[0:06] In this podcast, I’m going to dive into why you might be feeling hungry at 9:00 p.m. — and exactly what to do about it tonight.

[0:13] This is the danger zone of any transformation, especially for high performers and busy professionals. This is when it all goes down. This is when most people fall apart — not just with their diet, but with any positive habit change they’re trying to make.

[0:32] I’m going to talk about this in the context of body composition, but you can apply it to any habit you’re trying to build or change.

[0:44] The 9:00 p.m. window — or what I call the “final hour” — is the most dangerous time of the day.

[0:50] Especially if you’re juggling kids, high-stress work, lots of demands, lots of spinning plates. It’s rarely lunchtime when people binge. It’s rarely mid-morning when people go off track. It’s the evening — when things go haywire.

[1:18] I’m going to cover four reasons why you might be losing willpower at 9 p.m. And I’ll use the word “willpower” loosely, because it’s not really a willpower problem — even though it feels like one.

1. Decision Fatigue

[1:33] The first reason is decision fatigue.

[1:36] High performers make hundreds of micro-decisions every single day.

[1:43] If you’ve followed my work for a while, you’ll know I talk a lot about automating food, clothing, and routine — so you save your cognitive load for what truly matters, whether that’s your career, your kids, or your passions.

[2:10] The challenge is that high-stakes decisions drain your mental energy fast.

[2:26] You might be thinking about hiring someone. Firing a supplier. Making a technology decision that affects revenue. Navigating team dynamics. These are heavy decisions — financially and emotionally.

[3:07] Even if you don’t decide them today, they’re running in your head all day.

[3:33] I want you to imagine you have a body battery. That battery contains mental energy units — MEUs.

[4:01] Every decision drains MEUs. Big decisions drain more.

[4:20] You recharge them with good sleep. But by 9 p.m., for most high performers, that battery is empty.

[4:39] You sit on the sofa, exhale, and your brain says, “I’m done.”

[4:57] And suddenly, the plan to be “good” goes out the window.

[5:09] It’s not weakness. It’s neurological depletion.

[5:17] The solution? Reduce decisions at night.

Plan dinner. Pre-prep it. Have structure.

[5:38] For example, I know I like something sweet at night. So I pre-plan a dark chocolate tofu mousse with yogurt and granola. It satisfies the craving without me raiding the cupboard.

Remove the decision, remove the drama.

2. You Undereat Earlier

[6:11] The second reason is you simply underate earlier in the day.

[6:23] You have a light lunch. You power through with caffeine. You’re productive. You feel fine.

[7:27] Then 9 p.m. hits.

[7:39] And your body says, “You haven’t fed me properly.”

[7:44] Suddenly, you’re eating crackers, cheese, crisps, whatever’s within reach.

[7:59] It’s not a willpower problem. It’s a protein and structure problem.

[8:05] The fix is simple: a pinned eating schedule.

Choose 3–4 meals per day. Anchor each meal around 30–40g of protein. Add complex carbs. Add controlled fats.

[8:42] Protein increases satiety hormones like PYY and GLP-1. You stay full for 3–4 hours.

[9:05] When people increase protein properly, they’re shocked at how full they feel — even while losing weight.

[9:23] Sample meals:

• 150–200g grilled chicken, sweet potato, broccoli
• Paneer tikka with quinoa and vegetables
• Firm tofu stir fry with jasmine rice and greens

Keep it simple. Let protein do the work.

[10:11] When structure improves, evening snacking often drops by 60–80%.

You stop identifying as someone with “no willpower” and start identifying as someone with a system.

3. Your Stress Needs an Outlet

[10:50] Third reason: stress needs an outlet.

[10:58] All day you’re running on dopamine and adrenaline.

Emails. Slack. Notifications. Closing deals. Problem-solving.

[11:26] Then the kids are asleep. Notifications stop. It’s quiet.

[11:37] And your dopamine drops.

[11:49] Your brain wants stimulation.

That’s when snack-seeking, Netflix binging, doom scrolling, and crisps appear.

[12:12] You’re not hungry. You’re looking for relief.

If you don’t consciously decompress, you default to stimulation.

4. No Hard Stop Ritual

[12:51] The fourth reason: you don’t have an evening shutdown ritual.

You likely have a morning routine. A work routine. A kids routine.

But no shutdown routine.

[13:11] Here’s what works:

• A protein-anchored dinner
• A “kitchen closed” rule
• A brush-your-teeth trigger
• 10 minutes of decompression

[13:41] Brushing your teeth after your final meal is powerful. It signals the end of eating.

[14:05] Then decompress — stretch, journal, breathe, plan tomorrow, or watch one episode — not five.

[14:41] If you go to bed on time, your MEUs recharge.
If you stay up binging, you wake up depleted — and the cycle repeats.

[15:20] The brutal truth for high performers is this:

Every morning you say, “Today I’ll be good.”

By 9 p.m., depleted and stressed, you say, “I’ll try again tomorrow.”

[15:58] Over time, that erodes confidence.

[16:06] If your evenings are chaotic, your results will always be temporary.

[16:14] Fix the last 90 minutes of your day, and everything changes.

[16:21] Hopefully this resonated with you. If it did, send me a message — I’d love to hear which point hit hardest.

Next steps:

1. Book a 1-1 strategy session with my team to find out more: https://www.rntfitness.com/applynow
   
   
2. Find out if you’re ready for a transformation at https://www.rntfitness.com/transform