Lunch to Dinner

planner lady · Post by **planner lady** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 1:19 am

I am going to do this! I keep talking about it and trying but without any success. The hardest part is the period between lunch and dinner. I eat breakfast at 9:00 a.m., lunch at 12:00 and dinner at 6:15. Between lunch and dinner I feel like I'm going to die! I am eating a good lunch so it's not that I'm not eating enough. I feel that if I can get a couple of days of success then I can do it. I really, really want to. I'm sick of counting calories and obsessing about food. Please assure me I really can make it from lunch to dinner. I need to know that it's possible.

gk · Post by gk » Thu Sep 29, 2011 1:29 am

It's possible!

But, what makes it much easier for me is having a later lunch.....sometimes I'm not eating lunch until 1:30 or 2:00. If that's at all possible for you, give it a try. It made my 4:00 munchies much more bearable!!

Good luck!

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 9:29 am

If you can go from 6 pm-ish from dinner to 9 am-ish to breakfast, you can go from noon until 6 without eating! 6 hours between meals isn't an unusually long time. Your desire to eat more frequently is more habit than need. Remember, hunger isn't an emergency!

DaveMc · Post by **DaveMc** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 12:39 pm

planner lady wrote:Please assure me I really can make it from lunch to dinner. I need to know that it's possible.

Let me assure you, it's possible, and you can do it! Lots of people do. Virtually *everyone* used to, before eating between meals became the norm -- that was around the time when everyone in the west started gaining a lot of weight. Coincidence? I think not.

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 1:40 pm

don't forget beverages! Milk carried me through my first few weeks, but now I rarely remember milk is endorsed, even when I feel like I am starving! It's totally weird, how no s has reinvented my reactions to temporary deprivation.

snapdragon · Post by **snapdragon** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 2:04 pm

I second the milk. It is a lifesaver!!!

planner lady · Post by **planner lady** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 8:25 pm

Thank you. That's what I needed to hear.

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 10:02 pm

Yes, it is doable, but I'd say it would help if you had more of a gap between breakfast and lunch. I'd say having at least a 4-hour gap between meals changed my ability to delay meals significantly.

I have to say here that I don't agree with the idea that because we fast from dinner to breakfast, it should be the same to go from breakfast to dinner or something analogous. It is not the same to be awake and asleep fasting.

But 6 hours, while difficult, is doable and commendable. Your life will be freer when this is not a big fear.

veggirl1964 · Post by **veggirl1964** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 11:48 pm

It is possible! What helps me is the reminder that experiencing hunger between meals is NORMAL. When I was a kid (a skinny kid), my brother and I would occasionally try to sneak into the kitchen for an after-school snack. My mom would kick us out, and tell us that it would spoil our dinner. So, we would go outside and play for a couple more hours until dinner time. So, not only did we not get the snack, but we got in a couple of hours of running, jumping, and climbing on a "hungry stomach." To my knowledge, neither of us died.

Hmmm... perhaps I could hire my mom to stand in my kitchen and yell at me on days I wish I could have a snack.

DaveMc · Post by **DaveMc** » Fri Sep 30, 2011 10:20 am

Another thing to bear in mind is that is *does* get easier over time! When I started a couple of year ago, those gaps between meals were *tough*, and if dinner with the missus was going to be delayed for some reason, I'd often have to eat ahead of her, 'cause I just couldn't wait. Now, going six or seven hours between waking meals is not a problem, and if dinner happens a bit later than usual, it's no big deal.

I'm not sure if it's the mind, the body, or both that adapts to the new pattern, but I know from other people's comments here that I'm not alone in finding that things really do change over the first few months of not snacking.

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Fri Sep 30, 2011 10:47 am

DaveMc wrote:Another thing to bear in mind is that is *does* get easier over time! When I started a couple of year ago, those gaps between meals were *tough*, and if dinner with the missus was going to be delayed for some reason, I'd often have to eat ahead of her, 'cause I just couldn't wait. Now, going six or seven hours between waking meals is not a problem, and if dinner happens a bit later than usual, it's no big deal.

I'm not sure if it's the mind, the body, or both that adapts to the new pattern, but I know from other people's comments here that I'm not alone in finding that things really do change over the first few months of not snacking.

i recently had a day when I went almost 10 hours between lunch and dinner, and another when I went almost 8 hours. Both were due to eating away from home and changes in plans that made dinner later than usual. I was hungry, but not overly hungry both times. I didn't eat everything in site because I was so hungry. Both were eye-opening experiences in how long I could go between meals without it being an issue.

planner lady · Post by **planner lady** » Sat Oct 01, 2011 12:22 am

Wow! Thanks everyone. I'm feeling better about this. I just really needed to know that it was possible. I will try to eat lunch a little bit later so there's more time between breakfast and lunch and less between lunch and dinner. I had thought of that but just hadn't acted on it. Now if I can just deal with my longing for snacks! It kind of feels like I lost a friend. Dumb, huh.

Blithe Morning · Post by **Blithe Morning** » Sat Oct 01, 2011 11:00 am

planner lady wrote:Wow! Thanks everyone. I'm feeling better about this. I just really needed to know that it was possible. I will try to eat lunch a little bit later so there's more time between breakfast and lunch and less between lunch and dinner. I had thought of that but just hadn't acted on it. Now if I can just deal with my longing for snacks! It kind of feels like I lost a friend. Dumb, huh.

Not dumb at all. But it might be a sign that you were getting comforted by food.

SunCat · Post by **SunCat** » Tue Oct 04, 2011 10:24 pm

Those afternoon hours have always been tough for me. At first I thought it was not eating enough at lunch. And that was a problem, since I was getting a bit woozy - but it was easily remedied.

Then I thought it was habit. But after a few weeks, i realized it was more than that. I was actually tired, and that's one of the body's ways of boosting energy - to get us to eat something.

I compromised a bit with a drink in the afternoon - or sometimes even a nap

- while I worked on improving in other areas so that I wouldn't be so tired. Most of the time it works - though it's not helpful when I stay up too late reading...

Sweetness · Post by **Sweetness** » Wed Oct 05, 2011 2:41 am

The most wonderful thing about not snacking in the afternoon is; I'm always hungry at dinner time and everything tastes so good! Save your appetite! It was my anniversary today, so we went to a movie and dinner. I love popcorn at movies, but should have gotten the kid size, I got a medium and it was huge! (Usually I smuggle in my own healthier homemade popcorn.) I didn't eat it all but ate much more than I should have. Then I wasn't hungry for dinner, but ate a little anyway. Glad tomorrow is a no s day, cause my tummy hurts! And yummy leftovers for lunch!

jellybeans01 · Post by **jellybeans01** » Thu Oct 06, 2011 3:01 pm

It get easier with time, for me it is not even a problem anymore. Hunger is not an emergency remember.

NoelFigart · Post by **NoelFigart** » Thu Oct 06, 2011 6:04 pm

At first it does suck. We've been cautioned for so long that the eensiest bit of hunger is dangerous, is going to screw up our metabolisms and cause our bodies to start cannibalizing muscle that we've forgotten something.

It's normal only to eat two or three times a day. (It's also normal for those that eat three times a day to have one of those meals be more of a snack than anything).

And when you're not used to the tiniest bit of hunger, that stretch between lunch and dinner can be a bit distressing. I'm not trying to blow it off. That feeling used to bother me a lot.

Now? I tend to think of it more as "having an appetite". And you bet I have an appetite for my dinner these days. And my lunch... and often my breakfast. I count it as a positive, as the plainest food tastes amazing. Grapes at the end of lunch burst with sweetness; chicken and rice are so warmly satisfying. A bowl of plain oatmeal and a cup of coffee makes me feel charged up for the day.

So, how to get there without going nuts? As many posters have commented, a glass of milk when you get too hungry can be a real help. Do that, if you need it. It's okay.

I also find that berry-flavored hot teas work really well for me. They have a wine-ish taste for me, and feel like a satisfying indulgence.

Then there's the cup of coffee. I don't like to do that late in the day -- sleep issues, you know, but I'll do it rather than eat between meals.

Well, used to. These days, I don't think much about it. My body is used to the idea of only eating at mealtimes. I still enjoy my afternoon coffee or tea, but it's more a relaxation thing before gearing up to make dinner than a tide-me-over thing.

It took a good six months to get there to the point where I didn't give it any real thought, by the way. It took me about three months before I'd recast "OMGWTFHALPHUNGER!" to "Oh, MAN is dinner going to taste GREAT tonight", too.

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Thu Oct 06, 2011 7:42 pm

NoelFigart wrote:At first it does suck. We've been cautioned for so long that the eensiest bit of hunger is dangerous, is going to screw up our metabolisms and cause our bodies to start cannibalizing muscle that we've forgotten something.

It's normal only to eat two or three times a day. (It's also normal for those that eat three times a day to have one of those meals be more of a snack than anything).

And when you're not used to the tiniest bit of hunger, that stretch between lunch and dinner can be a bit distressing. I'm not trying to blow it off. That feeling used to bother me a lot.

Now? I tend to think of it more as "having an appetite". And you bet I have an appetite for my dinner these days. And my lunch... and often my breakfast. I count it as a positive, as the plainest food tastes amazing. Grapes at the end of lunch burst with sweetness; chicken and rice are so warmly satisfying. A bowl of plain oatmeal and a cup of coffee makes me feel charged up for the day.

So, how to get there without going nuts? As many posters have commented, a glass of milk when you get too hungry can be a real help. Do that, if you need it. It's okay.

I also find that berry-flavored hot teas work really well for me. They have a wine-ish taste for me, and feel like a satisfying indulgence.

Then there's the cup of coffee. I don't like to do that late in the day -- sleep issues, you know, but I'll do it rather than eat between meals.

Well, used to. These days, I don't think much about it. My body is used to the idea of only eating at mealtimes. I still enjoy my afternoon coffee or tea, but it's more a relaxation thing before gearing up to make dinner than a tide-me-over thing.

It took a good six months to get there to the point where I didn't give it any real thought, by the way. It took me about three months before I'd recast "OMGWTFHALPHUNGER!" to "Oh, MAN is dinner going to taste GREAT tonight", too.

I agree with Noel. Two or three meals daily is normal -- and one of them very well may be a light meal. However, 4-5 meals daily is also normal as sweetness mentioned in her post about being in Mexico. It's normal in Italy, too. But only one of those meals is a "big" meal. The rest are smaller.

I think the only reason I'd add an extra meal is if the next one is normally very late -- after 8 or 9 PM or so.

Ani33 · Post by **Ani33** » Fri Oct 07, 2011 11:20 am

I plan a nice drink in the afternoon, especially if dinner is going to be late. Ill mix some fruit juice with sparkling water and add ice and a straw - it helps me get over the hump. Ive also noticed from the time I start to feel hungry another two or three hours I still feel hungry, not ravenous or bad tempered.

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