How do I stop myself snacking at this time?

[dustyflipflop]

So I lost a fair bit of weight last summer combination of lockdown and having both me and DH at home gave us a bit of a kickstart and I lost over a stone and a half for the first time in years.
I've gained a around 3kg back since stopping alltogether in September.
I want to be good but life is hectic and I'm a bit of an emotional eater which does not help very much.

I usually do really well in the morning through to 4-5pm at which point I can't stay away from the cupboard and eat all the calories I avoided all day

I WFH and currently doing that alongside having DCs home for the summer holidays so I'm extra frazzled.

What can I do to keep myself away from the chocolate in the cupboard between 4-6pm?
How do I put myself off snacking?

I considered fasting but I always find I need my coffee/tea in the morning to help me wake up a bit.

I'd really love any tips as I want to get back on track.

Sounds like a blood sugar dip. What are you eating for lunch and at what time?

dustyflipflop, look up Dr Jason Fung on youtube for a quick introduction to it. It was a lightbulb moment for me.

I've always fluctuated with weight but I'm 2 stones down now and happy to carry on with this a a lifestyle. I swim every day for 1.5 hours. I'm not a particularly good swimmer but I still burn >1,000 cals for the swim.

You don't have to do 16:8 you can do 14:10 or 12:12. Just anything that means your fat stores can be access. As I said, listen to Dr Fung and his explanation of 'fridge -v- freezer' in terms of your body, it's fascinating.

It may be that your lunch is too carb-heavy, causing your sugar levels to dip at that time

For me low carb removes all cravings for sweet stuff. Not sure if it’s your thing.

To be honest though if it’s just 2-3kg since last sept you’re pretty much maintaining.

Look at the Macros Inc. website for an explanation of how to track macros. It’s basically calories, but paying attention to the breakdown of fat, protein and carbs. But I only really pay attention to protein and let the fat and carbs fall where they may. They have a calculator, which was the game changer for me as I used to never know how much I should be eating. The also have a FB group where they’ll give you input on your macros and advice. It’s somewhat populated by bonkers Americans making weird meals out of protein powder and cauliflower, but I ignore all that noise and found it helpful when I was first getting to grips with macros.

I’d basically been 10st most of my adult life (I’m 45 and 5’7”), but always felt a bit uncomfy around my middle area - like I was carrying a bit too much weight (muffin top, etc). I’m now 9st and much more comfortable in my own skin and I’ve kept at this weight, roughly, for a year. When I stopped being able to exercise in Jan I used the calculator to adjust my macros down a bit so I didn’t gain a lot of weight.

I also flex my days - so I eat less on weekdays so that I can have more (usually in the form of booze/ desserts) on the weekend.

As I said, it works for me. But for some people they hate the idea of tracking what they eat and weighing stuff. Some people find it restrictive, but I’ve found it liberating. And I kind of live by a ‘checks and balances’ philosophy now - eg if I know I want a glass of wine later I won’t have the Kit Kat after lunch, etc.

Can you make a snack ahead of time to grab when you are in the danger zone? Some chicken breast or some cottage cheese with veg sticks or a hard boiled egg maybe but plan it. Also make sure it's something you actually like eating so are more satisfied. If you want junk type food then a small bag of crisps that you have accounted for and a diet coke helps those cravings for me.

I usually do really well in the morning through to 4-5pm at which point I can't stay away from the cupboard and eat all the calories I avoided all day

So it sounds as though you're using sugar as a late-afternoon "pick-me-up". I agree about looking in to the work of Dr Jason Fung (popularised by Dr Michael Moseley in the Blood Sugar Diet).
Another thought is that it's probably emotional eating around feeling frazzled. So you could address the underlying causes of frazzle. For this I'd recommend Dr Rangan Chatterjee's Feel Great, Lose Weight and/or Paul McKenna's Freedom From Emotional Eating.

I get this too. I try have some boiled eggs or chicken slices or a protein yogurt. So I'm eating but not the bad stuff.