This has happened to me the past few days. I feel great, not hungry at all for most of the day. Late afternoon I am suddenly famished and can't wait for dinner. I end up eating like 2 smaller dinners in order to make it through the evening and then I'm suddenly STUFFED. Huh? I just can't figure out what is going on with my body. Here was today's menu:

B - 2 eggs, 1 slice LF cheese, sandwich thin, broccoli (7:45 a.m.)
S - celery with PB (11:15 a.m.)
L - salad with tuna and some dressing (12:30 p.m.)
S - NF greek yogurt with blueberries (2:45 p.m.)

Felt good and satiated, not hungry at all. 4:30 - STARVING. I can't eat anything until I get my DD home from daycare and give her dinner. at 5:15 I end up eating some crockpot refried beans and lowfat cheese...and 5 pieces of ww penne...and 8 blueberries. I figured this would hold me til dinner and at 7, when I typically get to eat dinner, I felt I needed to eat but didn't have the energy to care. So then I end up eating one slice of leftover ww pizza, and a homemade black bean patty, and 1/2 a sweet potato. And now I am so stuffed there is no room for my salad. Hmmm. Not good.

Can I eat 2 snacks before dinner? I'd rather do this than eat dessert lately. I usually can't eat dinner before 6:30 or 7, it just doesn't fit in our schedule.

Sorry I'm rambling. Any ideas, thoughts, suggestions are totally welcome!

I am going to give you my personal answer... not necessarily the true SB answer.

Yes!

For the first month, at least, I ate two snacks every afternoon. I know lots of other chicks just don't get hungry, but I did! I never cheated in my choices and still lost weight. Slowly.

Now I snack less most days, either because my stomach has adjusted or because I am drinking so much tea in the afternoons. But I will still add a snack if I need to keep ahead of my hunger so I don't get ravenous.

My personal feeling is that you should space the food out to meet your lifestyle and needs.

BTW - I also noticed you are eating bread and fruit early in the day and I have avoided that. Maybe you should also look at what you pick to see if it keeps you full longer.

I eat when I'm hungry, sometimes every 3 hours. How much yogurt are you eating for your snack? I eat 8 oz. and it is very filling. The important thing is to plan what you will eat & not grab something spur of the moment. For me, 7pm is way too late for dinner, so it makes sense to eat an extra snack before dinner & not after.

I ate 2 snacks in the afternoon too. You should bring a cheese stick and 15 nuts to eat while you pick your daughter up. That is a protein rich snack that should carry you through to dinner. 2 snacks based on what you are eating is fine. Frankly, I think you are not eating enough. Another snack in the early evening should balance you out. I never ate dessert after dinner either, b/c I would have my late snack at 5 and dinner around 8.

I would be starving if I had to wait till 7 for dinner too! If I were you, I'd plan for a snack around 5, and if you're hungry for a dinner sized snack then go ahead. Then just eat lightly at dinner so you're not having 2 big meals at night.

we are 7pm dinner eaters here and I often have a 2nd afternoon snack instead of dessert. We eat so late that I'm not interested in dessert so it's a good trade off for me.

What about adding some bulk to the lunch salad, beans might really help. You may still need an extra snack but that salad wouldn't stay with me all afternoon.

I am not a southbeacher but I have found that 4-7 is my absolute MOST difficult time of day. I am not certain why it is. I can eat very low-calorie the rest of the day and night but late afternoons--WOW! I have heard this is quite common for other women too. Surely, there is a reason for it.

I am okay with low-calorie, high-protein breakfast, another super lean protein for lunch with some veggies--but then my kids hit my door and it seems to turn into an EAT fest around here.

Thanks for all the input! I will try adding some beans to my salad at lunch and start packing an extra snack for the drive home.

I just felt like a weirdo because I felt good all day long and then WHAM! Starvation. Glad to know I'm not alone .

I'm not a SB-er but I tend to eat what I call 2 lunches. My first one around 1 then one around 330-4. that way I can make it through until 6:30 or 7 when I can have dinner.

Sounds like a snack with protein in the afternoon is a good choice. If you are always starving at 4:30 then you need to eat something before you get to that point. We eat late also (anytime between 6:30 and 7:30), but I start my day late so that breakfast is at 10 and lunch at 3.

I had the same issue...eat a filling snack in the afternoon (nuts, cheese). The second snack helped me a lot. Between four and 7 is usually when I get into "trouble" and make bad food choices.

Eat some beans for a snack....will fill you up and give you that afternoon/evening energy that wanes.