im stuggling with my cravings. i need help! ive been sticking to my diet but i have the most horrible cravings at 4-5 pm. we eat dinner at 6:30-7pm everynight and ill have a good lunch around 11am then a healthy snack around 2ish. if i eat something around 5 then im not hungry at dinner and im starving again around 9, big no no. what can i do???

I find I have to have a snack in the afternoons too. I like to eat some turkey pepperoni. The protein helps keep me full until supper. It's just enough to curb your appetite but not enough so you're not hungry for supper.

The turkey pepperoni I buy have: zero carbs, 6 grams protein, 2 grams fat, and 40 calories per pepperoni stick.

Plus they're very handy. (i.e. no prep work required)

Can you push your 2:00 snack back to like 3:30? It might help...

Oh yum! Turkey pepperoni! What a good choice and a great change of pace.
I learned something today. Yay!

The afternoon's are my absolute worst. Instead of a morning and afternoon snack, I usually plan for two afternoon snacks. For some reason, I'm ravenous after lunch (which is usually at 12:30), so I'll have a snack around 2:30. Then I'll have my second snack around 4:30. It's usually cheese and a piece of fruit, or a snack bar.

If you look at your schedule, you are going almost 5 hours without eating (2pm - 7pm). Calorie-wise, can you squeeze in a second snack, and maybe eat a little lighter at dinner?

I'm finding that not eating breakfast until later in the morning helps. Then I don't want lunch until 12:30/1pm. Then it's a 4pm snack of a yogurt or some almonds-something with protein in it. That lasts me until we have supper between 7:30 and 8p

thanks for the replies. ill try some of these suggestions.

I find if I don't plaster my arse to the chair between 3 and 5 p.m., I will more likely than not go ballistic with the food. THe only things that have worked for me:

a small snack with protein and something crunchy-ish (i.e. lowfat yogurt with a couple of almonds mixed in)

a glass of tea or warm water (it sounds gross, but there's something comforting about warm water... or maybe Im just nuts).

Once you "train" yourself to stay away from the bad habits it will get easier. Can you eat dinner slightly earlier? Or your snack a little later? Or break your snack into two smaller snacks perhaps?

I would definitely say that responding to your body's hunger signals when you're having them is important - otherwise it sets you up for a binge when you finally get a chance to eat. I agree with others who have talked about having more than one afternoon snack. I've heard from my dietician that it's good to choose one that has a protein, carb, and fat - like apple with peanut butter.

I would suggest a complex carb and a protein, with or without a tiny bit of unsaturated fat. Like a half sandwich on one slice of lightwhole wheat bread with lean turkey breast and mustard with a little tomato and lettuce, for example. The bread is 40 calories, and 2 oz. of turkey would be about 50 calories, so for about 100 calories you'd have a really filling, healthy snack that would tide you over for a while. Eat it with a 20 oz. glass of water and 1/2 a cup of frozen (defrosted) mixed berries (35 calories) and you're good to gofor a WHILE!

No offense, but I'd avoid jerky (sorry!) -- lots of sodium, nitrates, and preservatives. The portability factor is nice, but you could choose something much healthier and with more lasting power.

SARAHBEAR!!!



So good to see you around!

For the afternoon snack here I have 1/2 cup ff plain yogurt with 1/2 cup frozen berries and 1/4 cup Uncle Sam cereal - has a little bit of everything to keep me satisfied till dinner time.

I also agree with the protein. I have protein with every meal and snack. It really helps with fullness.