Wait. If you can eat dinner at 9pm, you can wait until 9pm. A snack now adds calories without replacing dinner—it triggers insulin, extends your eating window, and solves a problem (being hungry for a few hours) that isn’t actually a problem. Research by Patterson on intermittent fasting shows shorter eating windows have metabolic benefits. Hunger before dinner is normal and manageable.
This companion covers the case for waiting, the hunger question (what actually happens if you stay hungry), when snacking makes sense, making the choice, and strategies to make waiting easier. (4 min read)