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Prepare Your Defenses—It’s The Afternoon Snack Attack

The time between lunch and dinner can seem to stretch on forever—especially if you’re hungry. Who amongst us hasn’t fallen prey to the afternoon snack attack? We are talking about that 3 pm slump in energy that typically has us turning to bags of chips or sugary lattes to get through to EOD. We know we have and we are here to help you! 

So, why do we experience the afternoon snack attack?
It’s normal to feel a little slower immediately after eating. Blood flows to your stomach and intestinal system as part of digestion—meaning there may be a little less in your brain. This is why some people like to go for a short walk after a meal to get the blood flowing again. But the reasons behind the afternoon snack attack are a little bit different than that.

Lunch
Eating a large meal for lunch can leave you feeling sluggish in the afternoon. Eating a carb-heavy meal for lunch can also cause you to get a hunger spike after digesting it—making you less likely to feel full until dinnertime. Cue the snacking.

A high protein or high fiber meal will be digested by your body more slowly so you will stay fuller longer and may be less likely to snack. However, snacking can still happen if you don’t eat enough for lunch. If you naturally tend to eat a smaller lunch, planning on consuming a healthy and well-chosen snack can help you eat enough calories to keep going until the end of the work day. 

Stress
We also know there’s a connection between stress and emotional eating, and nowhere does this seem to be more true than in the mid-afternoon. 

Work can be an extremely stressful environment full of acute stressors like deadlines, distractions, and back-to-back meetings. Afternoon and early evening is also the time when many parents must balance school pick-ups and extracurricular activities. All of this can have us turning to a snack to power through.

Boredom
Being bored can also be a common occurrence at work. After being motivated all morning and banging out task after task, we may start to burn out in the afternoon. That’s when we reach for that 3 pm snack as a reward for finishing a dull task or a distraction from even starting one.

Overcoming eating from boredom is something that can start to be addressed by practicing mindful eating and taking a moment to see if our bodies are truly hungry before snacking.

Sleep
We talk a lot about how important sleep is for your healthy weight loss journey. Not getting enough sleep may disrupt your hunger hormones and cause you to make poor food choices later that day. That’s right—your best defense against the afternoon snack attack starts the night before. 

Sorry, caffeine is not the answer
For those who think they’ve overcome the afternoon snack attack by going for a coffee run instead, think again. 

While the jolt from a latte may help you shake off the sleepiness, late afternoon caffeine may impact how well you sleep later (and as we discussed, a good night’s sleep is important). Plus, you haven’t nourished your body with what it really wants: sustenance (and no, the sugar and milk in the latte doesn’t count). If you still want to stop by the coffee cart, try herbal tea instead. 

Or better yet—try one of these healthy and filling afternoon snack ideas.

Healthy afternoon snack recipes

  • Cottage cheese or yogurt: You can count on the dairy section of your grocery store to deliver. With high levels of protein, both cottage cheese and Greek yogurt make excellent and portable snack options. Add in some of your favorite fruits to round them out as complete snacks.
  • Hummus and carrots: Another easy afternoon snack idea, hummus with carrots is full of protein and fiber to help keep you full.
  • Apple with peanut butter: A staple of school cafeteria lunches, fiber-rich apples with protein-packed peanut butter continue to come through in the snack department. Select a natural and/or low-sugar peanut butter to healthify this classic snack even further.
  • Protein smoothie: Keep your protein levels high and your body feeling full with a delicious smoothie with added protein powder. A portable blender bottle can help you prepare the smoothie ingredients in the morning and then blend and sip in the afternoon. 

We know the lure of the afternoon snack is strong, but falling into bad habits can hinder your weight loss progress. Use the tips and ideas above to shift your thinking around the 3 pm snack. We’re also definitely not saying it’s time to abandon snack time. Instead, we’re working at being smarter about how and when we snack! 

 

CON-1845-001 11/23

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Important Safety Information
What is CONTRAVE?
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CONTRAVE can cause serious side effects including:

Suicidal thoughts or actions: One of the ingredients in CONTRAVE is bupropion. Bupropion has caused some people to have suicidal thoughts or actions or unusual changes in behavior, whether or not they are taking medicines used to treat depression. Bupropion may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or actions in some children, teenagers, and young adults within the first few months of treatment. If you already have depression or other mental illnesses, taking bupropion may cause it to get worse, especially within the first few months of treatment.

CONTRAVE is a prescription weight-loss medicine that may help some adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or greater (obese), or adults with a BMI of 27 kg/m2 or greater (overweight) with at least one weight-related medical problem such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or type 2 diabetes, lose weight and keep the weight off.

Important Safety Information
See More
CONTRAVE can cause serious side effects including:
Suicidal thoughts or actions: One of the ingredients in CONTRAVE is bupropion. Bupropion has caused some people to have suicidal thoughts or actions or unusual changes in behavior, whether or not they are taking medicines used to treat depression. Bupropion may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or actions in some children, teenagers, and young adults within the first few months of treatment. If you already have depression or other mental illnesses, taking bupropion may cause it to get worse, especially within the first few months of treatment.
What is CONTRAVE?
See More
CONTRAVE is indicated as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for chronic weight management in adults with an initial body mass index (BMI) of:
Important Safety Information
What is CONTRAVE?
See Less 

CONTRAVE can cause serious side effects including:

Suicidal thoughts or actions: One of the ingredients in CONTRAVE is bupropion. Bupropion has caused some people to have suicidal thoughts or actions or unusual changes in behavior, whether or not they are taking medicines used to treat depression. Bupropion may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or actions in some children, teenagers, and young adults within the first few months of treatment. If you already have depression or other mental illnesses, taking bupropion may cause it to get worse, especially within the first few months of treatment.

While taking CONTRAVE, you or your family members should pay close attention to any changes, especially sudden changes, in mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings. This is very important when you start taking CONTRAVE or when your dose changes.

Stop taking CONTRAVE and call a healthcare provider right away if you or your family members notice any of the following symptoms, especially if they are new, worse, or worry you: thoughts about suicide or dying; attempts to commit suicide; depression; anxiety; feeling agitated or restless; panic attacks; irritability; aggression, anger, or violence; acting on dangerous impulses; an extreme increase in activity and talking; other unusual changes in behavior or mood; trouble sleeping.

CONTRAVE is not approved for use in children under the age of 18.

Do not take CONTRAVE if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure; have or have had seizures; use other medicines that contain bupropion such as WELLBUTRIN, WELLBUTRIN SR, WELLBUTRIN XL, APLENZIN and ZYBAN; have or have had an eating disorder called anorexia or bulimia; are dependent on opioid pain medicines or use medicines to help stop taking opioids, or are in opiate withdrawal; drink a lot of alcohol and abruptly stop drinking, or use medicines called sedatives (these make you sleepy), benzodiazepines, or anti‐seizure medicines and stop using them all of a sudden; are taking or have taken medicines called monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) in the past 14 days; or are allergic to any of the ingredients in CONTRAVE.

Tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you have: depression or other mental illnesses; attempted suicide; seizures; head injury; tumor or infection of brain or spine; low blood sugar or low sodium; liver or kidney problems; high blood pressure; heart attack, heart problems, or stroke; eating disorder; drinking a lot of alcohol; prescription medicine or street drug abuse; are 65 or older; diabetes; pregnant or planning to become pregnant; or breastfeeding.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

CONTRAVE may cause serious side effects, including:

  • Seizures. There is a risk of having a seizure when you take CONTRAVE. The risk of seizure is higher in people who take higher doses of CONTRAVE, have certain medical conditions, or take CONTRAVE with certain other medicines. Do not take any other medicines while you are taking CONTRAVE unless your healthcare provider has said it is okay to take them. If you have a seizure while taking CONTRAVE, stop taking CONTRAVE and call your healthcare provider right away.

  • Risk of opioid overdose. Do not take large amounts of opioids, including opioid-containing medicines, such as heroin or prescription pain pills, to try to overcome the opioid-blocking effects of naltrexone. This can lead to serious injury, coma, or death.

    Get emergency medical help right away if you take opioids and you:

    • have trouble breathing

    • become very drowsy with slowed breathing

    • have slow, shallow breathing

    • feel faint, very dizzy, confused, or have unusual symptoms

  • Sudden opioid withdrawal. People who take CONTRAVE must not use any type of opioid, including street drugs, prescription pain medicines, cough, cold, or diarrhea medicines that contain opioids, or opioid dependence treatments, for at least 7 to 10 days before starting CONTRAVE. Using opioids in the 7 to 10 days before you start taking CONTRAVE may cause you to suddenly have symptoms of opioid withdrawal when you take it. Sudden opioid withdrawal can be severe, and you may need to go to the hospital. Tell your healthcare provider you are taking CONTRAVE before a medical procedure or surgery.

  • Severe allergic reactions. Stop taking CONTRAVE and call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away if you have any of the following signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction: rash, itching, hives, fever, swollen lymph glands, painful sores in your mouth or around your eyes, swelling of your lips or tongue, chest pain, or trouble breathing.

  • Increases in blood pressure or heart rate. Some people may get high blood pressure or have a higher heart rate when taking CONTRAVE. Your healthcare provider should check your blood pressure and heart rate before you start taking, and while you take CONTRAVE.

  • Liver damage or hepatitis. Stop taking CONTRAVE and tell your healthcare provider if you have any of the following symptoms of liver problems: stomach area pain lasting more than a few days, dark urine, yellowing of the whites of your eyes, or tiredness. Your healthcare provider may need to stop treating you with CONTRAVE if you get signs or symptoms of a serious liver problem.

  • Manic episodes. Bupropion can cause some people who were manic or depressed in the past to become manic or depressed again.

  • Visual problems (angle-closure glaucoma). Signs and symptoms may include: eye pain, changes in vision, swelling or redness in or around the eye. Talk with your healthcare provider to find out if you are at risk for angle‐closure glaucoma and to get treatment to prevent it if you are at risk.

  • Increased risk of low blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus who also take medicines to treat their diabetes (such as insulin or sulfonylureas). You should check your blood sugar before you start taking CONTRAVE and while you take CONTRAVE.

The most common side effects of CONTRAVE include nausea, constipation, headache, vomiting, dizziness, trouble sleeping, dry mouth, and diarrhea. These are not all of the possible side effects of CONTRAVE.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

What is CONTRAVE?

CONTRAVE is a prescription weight-loss medicine that may help some adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or greater (obese), or adults with a BMI of 27 kg/m2 or greater (overweight) with at least one weight-related medical problem such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or type 2 diabetes, lose weight and keep the weight off.

CONTRAVE should be used with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.

It is not known if CONTRAVE changes your risk of heart problems or stroke or of death due to heart problems or stroke.

It is not known if CONTRAVE is safe and effective when taken with other prescription, over-the-counter, or herbal weight-loss products.

CONTRAVE is not approved to treat depression or other mental illnesses, or to help people quit smoking (smoking cessation).

Please see Full Prescribing Information, including Medication Guide, for CONTRAVE.