Can the Day Please End at 6pm?

I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I wish the day would end at 6pm and I could just wake up at 6am the next morning.  Just ditch the whole 6pm-10pm slot altogether, do a sort of "opt-out" kind of a thing.

Evenings have been hard for me, much more BEFORE I learned healthy habits but even sometimes AFTER I learned them because learning them is a PRACTICE not a piece of KNOWLEDGE.

I don't know what it is about it getting darker outside and the stresses of the day being "done" which literally flips some imaginary switch somewhere in my brain and puts me in danger of not practicing healthy habits!  But I wish the day could end at 6pm.

So, what is to be done? 

Do I just say "ta heck with it" and succumb to those ideas that pop into my head?  More often than not I choose HEALTH and can get through it.  Occasionally I DON'T choose health and the next morning I always wish I HAD.

So what are some strategies for getting through the evening? 

1)  Find something ELSE that is FUN to do besides foraging in the pantry or fridge.

2)  Find something ELSE that is RELAXING to do besides foraging in the pantry or fridge.

-or-

3)  Go to bed.

Yes.  Go to bed.  At 6pm.  Sometimes I just have to do that.  I literally have to take a shower (there is something about seeing yourself in your birthday suit in the mirror which kills any thoughts of eating off plan), get into my jammies, and go to bed.

Last night was one of those nights.  I SHOULD have done that.  I SHOULD have gone to bed.

Many times the night-time foraging pattern we have developed are simply HABITS.  They are UNHEALTHY HABITS.  There is generally nothing WRONG with us, we are not lacking willpower, self-control or anything like that, we are simply acting out of HABIT.  So what to do?  Change the habit by replacing the habit with something ELSE.  Don't change the habit by focusing all your mental energy on TRYING NOT TO DO THE HABIT.  Change the habit.

You have a cue:  6pm.
You have a middle:  Eating mindlessly for 4 hours
You have a reward:  Destressing, entertainment

So the cue will never change, whether your cue is time-sensitive (such as "6pm") or emotional (such as trouble or conflict with your kids or husband), or physical (such as just want something to chew on) you will always be presented with the CUE.  And, then, you will always be seeking the REWARD.  The reward is destressing, easing boredom, or yes, even chewing!  So what you do is change the middle.

Change the middle.  That middle thing is that unhealthy habit which is getting you where you don't want to go.  Change it up to something that will FURTHER your health goals or at best be NEUTRAL.

If your cue is 6pm and you want the reward of relaxation or stress-relief, here are some examples of what could be your new MIDDLE:
Hot bath
Hot shower
Lighting a candle and drinking a cup of tea
Reading some fiction

If your cue is coming home from work and you want the reward of chewing:
Save a crunchy Medifast Meal for your last meal
Chew some gum
Have a Medifast Snack of Popcorn or Sea Salt Chips (1 bag only LOL)

If your cue is conflict with your teenager and you want the reward of escaping for some entertainment:
Go see a movie
Go for a walk
Call a friend
Write a letter
Read some fiction

You see?  There are lots of things you can do for your MIDDLE which don't involve abandoning your health goals.  Now, I'm going to print this off and post it on my refrigerator door AND my pantry door AND my bathroom mirror AND I'm going to tattoo it on the backs of my hands.

Just kidding.  Not that last bit.

Tonight?  I WILL do one of the new MIDDLES.  Because I got goals.  Big ones.  And the biggest one is maintaining the healthy weight I have worked so hard to earn.

Now maintenance is a funny thing, and my eating plan IN maintenance has to be as mindful as it was in the 5&1.  But I know when I'm deviating from my maintenance plan and I know when to tighten things up.

Today?  Tighten it up.

Rinse and Repeat!