I have a terrible habit that I need to break. I start each day great - I work out, eat super healthy, have all these great plans, then at about 3pm I basically just give up. I start eating junk food, drinking beer and basically give myself permission to "start over tomorrow". I gorge on a bunch of junk and ruin everything. I can easily eat an extra 3000 calories in an afternoon/evening. This habit has become so ingrained that I don't even think about it half the time...it just happens.. I know this is stupid because it's my own doing but it is actually a really big obstacle for me. This happens almost every day! I don't understand why I keep doing this. Can you offer any advice? Thanks

all i can say is something i do myself when i find myself craving for junk.
at around 3pm everyday focus around your weight loss effort, force yourself to think about it for at least half hour, remind yourself why you wanna follow your health plan, and imagine how you would feel when you hit your goal.

i dont know if this sound helpful but it works for me, best of luck

Me too! Although I have gotten some better. My favorite used to be Cheez-Its and wine. Now I skip the Cheez-Its. It is hard to break the overeating habit. Right now on a scale of 1 to 10, I would say I control my eating at about a level 5. I am slowly gaining weight and have put on 10 pounds in the last four months. Sigh. A year ago though I was doing well, I would say at about a level 9. It was difficult, especially at first but then when the scale starts going down and the cravings subside some it gets better but it is still hard. I guess I had a lot more resolve last year. Anyway, for me I only ate three meals a day and allowed myself a low calorie treat for both lunch and dinner. I only allowed myself alcohol on the weekends. That one alone helps a lot. Alcohol really weakens the willpower!

Keep working at it. Decide what you really want and what you need to do to get it. Visualize yourself eating right and looking and feeling great. It is yours for the taking. Just don't give up.

Can you make a list today of everything you plan to eat tomorrow, and then stick to it?
Can you go for a walk to get away from the food around your bad time of day?
Can you get the bad food out of your house?
Are you eating enough for lunch and dinner so that you are not overly hungry at that bad time?
Could you make a list of healthy snacks that you can eat at that time?
Can you find something else to do during that time that keeps you too busy to eat during that time?

I don't know, just a few ideas

To be honest i have the same problem, strong all day but the evenings i am mentally weak, my first change was to eat as sparingly during the day usually around 700 - 1000 cals (this depends on your gender and size) come the evening i've kept the bulk of my intake free, try not to keep quick to eat junk in the house at all, force yourself to plan and prepare whole clean foods, i switched out beer for lower cal whisky and diet cola (no more than a couple drinks), eat a huge salad before my main meal, have a large variety of foods, include a lot of vegetables, snack on fruit.

Really just look at how my mind and body craves and when it wants food, i used to fight it tooth and nail and lose, i finally decided that 3 meals a day as is preached and pounded into us from childhood was making me unhappy and fat, i now eat late every single day, something that is a huge no no according to the experts but i've lost nearly 200 pounds since i tailored my lifestyle and relationship with food to one i personally can live with.

Look at and analyse when and how you want to eat, not when you are told to, find what it is that will work for you and not someone else, substitute poor choices with healthier ones without depriving yourself, stay busy, exercise, change how you live not just the amount of food you eat for a few weeks.

I guess what i was trying to say is it's not a habit that can be broken, it's not even a habit, it's just your body expressing its wants and you fighting like mad against it rather than objectively assessing what it's telling you and then making an intelligent routine out of that knowledge that leads to better choices and a healthy lifestyle.

It would help if you listed what you typically eat before you binge, and the exercise etc. First you need to identify if it is a physical thing, if you don't eat enough or the right kind of foods for you (Especially in the AM) it can really affect you. It may be that you're not eating enough protein/fiber/complex carbs or calories full stop. Or perhaps too much sugar/carbs etc.

Some people can be really sensitive the even the sugar in fruits, and if they have too much fruit early in the day they still get a sugar crash later on etc.

Otherwise you could try and add in a treat for when you usually go off plan. Since the calories will be worked into your day it might help you ot stay on track and not feel deprived.

Maybe try planning what you will eat at 3 when the cravings start in the morning when you are doing good. Plan some sort of protien like a protien bar or maybe some nuts. I get those same type of cravings in the 3 to 4 time frame, and that's what I eat and it helps. The first few days will be hard, but as you get used to it, you feel better.

Good luck!

Hi there,

No real advice, unfortunately, but just wanted you to know that I have the exact same problem. I mean, I could've written the same post myself.

The only thing I've ever found that helps is to exercise around 3-5 p.m. or to go shopping, or generally just be away from snacks.

I struggle with the exact same thing. I do so well until about 4pm (or whenever I am off work) and then I'll sliiiiiiiiiide and binge to the point of "oh well, I've blown it now, might as well eat more and start fresh tomorrow". I have recently learned it happens so much more frequently when I give into a beer... a glass of wine... any type of alcohol really. It lowers my willpower and the food binging shortly follows.

What I have learned for myself is that I just am not able to drink when I am trying to avoid a binge. If I know I'll be with friends all night I do much better, mostly knowing that I don't pig out and binge uncontrollably in front of others. But if I'm alone, lookout! So I just don't drink, and it's so much better.

Don't get me wrong, I still get cravings to pig out. I find that if I focus on other things to keep me busy it helps distract me. Do the dishes, laundry etc. Sometimes I have to keep my hands even more busy so I'll knit. (Taught myself via YouTube!) Or I'll come on this site and read everyone's inspirational stories. Or I'll get on the scale... just a reminder. Or sometimes I'll take pictures of myself in my bikini with my digital camera, to remind myself how far I still hope to go... then I erase the pictures!!!

Guess these are just a few of the things I do. And if I really must eat, I stock my freezer, fridge and pantry with healthy foods. The sugar free fudgesicles really do in a pinch, or cucumber slices, or even a big artichoke (they're in season right now!). It's surprising how few calories they are (if you don't use a fat-based dipping sauce) and they have so many leaves you can eat them for a good 30 minutes!

Good luck