Are you finding yourself still hungry after dinner and confused about what to do?
This scenario is a LOT more common than you think (it’s not just you!). There are so many of my clients that message me in between our nutrition meetings saying that they are still hungry after dinner and aren’t sure what to do.
What’s worse is that they often speak negatively about themselves, saying things like “I have no will power” or “I just can’t seem to stop eating sweets”.
Instead of simply suggesting healthy snack options, I think it’s more important to ask some questions first (and be honest with yourself about the answers).
In my experience, a huge contributer to evening snacking is not eating enough food during the day. Often when people adopt a new “healthy” nutrition regime, they tend to really limit their calories and intake thinking this is setting themselves up for success for their goals. However, a huge caloric deficit all day typically leads to snacking in the evening, when we are legitimately hungry and our will power reserves are empty for the day.
Beyond this, there can be other triggers that are causing someone to feel the need to snack when they aren’t truly hungry.
Not sleeping well? This can leave you feeling unsatisfied with your food choices and to potentially over-caffeinating yourself (which leads to less good quality sleep).
Stressed? This can really impact motivation and increase stress eating and/or raised cortisol levels.
Other areas to look at involve your support system, environment, mindset, and general routines. It is important to remember to look at the whole picture.
If you feel like you are generally just looking for a great snack option, a go-to is always fruits + a protein in some combination. Did you think I might say ice cream?! Haha.
Next time you’re feeling hunger in the evening, choose something appropriate AND reflect back on your day and see if there’s something you can do better the following day to add more nourishment and fuel to your body. Then see if that makes a difference that evening and adjust from there. We do have the power to break our own cycles with habits that we don’t like!
If all else fails, seek the help of a Nutrition Coach to work through those details with you.
