One of the most common habits is craving sugary snacks in the evenings …. This could be purely down to it being a habit that you associate sitting down at night to relax with comfort food, you aren’t drinking enough water OR if you aren’t eating enough/enough decent food during the day this could be why you are craving come the evening… or it be a combo of the three!
So how do we stop doing this if its preventing us reaching our goals of feeling better, having more energy and its taking us over our daily calorie expenditure resulting in weight gain or no weight loss if that is your goal….??
Sugar is addictive … FACT … which is why not long after you’ve had some you are craving more and why you can end up in a full blown sugar binge once you start.
So firstly ill list a few tips on what to do if this is a habit if you have gotten into as soon as you sit you feel like you need a sugary snack ….
1- Have a healthier alternative - lots and lots of options out there now - I personally grab a protein you pot/pudding, low cal ice cream, a options hot choc. You could make healthy muffins, pancakes, protein mug cakes.
2- Distract yourself for 10 minutes the second you get that urge …. Call a friend, run a bath with candles, look at something online, do a job in the house, read a book/article, go for a brisk walk. ( I bet you find in less than 10 mins that craving has gone and you be left feeling in control and empowered by yourself and your willpower which sounds silly but that feeling of taking control and actually not giving each time you it that uncomfortable spot really really helps with your self belief that you can do it ! )
Secondly if you feel its a genuine craving then you need to look at …..
1- Time of the month for us women can lead to more cravings due to hormone fluctuations - if this is the case just allow yourself 1 sweet treat to curb/satisfy because if you are like me none if the healthier alternatives will work and you’ll end up going over your cals anyway trying to curb the craving with those by over eating them then going for the real stuff anyway! …. So Ill usually pinch one of the kids snacks haha they are small enough to hit the spot without over doing it on the cals … Freddos, kinder mini sticks, Cadbury little one bar… or ill just buy a normal size choc bar from the shop not the sharing bar thats asking for trouble as you will eat it all!
2- Look at your nutrition throughout the day and I feel THIS ONE is the most likely as to why you are eating crap in the evenings !! …. Ask yourself -
Have you even eaten enough at all today? - because if you are going most of the day on very little food you are going to crave everything come the evenings! Have you drank enough water? Have you eaten enough protein, healthy fats and veggies?? All which keep you fuller for longer because it takes your body longer to digest these , they are high in fibre and they won’t give you an insulin spike so you won’t get that blood sugar crash leading to further cravings. Afternoon snacks try to keep them high protein/high fats to keep you fuller and avoid that insulin spike which will crash and cause more cravings later on in the day.
Next question I know will be … what snacks can I have I the afternoon thats high protein/high fat..?? Heres a couple of ideas …
1- Chicken breast slices ( pre cooked shop bought or home prepped)/ with a boiled egg
2- Chicken Heck sausages with some feta cheese
3- Greek yoghurt with peanut/cashew butter & nuts/seeds
4- 2 mashed up boiled or scrambled eggs with 1/4 avocado or chorizo mixed in
These can all be prepped and put in a suitable container kept cold and eaten in the afternoon if you are at work/out and about. It always just takes a bit of planning ahead when it comes to nailing your nutrition but its 100% worth it for the benefits you get and how much better you feel for eating better :)
I hope this helps please comment or get in touch if you’d like any further info on this subject :)
Abbie xx
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