Training hard, eating well all day, then the evening sugar cycle undoes it all

[SunnyMauveUser]

Man here, hope that’s OK. This board seems like the most honest place to ask.
I train most mornings and eat well all day. Then after dinner, the craving for something sweet kicks in and I genuinely can’t think about anything else until I’ve had it. One biscuit becomes the packet, then I crash.

The rest of the evening I’m half asleep on the sofa and not really there with my girlfriend. It’s meant to be our time together and I’m checked out. I’ve snapped at her over nothing and had to apologise more than once.

Then I feel guilty, promise myself tomorrow will be different, and the next evening it happens again. I’m training hard and the scales are still going up, which makes it even more frustrating.

I’ve tried willpower and swapping to “healthier” sweet things, like protein bars and sugar-free stuff, but I just end up eating loads of those instead.
Is anyone else stuck in this evening cycle right now? What does it look like for you, and what have you tried so far?

Just a suggestion that might seem counterintuitive.

Have you tried having a proper sweet or pudding after your evening meal?

Yes its not the healthiest thing but it might satisfy your sweet cravings or hunger pangs for the rest of the evening and ultimately be less sugar and calories than snacking all evening.

NB I do not do this myself as I am not into sweets or puddings but I know a guy who did and he seemed to always stay slim.

What I actually do is buy one pastry or one fruit scone and eat that at some point in the evening. Not always enough but better than chocolate or biscuits or crisps and you do have to have some will power.

I never rarely have biscuits or chocolate or crisps in the house!

Good luck!

Your subconscious mind is telling you that you deserve a 'reward' and it will override your logical thinking every single time; it's been there longer. Simple solution is not to have anything sweet in the house; if there's no biscuits you can't eat them. A month of that and you will have changed that habit. A couple of sessions of hypnotherapy could do the same. Try removing the temptation first.

Don't have any junk sugar in the house (obviously apples/blueberries etc fine). At night, make a Greek yoghurt with berries. Then clean your teeth 20 minutes after that, and no more food. If you crave food, do something else for 5 minutes at least, till the craving passes. One track of a workout routine. Cuddle/whatever with gf (obviously only if you both want!).
You could check your bloods just in case there's an issue, but if it's emotion/habit based, it'll probably pass in a short while/