3 - 5pm blowout
newmum2010
Posts: 9 Member
I’m looking for advice please..
I am in control of my eating until around 3pm and then I crave food and keep blowing all my hard work! We eat as a family around 5:30 and even if dinner is almost ready, I can’t seem to control myself. Can anyone help with some advice please.
I am in control of my eating until around 3pm and then I crave food and keep blowing all my hard work! We eat as a family around 5:30 and even if dinner is almost ready, I can’t seem to control myself. Can anyone help with some advice please.
1
Replies
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What does your diet look like before 3 pm?4
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I usually have lunch about 11:30 and dinner at 6p. I plan a snack between because I know a craving will happen about 3ish. Works for me, usually I have a yogurt and a serving of cheerios. Maybe try to work a small snack in? Could help you out with that mid day craving I make sure not to go more than 4-5 hours without any sustenance.2
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Hard to say exactly without knowing what your day looks like before 3pm, but my first guess would be that you are probably not eating enough, which is what is causing your cravings.8
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I am reasonably hungry before dinner. It usually subsides if I don't give in.
My day is broken up into two meals or blocks of time. One at about 7AM and one at about 4PM. I usually have a snack midday of 200-300 calories and then a snack/dessert after dinner of about the same 200-300.
Either you have your calories set too low in general or you need to find a way to eat more food earlier in the day or a small amount before dinner but then wait. I find pre-planning my midday snack to be helpful. I'll eat it then wait. I almost always want more than that snack, but if I don't give in then I can make it to dinner.1 -
Grab a snack.1
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Use these episodes to practice improving your discipline. Nobody is pointing a gun to your head and telling you to eat or else. You sre making a decision to do what you’re doing. Maybe the gratification you receive is greater than your weight loss goals. I assume you have such goals, otherwise you probably wouldn’t be sharing about your behavior.
Discipline can be cultivated and made stronger with practice.5 -
I've learned that drinking a diet soda or glass of ice water usually helps me stop grazing before dinner. So does chewing gum.5
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If you are truly hungry, you should eat more calories at lunch or have an afternoon snack. I, too, have struggled with this same problem. After much introspection and experimentation, I have concluded that my problem is not actual hunger. My issue seems to stem from going to school my whole life (first as a student, then my career as a teacher). My brain has been conditioned to always coming home and having an afternoon snack. The way I found to deal with this was to have an afternoon coffee break. I make a big deal out of the process and really sit down and enjoy my coffee and the "break". This has really helped me. If you aren't a coffee drinker, I'm sure another beverage would work.7
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Can you describe more about what a typical day looks like? How many cals total are you eating? What do your meals prior to 5:30 look like from both a food and calorie perspective? Do you exercise? Do you eat back those calories burned? And what constitutes a “blowout” in the 3-5:30 block you’re concerned about? What types of foods are you giving into and how many calories?3
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Because it is the same time everyday maybe you can prepare for that. Raw veggies and hummus, apple with non fat plain yogurt as a dip or a hardboiled egg with a cup of water. It is hard to make new changes but you can do it.
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Thanks for your responses so far.
My target is 1500 cals a day. I eat breakfast around 6:30: 50 gms overnight oats, almond milk, with frozen berries 250-300 cals
11:30: Lunch is usually sandwich or salad with turkey salad around 300 cals
Throughout the day: 3 coffees with half sugar and milk
Around 2pm: an apple and oatcake
Blow out usually sugar based chocolate bar or biscuits or either peanut butter or too many nuts (Totalling around 300 cals)
Then I’ll have dinner if around 600 cals (gousto meals from scratch)
I exercise 5 times a week (cross fit/running/ walk everyday/ HIT class (myzone states around 400 calls per session)
I drink around 2 litres of water and sleep around 6.5 - 7 hours a night
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newmum2010 wrote: »Thanks for your responses so far.
My target is 1500 cals a day. I eat breakfast around 6:30: 50 gms overnight oats, almond milk, with frozen berries 250-300 cals
11:30: Lunch is usually sandwich or salad with turkey salad around 300 cals
Throughout the day: 3 coffees with half sugar and milk
Around 2pm: an apple and oatcake
Blow out usually sugar based chocolate bar or biscuits or either peanut butter or too many nuts (Totalling around 300 cals)
Then I’ll have dinner if around 600 cals (gousto meals from scratch)
I exercise 5 times a week (cross fit/running/ walk everyday/ HIT class (myzone states around 400 calls per session)
I drink around 2 litres of water and sleep around 6.5 - 7 hours a night
Doesn't sound like you are that much over your target? 200-300 a day maybe? 1500 may be too low for you, especially with your level of exercise. Where did you get the 1500 goal from? If it was MFP, you are supposed to eat back your exercise calories in addition to your MFP goal. That could be why you are struggling.3 -
I used to be the same until I started intermittent fasting and now I never get snack cravings3
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I got the recommended cals from an external website someone in MFP recommended Mdee? Or something like that. I didn’t know you were supposed to eat the exercise cals.
Thanks for your advice!
Leeanne0 -
newmum2010 wrote: »I got the recommended cals from an external website someone in MFP recommended Mdee? Or something like that. I didn’t know you were supposed to eat the exercise cals.
Thanks for your advice!
Leeanne
What are your stats?
What is your goal - weight loss? How much?
You can enter those stats, activity level and a reasonable rate of loss and MFP will provide you a calorie target, which as mentioned, does not include exercise calories.
Your basic daily plan seems like you might be missing some protein? Fat? Sometimes adjusting your intake to supplement a particular macro helps address satiety, hunger and cravings.
Also, are you logging accurately, using a food scale?
For the exercise routine you described, I don't think 1500 gross calories is likely enough for you, but would need to know your other stats for sure.
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newmum2010 wrote: »Thanks for your responses so far.
My target is 1500 cals a day. I eat breakfast around 6:30: 50 gms overnight oats, almond milk, with frozen berries 250-300 cals
11:30: Lunch is usually sandwich or salad with turkey salad around 300 cals
Throughout the day: 3 coffees with half sugar and milk
Around 2pm: an apple and oatcake
Blow out usually sugar based chocolate bar or biscuits or either peanut butter or too many nuts (Totalling around 300 cals)
Then I’ll have dinner if around 600 cals (gousto meals from scratch)
I exercise 5 times a week (cross fit/running/ walk everyday/ HIT class (myzone states around 400 calls per session)
I drink around 2 litres of water and sleep around 6.5 - 7 hours a night
Are you eating back your exercise calories? How much weight are you losing on average per week?1 -
Is it possible to move anything back a bit, have lunch or your apple and oatcakes later on?
Might be just me but I find it much easier to have a long morning with no extra food than a long afternoon.
Or you might find adding some peanut butter or hummous to that snack helps, it would be some planned extra calories that prevent eating more later.2 -
lalalacroix wrote: »What does your diet look like before 3 pm?
This. Are you being overly restrictive earlier in the day? Also, have you played with macros? I find that making sure I have enough protein is critical. Finally, try some sort of exercise mid-afternoon. (If you are at work and can for example, go for a 5 minute brisk walk.)2 -
newmum2010 wrote: »Thanks for your responses so far.
My target is 1500 cals a day. I eat breakfast around 6:30: 50 gms overnight oats, almond milk, with frozen berries 250-300 cals
11:30: Lunch is usually sandwich or salad with turkey salad around 300 cals
Throughout the day: 3 coffees with half sugar and milk
Around 2pm: an apple and oatcake
Blow out usually sugar based chocolate bar or biscuits or either peanut butter or too many nuts (Totalling around 300 cals)
Then I’ll have dinner if around 600 cals (gousto meals from scratch)
I exercise 5 times a week (cross fit/running/ walk everyday/ HIT class (myzone states around 400 calls per session)
I drink around 2 litres of water and sleep around 6.5 - 7 hours a night
Satiation is different for everyone, but I personally tend to find protein snacks to be more satiating. I'm not sure what the nutrients for your oatcake are, but I'm guessing mostly carbohydrates, bit of fiber, bit of fat?
You might try an experiment of subbing a different 2PM snack you enjoy, with different nutrients (heavier on fats or protein, since your current one is probably higher carbs and fiber), like maybe a hard-boiled egg, string cheese, not-too-many nuts, crispy chickpeas, . . . ?
I agree with others that 300 calories may not be a big deal. If you've been working on weight loss for a few weeks already, then your weight loss rate is the best guide to whether you're over-restricting. Many people here think 1% of current body weight per week is a reasonable maximum, and slower is better when it's more sustainable, or for folks getting within 25-50 pounds of goal weight.3 -
Is it possible for you to change your meal times and have breakfast and lunch a few hours later? I used to have breakfast at 6 and lunch at 12 then dinner at 6 which is a long time between meals. I’m a bit hungry in the mornings but not ravenous so now I put off breakfast until 9 or so then have lunch after 1:30. A small snack gets me through til dinner then.
I think experimenting is the best thing you can do to see if three full meals work well for you or if more of a small meal and grazing style is more your thing. Play with your routine to see where and how you can improve/change it1
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