How I Avoid a 3pm Snack Attack

And I’m not talking about the, “Ooh, I’m hungry! I think I’ll eat the healthy snack I brought to work.” Fruit or nuts or yogurt or low fat popcorn would be too logical.

I’m talking about the, “Lay off my I’m starving!” or the “My stomach is eating itself!” and “Where’s the nearest vending machine???” snack attack. Only Pop Tarts, peanut M&M’s, or Junior Mints will do. 

You see, when I changed jobs, I also lost the convenience of having a Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Potbelly’s (mmm…their cookies), Caribou Coffee, Argo Tea, two cupcake bakeries, and Walgreens a stone’s throw away.

Now, my snack time options include: bring something from home, raid the vending machine, go to the cafe in the building before it closes, drive somewhere, or ask a co-worker for a snack.

Hmmm…not too many options now. To make matters worse, the vending machine only takes $1 bills or change.

In reality, I’ve made this work to my advantage.

To avoid the 3pm stress/snack binge, I try not to carry $1 bills in my wallet. It’s like my stomach knows when the $1 bills are around and burning a hole in my wallet.

Not having the $1 bills makes me evaluate whether I’m actually hungry, thirsty, stressed, or bored. Instead of running for the Pop Tarts, I might take a walk away from my desk, make some tea, or eat the healthy snack I brought. Sure, I could borrow a $1, but then I’d have to break a larger bill and be left with more $1’s.

Overall, it’s a much better situation for my waistline, brain, and wallet.

What do you do when the 3pm “My stomach is eating itself!” feeling hits?