When I wake up in the morning I always have an urge to eat healthy and nutritious. By lunch time I usually also want to eat healthy. But around 3:00 I want to eat lots of snacks and in the evening I eat like 3 dinners plus desert! What is wrong with me? I do so good in the morning, but at night time I'm eating everything in the house. Please give advice! :confused:

Alot of people go through this. How long have you been on a diet?

Eating 5-6 smaller meals a day is the general course to take. This means eating about every three hours to keep your metabolism up and helping to keep the food cravings down. Eating more protein does help keep this down as the protein is a slower digesting food source and keeps that "full" feeling longer. Lowering your carbs and cutting the overly processed ones will help too. Eat more fiberous ones ("Veggies") and whole grains. Some fats are needed but not polyunsaturated ones. Cut any sugar and drink plenty of water.

If you have not been on a diet for long....it is a period of adjustment you are going through.

You need mono-unsaturated fats? What's wrong with poly-unsaturated fats? I always knew you should try to get in unsaturated, and not saturated or transfats. But what's the difference between these two?

Hamer,

I think you should go back to sleep at 3 PM and wake up to the healthy half part of the day again. (I'm sure your boss will understand:D)

I'm sort of the same way and really would benefit by a safe door on the kitchen with a timer lock to shut from 6PM til 6 AM! (or would I try buying nitroglycerine from ACE Hardware??:D)

Hamer, I agree about looking into a lower carb plan. There are a bunch of plans that are structured slightly differently; it is interesting to read a number of them and see whether any of it rings a bell with you. Some do better on one plan than another. Even though you are eating "healthily", it could be something you are eating in the early part of the day is triggering eating later on.

justme, some believe that the poly fats are right up there close to the transfats in terms of the harm they can do to you. An interesting place to start learning about this view of fats is Weston A. Price Foundation literature.

I would guess you do this because you are hungry and are craving something that will give you a quick fix at 3 pm. Also, maybe its because you are at work and don't have healthy, nutritious things available (the vending machine is always quick, cheap, and yummy). Try bringing healthy things along, and eat more often then usual. Also, sip from a water bottle throughout the day so you dont confuse thirst with hunger.

Also, for the duration of the diet, you may want to consider just getting rid of the negative environment (ie/chips, cookies, cakes, etc). Either throw them out or give them away- but don't make them available to you. Force yourself to only have good foods available.

When I wake up in the morning I always have an urge to eat healthy and nutritious. By lunch time I usually also want to eat healthy. But around 3:00 I want to eat lots of snacks and in the evening I eat like 3 dinners plus desert! What is wrong with me? I do so good in the morning, but at night time I'm eating everything in the house. Please give advice! :confused:

Hamer, Exactly what do your "healthy and nutritious" meals consist of? Many people eat healthy foods, for example whole grains, fruit, fiber, but a common mistake people make is eating meals that are heavy in complex carbs and light on protein. This could easily lead to your symptoms.

It can be challenging identifying low-fat high quality proteins that you want or are willing to eat in the morning (most people don't want chicken or fish for breakfast!), but its worth exploring. Cottage cheese, yogurt, 1 egg, and lean meats are foods that might help.

What is your activity level during the day? Are you quite active or do you sit in a chair? You may be burning through your nutirients and actually becoming deficient in one way or another by afternoon. Cravings for very specific snacks could also indicate vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

I forgot to mention - if you are dieting to lose weight, you might not be eating enough calories. If this is the case, you need to shift your intake to eat more calories at breakfast and lunch so you feel less starving later in the day. The objective is to level off your metabolism so it gets even amounts of food and nutrients at regular intervals throughout the day.

Thank you for all the advice guys! I have IBS so I can not eat dairy or very much meat. I eat a lot of whole grain products and lots of veggies and fish or chicken. Yesterday for lunch I had veggies, brown rice and salmon. That seems healthy to me but by 3:00 I am craving sweets and do so for the rest of the night. I'm not on a diet either, I just try to eat healthy. Last night I went to my friends house and ate like 6 pieces of chocolate! ahhh...

Maybe I will try getting some more protein like some of you have suggested. I know that I eat too much sugar every night but I don't feel satisfied unless I do. :(


PS I also take a multivitamin supplement every day.

Your sugar cravings are somewhat of an indication of an imbalanced metabolism. How much time passes between your lunch and your snack? This could be a mild case of reactive hypoglycemia. Right now, your symptoms are manifested as sugar cravings, but if it is hypoG, the longer it continues, the worse it will become. Do you ever feel shaky, lightheaded, unable to focus, or just plain run out of steam?

This may seem silly, but try creating a little game for yourself - If you typically eat lunch at noon, and at 3pm your sugar craving kicks in, try to avoid it. Beat it to the punch. For example, precisely at 2pm, eat an apple and 1 oz of cheese or nuts. Then have another small snack at 4 (like a lite yogurt - not one with high sugars!). The most impportant thing is to make sure these snacks contain carbs AND protein.

Also - you have heard repeated suggestions to increase your protein - but don't overdo it! If you are eating fish and chicken, it is possible you are getting enough, just not at the right times of the day. Ideally, you want your protein to make up about 25-30% of you total caloried - not more than that!

I think you might be right about the hypoglycemia because I do get lightheaded and shaky if I don't eat enough. I have even passed out before.
I will try to have snacks more often but it is hard since I am in class all day and can't always eat. I guess that's what bathroom breaks are for! I am going to the store today and I will look for some healthy snacks with both carbs and protein. Thanks again.

I think you might be right about the hypoglycemia because I do get lightheaded and shaky if I don't eat enough. I have even passed out before.
I will try to have snacks more often but it is hard since I am in class all day and can't always eat. I guess that's what bathroom breaks are for! I am going to the store today and I will look for some healthy snacks with both carbs and protein. Thanks again.

Not sure what you have available in your stores, but there is a really great snack called GoMix (by Balance) - it is like a trail mix, but its made with soy protein. Its all natural, it does have some sugar in it (natural sugar though), but the beauty of it is that it comes in prepackaged individual servings, and it has a near-perfect balance of protein, carbs, and fat. You could even mail order these. I recommmend the "mixed berry" flavor - it has less sugar than the others and a better mix of ingredients. This has saved me when I need a snack but I am out and about - very portable!

You could also try a healthy protien bar - but proceed with caution!!! You do not want a "glorified candy bar." Best to avoid any that have sugar, dextrose, corn syrup, etc... look for the kind that are sweetened with fruit juice or brown rice syrup (less effect on the blood glucose). Its also important to find one that has enough protein in it - many do not, even though they imply that they do. Any product labeled "energy bar" might be no better than a snickers! :eek: :eek: :eek:

The reason I recommend an apple - its like candy but it won't make your blood glucose spike because it has a very low glycemic index, especially compared to many other fruits. It will likely satisfy your sweet tooth. But always eat an apple with some protein (cheese or nuts etc)

Why are people so afraid to eat in front of others? Would you get in trouble if you noshed a little during a class? Your #1 priority has to be your own health. Just eat!!! If you really can't, take that bathroom break and get the food in your body. I promise, you will notice a huge difference after about 1 week!!!

I will definitely look for the gomix you mentioned. That sounds really good. The reason I can't eat at school is because I am studying to be an esthetician (skin care tech) and I am usually with clients all day. I think it is important to get enough snacks though so I don't feel so hungry for sugar later in the day, so I am going to get better at that. I hope I can get rid of these cravings once and for all!

Would you get in trouble if you noshed a little during a class?

Perhaps. Many schools have a policy against eating in classrooms. They are for studying. The cafeteria is for eating. (I know too many professors, I guess. Students eating in class is a pet peeve for many . . . many take it to mean the student is not really serious.) One needs to leave room in their schedule to take care of these things.

Perhaps. Many schools have a policy against eating in classrooms. They are for studying. The cafeteria is for eating. (I know too many professors, I guess. Students eating in class is a pet peeve for many . . . many take it to mean the student is not really serious.) One needs to leave room in their schedule to take care of these things.
You just made me think of Jeff Spicolli ordering pizza during class in the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High! :D :D :D I guess I understand why this would be frowned upon!

Yeah, I know what you means - the evenings are difficult. Are you eating enough during the day? Or are you eating something with lots of carbs that is sending your blood sugar plummeting? Also, try not eating after 6pm because eating late makes you hungry the next day.