Have been noticing recently how certain foods make me feel.
Specifically: if I have a sweet dessert like a Lara bar after a meal, then it’s guaranteed that 15 minutes later I’ll be trolling the kitchen, opening and closing the fridge and cupboards until I find something else to munch on.
If I have an apple or other not-super-sweet fruit then the tendency to snack is much lower.
A couple of days ago the last thing I ate was very fatty – avocado/tomato salad drowned in olive oil – and when I woke up the next morning I still felt full!
I didn’t even become aware of my stomach again until late afternoon.
If I go over my calorie limit it’s usually because of late-night grazing, not the meals. I think it may be worth upping the (good) fat intake. It’s high in calories but it prevents mindless grazing later. The trick may be eating something that’s just fat, avoiding the combination of fat+carbs (helooo, donuts).
Maybe if I eat the sweet stuff in the middle of my window it will have less of an effect? Or really, is there ever a good time to eat this stuff?
Has anybody else noticed something similar? What is that last thing you eat at night? How does it affect your appetite?
Yes, I have definitely noticed the same reaction in my body.
ReplyDeleteI notice when I eat later in the evening, say when I break my fast at 5pm instead of 12 noon like I usually do, I am WAY more hungry in the morning. If I stop eating at 4 or 5pm I am rarely hungry at all until around 10:30-11am.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about grazing, that is my issue no matter when my eating window is. Some good advice I heard from Brad Pilon's blog is if you find you are snacking a lot in the evening, break your fast later so that you physically don't have enough time to eat too much...
I totally believe that eating more "good fat" foods like avocado and almonds can definitely help keep you from snacking, so keep it up!
Thanks for your comments on my blog!
Hi Paula and Jenna,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments!
I've always used a later fast. I'm religious about waiting until 5 to eat but I often don't stop eating until midnight because of various evening activities. Now I'm curious about an earlier fast -- my mom does it naturally, her pattern is a light breakfast, big lunch at noon, then another snack about 4pm and she's done for the day. Jenna, I wonder if you and she are onto something! (Though she's on more of a fast-8 schedule.)
Thanks for your insight :)