Overcoming cravings in the afternoon?

emm1289
emm1289 Posts: 3 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I'm a busy mom that is self-employed, work from home and care for my 3 year old. I start off the day great with healthy breakfast and lunch but snack too much in the afternoon. I've moved up dinner, tried to plan ahead healthy snacks but nothing seems to be working long term. I'm going to try psyllium husk for fiber and feeling full. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Thank you in advance!
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Best Answers

  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,353 Member
    Answer ✓
    I think the question is why are you snacking and would something else fill that hole? It sounds like you're life is incredibly stressful. My chest hurts just thinking about balancing all of that. But is it making you actually physically hungry? Or do you just need the break that making, eating, and cleaning up that a snack creates? If it's the latter, then maybe you can get up and walk around for a while, or something short that you enjoy that just lets your brain think about something else (or nothing at all!) for a few minutes.

    Alternatively, what are your stats? If you're actually feel-it-in-your-stomach hungry, then maybe your calories are too low and adjusting your rate of loss would make the days easier to manage. What's your calorie goal now?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,216 Member
    Answer ✓
    Good considerations mentioned by others above.

    One I didn't see: How is your sleep quality/quantity? If that can be improved, it might help. The longer the day goes on, the more distant we are from our last sleep. The more distant from sleep, the more fatigue accumulates. Fatigue can trigger the body to seek energy. Food is energy. Voilà, cravings.

    Stress contributes to fatigue, as does over-exercise (compared to current fitness level). If those might be a factor, classic stress management techniques or fine-tuning total exercise load (to be just a mild challenge, but energizing rather than fatiguing) would address the root causes better than snacks (or even sleep).
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,227 Member
    Answer ✓
    If you're not really hungry, but it's just that your mouth is lonely, try tasty herbal teas (they're great chilled), gum etc.

Answers

  • xbowhunter
    xbowhunter Posts: 1,239 Member
    More protein to keep you full longer.

    Works for me... :)
  • scotty38886
    scotty38886 Posts: 60 Member
    Beef jerky.. Trust me a little life saver. Tasty and full of protein. Or make your own in an air fryer
  • Rxman1971
    Rxman1971 Posts: 390 Member
    Agree protein i try peanut butter
  • chiquitabananna1
    chiquitabananna1 Posts: 18 Member
    I love maple syrup. Also love butter pecan ice cream. My newest desert is 1/4 cup of nonfat plain greek yogurt with .5 ounce of raw shelled unsalted walnuts, and one teaspoon of Log Cabin maple syrup. Stir and stick in the freezer for 15 or 20 mins. Like having butter pecan ice cream. Another variation is to skip the syrup and add 1 tbls cocoa and 1 tsp sugar to the yogurt. The fats in the walnuts are the unsaturated good fats, calories are low, no cholesterol, no sodium and a small amt of sugar. I suppose the mix could include raisins, craisins, oats any kind of nuts or berries. A nice, guilt free snack.
  • chiquitabananna1
    chiquitabananna1 Posts: 18 Member
    I make my own granola bars, so very easy to do and the fiber in the oats is the psyllium fiber you seek. Adding a variety of nuts for protein and dried fruits (apricots, dates, raisins) etc for sweetness. Wonderfully healthy snack.
  • emm1289
    emm1289 Posts: 3 Member
    Thank you all for the advice! It's been helpful these last few days 🙂

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