucumbers, tomatoes mixed up with a bit of Feta cheese when I am having a salty craving.

    I wouldn't be able to skip dinner because I usually need the calories plus 3 children at home. I like to eat with them.
  • jessilee119
    jessilee119 Posts: 444 Member
    Some good suggestions so far. I was doing this too, feeling ravenous when getting home and needing to eat something before dinner was ready. I stepped back and tried to evaluate why:

    Am I not eating enough for lunch? Can I eat a bigger lunch and eat a smaller portion for dinner?

    What is my afternoon snack consisting of? Is it not enough to satiate me until dinner? Can I eat my snack later to help curb me until dinner?

    Once I knew the answers to these questions I was able to tweak things to work in my favor. And if I end up going a little over by the time dinner is done then I exercise and don't worry about having a post-workout snack unless if I'm hungry and the snack will still fit within my calories for the day.
  • AmigaMaria001
    AmigaMaria001 Posts: 489 Member
    Save calories for a snack when you get home from work - or if you don't have the calories available then go brush you teeth and then chew your favorite sugarless gum.
    My snacky time is after dinner and before bed - I do both of these tricks and it really helps.
  • CupcakeCrusoe
    CupcakeCrusoe Posts: 1,426 Member
    That's a big problem of mine. For me, it's a hunger thing mixed with an impatience thing. I'm hungry now- why not eat now?! So I do crock pot dinners a lot so that I can eat almost as soon as I get home- or I'll eat part of dinner and save the rest for "dinner time."
  • EmmaR35
    EmmaR35 Posts: 41 Member
    Hi all. My problem is snacking while preparing dinner because I'm so hungry and then yes, having dinner because I'm programmed to do so. Thanks for all the great suggestions. I guess it takes writing the problem down to see how simple the solution is. Just exercise self control, eat healthy snacks and don't eat when you are not hungry! I am going to try some of the tips this week and will give a report back, that way I will feel a bit more accountable :)
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Ok if you're snacking while preparing dinner... Have some veggies available to eat. Or prepare dinners ahead so you can just reheat it when it's time to eat.
  • Lorleee
    Lorleee Posts: 369 Member
    Save one of your work snacks for when you get home. Or cut up some veggies and have them in the fridge waiting for you when you walk in. I could never skip dinner in the evening, I'd be miserable, so I think spreading out your snacks is a better option, lol.
  • DrewInPR
    DrewInPR Posts: 16 Member
    I had asked a similar question to a couple of my MFP friends, and they both mentioned that Greek Yogurt might due the trick. I usually eat dinner around 6:30, so I have one serving a Greek yogurt at between 4 and 4:30. That has done the trick, and I am not hungry until I eat dinner. That time of day is tricky for most people. Good luck!
  • tlr3459
    tlr3459 Posts: 1
    I find that if I pause and have a hot drink (tea or coffee) and sit down with it (not running around looking after the kids or anything else)....that it easier for me to cook dinner without "tasting" everything or just consuming mass quantities of anything my chubby hands can find. I think the important thing is to Pause. We come home from work and then start our second shift of work at home...cooking meals...waiting on someone....or in some cases it is just the big sigh of relief of getting off of work and being home.....Take some time and Pause/breathe/relax/take a moment....before you put any food in your mouth.
  • angiefaychai
    angiefaychai Posts: 9 Member
    Happens to me all the time, too. I am a nurse at my children's elementary school. And I am constantly on the run. Many times, during lunch and recess is the busiest time for the health room. I have found myself missing lunch way too often--followed by excessive grazing when I get home. Once I started making accommodations for an earlier and fuller lunch including plenty of proteins, followed up with a healthy snack and plenty of water before arriving home, I was able to cut back on this habit...So, maybe these tips will help you...good luck!
  • cranberrytape
    cranberrytape Posts: 29 Member
    Possible solutions:

    - Eat a later lunch
    - Eat a bigger lunch and a smaller dinner
    - Have a small breakfast or no breakfast, and use those calories to have a decent-sized snack before dinner
    - Have a small snack instead of lunch and then have "lunch" right after you get home from work
    - Divide dinner into two mini meals and have the first one right after you get home
    - Eat dinner earlier
  • jeichelb83
    jeichelb83 Posts: 172 Member
    I would not suggest skipping any meals. However, I have the same issue but between breakfast and lunch. I've learned that if I eat more calories in the morning, it fills me up enough to last until lunch/dinner. Just remember to compensate for the extra calories you ate earlier with smaller portions.
  • themommie
    themommie Posts: 5,033 Member
    I used to have this problem and would graze while making dinner, then I started either chewing on gum, having a cup of tea or have baby carrots or apple slices, cherry tomatoes while cooking dinner also using the crockpot helps
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    I eat my salad while making dinner when I'm really hungry.
  • EmmaR35
    EmmaR35 Posts: 41 Member
    Yesterday went better, not completely great. I saved one of my snacks for on the way home but truthfully I wasn't that hungry and I shouldn't have eaten it just because it was there. When I got home, my hubby suggested going for a run (note this was just after my gym session so my enthusiasm levels were not very high). I think keeping busy and not immediately jumping into making supper and attacking the pantry is a good idea. I'm going to play around with having a bigger lunch, smaller supper and vice versa to see if it makes a difference.

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