Evenings are the worst!!!

[lifetastesbetter]

Is it just me or are evenings the worst??? I know for myself that NORMALLY I would go all day without eating, or barely anything at all...then dinner came and I would eat til bedtime. Alot of carbs and sweets too ofcourse! So I definately think I need that L-Glutamine. Are there other names this is listed by?? I seen alot of Glutamine stuff at walmart but most said sulphur or sulphate in the label too.
Anyway I just wanted to come in for a quick vent and a bit of inspiration in remembering why its good that I'm having these cravings and MOVING ON...
G'nite All....

[cgdat136]

Re: Evenings are the worst!!!

i used to have a very hard time in the evenings. but you know what....we live in a split level, with a finished basement and....the computer is down here in the basement. the kitchen is upstairs so.....i just come down here......add a few posts, do a few pushups....and before you know it, its time for bed!! but i do agree and i used to have the hardest time when i would come home from work?! i mean, i'd sit there and watch television or something, but i guess that really wasn't fulfilling enough.......and ultimately i would walk to the refrigerator of the cabinet and eat something that i shouldn't. but all those situps that you do, and the squats and the pushups.....that is awesome! i eat so well now really, 3 meals a day with no in between. i have no cravings!!

[kate58]

Re: Evenings are the worst!!!

You've two options in dealing with this:

1. Have legal snacks available so that you can satisfy yourself while staying on plan.

2. Work through it and break the habit of late evening grazing. It is almost always a behavioral problem, a pure habit, rather than a real hunger. Lots of eating triggers are like that - I mean do people eat at the movies because they are in need of nutrition or because they have been conditioned to munch while they watch?

In the long term 2 will serve you better, in the shorter term 1 may prevent you from doing something foolish that will mess up your chances of success.

[jimmyolsenblues]

Re: Evenings are the worst!!!

I would go all day without eating, or barely anything at all

Dr.atkins says:
Eat either three regular-size meals a day or four or five smaller meals. Do not skip meals or go more than six waking hours without eating.

http://www.atkins.com/articles/atkins-phases/phase-one/the-rules-of-induction

[lifetastesbetter]

Re: Evenings are the worst!!!

Yeah I know its not good to skip meals. In fact the doctor and nutritionist said I packed on weight mostly from not eating enough calories throughout the day. She said that everything I did finally eat was just stored as body fat because my body thought it was starving. Anyway Im eating 3 meals a day and then some snacks here and there when I get hungry. Im also working out 5x a week which is a huge change for me but I'm loving it. Today I think Im going to switch it up and do some Tae Bo!!

As for the night snacking...I'm still doing it but I have something like celery with cream cheese. or some prawns with butter...etc. I find these snacks actually quite satisfying. Last night I had some left over chicken from dinner and a piece of gouda (yes I counted the carbs!)

[kate58]

Re: Evenings are the worst!!!

There is an old saying that for good health you should "Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper". I think there is more than a grain of truth in that (though dinner is my main meal just the same!). Eating most food early and not eating our way right up to bedtime is a much healthier way to go.

[SunnySmile501]

Re: Evenings are the worst!!!

You sound exactly like me when I started Atkins in 2005. I knew this about myself, so I sat down and made a plan that included eating breakfast no later than 9:00 a.m., lunch between noon and 1:00 p.m. and dinner by 7:00 p.m. and nothing after dinner. The first morning, I didn't manage to eat breakfast until 11:00 a.m. I went ahead and made myself eat just a little bit two hours later. I ate dinner on time and it was really hard to not eat later, but I toughed it out. It took a month to put my plan into effect, but soon I was hungry for breakfast by 7:00 a.m. most mornings, and I haven't wanted to eat at night for a very long time. I no longer have acid reflux. It's not easy to break bad habits, but it can be done.

Sunny!

[dreamof145]

Re: Evenings are the worst!!!

When I first started Atkins, I found that evenings were the worst for me also. I'm with Sunny on this that I planned out my day so I didn't have time to be bored and think of food in the evenings. I ate my dinner at 5pm...then went for an evening walk about 6pm. I'd come home about 7:30...visit the ADBB, drinking water as I read the forums. By 9pm, I'd shower, drink more water...do my exercises and write in my journal. By 10:30, I'd be ready for bed and found I no longer craved foods.

Once I eliminated the evening tv, the urge to eat disappeared. After a few months of walking past others in our complex gym, I started joining them and instead of an 1-1 1/2 hour walk, I'd be walking and doing weights and exercises. I had more fun laughing and talking to others as I exercised instead of walking alone.

What I suggest is change your routine in the evenings. If you are like me, you are doing something (tv, reading, or lounging) that is boring so you reach for comfort foods. Replace it with an activity so that you have a new habit that doesn't involve food. After a few weeks, you'll find that the urge to eat every evening dissappears.

[lifetastesbetter]

Re: Evenings are the worst!!!

Thanks for the tips. I actually find excersising in the evenings is great. Not only does it make me feel better about myself and feel proud, it makes me occupy my time. I also sit online in the evenings with my water bottle handy!!

It's movie nights that are going to be hard. But hey, if I HAVE to have a snack, it will be something induction friendly and satisfying.

[jimmyolsenblues]

Re: Evenings are the worst!!!

Then you have to make sure you exercise before Movie Nights.
No country for old men was great!