"I eat great all day! But then..."

Many people fear the 4-10 pm time slot. They feel out of control...a bottomless pit...helpless. How do you navigate this time of day?!

Eat well and often during the day. The body is hungry every 3-4 hours. If you go longer than that without eating, hunger hormones increase (such as ghrelin) that make it harder to feel satisfied and intensify cravings for fat and sugar (and a lot of it!). Eat foods that fill and satisfy every 3-4 hours
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• Practice compassion. In the evening, emotions are heightened and cravings intensified. We use food to relax at the end of a long day. If you're tired, you may want food to give you a burst of energy to stay awake. If you're stressed, you may use food to cope and reward yourself.

• Practice mindfulness and check in with your senses. What kind of hunger are you feeling?
  
  • Stomach: Has it been a while since dinner? Eat and nourish that body!
    
  • Mouth: Do you want a certain taste or texture? Figure out exactly what you want (temperature, texture, consistency). Don't taste test your way through the kitchen or pick a poor substitute
    
  • Mind: Are you stuck in a habit or are bored or need entertainment?
    
  • Hands: Do you need to occupy your hands? Consider doing your nails, knitting, writing, drawing, brushing the dog
    
  • Heart: Are you happy, sad, lonely, stressed, celebrating, etc? Maybe food is part of the experience but perhaps catching up with a friend/family/journal might help too?
    
  • ​Eyes: Did you see someone eating or catch site of the cookies on the counter? Ask yourself if you need it now or if it could wait until later.

None of these reasons are wrong! Identify the source and then focus on that source if/when you satisfy your senses. For example, if your mouth was what wanted food to begin with, don't eat until the stomach is full. The stomach wasn't asking for it to begin with!

Keep in mind that distractions make it hard to satisfy your senses. For example, if your mouth craved the crunchy sweetness of a cookie but you eat those cookies while watching TV, your senses are only processing 1/2 of that cookie enjoyment so you end up eating 2x as much. The whole point of eating cookies is for pleasure. If you detract from that pleasure, what's the point?

It is never wrong to eat. Whether you eat for physical or non physical reasons, food plays a tremendous role in what it means to be human. Slow down and enjoy the food.