Any advice on how to beat the afternoon hunger?

Hi everyone, my issue is that I work a desk job.  If I am busy running around doing some kind of activity, I can go all day with few calories and not feel hungry.  When I'm at my desk however, I do really well until about 2:30 then I feel like I am literally STARVING.  I don't get it.  Any advice?  Thanks!

I am EXACTLY the same way.  I think for me is that I mistake hunger for boredom.  If I'm having a busy day at work and am keeping occupied I dont think about food.  Otherwise its "when is my next snack..."

Yes, from 2-4 sucks some days. I've been having a lighter lunch and then having a meal instead of a snack at 2 or 3. I usually find I'm also less likely to sneak out of work early when I do that...

I'm the same way, although I also feel like I'm starving around 9 or 10 am. I think mine is related to boredom and also poor insight into when I am actually hungry. Not sure what to do...

I find drinking tea or coffee.. something warm.. makes me feel fuller. Make sure you have a bottle of water or crystal light always at your desk too. Make a healthy trail mix.. with some super fiber cereal few nuts and dried cranberries.. something to allow you to munch on..  or something like grapes.. If your hungry let yourself eat.. just keep track.

Good luck! :)

There are a few ways of combating the afternoon 'slump'... First would be to increase the size of your lunch. Adding lots more vegetables or salads to whatever it is you eat - or simply more calories in total.   Second would be to check what your lunch is made of.  Refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white pasta, cereal bars, sugary or artificially sweetened processed foods will cause a blood-sugar dip about an hour or two after eating.  Unprocessed, high-fibre wholefoods keep hunger-pangs at bay longer.  Make sure lunch contains a portion of protein & some fat as well... protein & fat increase the satiety of a meal which also keeps hunger-pangs at bay.  Finally, if you know you'll get hungry at 2.30pm plan a snack...  a banana isn't a bad choice.

After years I've learnt to accept that my body just gets hungry at about 3pm, and thats fine. I have given up trying to avoid it! I just eat my evening meal in two halves now, and it really helps.

I.e. I'll get in from work at 4pm and have say a bowl of oatmeal with nuts (carbs and fat) then go to the gym/get on with my day, then later on about 7 or 8pm I'll eat something like stirfried veggies and chicken/tofu/chickpeas (veg plus protein) - so over the course of the afternoon and evening i've still had a balanced meal but have just split it up to satisfy my hunger.

If you are genuinely hungry I think you should eat - your body needs the energy from beng busy all morning, and needs the fuel for the second half of the day.

I am not sure if you already do or not, but eat a decent breakfast. This will give your metabolism a push which will make you hungrier for lunch. However, you should the be less hungry in the afternoon as you have been eating regularly.

I have learned to stash baggies of apple slices, baby carrots, high-fiber whole grain crackers, cherry tomatoes, and so on in my bag so that I can munch something filling and low-cal whenever hunger strikes.  They don't really require refrigeration for one day's ride in my purse, and they're always handy.  I plan out my snacks for the day when I plan out meals to make sure it's all in my goal range.  Sometimes that means smaller meals (or larger salads as a meal), but I haven't been suffering the way I have in the past when trying to lose weight.

If I don't eat something every three hours or so, I get TOO hungry and then my brain goes haywire and I find myself stopping for Hostess cupcakes and Funyuns on my way home from work, or saying "what the hell" and ordering up a bacon cheeseburger for dinner or going to the all-you-can-eat Mexican buffet for lunch.  Eating something small and healthy as soon as hunger strikes is really making a difference for me.  The last time I lost weight so efficiently, I was basically starving myself (not a good option).  This is much better.

Thanks everyone.  I will try some of your suggestions.  I broke down and had a snack which I usually wait for before I go to the gym but it didn't affect my calories to bad I wound up under 1500 for yesterday.

bring some carrots and/or celery to snack on.  it's high in fiber and vitamins, and extremely low in calories.  some apple slices or grapes are good too if you want something sweet.

what i do to keep cravings, binges, and the need to snack at a minimum is break up my meals into many small mini meals.  none of my meals are over 400 calories and i eat them frequently throughout the day.  i really just graze all day and when i do, i never get the urge to snack outside of my planned meals/snacks.  it also prevents me from binging at night like i normally would.  maybe you could split your lunch up into 2 mini lunches?

I am right there with ya!  I sit at a desk all day and think I get hungry in the afternoon from boredom as well.  I only drink diet soda or diet iced tea once a day, so I started saving that for my 2-3pm snack.  Yesterday, I had a gala apple too and that really helped.  Good luck!    

I have a desk job and I've always been a snacker. This is how I've lost 15 and continueing to keep loosing (besides the workouts I do 5 days a week):

Breakfast: I can't eat that much first thing in the morning, so I spread my BF out (like snacks) even though the calorie intake before lunch is still fairly low. This is from 8am to 11am.  Around 300 cals

Lunch: usually don't eat until 1230 or 1 (sometimes later) B/w 300-500 cals

Snack1: 230 pm or so: Around 100 cal
Snack2: 4pm Around 100 cal

445: hit the gym

730ish: Dinner around 500-600 cals

Original Post by merylwhite1:

I am not sure if you already do or not, but eat a decent breakfast. This will give your metabolism a push which will make you hungrier for lunch. However, you should the be less hungry in the afternoon as you have been eating regularly.

 This is completly true.  Sometimes I only have one snack before the gym and I'm doing okay. Depending on the workout, I have 800-950 cals during the day and save the rest for dinner time to try to stay around 1400-1600 for the day.

one of my favourite snacks is a glass (12oz) of skim milk.  lots of protein, almost no fat, fills me up, but doesn't make me sleepy.