Why pulls on food in the evenings and how to cope with it: tips of a nutritionist

Many people who want to lose weight face the same problem – uncontrollable hunger in the evening. It seems that during the day you manage to keep yourself in control, and by night self-control seems to disappear. Russian nutritionist Olga Pavlova told why this happens and what really helps to eat moderately.

According to Olga Pavlova, hunger is regulated by hormones - insulin, leptin and cortisol:

- If there is insulin resistance or leptin resistance, or a person is constantly under stress (which means that cortisol levels are elevated), the body regularly gives signals “it’s time to eat” – including in the evening and even at night. Another common reason is that during the day we simply do not notice hunger. Work, business, fuss are distracting, and body signals remain “behind the scenes”. In the evening, when the pace decreases and there is an opportunity to listen to yourself, the feeling of hunger becomes especially acute.

Frequent errors in the regime that increase hunger:

Lack of “building material” during the day. If in breakfast and lunch there is not enough protein, fat or carbohydrates, in the evening the body tends to “find” the missing and there is a strong appetite. Too long a break between meals. For example, lunch at 13:00, and dinner only at 20:00-21:00 due to business, travel, training. With such a large interval, blood sugar levels fall, cortisol grows, a cascade of reactions that provoke overeating is triggered.

Olga Pavlova told what to do with this:

- Adjust the schedule of meals - either slightly shift the lunch to a later time, or add a afternoon meal. Even with insulin resistance, one balanced snack is better than severe hypoglycemia: it sways cortisol, sugar and insulin levels more strongly.

As explained by the nutritionist, in order not to overeat, it is important to choose products that give a feeling of satiety for a long time. First of all, these are sources of protein: fish, chicken, meat, eggs, mushrooms. Such a dinner helps to stay full longer and reduces the risk of “getting” calories later.

Olga Pavlova also noted that sometimes food becomes the main source of pleasure

- If there are few other joys in life, the brain gets used to “rewarding” itself with food and overeating is fixed as a way to get dopamine and endorphins. In such cases, it is useful to work in parallel with psychological habits and look for alternative sources of pleasure: dancing, swimming, playing with children, drawing - any activity that brings joy.

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