always hungry in the evenings!

[littlemermaid80]

Got about 5 stone to lose. Started doing Slimfast shakes last year, lost 2 stone, wrecked it last Xmas and put it all back on again within a couple of months (I'm an "emotional" eater eg I eat a lot crap when I'm depressed).

Started eating healthily and calorie counting, exercise etc again, last month.

Evenings are my downfall. DH and I eat dinner together about 6pm, I feel full for a while and then at around 7-8pm I am so peckish again, normally for sweets, chocolate, biscuits etc.
It doesn't help that DH has a major sweet tooth and is always munching on rubbish (he's as skinny as a rake, totally unfair!)

I try and distract myself but it's as if my tummy is shrieking for snacks while my brain is saying no.

Any tips?

Could you eat dinner later?

what are you eating through the day? If you aren't getting enough nutrients (including protein and good fat) then it stands to reason you will be hungry in the evening...you aren't actually hungry for sweets and chocolate though, that's your brain/body playing tricks on you .

Well DH is home normally 5.45 on the dot, and is always ravenous by then, as am I.
It's not really practical or fair on him to have dinner later .

Typical day is porridge/ready brek and chopped bananas for breakfast, soup and a roll for lunch with an orange, mid morning snacks can include apples, those Greek style"oykos" yoghurts....sometimes a mug of cup soup.

You could try skipping breakfast and eating all your calories later? I find I'm hungry mid morning if I eat breakfast but if I don't bother with it I can easily go to midday without eating. Google intermittent fasting - 16:8

You need protein and good fat, you don't say what is in the soup but I'm guessing there isn't much of either in that and there's little or none elsewhere. Skip these and your body will shout hungry sooner or later and filling it with sugar won't stop it .

Try adding some nuts or nut butter to your porridge, or better still have eggs - have salad with some tuna or smoked mackerel pate and avocado alongside your soup instead of the roll. Snack on a palmful of raw nuts as well as a piece of fruit - or spread some nut butter on sliced apple. I don't know what the Oykos yoghurts are but best yoghurt is full fat Greek style, add berries or a little drizzle of honey for sweetness, a few almonds maybe. Try that for a few days and see if it makes a difference to how you feel later on in the evening.

I would be starving come 10pm if I ate dinner at 6. Can your DH not have a couple of bits of toast and eat at 7;30/8?

after supper, brush your teeth.
If you feel the urge to eat, brush them again.
Keep drinking water and making your mouth fizz with toothpaste.
Your body is not craving those snacks, your brain is.

but yes, your diet sounds too low in proteins - which are what help you to stay feeling full

Whilst it does make you feel full, protein's purpose isn't to make you feel full so you can avoid overeating. And fat's purpose isn't to make you get some enjoyment and satiety either. Whilst they do that, they are also essential for health (hence essential fatty acids). Without sufficient protein and fat your body can't maintain and repair itself, function properly, our bodies are incredibly clever so you will get hunger signals to try and make you find and consume them - throwing only more sugar and carbs in just perpetuates the feeling of hunger, no matter how many calories you consume. I'm not saying low carb is the way to go but it's worth remembering that here's no such thing as an essential carbohydrate and if your diet is predominately sugar (carbs) you will eventually become malnourished/ill and you will feel hungry a lot!

Thanks for the great advice guys