If you have problems with late-day eating, take a look at what you did earlier in the day.
Struggles with hunger, fatigue and food cravings in the afternoon or evening usually relate to how you ate in the morning.
So don’t skip breakfast because of trying to save on calories.
When you don’t give your body enough fuel during the early part of the day, by late in the afternoon, it starts screaming for food.
Worse yet, your system may have a hard time catching up. This can actually make you keep nibbling all evening, even after you’ve eaten a large dinner.
If you tend to get an afternoon droop (which can ruin your judgment about eating,) always eat a snack sometime between two and four o’clock in the afternoon.
Today’s assignment (my answers are in blue)
1. Set a goal of eating breakfast every day for the next week. In the space below, record what you ate.
Because I’m focusing on a higher protein, lower carb meal plan, I usually eat two poached eggs and 1 piece of toast for breakfast. Or oatmeal with milk along with a small serving of cottage cheese.
2. If you wish, you can split your breakfast into two mini-meals and eat the second one mid-morning. Write your ideas here.
Because I’m so faithful with eating breakfast, I don’t usually need mini-meals in the late morning. But I know that I always need to eat a snack of some kind in the afternoon.
3. Plan a couple of options for late-afternoon snacks. List them here so you’ll remember your ideas.
Protein bar, cheese stick and fruit, cottage cheese and almonds.
(No, Linda… cookies are NOT on the above list!)
I still think my farm upbringing helps me with always eating breakfast. It’s simply built in to my thinking. But I have to be sure that I plan to take a work break and have a snack in the afternoons. Otherwise, I get tired and grouchy, and I stop caring about my eating plan!
Excerpted from Day 14 in the book, 100 Days of Weight Loss