Beat the 3pm slump

You know the drill, the clock’s at 3ish and you’ve hit the wall! But you can beat the 3pm slump with Laura Thomas’ handy tips.

It’s one of the hardest social situations to resist, a homemade birthday cake or some red velvet muffins baked by your wannabe Great British Bake Off colleague. Strategically pulled out at precisely 3:42pm when you are at your most vulnerable and are feeling like you need an energy boost, sugary treats in the office can derail healthy efforts very easily.

If you find you succumb more often than not, try a few of these tips to resist the afternoon temptation:

1. Get alternative snacks in place

Keeping organised with adequate snacks is probably the most important thing you can do to avoid temptation. If you hear someone is going to buy treats, eat some almonds and then an apple. Apples have a high satiety (the fullness feeling) and will make you feel satisfied before the culprit enters the building. The almonds will keep your blood sugar steady and make for a longer-lasting fullness, helping to avoid leftover picking.

2. Find an ally

There must be someone else in your office who also doesn’t want to give in when faced with too much sugar, so hunt them down. A partner in crime is the best person to motivate you. If they resist, they’ll inspire you to do the same. You’ll be best friends by the Christmas party!

3. Don’t feel obliged

This is a mental one. Watch those justification thoughts or excuses – ‘They’ve gone to the effort to make or buy something. I shouldn’t be ungrateful and I should appreciate such generous gestures by eating it!’. Ultimately if everyone else eats whatever the food is, you’re not going to make a massive dent in this person’s pride by turning it down. ‘Looks lovely but no thank you’ is still perfectly polite. Build your confidence at saying no and as time goes on even the worst sugar pushers will accept and respect you.

4. Suggest healthier bakes or snacks

Why not try suggesting a healthy box of nuts and savoury pickings. Alternatively, try to discuss the use of sugar substitutes with your resident baker. Stevia, xylitol, brown rice syrup and raw honey are all better options that nutritionally defunct refined sugar.

5. Distract yourself

Get the printing done, fill up your water cup, walk around the filing cabinets looking strange. Anything! Just think up some creative ways to temporarily distract yourself. Check your Facebook and you’re almost guaranteed to get sidetracked from sweet thoughts by browsing photos of someone’s holiday or wedding.

6. If you do cave, make some rules

Occasionally you will give in and the first thing you should do is not beat yourself up about it. Be kind to yourself and be conscious you don’t go overboard eating more when the sugar crash hits later. Secondly, set yourself some rules to cut down on these instances e.g. only eating homemade produce and nothing out of a packet. Or make a rule for a specific day of the week or special occasion e.g. a birthday.

7. Feel motivated by the end goal

Just remind yourself that when you’re off the sugar hook, you’ll crave less and you won’t need many tactics. Also remind yourself of your other health goals and what they’ll add to your life, e.g. more energy for your family, weight loss which will mean confidence on holiday.

Use just a couple of these tips as often as you like and you’ll be fighting the afternoon sugar slump with full force. It’s not always easy but your winning strategies will become easier and more automatic the more you do them.

Laura Thomas is a certified health coach helping you to find a new happy balance with your sweet tooth and to finally get life-long control around sugar. Follow Laura on Twitter and Instagram to get lots of pretty low sugar inspiration and sign up for a FREE 4-part video course showing you how to embrace a practical lower sugar lifestyle where you can still have your cake and eat it!