Staying Motivated In The Evenings

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kroger7
kroger7 Posts: 124 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm soooo good all day long, eating every 3 hours, only healthy meals and snacks, no junk, staying within all my limits...and then in the evenings i just fall apart. I have one treat....then another....and another....then I figure I've wrecked the day anyway so might as well have whatever I want and start again tomorrow. Not good!!:noway: I'm not even hungry and I'm stuffing my face. It seems like I can come up with all kinds of excuses at the end of the day, does anyone else have this problem? What do you do to stay on track?

Replies

  • VballLeash
    VballLeash Posts: 2,456 Member
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    100 calorie popcorn! It lasts a long time and should help you from overeating... or I warm chocolate soy milk and drink it slowly... ummm paint your nails, color (its still fun!)... good luck, you can do it!

    ~Leash :heart:
  • DixieCup
    DixieCup Posts: 16
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    If you are looking for something sweet, try frozen cherries with just a touch of hersheys fat free syrup. You have to be careful with the syrup though, but with the cherries you still get the sweet and the satisfaction. Eat them slowly :)
  • gabrielled
    gabrielled Posts: 247 Member
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    1/2 cup fat free frozen yogurt=100 cal

    Sometimes, if I have the calories, I add a serving of frozen raspberries or a serving of the reduced fat Hershey syrup.
  • sparkles321
    sparkles321 Posts: 107
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    I had that problem at first too. I simply quit buying the stuff I didn't want to eat. For weeks, much to my husband's dismay, there was no ice cream, brownies, cakes, cookies, etc in the house whatsoever. If I really wanted one of those items, I'd have to go to the store to get it. And since I wasn't really hungry and didn't really want it *that* bad (being lazy, of course) I wouldn't go get it and I wouldn't eat it. Eventually, I broke my evening sweet tooth. I've started buying those items again for my hubby (he's very happy about that) and I'll have one every now and then. But it's not the constant addiction that it used to be.
  • ♥seoid♥
    ♥seoid♥ Posts: 476
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    Yes, I sure do....from 3 p.m. on I'm very hungry & looking for munchies.

    Try 100 calorie snacks, dill pickles, fruit...
  • DixieCup
    DixieCup Posts: 16
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    By the way...I have the same problem. I have realized that I eat for the taste, and not for the calories. It is a horrible habit, and you have to constantly be conscious that it is a problem. Just keep in mind that everything you eat, you will pay for either physically or emotionally. So, if you feel like you can't control yourself, then eat, but pay for it physically and burn the calories. This line of thinking helps me to control my portion sizes and choose healthier options. You are suppose to have 3 servings of fruits, so if you know you will want something sweet in the evenings, have them for dessert or for snacks. And eating them slowly throughout the evening will help satiate the feeling of needing to eat, so you don't have to fight the mental battle. Good luck!
  • kroger7
    kroger7 Posts: 124 Member
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    Maybe I should clarify...I'm not eating bad foods per se, I don't keep those in the house. I'm eating healthy snacks like fruit, sugar free jello, granola bars, hummus....the problem is how much I'm eating, once I have one snack I can't seem to stop, and I end up going way over on my calories because I'm so careful to eat them all during the day, I really only have 100 or so to spare after supper, which is one snack....as opposed to 3...or 4....:blushing:
  • rowie
    rowie Posts: 75
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    I have a similar problem. I find that i eat when my mouth wants food, not when i'm hungry (does that even make sense?:huh: ). It is REALLY hard to make myself stop and figure out what the situation is before i eat. I usually realize it after my craving has won, and regret it!:sad: Are there exercises for building up your self control? :laugh:
  • margaretthedevil
    margaretthedevil Posts: 215
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    Water + homework = :laugh:
    No seriously, I don't even have time to think about food after dinner. I'm cranking the midnight oil. :frown: Like right now. Keeping busy will keep your mind off the snacks. Don't go to the fridge as it isn't even a hunger issue.
  • vraehn
    vraehn Posts: 1,008
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    Try chewing peppermint gum. Peppermint is suppost to curb appitites and chewing gives some satisfation.
  • mariethai
    mariethai Posts: 85 Member
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    I hate evenings as well!


    I try to make sure I don't eat with the things that I do to relax, e.g. watching Tv or reading. If I do that I think I start associating eating with relaxing, sounds weird but when I watch TV or read I try to enjoy the doing nothing of it..

    Also its about breaking habits, habits are hard to break and more difficult to form but it is possible!

    Hope this helps :smile:
  • dbeighey
    dbeighey Posts: 1
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    I feel your pain. My bf and I are the same way. I eat small meals and healthier snacks throughout the day but once it hits past dinner we snack on anything till bed. It makes me feel terrible, however I must be blessed with a fast metabolism (for now that is!) because it never seems to hurt me. Plus we don't usually get to eat dinner together till about 9pm due to work hours.

    I've thought about taking a long walk right before dinner or some type of light exercise so that way I won't feel as guilty about all the late night snacking. I have the Wii Fit and that's a great way to exercise in the evening! Maybe pick up a new hobby that way your mind is focused on something other than snacking? I started reading a lot more often and that seemed to help as long as I could stay interested in the book/ magazine. I love to cook too so I try to research new healthy recipes in the evening time as a hobby even though that may lead you to wanting to eat (think going into a grocery store hungry lol).

    Alot of people associate watching tv shows with eating. I deff find myself going for a snack when my shows start so maybe there's something there that I need to work on myself.

    I know eating dinner at an earlier time such as 5 or 6pm is the "healthier" way to do it, but maybe for you if you ate a little later that would supress your cravings? Everyone is different so if you do find something that works let me know so I can try :happy: Good luck!
  • stinsdy
    stinsdy Posts: 1
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    My problem is not in the evening but after lunch at work. I have noticed if I am thirsty I will start to raid my drawer for munchies, so I try to keep a glass of water at all times. I have also started drinking herbal tea to give my mouth something with flavor but no calories. I really like the peppermint which vraehn mentioned is supposed to curb your appetite. I also chew a few pieces of gum every day and sometimes just brushing your teeth will help because food doesn't usually taste good with the toothpaste flavor. If you really just need to eat something try celery, which has very few calories.
  • tiffanygil
    tiffanygil Posts: 478 Member
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    This might not be the right advice but it works for me. I eat lighter in the day so I can eat what I want in the evening. Sounds horrible but Its working for me. I don't eat junk food but I can't quit snacking. So sugar free jello with fat free sugar fee whip cream about 15 cals, sweet freedom fudge bars 45 cals, popcorn are my old stand bys. Good luck if you find a "cure" let me know.
  • FireMonkey
    FireMonkey Posts: 500 Member
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    I used to be like that. When I'm at work it's easy to stick to my food plan, but when I get home I'm starving and often ended up stuffing my face with everything in reach, even after the initial hunger was gone.

    Now I have a good sized healthy snack right when I get home and then I get out of the house again: walk the dog, go to the library, weed the garden, or exercise. Both my karate and tai chi classes are on weekday evenings, so that's three nights away from the fridge :laugh: After a couple of hours, when I get home, I don't feel like eating a lot but I usually have another good snack or small meal, whatever you want to call it.

    Maybe this would work for you too?
  • 1Corinthians13
    1Corinthians13 Posts: 5,296 Member
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    This is my problem too! I get home and want a glass of wine and dinner and a snack. If I don't work out during the day, I sure as heck won't work out when I get home.

    Popcorn is usually my snack! The 100 calorie or air-popped with a bit of oil and salt (and sometimes Splenda to make it kettle corn!)

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