Coming home from work is the worst...

First of all, don't ever feel stupid or ashamed for posting/asking a legit question. That is how you learn how other people handle, or cope, with the same situation and, as you can see from the responses, you are definitely not alone in this struggle. Personally, since I am following a low carb lifestyle, I can honestly say I don't feel those ravenous hunger pangs anymore but, this is not about me trying to change the lifestyle plan you are following. You have to follow a plan which you are comfortable with and, most importantly, where you actually feel you can live with on a day to day basis without feeling deprived. For me, that is key. It just so happens l/c works for me but most people on here, I've noticed, follow a calorie in/calorie out format. If that's what you are doing, I would suggest you have yourself a low calorie snack in the late afternoon. It could be something like one of those 100 cal bag of nuts or cookies, a piece of cheese (although cheese is higher in fat), turkey breast/Swiss cheese rolled around a pickle (although higher in sodium), a handful of berries, etc. but......something which would carry you over while you are preparing dinner. I usually don't have a plan, myself, for dinner every night but I work in a supermarket so while I'm working, I'll actually stand there, while I'm ringing up customers, thinking to myself, 'what am I going to have for din-din tonight?'. I know I'm going to have some kind of protein and veggies (being low carb) so I'll check out what my customers are buying or I'll walk around the meat department (after work) looking for what strikes my fancy. Last night, I happened to come across an "in store special" our meat manager was having. Farm Promise sirloin steaks for, between $2.00 - $3.00 per steak, for no grain/no antibiotic fed beef so I bought 4 of them. My son ate 2 last night so I have one more left for tonight with my leftover cauliflower rice and veggies. What I'm trying to say is to try to have a plan, and not to let yourself get ravenously hungry because, that could lead to the wrong choices. Have that snack in the afternoon. If you want pasta with meatballs for din-din.......have your pasta and meatballs for din-din. Just don't have a huge, gigantic bowl full to the point where you feel like you can't even move afterwards. Usually, for me anyway, it's when I'm starving that I make the wrong food choices. That's why I have my snacks during the day to hold me over. Also, try not to worry about your day to day caloric intake. As long as you're keeping within a deficit on a weekly basis, you should be fine. One day you might eat a little more but then next day, you may eat a little less. As long as you're average for the week balances out, you should be fine. And never forget, none of us got overweight overnight so don't expect to lose it overnight. Slow and steady wins the race...... . Good luck with your journey and, if we're not friends on here yet........feel free to send me a friend request........ Patty

For me, the key is meal planning. When I am doing the grocery list, I write down the meals for the coming week. They might get juggled around if plans change, but then when I get home, I don't have to think too hard about what I need to do.
My kids do sports and activities (cubs/scouts), so we have a lot of busy evenings, so things that are quick and easy and will actually get eaten are important to me. We don't have a lot of fancy recipes or ingredients, but if I make a list I can make sure there is a bit of variety.

Oh and with getting the kids involved, mine seem to get into it more if they have been involved with the planning too - pick the recipes (from a list I am happy with), make sure we have the ingredients or put on the shopping list, and help with the cooking.
Works better for me than just saying "you need to make lasagne on Wednesday".

These days I do a bagged salad or a microwaveable protein blend vegetable dish. Or a crockpot meal and separate it out into containers for several meals that I can just pop in the microwave.

I keep a protein bar in my car at all times. My fav right now is the 150cal Think Thin Cupcake Batter. Satisfies my sweet tooth at the same time. I also have a bottle of water at all times on me. So when I'm stuck in traffic and getting hangry, I chomp on the bar & guzzle the water. Between that and Van Halen in the CD player, all can be right with my world at any time.

I often have a bowl of hard-boiled eggs in the fridge, and snack on one when I get home. I think it's the protein that keeps me happy when I'm puttering around and making dinner.

I take an apple and slice it up to have available while I prepare dinner. I usually don't think of food prep until I am hungry so I want something NOW! The apple seems to hold me over and I can get the rest of my meal cooked without grabbing for things I shouldn't. It helps not to have those items in the house also. Half a cucumber works also, savor each slice.