Stop Food Cravings by Learning Your Trigger Times

If food cravings seem to ambush you at the same time every day, it’s not a lack of willpower—it’s a pattern waiting to be noticed.

One of the most important steps in stopping food cravings is learning the time of day you’re most vulnerable to them taking over.

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Don’t worry—this isn’t a strange problem experienced by only a few people. Most people who struggle with weight deal with predictable, daily cravings that show up at a specific “trigger time,” often calling out for high-calorie, hard-to-resist foods.

The most common trigger times fall between 3 and 5 p.m. or later in the evening, around 8 to 11 p.m. Your personal trigger time may vary and can be influenced by your mood, surroundings, or even the company you keep.

The first step is simply awareness—identifying your trigger time and any patterns that tend to go along with it.

For me, that time is around 4 p.m. I’m starting to think about making supper, and snacking while I cook can become a real temptation.

For someone else, trigger time might hit once the kids are in bed. The house is quiet, you finally get to relax, and that piece of cake suddenly sounds like the perfect reward.

Or maybe it’s when you settle in to watch a favorite TV show or video. Around 10 p.m., popcorn has a way of calling your name.

What is your trigger time?

Once you’ve identified it, the next step is just as important: having a plan in place so you don’t automatically give in when those cravings show up.

Here are four ways to combat your trigger times and stop food cravings that sabotage your weight loss efforts:

1. Don’t skip meals. You must keep an adequate amount of food in your body to keep it fueled . . . and this needs to be the right kind of fuel. This is key to keeping your blood sugar and insulin levels normal. Skipping meals is the worst thing you can do when seeking to win the war against cravings.
2. Eat a healthy breakfast, healthy lunch, and healthy dinner. Skipping or skimping on meals almost always leads to unhealthy snacking later in the day.
3. Be prepared before the trigger hits. Have a plan to overcome the craving with something healthy that not only satisfies your hunger but also keeps you on the path toward weight management. Keep healthy, protein-rich snacks handy—in your purse, glove compartment, office desk, or wherever you need them. Protein helps raise serotonin levels, which can calm cravings. Good choices include nuts, seeds, or fruit with some peanut butter or tuna. Shaklees’ Sparkling Protein boasts 40 grams of delicious protein without any sugar. I also like to keep my Shaklee 180 protein bars or snack bars hand. They’re high in protein and contain leucine, helping me lose fat without losing muscle. Another good option is a slice of whole-grain bread with cottage cheese, yogurt, tuna, or turkey for added protein.
4. Eat your snack slowly and mindfully. Chew each bite about 20 times and pause between bites to give your brain time to receive the message from your stomach that it has been fed. Remember, the new healthy you no longer inhales food like it’s never going to be available again. So, slow down, grasshopper.

In conclusion, identify your trigger times and then implement these four ways to tame the craving assaults.

This post was inspired by “I Can Do This” Diet by Dr. Don Colbert. Purchase his book here for more great tips for losing weight.

Every trigger time you successfully manage is another notch in your healthier belt (which is growing smaller, I might add)!

Photo Source: Microsoft Free Images

First published: Sept 2016

Updated: Dec 2025