trying so hard but night time cravings really kill it

happywife2

hi folks,
i'm really working hard at this. just found mfp and its really motivating me. i'm finding that after 11 pm my stomach beings to rumble and at that time I don't have the self control to just shut my mouth. my nutritionist gave me a 180 calorie allowance after supper but my night time cravings beg for more. last night, after being just a bit under 1200 net calories, i came out of bed at 12 midnight and ate another 600 calories!! yikes. any advice is welcome.

btw, i'm 5'3" and currently weigh 179. my goal is my pre baby weight of 135 (10 years ago!!) and mfp gives me 1200 calories a day.

DDCNY

Calcium really calms my cravings. Yogurt, cheese, a cheese stick. If I'm really in bad shape I will have a glass of skim milk with a tbsp of Nesquik syrup in there. Double whammy with the chocolate and calcium to be soothing and make me feel like I'm having a treat.

Something else I like to do at night is have a small bowl of cereal. I will mix in a few tbsp of several different cereals to equal about a cup and add a whole cup of milk and some berries.

Cheese especially can feel decadent and still be allowed on your plan. Kraft makes Polly-O mozzarella sticks made with 2% milk for 80 calories and my local grocery chain has an incredible fresh mozzarella that feels so smooth and silky on the tongue for only 70 calories an ounce.

JustPeachy044

It's what you do earlier in the day that will help, I think. First, you may need to reset your daily calorie allotment. At least consider it, you may not be eating enough. Probably not. A site like http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html will provide good information on your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). Either set it with your usual activity level factored in and DON'T eat back exercise calories, or set it at sedentary and then eat back some of your exercise calories (I do the sedentary setting then eat back 50% or more of exercise calories). Also, make sure you are getting plenty of protein and some healthy fats in your diet. Your body is trying to tell you it's not getting enough of something, which is why you are having trouble at night. That's exactly what happens to me when I try to eat too little, especially early in the day. It also happens when I don't drink enough water, my brain thinks I am hungry when I am truly only thirsty.

Also, maybe try some cottage cheese or other source of casein protein before bed. I have heard that is a slower digested protein that will sustain you through the night. Save some calories for the evening snack, planning ahead for it.

If you try these suggestions, then I'd say if you wake up hungry, drink some nice cold water and tell your mind "no". Night time eating, if it has gone on for awhile, can be a very challenging habit to break, but it is so worth it!

kitsune1989

Ive found cutting out fats kills me. Try adding more good fats during the day to see if it helps. Things like avocados, nuts, ect.

porcelain_doll

One thing I do most evenings to curb any urges to snack is drink something called kombucha tea. It is a bit on the expensive side, but it is about the only thing that effectively curbs my appetite until I go to bed. Each 16-oz. bottle costs about $3.69 unless you happen to find them on sale, and they are 60-80 calories per bottle. They are sold at Whole Foods and other health food stores.

http://synergydrinks.com/index.php/products#enlightened-kombucha

Good luck! I hope you find something that works for you.

iAMsmiling

Are you exercising at all?
1200 calories is intended by MFP to be your NET calorie intake. So, if you're exercising 300 calories worth then 1200 calories is 300 calories short.

You have to find a sustainable level of eating and exercise. If 1200 calories leaves you yearning for a binge, it's too few calories! Eat more. Give yourself another 2-300 to start and see how that feels. Stick with that for a couple of weeks at least before adjusting again.

bcattoes

Have you considered eating less during the day so you'll have more calories available at night. I've always been hungrier in the evenings than during the day, so I eat light during the day and eat most of my calories at night. I find I'm more successful when I work with my body than against it.

blytheandbonnie

One thing I do most evenings to curb any urges to snack is drink something called kombucha tea. It is a bit on the expensive side, but it is one of the few things that effectively curbs my appetite until I go to bed. Each 16-oz. bottle costs about $3.69 unless you happen to find them on sale, and they are 60-80 calories per bottle. They are sold at Whole Foods and other health food stores.

http://synergydrinks.com/index.php/products#enlightened-kombucha

Good luck! I hope you find something that works for you.

Yogi makes a green tea kombucha tea bag. It will cut your cost and save buying all those disposable bottles.

Kettle_Belle14

If you crave that much at night, you probably aren't eating enough during the day. MFP set me at 1200 cals and I upped it to 1300. It's amazing what the extra has done for me.
What do you crave at night? Sweet? Salty? Try increasing your calories by 100 and use the extra for a 100 calorie pack snack or greek yogurt. Eat slow too, it lasts longer.

aTallLiam

What I did was only eat 3 meals a day. Make them so they fill me up, but also make sure to leave an extra 300 calories for a night snack, later. That helps A LOT

freebirdjones

you can eat right up until bed time if you don't get heartburn. Nothing says you cant eat past a certain time.

I would take a few nights and read all of this and make an opinion. You don't seem overly obese for your doctor to restrict your calories like that. Did he tell you whats going to happen in a year when you try to add calories back in and eat normal? you will gain it all back. I cant believe he didn't want you to lose the healthy way. Read all of these links over a few nights and it may change your thinking. I joined mfp at 1200 cals and read all of this. Now I'm 5'5 about 120 lbs and eat 1800 on rest days and 2000 on lift days and I lost 7 inches with no cardio. So read this and it may help you:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/983158-all-in-one-info-page-halp

happywife2

you guys/gals are a wonderful support! this is my first experience using my mfp and I feel like I have a whole crowd cheering me on and understands me. I am fairly sedentary and am starting to go walking abt 3 times a week for about 1/2 hour - just to start with. my nutritionist does not do calorie counting. she gave me a healthy, balanced meal plan but once I entered all the food into my profile, it was getting closer to 1500-1600 calories a day and I decided on my own to cut the calorie intake. you know how after you complete you food diary, it tells you how much you'd weigh in 5 weeks if every day were like today, so I wasn't happy to see how slow the weight loss would be at 1500 calories.

also, I crave mostly salty stuff, like popcorn. sometimes I take Benadryl to knock me out and if I get out of bed after it hits me, I find that I have less self control on the eating - like i'm woozy. I am considering to up the calorie intake and also save more for evenings.

thanks for all your help.