Rough week......

PM**** pretty hard at the end of last week and still feeling it's affects. Increased hunger is really messing with me. Since last week I have gained 3lbs. I am just about to go nuts trying to figure out how to deal with it. For some odd reason my huger increases in the evening. Thinking it is because I am not near as distracted in th evenings. I usually go run after I get home from work (er nurse, work 12 hrs days) but it has been raining and chilly so I haven't gone in three nights. Running in the evening is a big distractor for me when what my mind says is " hey, the food pantry wants you". Thus far I have not been under the care of a nutritionist or counselor but Monday I am making the calls. 

Im really struggling this week. I'm digging deep to find my strength and will power but I have to be honest. I am falling short. I know, tomorrow is a new day. Failure is not an option. I just need to regroup and refocus. The past few days have just been "one of those days". No excuses. 

This is not a solution to your hunger problems, but it might help ease them a bit. I get the munchies at about the same time every day -- usually 4-5pm. What I do to combat this till it's time for dinner is to make a cup of black, unsweetened coffee in my favorite flavors (hazelnut or chocolate-raspberry) and sip it as I very slowly eat my gummy vitamins and mineral supplements. For some reason, when I'm finished, it feels as though I had a full meal.

I don't know if this idea will help you. Many find that eating vitamins on an empty stomach makes them nauseated. But it sounds like you need to dig deep into that bag of hunger-suppressing tricks and use every last one of them. From what I've read about those who have reached goal and are in maintenance, you'll still need them to keep the weight off after you reach goal.

Professional counseling may be the best thing you can do for yourself, since you're struggling. Whatever works, use it! Good luck.

psychoticparrot

I Agree with psychoticparrot.  I do something similar with my gummy vitamins, I actually use half of them for my morning snack and the other half for my afternoon snack.  It doesn't bother me to eat them on an empty stomach and I am also able to drink my water with them.  Although I physically can not drink water with meals so I actually set a timer to start drinking 30 minutes after I eat but I can drink water with the vitamins, and I never feel hungry or the need to eat more after eating the gummy vitamins.  It may be worth a try....

My biggest snack attack moment is usually on the drive home from work, I believe it is part hunger and part stress release wanting to snack.  I know I know you should not eat and drive but I feel like I have out smarted this habit by eating my vitamins and drinking water. It really feels like win, win, win!

I kept my vitamins on my desk in a pretty covered candy dish.  The one I used had three parts and I kept multivitamins in one section, calcium in another and B-12 and D in the third.  I told myself it was my candy treat dish.

I love the pretty candy dish idea!  Where did you get it?

I found it on eBay and paid about $10 plus shipping

I tracked carefully during my weight loss phase and you could see the spike pattern every month associated with this. I knew that I would "lose" the 3 pound bloat via the natural progression, so I learned not to stress. I also had a week out of the month where my cravings and calories would spike, so I would ensure that I ate the lowest calorie options consistently during that week to allow more room. Think tuna on a bed of spinach for a meal- under 100 calories compared to my typical 200 calorie meal. Crunchy snacks that were low in calorie were also kept on hand. Finally, like you the evenings were the worst so I employed distraction to the nth degree. Consider a gym membership so that weather is not an issue. If that is not affordable, develop an exercise regiment that can be done in your home- stream a yoga video, aerobics, etc. whatever you can manage.