How not to overeat at the end of the day.

I ate a delicious dinner of meatloaf and wedge salad prepared by my husband. Although I was quite full, I then proceeded to eat a few Lindt chocolate truffles. A little later, I was mindlessly eating Fritos straight out of the bag. Pretty soon, I was feeling bad about my lack of discipline and was uncomfortably full. Why did I stray from my usual good habits? 

For me, overeating at the end of the day often happens after a stressful day. I had a particularly long and stressful day at work preceding the overeating episode. I had just taken a vacation day and enjoyed a long weekend of relaxing and sleeping in. I returned to work relaxed and happy, but that was short-lived. It was an especially hectic day with many messages, refills and  patients were double-booked on my schedule. I had a few very complex, sick patients back-to-back, more so than the usual. I worked through lunch in order to catch up. I normally try to get a short walk or workout on my Apple Fitness app or even just relax a few minutes at mid-day. After coming home I scarfed down the meatloaf and wedge salad in about 10 minutes before I sat down again to another hour of work.

Do you lose control of your diet after dinner? Here are some things that could have helped me eat more mindfully at the end of the day: 

Less stress at work. 

Stick to my rule of taking a lunch break. 

Enjoy a leisurely dinner. 

Stick to my rule of no food after dinner. 

Avoid overscheduling myself. 

Obviously, I can’t control the amount of stress at work, but I could have taken at break at lunch. I should have enjoyed my dinner instead of inhaling it. I could have made a cup of tea or drank water instead of Fritos and chocolate. 

What can you do differently so you aren’t overeating at night? When I have a slip up, I stop to analyze what may have caused it then plan ahead to prevent the next time. What causes your lapses in unhealthy eating or habits and how can you avoid them in future?