Everyday Systems

lunch is early and dinner is late?

How do I not snack when there will be 7 hours between lunch and dinner?

Help!

You have a couple of options.

1) Stick it out, drinking lots of water, chewing gum, fidgeting, etc. Leave any food items at home, and don't bring any money to buy any.
That's what I did last week when I had some late dinners - lunch at 12:30, dinner after 9:00 pm. I found once I'd reached a certain point I wasn't hungry any more - but getting past that point was really, really hard.

2) Have a snack, but make it part of your lunch or dinner plate. So at lunch, eat half. Keep the rest to have mid-way between lunch and dinner. Or, have a full, big lunch. Then, have 'half a plate' of dinner at the mid-point, and the rest at the dinner hour. It doesn't have to be rice and chicken, but some fruit or veggies or bread and cheese or whatever. That will keep the portion sizes in control, and keep the hunger under control too. As above, though, keep any 'snack money' at home or otherwise inaccessible so you don't get more than you need.

It all depends on your circumstances.

Jan, I would probably stick it out fortified with a big lunch, but if that doesn't seem possible, take sibyl's "virtual plating" suggestion: have a pear or something in between but leave an exaggerated space for it on your dinner plate. Not something I'd recommend doing every day, but I wouldn't think twice about occasionally resorting to it in circumstances like these.

One little thing that helped me get past the hump was that whenever I was feeling like I was 'starving' I would tell myself (quite firmly) that there were lots of people in the world who got along with just one meal a day, or who were actually starving. I wasn't. I had a nice meal waiting for me at home, which meant I was well-off and well-fed. It also helped to remind myself that I was perfectly fine (i.e. not hungry) during a much longer period between meals - dinner and breakfast.

Good luck.

Sibyl,

You are right about starving people in the world. I have it so easy! I had a decent enough lunch, and dinner will be wonderful. If I am extra hungry, then dinner will just taste extra good. I will offer up any discomfort as a prayer for those who are really hungry.

Thanks for reminding me.

Jan

I DID IT!

This is the wildest thing! Between lunch and dinner I wasn't even particularly hungry. Ate dinner on my little plate, and couldn't even finish all the potatoes I took.

I am absolutely amazed in the change that's occured since I began the No-S Diet.

Apologies for my panic-driven whining!

Sibyl, that is a terrific suggestion and a great way to stay mindful and compassionate. A similar thought has startled me into compliance more than once when I was struggling to avoid nibbling on rich foods.

Even to have the choice of snacking or not puts us in the minority of the world's people.

Go Jan!