Stop that Munching 4-6?

Every day I get home from work, I munch.. on fruit, yoghurt, granola, cake.. and by the time I am done I don't really want dinner. How on earth do I break this cycle? I can skip breakfast, have a light lunch but then cave in mid afternoon till 5pm.
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Replies

  • LiveOnceBeHappy
    LiveOnceBeHappy Posts: 420 Member
    Do stuff instead. Go for a walk, clean the bathroom, keep busy in some way. Have a snack and then drink water and more water and more water.
  • LiveOnceBeHappy
    LiveOnceBeHappy Posts: 420 Member
    I should have included in my response, I know a guy who ate his dinner at 4:30 after school (teacher) each day so he'd not snack! I can't do that myself, but it's a thought!
  • happyfrog12
    happyfrog12 Posts: 6 Member
    I apologize if someone has said this. I have had similar habits myself. I would start by eating breakfast, high in protein. I love starting off the day with anywhere to 2-4 eggs, some parmesan on top, a piece of toast, and maybe some coffee. Skipping breakfast most likely is a result of eating a lot before bedtime, as whenever I ate until I was full before bed, I woke up not wanting breakfast. In conclusion, eating a large breakfast and lunch generally quells my hungers or cravings in the afternoon. Hope this helps.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,668 Member
    If you have two hours or so between getting home and dinner, that is a great time for a walk or workout or to do something productive in the garden or around the house. If you're starving, eat a banana or apple to hold you over, and then get busy.
  • sheahughes
    sheahughes Posts: 133 Member
    Eat dinner earlier, plan a snack for that period, don't have a "light" lunch, maybe switch your dinner meal and lunch meal around?
  • joyanna2016
    joyanna2016 Posts: 323 Member
    I also get home about that time and am hungry emotionally and physically for a snack. A big bowl of low calorie soup is very satisfying to my soul and my stomach. Or, if you don't want to eat, stick a piece of gum in your mouth while you're preparing supper.
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,532 Member
    Every day I get home from work, I munch.. on fruit, yoghurt, granola, cake.. and by the time I am done I don't really want dinner. How on earth do I break this cycle? I can skip breakfast, have a light lunch but then cave in mid afternoon till 5pm.

    I would recommend eating more at lunch. Sounds like you're starving yourself every day until 4:00, then you can't deal with it anymore because, well, your bodies main drive is to find and eat food over everything else.
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,532 Member
    LifeChangz wrote: »
    Every day I get home from work, I munch.. on fruit, yoghurt, granola, cake.. and by the time I am done I don't really want dinner. How on earth do I break this cycle? I can skip breakfast, have a light lunch but then cave in mid afternoon till 5pm.


    sounds like you are backloading most of your calories to later in day. if this is working, turn grazing/raiding into a typical early meal, and maybe later evening snack.

    is the random grazing because you're hungry or actually "extra more than you need food"? it is ok to arrange your eating, time and food choices that suit you emotionally and nourish your body :)

    I would argue that the fact that she's grazing in and of itself means its not working. If it was working for her, she wouldn't be grazing.
  • Cheesy567
    Cheesy567 Posts: 1,186 Member
    Your body is telling you the answer, listen in. Skipping breakfast and a light lunch isn’t enough fuel to make it to dinner time. You need more food earlier in the day.
  • Janatki
    Janatki Posts: 730 Member
    Every day I get home from work, I munch.. on fruit, yoghurt, granola, cake.. and by the time I am done I don't really want dinner. How on earth do I break this cycle? I can skip breakfast, have a light lunch but then cave in mid afternoon till 5pm.

    This is me too! Them 2 hours are h*ll!
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,394 Member
    edited April 2022
    Any rules about having your dinner earlier?

    And any requirement to actually have dinner (or as large a dinner) when no longer hungry?

    *Yes family coordination is an issue

    *Eating an apple while cooking and logging is what I often did while losing weight

    *Drinking a can of Coke Zero or two (or a ~10% of my tdee item) is what I often do now

    Really the answer is that intake or expenditure has to partially time shift.
  • enlightenme3
    enlightenme3 Posts: 2,425 Member
    A lot of good suggestions above. What had helped me break that "get home from work" snack habit when I used to work was that my workout was scheduled for just before dinnertime. My stomach sort of rebels when I workout and I've eaten something within a few hours.

    Now that I'm not working, I have more flexibility with my mealtimes and with what I eat. I generally do a 16:8 intermittent fast so I don't eat my first meal until after 12pm, but tend to push it out closer to 1pm. It's usually a pretty full and balanced lunch when it comes to macros. For example, today's lunch was a full-size salad, a slice of fritatta, and a non-fat, plain greek yogurt with berries and walnuts. A lot of days, I'll have the yogurt closer to 2 or 3pm, which keeps me satisfied until dinner. Now, if it is mindless grazing that is derailing you, I often will drink a large glass of water and then chew some gum, which is a trigger to myself to see if I'm really hungry or not.

    If you like to participate in some of the challenge groups here on MFP, I know there is one for late night snacking that you could model your own challenge for afternoon snacking. I'm motivated by streaks so these challenges help me at least establish or break habits and then it becomes more intuitive.
  • Pipsqueak1965
    Pipsqueak1965 Posts: 397 Member
    Like the others said - if you skip breakfast, and have a small lunch, surely you need to eat lots in the evening? Unless you have some ridiculously low calorie goal?
  • age_is_just_a_number
    age_is_just_a_number Posts: 630 Member
    I eat four times a day. Breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner. Nothing wrong with that routine.
    Just plan for it and log it.
    If it fits in your calories and your macros, then why not eat it?

    For my afternoon snack, I typically have a protein shake.