How to defeat the after-work snacking rampage!

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  • hellosofie
    hellosofie Posts: 8 Member
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    ilovediatoms wrote: »
    You're not eating enough during the work day, so you get home and you're really hungry, so you eat the closest and fastest thing, which may not be the best option. Lean protein and slow-digesting carbs (like brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, etc.) will really help keep you full for less calories, and, while chicken breast is my go-to lean protein, you can do this while you're vegetarian. You also really need to be careful to get enough protein and all your amino acids when you're vegetarian! You can do this by eating these foods (they are good sources of complete proteins, i.e., provide all amino acids that humans need):

    Beans + rice
    Quinoa
    Eggs + egg whites (eggs are a complete source of protein, but adding egg whites provides extra protein for low calories)

    I would also recommend nixing the peanut butter, bananas and avocado...those things are healthy, but pretty high in calories, and even though you may be hitting your calorie goal, you can choose lower calorie foods and eat more and you won't be so hungry. I say this as a 5'1, 120 lb woman, who has successfully lost weight and gained weight (to put on muscle) and am now cutting weight again, so I can really relate. When I'm cutting, I try to avoid peanut butter, nuts and bananas specifically, because they are high in calories for a little amount. I pick lower calorie options for fats and fruits.

    If I feel I am hungry or will be hungry between the end of the work day and dinner, I will have a protein shake (protein powder + water). That's another vegetarian option to get some protein.


    Feel free to message me or friend me and take a look at my food log, it may help you get an idea of how to eat more for fewer calories! :)

    Good luck!

    Thank you for all the fantastic advice! It's going to be difficult to avoid peanut butter and avocado (they're my absolute favourites!), but you're right, they are hefty in calories and I do think I need to limit them. :'(

    I am actually very interested in gaining muscle once I've lost the extra flab - Any tips?! :)
  • jlcbooth
    jlcbooth Posts: 35 Member
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    I have been eating 2 slices turkey breast (natural, no added nitrates) and 2 egg whites when I get home, and it's been satisfying me until dinner (we eat late, around 8, because of my husband's work schedule, my workout schedule and my son's bedtime).
  • ilovediatoms
    ilovediatoms Posts: 13 Member
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    hellosofie wrote: »

    Thank you for all the fantastic advice! It's going to be difficult to avoid peanut butter and avocado (they're my absolute favourites!), but you're right, they are hefty in calories and I do think I need to limit them. :'(

    I am actually very interested in gaining muscle once I've lost the extra flab - Any tips?! :)

    Avocado is a good source of fat, even when you're trying to lose weight, as long as it's in moderation. I tend to pair it with tex-mex type dishes instead of eggs, because eggs are also a source of fat. Peanut butter and nuts, though, I can never fit those in my daily calories when I'm losing weight :( You can try powdered peanut butter or peanut butter flavored protein powders if you really crave it (BSN Syntha-6 peanut butter cookie is a-mazing).

    If you do want to gain muscle, you will have to increaseyour calorie intake (probably not by too much though, considering your current TDEE). You will most likely also gain some fat back along with the muscle. You will NEED to make sure you eat a lot more protein and carbs...seriously, you will need to eat more protein. And good carbs - don't be afraid of carbs. I forget the amount of protein, like 1g of protein/kg body weight per day, but you can look that up (here's a good place to start). After I figure out my daily protein amount, I figure out how much fat I need (fat is very important - just make sure it's the right kind!) and then fill the rest with carbs. When I was building muscle, I ate like 50% carbs, 30% protein, 20% fat (compared to cutting, when I eat 40% protein, 30% fat, 30% carbs, give or take).

    You will also need to lift weight. You can start with body weight if you're a beginner, but I personally highly recommend lifting heavy free weights because that is how I've made the most progress, but that's just me. Everyone is different.

    As with all fitness/health/diet advice, take everything I've said with a grain of salt. I'm no expert :) Do your own research. Bodybuilding.com/ has actually been a great starting point for me - don't be intimidated by it. Many articles are well-written and they cite scientific articles!! I also like Nerd Fitness as a resource.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
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    hellosofie wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    you are eating 1200 calories, but walking at least an hour - with 30 mins at lunch and dog walks

    I assume you are set to sedentary - add calories for your walking and eat them

    plan a snack when you get in

    I used to eat about 200 calories straight after work - toast, cottage cheese, avocado and tomato generally cos it was a delicious combination

    0% greek yogurt at lunch - maybe with berries - for a big protein hit

    Ignore any advice about not eating at specific times - makes no difference

    eat more

    I think planning my after-work/pre-gym snack is the way to go! That combination does sound delicious!

    I set MFP to sedentary as I do work at a desk all day. If I do a particularly big walk with the dog at the weekend (2+ hours) I may let myself eat slightly over 1200. Do you think I should still be allowing myself more?

    Yes, log ALL your lunch and dog walking into your exercise diary and eat back half of the calories it tells you you've earned. (The consensus is that MFP exercise burns are inflated by about that much.) I'm bigger than you, but MFP give me 600 calories for a two hour walk and I could safely eat back 300 of them.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
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    hellosofie wrote: »
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    Are you weighing and logging those snacks? Peanut butter especially is a calorie killer and even measuring it by spoon can be very off

    I weigh the peanut butter if I have it my porridge oats for breakfast, but sometimes I literally just scoop out a spoonful and eat it :/ Then I will just estimate (Awful habit, I know)!

    I eat 2 T of peanut butter every day but I always weigh it as PB is a little calorie bomb.
  • ilovediatoms
    ilovediatoms Posts: 13 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »

    Yes, log ALL your lunch and dog walking into your exercise diary and eat back half of the calories it tells you you've earned. (The consensus is that MFP exercise burns are inflated by about that much.) I'm bigger than you, but MFP give me 600 calories for a two hour walk and I could safely eat back 300 of them.

    In my personal experience, MFP severely underestimates my calories burned during exercise, however, that is probably because generally I lift weights and do HIIT (instead of walking or running). I wear a heart rate monitor so I can get a more accurate calculation.

    Also, if you're trying to lose weight, why include calories burned during exercise? Unless you burn a huge amount of calories (if you're doing something other than walking, for example), I would just not go over my daily calorie goal and know that I have a little bit extra. I think MFP has an option to exclude calories burned during exercise from your daily calories somewhere in the settings...that way, you can continue to log your exercise, but it won't adjust your daily calorie goal.

    In the past, if I logged exercise and ate back some of the calories, I was not very successful in losing weight. Again, that's just me, and I'm a small person, so I'm working with a smaller margin of calories to begin with.

  • tkphotogirl
    tkphotogirl Posts: 245 Member
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    I'm half an inch taller with same CW and GW. Peanut butter from the jar is my post-work weakness and I'm an avocado addict! I usually schedule myself a post-work snack and pre-log it so that I know what I've got to look forward to when I get home, then I don't get carried away. What I tend to do as a day-to-day thing is use MFP as a guideline, but try to make sure I end the day eating a few hundred calories under my fitbit's burn estimate, and that's worked pretty well so far, slow but steady. I'm miserable on under 1350 so it's an incentive to keeping active enough :)

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