Everyday Systems

What does everyone do to get through those munchy hungries in the afternoon? Water? what? It's not terrible, and I'm reminding myself it's ok to be a little hungry sometimes.

I dislike the afternoons and can't wait till supper!

I have a coffee with milk and/or cream and it really does the trick for me. Crystal light also works for me!

I make sure I eat a big enough lunch.

Then, if I get the munchies, I generally will make myself a cup of coffee or tea. If's REALLY bad, the tea will be wild berry zinger, as it has a "treat" flavor to it for me, reminiscent of the pink sweet redneck wine I like so well.

If that doesn't work, clearly I have too much time on my hands and make myself do something productive, as I never want to snack while I'm being productive.

I have aglass of milk.

I am new to this but I find that I really need to eat a big enough lunch. Often times, lunch is the biggest meal of my day. I err on the side of too much. Obviously it needs to fit on one plate, though.

If I don't do this, I'll usually get home from work ravenous and in a very grumpy mood. I'll be too hungry and this will cause some major irritability. I will then decide to make some less-than-healthy, quick and easy dinner because I am too impatient to take the time to make something more balanced. Or I'll get fast food on the way home. I also won't be as interested in playing with my kids because I'll be more or less consumed with getting dinner done. Know thyself.

As a side note, I do know that if you get too hungry between meals, milk is technically OK to have. I have not tried this strategy though.

I let my laziness fight for me against my desire to snack. I stay out of the kitchen and dining room, except when I am preparing a meal or cleaning up. I don't keep food anywhere other than the kitchen. I tend to stay upstairs, in the computer room. If I were to get a snack, I'd have to walk down to the kitchen to get it. That deters me from snacking.

I know that thirst sometimes feels like hunger. I'll have a Diet Coke or a glass of water.

Sometimes, when we have tomato juice in the fridge, I will have a Virgin Mary (a Bloody Mary without the vodka). I have it in a small glass, not the big glasses I use for water or soda.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays there's a six and a half hour hour gap between lunch and dinner so I generally have a cappuccino with a little milk and very little or no sugar or a coffee with a little half and half and two tsp. sugar. I like the earlier poster's suggestion of an ice water with a splash of orange juice though, that'd be preferable for me come warmer weather.

amake616 wrote:On Tuesdays and Thursdays there's a six and a half hour hour gap between lunch and dinner

I usually have a six hour (or greater) gap between lunch and dinner and don't consider it unusually long. I do often have a cup of coffee at around 4 PM, but that's just habit, not because I'm hungry. I just make sure I eat enough lunch.

If you're getting hungry more than an hour or two before dinner, consider having a larger lunch, or a more satisfying one (some people have stated various foods to have a more lasting hunger-defying effect, such as fats or protein. I think it's a personal thing). If the "afternoon munchies" are coming close to dinner, I go "Oh, I'm hungry. Yay, dinner's coming!" and might drink some tea.

Protein powder mixed with water. I know, it's not food. But it works. This usually happens maybe once or twice a week.

I have observed in the last couple of weeks that sometimes I am hungry , really hungry at the end of the day before dinner. If I don't do anything about it sometimes it just goes away....shocking! I always thought hunger needed to be acted upon immediately. Turns out I really can wait to eat.

But if I am really hungry and it doesn't go away I have a glass of skim or 2% milk. I don't like to drink milk with meals and I need the calcium so it's a good choice for me.

wosnes wrote:

amake616 wrote:On Tuesdays and Thursdays there's a six and a half hour hour gap between lunch and dinner

I usually have a six hour (or greater) gap between lunch and dinner and don't consider it unusually long. I do often have a cup of coffee at around 4 PM, but that's just habit, not because I'm hungry. I just make sure I eat enough lunch.

Mine is usually closer to a five hour difference because I like a long gap between dinner and going to bed (personal preference), but having a coffee after 12 is something I only do a couple times a week anyway so it feels snack-ish to me which helps.

Blithe Morning wrote:Protein powder mixed with water. I know, it's not food. But it works. This usually happens maybe once or twice a week.

There are No-S'ers who avoid fake food, and there are No-S'ers who don't. I'm pretty sure I couldn't do any diet that required me to give up my Diet Cokes. I'm really glad No S doesn't require that.

This is a good point. No-S is strictly about when and how much and only SLIGHTLY about "what" (Sweets).

In general, yes, I prefer "real" food, but I don't freak out over a microgranularity. If I'm eating "real" food 95% of the time (and I do) I see no need in the world to sweat it. Back last month when I was on travel, I was doing No-S and eating Ramen and take-out. I wasn't cheating, even if they were convenience foods.

On the other hand, if you want do No-S with all prepackaged food? It's still No-S legal.