Why do I do this?

So frustrated. I have logged in and tracked every day for the past 50 days (yay!) but the past few days I've been struggling... I do well all day, but then blow it in the evenings. I'm not sure if it's lack of planning or what. But I HAVE been more hungry (physically) than usual as well... What is up!? Work has been stressful, I'm home alone in the evenings til hubby gets home, and weekends kill me, which maybe is why Mondays are hard...

I do that too. I can only imagine that I'm doing it because I'm not getting enough of the right calories throughout the day. Sometimes, I'll do really well all day, have dinner, and then I'm starving around 1030pm. My doctor says that I just keep shredding calories after an intense workout, and that's why I have those late hunger spikes. Who knows...

Can you go for a quick walk before hubby gets home? I've found that if I work out in the evenings, it's a lot easier to have a small dinner.

Also try planning your meals out a couple of days in advance, that way you'll know what you can/can't eat during the day.

I have had to ignore cravings as well. It is difficult because we have a ton of snacks because of school lunches. Also trail mix for my oldest who has cross country after school. Easy munchie stuff. I usually try to have water or some healthy snack to deter my cravings. Some days I call my mom or someone else because I won't eat when I am on the phone. Good luck and you are doing great being on here for 50 days!

driiiinkkk water! when you have a craving just chug water. plus if you're drinking enough water throughout the day it should lower your food intake all together. also read. when you're watching tv you have a habit to eat, no? if you read your mind is too busy to think about food and your hands are busy holding the book. plus how incredibly relaxing is a cup of tea, a fire, and a book? am i right?

Evenings are the worst for me too. I get so busy with work during the day then come evening my brain is "idle" I like the idea of reading! I also need to get off my butt and get excersie in, hard with the lack of daylight though.

You haven't started taking any medications that cause an increase in appetite, have you? I recently realized that was part of my problem. Boredom is also a factor for me.

Thanks for all the words. Something that really struck me is that maybe I'm not eating the "right" calories throughout the day... I need to make sure I'm filling up on nutritional and healthy "fuel" items.

Another thing I realized is that I didn't get a good workout in today. I took my puppy for her usual walk, but didn't do anything else. This no sunrise til 7:15 a.m. stuff is killing me. I did order a sunrise simulator in hopes it'll get me movin in the a.m. I'm a big morning work-outer and if I don't do it then I struggle to do it at all (except on Tues and Thurs when I have Zumba). So that's my own issue that I've got to get better about.

I will be back on track tomorrow, just needed to vent a little. Thanks all.

You must live near me! I am in Seattle, and it's really tough for me to get out of bed when it's so dark outside. I'm used to the East Coast where I have sunrise around 5am every day in Boston. What's a sunrise simulator? Pricing?

Had a quick look through your diary for the past week or so. I see a lot of junk food in there...

It's definitely hard to say no to that kind of stuff when it's always around in your home....so the easier thing to do is just stop buying it. Fill up the fridge/freezer/cupboards with good foods! Carrot sticks, cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes. Throw some blueberries in the freezer to snack on as a nice treat. Put some low sodium jerky in the cupboard, or some almonds.


.....one thing I forgot to ask was......what are your goals for being on here? Just eating healthier? Weight-loss?

I agree. Unless your version of chicken enchilada has alot of veggies in it, you should up your vegetable intake. For the past two weeks you've not had much. Veggies (carrots, celery, cucumbers, tomatos) can be great late night snacks to get you through to the next morning's breakfast.

Evenings are really hard for me too! It's a constant battle. Here is what I do:

- Pace myself during dinner. Eat my salad first. Then cook. Take my time eating (like make effort to eat at a ace you feel is slow)
- Splurge one day/week. I usually do Saturdays. I have whatever I have been craving. It helps me battle all week. "If I can just be good until Saturday, I can have pizza." If I cheat before then, no splurging.
- Plan for 100-200 calories of eating after dinner. That way you don't feel as guilty about it. And you';re more likely to keep it to the amount you've planned. So I do a breakdown like this:
Breakfast - 250 calories
Snack - 100 calories
Lunch - 300 calories
Snack - 100 calories
Dinner - 500 calories (this is after my evening work outs and I'm always starving)
Snack - 150 calories