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It's been about five years since I last looked into Eating Alarm Times, so I wondered if anything had changed. We asked more than 400 people on DietDetective.com to vote on their Eating Alarm Times - basically, those few moments each day when you can consume up to 300 extra calories, which causes you to gain weight. The idea of having one time of day to focus on is pretty good news: It means we can make real and substantial changes by being a lot more careful during just that one period when we typically overdo it.

If only 10 percent to 20 percent of your day accounts for 80 percent of the reason why you're overweight, identifying your Eating Alarm Times means you don't have to overhaul your entire life to lose and maintain your weight. This can be a key strategy in your arsenal of tactics for creating a livable, healthful diet. So, thinking about the one or two hours each day when you consume the majority of your high-calorie, high-fat foods will put you on the road to losing. Devise a plan for dealing with these Eating Alarm Times and you won't need to stress about weight loss for the rest of the day. Here are a few tips for doing just that:

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Time: Prime-Time TV Snacking Hours (7 p.m. to 11 p.m.)
Percentage who said this is their Eating Alarm Time: 37.8%
Problem: This can be the most difficult time of day for many people. Either you're a kitchen lingerer, or you're sitting in front of the television after a long day at work, with the kids, or both. The scientific journal Eating Behavior reports that watching TV induces high-calorie snacking. Results suggest that snacking (but not necessarily eating meals) while watching TV is associated with increased overall caloric intake as well as increased calories from fat.
Solution: Come up with snacking alternatives - basically, Calorie Bargains. For example, if you typically have a bowl of chips while sitting in front of the television, try a lower-calorie version, such as a bowl of air-popped popcorn or Mr. Krispers Baked Rice Krisps (http://69.11.245.5/). Also, make sure you put a portion in a dish and return the rest of the bag or box to the kitchen cupboard. That way you'll have to get up to get seconds. Here are a few other tips if this is your Eating Alarm Time - or EAT:
- Eat only at the kitchen or dining room table. Consider all other areas of your home snack-free zones.
- No munching on high-calorie snacks while on the phone.
- Serve all snacks on plates. No picking while standing in front of the fridge and no digging into the half-gallon of ice cream with a spoon. If you are going to have some ice cream, it must be scooped into a dish first!
- Close the kitchen: Once dinner is over, wash the dishes and turn off the lights. Consider the kitchen closed for the night. This may be a good enough deterrent to keep your mind off food.
- One good solution would be to prepare a variety of healthful snacks and meals in advance. Another is to make sure to have only the "better" snacks around the house.

Time: Dinnertime (5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.) 
Percentage who said this is their Eating Alarm Time: 24.2%
Problem: You've had a long day at work. Maybe you didn't even have time to eat very much during the day. Now you're starving. It's time to relax and eat. If you're in a restaurant and have a menu in front of you - watch out -you'll probably over-order. If you're home, well there is always plenty of food to overeat.
Solution: You have to eat more. I know it might sound crazy, but if you're not getting enough food during the day, you'll overeat during dinner. Try to plan your lunch and an afternoon snack. Make sure to scout out area restaurants (if at work) that serve pre-approved healthful items, and keep a list of these restaurants and the healthy dishes they serve. You can even leave a standing order at various restaurants for different days of the week.

Bring your own sandwich or meal, or get frozen dinners (i.e., Lean Cuisine) or microwave-only dinners - not frozen - that you can keep in your desk drawer (i.e., Annie Chun's). Keep a supply of fresh fruit in your home and in your office.

Time: Afternoon Snack Attack (1 p.m. to 5 p.m.) 
Percentage who said this is their Eating Alarm Time: 20.7%
Problem: When you're hard at work or out-and-about with the kids, it's not easy to resist when that afternoon snack attack hits. You just want something - anything "good."
Solution: You don't need to be afraid of snacking - you're supposed to snack. However, most of us overdo it. Snacks should be about 100-250 calories, depending on your specific caloric needs. Also, make sure to have protein in your snacks, not just "empty" calories.
- Try having mini-meals such as half a turkey breast sandwich without mayonnaise or half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. See if you can get one of those mini-fridges to keep in your office to store healthy snacks.
- Declare a No-Food Zone: Set up a neutral territory where unhealthy food is not allowed. The zone might be no bigger than your desk, but at least that's a start.
- Keep fruit around. If you can't get fresh fruit you can always try the Fruitguys.com - they deliver fresh, locally grown fruit right to your door at reasonable prices.
- Try low-calorie (less than 120 calories per cup), low-sugar, high-fiber cereal that you can eat dry - it's great to munch on and can help you avoid putting on pounds.

Time: Late-Night Munchies (11 p.m. until ...) 
Percentage who said this is their Eating Alarm Time: 7.7%
Problem: You can't sleep and you're bored, stressed, sad - could be any number of emotions. You head on over to the fridge, raid the cabinets, frantically looking for anything to satisfy your desire.
Solution: Don't leave it up to chance. Have preportioned, satisfying, low-calorie, late-night snacks such as cereal with skim milk, cut-up veggies with low-calorie dip (made with yogurt), yogurt, fruit or low-calorie soup (under 100 calories per cup) available at all times.

The reasons you're eating at night could be because you didn't eat enough nutritious food for dinner or your evening snack. Or it could be part of a larger problem: emotional eating. See if you can resolve the source, because eating (and gaining more weight) will probably make things worse.

Time: Midmorning Munchies (9 a.m. to noon) 
Percentage who said this is their Eating Alarm Time: 3.2%
Problem: You drank a quick cup of coffee but didn't have time to eat anything for breakfast. Now you're hungry, and there are leftover bagels and muffins sitting out at work.
Solution: Obviously, you should be eating breakfast - there is so much research that shows eating breakfast helps you lose weight because you don't overeat at other meals. Having small packages of cereal or even cereal bars in your office is a good idea. Bananas, oranges and apples are also satisfying at this time. Or you could try applesauce (no sugar added), sugar-free Jell-O pudding snack packs or Laughing Cow Cheese wedges. Above all, avoid the vending machine, which typically doesn't have anything good to offer.
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CHARLES STUART PLATKIN is a nutrition and public health advocate, founder and editor of DietDetective.com, the health and fitness network and author of The Diet Detective's Calorie Bargain Bible (Simon & Schuster, 2007). Copyright 2007 by Charles Stuart Platkin. All rights reserved. Sign up for the free Diet Detective newsletter and iTunes podcast at www.DietDetective.com

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written by marva470, December 31, 2007

Sounds like a winner