Evening problems

[laura corin]

I've been following NoS for about four weeks and have dropped three or four pounds, so I'm really pleased. I find the new rhythm suits me. I'm 5'4" and weigh 142 pounds now.

I have to plan meals around the rest of the family and I'm having problems with evenings. My children have a lot of evening activities (they are home educated, so get lots of other unstructured time) so several nights a week they eat supper at about 5:30, then have a healthy snack when they get back home. My husband eats after work, at around 7:30. On other nights, the whole family eats together at 7:30 or so.

On activities nights, I usually eat at the same time as the children, which works well for me, but I feel bad that my husband ends up eating alone. On family nights.... I find it really hard to wait until 7:30, and we can't eat earlier because that's when husband gets home. I have a cup of tea and do a bit of 'virtual plating' while I cook (snacking on vegetables then eating less for supper) but I sometimes find it hard to stop snacking after supper having started before.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Laura

[osoniye]

Hi, and welcome,
My 2 cents worth is: avoid the virtual plating, which can just be another word for snacking, at least in the beginning. I try either to be satisfied with tea or coffee w/ milk in it, or eat a bigger or later lunch when supper will be late. As far as hubby eating alone, I don't have one, but I often sit with my housemates while they eat and I have a cup of herbal tea... a great chance to sit and chat and you can concentrate on the conversation because you're not concentrating on your food.

[laura corin]

Hi, and welcome,
My 2 cents worth is: avoid the virtual plating, which can just be another word for snacking, at least in the beginning.

However, I'm often shaking as I cook, even with a cup of milky tea to hand. We eat breakfast at 8 and lunch at about 1pm - I don't think the children could wait much longer for lunch. I tend to have a salady/veggie kind of lunch - maybe I need to make it more substantial.

Thanks

Laura

[wosnes]

Laura -- see what I just wrote here. (See the author's blog.) I also eat lunch about 1 PM and dinner usually isn't until sometime between 7 and 8. I'm rarely extremely hungry at dinnertime, in fact, sometimes I'm not hungry at all. But my lunch is a little more substantial than salad/veggies. I typically have a bowl of a broth-based vegetable and bean soup, plus some bread and maybe other veggies and fruit for lunch.

I like the idea, for myself, of a bigger noonday meal and a smaller evening meal. I don't do this all the time, but will on occasion. When I do, I often don't "need" to eat dinner until nearly 9 PM.

So, try eating a more substantial and satisfying lunch.

[Grammy G]

I would agree...more to your lunch! I would suggest trying a protein and some grains. Maybe a soup, as wosnes suggests, a sandwich with cheese and /or meat, peanut butter whole grain crackers. Or add meat and cheese and/or eggs to your salad..and maybe a few crackers. Then, just be aware of how you feel and adjust so you are hungry but not shaking as you prepare dinner. Good luck!

[kccc]

I agree that a more substantial lunch is the first thing to try. Particularly, I'd make sure that you had a reasonable serving of protein.

Eating at 5:30 and having tea with your husband is also an option, if you can make it through the evening after that.

Good luck!

[laura corin]

I don't eat much meat and avoid saturated fats in general (trying to wean myself off statins) but I can certainly add in some whole grains/pulses/beans at lunchtime. I'll tell you how it goes.

Thanks again

Laura

[amarbach]

I realize this is not within nos guidelines but I find that eating raw vegetables between meals allow me to stick to the program. I also like V8 juice if they have that sort of thing in Scotland. I am restarting nos this week. I had wanted to for a long time but felt anxious about in between meal hunger. I decided that doing a version of nos with raw vegetables as an option when (like you) I start to feel shaky (or grumpy) was an acceptable middle ground for me.
I don't always use this option but mentally it helps to know that it is there if I need it.
A

[Nichole]

If you're shaking, you definitely need a healthy snack.

I had the same problem when I lived with my in laws and my father in law didn't get home until 8 and that's when we ate dinner!! I found it very hard to manage my weight like that, BUT I was also eating mostly unhealthy during the day and eating lots of Wheat Thins before dinner (lol). Otherwise, I couldn't function very well and would get very grumpy and snappy. Just try some different things and find something that works for you, but defintely don't starve yourself until 7:30! That's too much.

[oolala53]

If your doctor agrees, you might experiment also with adding about a tablespoon of olive oil or the equivalent in flaxseed meal or walnuts to your lunch and dinner. These are either monosaturated or high in omega-3's. I have found over and over that this small amount of fat added to a meal of veggies, starch and meat, makes a big difference in how long I can go between meals. It might be even more important if you don't eat much meat, which has been shown to add to satiety. It's got to be better than snacking. But keep experimenting. You will find your satisfying mix of foods, if you keep trying.