Q1: what differences explain the out-of-control late-night appetite in TPY home?
A( as I told the Cigna counselor): perhaps Unexpected foods.
A: Home cooked food? Not exactly the key difference. Admittedly, home-cooked food is always unexpected food. However, a lot of foods in TPY fridge are purchased foods [ice cream, cakes, cookies,,,], similar to Bayonne, but in Bayonne I was in control. In Bayonne, I exercised control end to end, throughout the week. The control starts at shopping ,where I would hand-pick the comfort foods and carefully decide how much to buy, where to store.

In Bayonne home or office, the stash of enticing foods is well-guarded, and used only when I choose to, often on a planned schedule, with a good reason, rather than giving in to out-of-control appetite. I tend to ration the amount of comfort foods in a controlled indulgence. I tend to pair up the high-calorie foods with a lot of raw veg, chia seeds, ice etc. These techniques are much harder to achieve in TPY home, primarily because the enticing foods show up unexpected.

Now I realize that the mere presence of unexpected, enticing foods in the fridge creates non-trivial wrong-X temptations. It’s easy to trivialize these temptations but my experience proves that they do grow overwhelming, devastating like a tornado [out of control].

In Bayonne and now in office, I have a firmer grip on my stash of comfort foods.  I control what comes into my stash. I pay this much attention precisely because I know from experience the power of the wrong-X temptations.

Q: Why is this factor relevant to the late-night appetite?
A: in that situation, the stash always presents a clear-n-present threat to my self-control. This challenge is no-big-deal in the morning, or in office, but serious at late-night.

— Given the 10 x higher hazard rate at home, is it better to eat more in office, perhaps to reduce the anticipation? Say your goal is under 1000 cal/day.
If you eat 800 cal in office, you may still far exceed 200 cal after reaching home.
If you eat 200 cal in office (like now), you may eat 1500 cal in the warrior meal at home.
if you eat 300 cal in office, you can aim at 1000 cal in the warrior meal… hopefully more sustainable.

— pleasure is legitimate.. If the struggle against my appetite is too hard, then I would accept the health impact.
— an out-of-control example in Bayonne !
In Mvea/MLP offices and Bayonne home, when I get lots of free foods, they are always high-calorie and unexpected. Hard to manage.

How about free catered lunch as in Goog/FB/SIG offices? I think there’s a 50/50 chance it would be a huge challenge for my diet control.