What would you do?

I find that I am HUNGRY later in the evenings but not at suppertime.  I usually get to eat supper around 6pm.  However, it is RIGHT when I get home from work.  I am still unwinding from the day, I have the kids to get ready for the next day, chores to do, yada.  And I don't end up eating much for supper because I am simply not hungry and not ready to sit down and concentrate on WHAT I am eating.  It is a hurry thing and I need the time to just sit, chew, concentrate and get in the protein I need.  Then, around 8:30pm, I am STARVING.  I am wondering, how bad would it be to come home and get my tasks done first, unwind a little and THEN eat supper.  It would be later at night.  8pm most likely.  But I could actually sit at the table and remember that I am eating so that I can pay attention to my body signals of when I am full and have had enough.  I wouldn't be stressed or trying to hurry along.  But it's 8pm.  And i go to bed around 9 or 10pm.  I have tried a protein snack as well but I still feel hungry.  I don't eat if I have reached my protein goal, I drink water.  Still, There must be a way to take care of this without having to snack, right?  What have you all tried?  Do you have any ideas?  What are your thoughts on the late supper?  Am I headed for trouble if i eat that late?  Thanks in advance for any ideas you might have. 

We usually never eat dinner until 7:30 - 8:00 because of running after work with kid activities.  Sometimes I still am not hungry at that time so will eat very little then right before bed I sometimes will eat a protein rich snack if I feel I need it (yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese, protein bar).

Give it a try and see how this works for you.....I personally never found eating at 6 o'clock and nothing later helped me lose weight easier, YMMV.

I don't see it as a problem if you eat at 8 pm. It's better to trust your body and eat when you are hungry than to eat at a certain time out of a random obligation. And it sounds like you're up for an hour it two after eating at night so it's not like you immediately lay down and go to bed. Just my opinion tho.

THank you for replying.  You reminded me once again....and why do I keep forgetting dang it!!....to trust my body.  Who cares what time supper is??  My body says it isn't at 6pm.  I guess i get confused because so much is out there telling me not to eat after a certain time at night.  I haven't seen scientific proof that this makes you gain weight.  I think staying hungry and snacking would be worse than honoring what my body is telling me.  NOt that protein snacks are bad!  I just know me and know it would be so easy for me to start grazing at that time of night.  I dont eat in front of the television for that very reason.  thanks again!

You can sit and have family dinner with your family--but you can have a snack with them instead of your real meal. You might eat the vegetable portion of dinner, maybe a bite or two of protein to keep your strength up for the whole evening & bedtime campaign. Then have dinner with your adult companion, or alone. In fact, traditional upper crust households don't attempt to eat dinner with the offspring. Nanny feeds them toast and cheese, then it's off to early bed so Mother and Father can dine at leisure like civilized people.

I so relate to your post! I'd love to eat later but we eat as a family at 5pm. That means I am in snacking mode by 8pm! My husband is starving at 5pm with the kids and that is what works best for the family schedule but its not when I am ready - but that's when the food is hot and best so I typically eat. Hopefully as the kids get older, our routine will adjust a bit and fit better with what I want!

 

Amy

I would eat supper when I was hungry.  Why would you be headed for trouble if you eat at 8 pm?  I think it's silly to try to make yourself eat earlier if you're not hungry then.

Get a workout in there when your not ready to eat yet...then when you eat later you won't feel guilty.  I workout after work and don't home to eat until 7 or 8 o'clock at night.  But I still eat.  Sometimes, I'll eat cheese, with summer sausage, with an apple and it totally satisfies me.  I try to not eat carbs at night at all. 

Sometimes I'm absolutely starving when I come home after the workout, considering I do intense swimming for an hour, or Zumba - the calories burned is close to 800-900 calories so I can justify eating late at that point.  i still only eat about 400 calories for dinner, but it keeps it all in check.

Other nights I try to focus on my liquids at night.  But then I'm up all night going to the bathroom, sigh, I can't win:)

I usually eat some proteins+ fat just before I go to sleep. Nuts or cheese.  Keeps my BS stable over night. 

Thanks for the support and great ideas.  I do like to sit down with the kids while they eat which is why we eat earlier.  I think I will try holding off my afternoon protein pick me up until this time and then eat when I feel hungry.  That way I still get the sit down face time with my kiddos and I still honor what my body is asking for.  I will also try working out in there.  Winter time has been a real challenge for me.  I just HATE the treadmill!  I love getting out in the air and walking and when you live in Iowa, it's a challenge to walk in the cold dark morning or evening.  I do other things but spring summer and fall, i love to get out in the air and enjoy it!  So much of my life was spent inside watching the world go by.  I LOVE getting out there now.  Just not in below zero dark.  lol.  Picky aren't I?  Sigh.  I also think it's time to REALLY focus on more strength training.  I have been doing some of it but not the way I should be concentrating on it.  Time to see to it.  I deserve to make my muscles ache.  lmao.  OH come on!  that was funny!  I am a reformed exercise hater.  :)