IM JUST HUNGRY..

cutebe4r

So im just getting started dieting and exercise but I've been noticing that I'm really hungry at night because that's when i usually binge. Any help or suggestions that i can do (or eat) to help me feel full without so many calories?

DeAnna_DMBFan

This is going to sound a bit simplistic, but what worked for me was to exercise. After about a week into my exercise routine, I stopped having all those hunger pangs. (There's probably a scientific reason for this. I just know it happens EVERY TIME). I also recommend drinking lots of water and just try to go to bed earlier that first week or so.

jovalleau

A boring trick that I use is to drink two big glasses of water before and or after your last meal of the day.

Roxiegirl2008

Do you snack during the day? I am a grazer and plan my meals and snacks accordingly so I am never really hungry. I will have breakfast, lunch, dinner and two if not three snacks built in. Again, I stay within my calorie count for the day and I make sure I look at serving size. I also workout at night so that helps as well.

jgnatca

Separate out the feelings of hunger from boredom and habit. Pause a moment to consider which one it is. I need to keep my hands busy in the evening. It might be crochet, reading a book, something.

If it really is hunger I feed it, but under control. I like the idea of sampling out a small portion and drinking a full glass of water in between portions.

KCMission

And it may simply be psychological....I was always hungry at nite too as that was when I snacked...but I wasn't really hungry - just breaking a habit. I find a big cup of herbal tea did (and still does) the trick

ana3067

Save more of your day's calories for the evening or set a more reasonable goal (I'm assuming your goal is set to 2lb/week and that you are not eating back exercise calories, as this is usually waht new members automatically do).

9260leanne

I know how you feel. I have been trying to drink an entire glass of water at night if I feel hunger instead of that box of cookies I really want and the water seems to help!

MostlyWater

Eat celery. or cucumbers.

miss_rye_

I personally have to save myself x amount of "calories" for the night, so I don't binge.

jlaw_1992

cutebe4r wrote: »

So im just getting started dieting and exercise but I've been noticing that I'm really hungry at night because that's when i usually binge.

I know I can relate to this. I've gotten a lot better, but if it's a true feeling of hunger and not just boredom or habit, it's at least in part because you've trained your hunger hormones, more or less, to tell you that you're hungry at a certain time because that's when you're used to eating. After a certain length of time of eating a certain times, your body falls into a rhythm where it's not just habit but also hormonal hunger. I probably watch the clock more than I should, but I set a time where I decide, okay, I'm not going to eat after X time. That time can change depending on circumstances, but there are times when I know I should be hungry and just times that I am prone to eating out of boredom. If you set your last meal of the day to be, say, 8 o'clock and keep pushing it back to 7 and then back to whenever a normal dinnertime would be for you, that might work, just to get your body used to not eating at night anymore.

spoonyspork

I always try to save 100-200 calories by eating just a little less per meal. If I'm hungry at night that's always exactly enough to get me through. The slightly lighter meals throughout the day don't change how sated I am at the time any, and if I *don't* get hungry then that's just that more burned.

Typically I'll eat something decent on the fat and/or protein and easy to make and 'busy' to eat, such as:

2 string cheeses (140 cal)

boiled, poached, or braised medium/large egg on toasted 'natures own' butterbread with 1/4 serving butter (145 calories)

Egg drop soup (100 calories)

(though for the last two weeks it's been one McDonald's ice cream cone @170 cal! I don't know what it is about cold weather that makes me crave them, but there ya go!)

deaniac83

If you are getting hungry at night, and if by then you have already met your calorie quota, you may wish to do two things:

1. See if you have room to increase your calorie quota. Did you choose too restrictive a plan? If so, pick a more moderate one.
2. Secondly, rework your meals. There is nothing wrong with snacking at night. Can you possibly eat a lighter lunch or dinner and save some of those calories for a night snack?

sajerd

If the evening binge was a habit, develop a new habit, like talking a walk, taking a long hot bath, reading a book, walking on a treadmill, watching TV in bed with a cup of herbal tea, (and nothing else). Crafting? Planning your spring garden? Next renovation? Next Christmas list? Get creative. But don't do any of it in the kitchen.

berlynnwall

I feel most hungry at night too, so I started just eating nothing in the morning or at most a very light breakfast, a medium (400 calorie-ish) lunch, and then I have enough calories left to eat my large meal at night when I want it. I never really ate breakfast before either, so it wasn't a big change for me.

SparklyPinkMom

I have the same issue, so I save 200-300 cals for my evening snack.

yesimpson

Would you be able to push all your meals back an hour or two? I feel much less snacky in the evenings if I do that.

If I eat breakfast at 7am, I'll want lunch at 11am, snack at 2pm, dinner at 5pm, and be thinking about food again again by 9.

If I push my first meal back to 8:30, lunch will be at 12:30pm, snack at 3:30-4pm, dinner at 6:30, then more likely than not I'm fine til bed at 10/11