Help...

Sabmond

my dr very politely told me I was over weight the day before my birthday. Turns out my weight is negatively impacting my liver.

I've been using this app for 8-9 days and lost 5 kg by eating healthy portion controlled meals. While I don't feel hungry during the day... At night time when I lay down I crave EVERYTHING. What do you all do to curb the cravings and not feel like you are starving (especially after dinner but before sleep). Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys, and good luck with your own journeys.

jenncornelsen

save a few calories for the end of the day. even 100-150. when i used to get hunger pangs at night(it has now passed) i would have peanut butter on a graham cracker or coconut butter right out of the jar. all measured out of course but i found having some form of fat before bed kept me satiated.

Sabmond

Thank you. I have never considered coconut oil/butter. During the days I'm fine. Barely even feel hungry. It's the nights (probably doesn't help I'm an insomniac) - but I'll definitely try that (although we don't have graham crackers in Australia as far as I am aware).

My partner always has lilies and chocolate in the fridge. It's hard to pick water over sweets at times. Haha

MKEgal

If you're having trouble, save a few calories for a snack.
Things most people find satiating: fat, protein, fiber.
Having an apple smeared with a few T of peanut butter gets you all of those.
Vanilla Greek yogurt mixed with fruit gets you protein & fiber. (Fat too, if you don't use nonfat yogurt.)
How about a half sandwich with a slice of whole-grain bread, a slice of cheese, and an ounce of low-fat meat?

Also, fluid will make you feel full (though before bed maybe that's not the best choice).

And BTW, even at your current weight (with 66 lb to lose), 1 lb a day is really aggressive.

Sabmond

I generally have a few hundred calories up my sleeve, but I'm finding these cravings come around at 10 pm onward. I was always taught you shouldn't eat before sleep (even though on a normal night I don't sleep for around another 2 hours). Is it still ok to have something small like that late at night?

I'm assuming you can see my full profile. Can you see my daily food diary and would you change anything?

diannethegeek

Sabmond wrote: »

I generally have a few hundred calories up my sleeve, but I'm finding these cravings come around at 10 pm onward. I was always taught you shouldn't eat before sleep (even though on a normal night I don't sleep for around another 2 hours). Is it still ok to have something small like that late at night?

I'm assuming you can see my full profile. Can you see my daily food diary and would you change anything?

It's absolutely fine to eat late at night as long as it doesn't cause you any discomfort or sleeping problems. If you want a snack at 10pm or later then go ahead and plan for one in your day.

jgnatca

When my blood sugars were too high it was suggested I end the day with a bedtime snack. A diabetic would pick something like crackers and cheese for the short term energy satisfaction (crackers) and cheese (staying power). Hard cheese has also been linked to dental health so is a good bedtime choice.

SueInAz

Sabmond wrote: »

I generally have a few hundred calories up my sleeve, but I'm finding these cravings come around at 10 pm onward. I was always taught you shouldn't eat before sleep (even though on a normal night I don't sleep for around another 2 hours). Is it still ok to have something small like that late at night?

I'm assuming you can see my full profile. Can you see my daily food diary and would you change anything?

Those teachings are effective for someone who doesn't calorie count but are a non-issue for those who do count calories because we're completely aware of how much we're eating. What time of day you eat has no bearing on weight loss. All that matters is total calories in vs. calories out.

I always save up calories for the end of the day, too. I'm usually snacking on something at around 9pm and I go to bed around 10pm.

There are plenty of people who lose weight with no problems eating nothing all day long and then getting all of their calories in between 5pm and midnight (or any other time frame). If that is what works for you, then do it.

hermann341

Fewer carbs and more protein can help as well. You don't have to go full lo-carb diet, just change your ratios a bit.

85kurtz

After a while this will pass. Are you sure you are hungry and not only craving food? I have had to really think about that recently and I have found that it is getting easier. I stop and think before eating, I think "am I really hungry?" If the answer is no I don't eat, if I am, I eat some celery or carrots. The celery with a bit of salt really helps me. A friend of mine heads for macadamia nuts because they have fat as well. I can't have them in the house though' one is never enough for me! LOL.

Sabmond

Thanks everyone. I've never done a calorie counting diet before so I'm finding this a whole new experience.

Thanks for the good tips.

Anaris2014

G'day Sabmond,

I, like you, find the post dinner munchies to be the worst. I find that I'm "over it" by that time of day and feel that my willpower has been depleted - I just want something to eat. I started keeping nuts in the cupboard for exactly that reason, the other was air popped popcorn (150cal).

The activity of eating seemed to be more important than what I was actually eating - I think it must have been a habit that I had picked up over the years (eating of an evening while watching TV). To break the habit I started going for a stroll listening to music/podcasts when I got to that "craving" time in the evening. Even if only a 10 minute stroll, it broke the habit.

Best of luck,

Msbennett709

First week or two is hard for evening cravings. Be strong . You'll get through it as sucky as it is. Cup of green tea, flavoured helps

Msbennett709

frozen grapes are a nice snack too