What do you do when you're hungry before bed-time?

Strawili

Hey everyone!

I'm in quite the dilemma right now, as is my friend who's staying the night. We're both quite hungry and it will soon be time to go to sleep. Eating/binging before sleep has always been my 'comfort routine' but I realized how bad this is for my body. I've been drinking water all evening and feel quite hydrated; I just want to pig out. I had a snack about two hours ago; a Kellog's Special K Bar. I didn't starve myself today but it feels like my body doesn't appreciate the notion of being even the slightest bit hungry before bed.

So what do you do when a random hunger creeps up on you right before bedtime?

rkcampbell

I purposely save 200-300 calories for nighttime because I know I will be hungry. It's when I like to eat! Plan ahead for that snack!

Strawili

Oh, I still have ~400 calories for today but I thought eating right before bed wasn't a good idea.

PixelPuff

I have a little nut & berry cluster thing I got from Mountain Man [they do candy & trail mixes], and just had a small cluster. If not that, maybe a few small grapes.

Don't go nutzo, but something small, low in calories, and healthy would be good. I can't fall asleep if I'm 'starving' [stomach actually growling], so when the cluster finally settles it, even temporarily... I'm asleep by the time it'd have been starting back up!

rkcampbell

Your body doesn't know the time of day Enjoy!

bpetrosky

1. Don't eat. There is nothing wrong with being hungry occasionally.
2. Have a reasonable snack, log it, move on. Do better tomorrow.

SLLRunner

I always have a snack prior to bed. Just work it into your calorie goals.

Strawili

Thank you everyone!

I might have a small snack. I started chewing a piece of gum (Stride Sour Patch Kids) and that seemed to occupy my stomach for the time being. If that doesn't work I might try a handful of high-fibre cereal.

Gska17

I love having cereal before bed.

maxit

KatherineNadeau wrote: »

Oh, I still have ~400 calories for today but I thought eating right before bed wasn't a good idea.

Eating when you are actually hungry (and you probably are, given that you have an additional deficit of 400 calories added on to whatever you have made as your plan) is a good idea. My go-to is greek yogurt - plain with or without fresh fruit - gives me additional protein and calcium.

Strawili

I'm a sucker for calcium, that's for sure. The first day I started I was over my daily requirement so I tried to tone it down a little today. I have some yogurt, granola, and strawberries waiting for me in the fridge for breakfast!

FreyaDisrud

I good snack is veggie sticks. I'm eating it right now before bed actually

sistrsprkl

I just go to bed. BUT I always go over my calories and eat around 2000 a day so I know I'm eating enough, I don't need any snacks before bed If you have cals left and you're hungry - eat, girl!

whmscll

I'm out of calories and it's bedtime and I'm hungry. Wish I could eat. Going to bed, though.

ccourcha

I go to bed hungry

RBracken34

I eat a chocolate flavored calcium supplement and go to bed.

ekgtec69

I try to have an apple and peanut butter before bed. I was a big snacked at night before My Fitness Pal now I just save about 300 calories for snacks.

Xanna89

I drink a BIG glass of water and go to sleep.

bunnywestley81

I love Options Hot Chocolate...about 40 calories a mug, though i sometimes add a little milk so ends up being about 80 depending on how much!
Seems to fill me up if I'm nibbly at bedtime.

AspenDan

I dunno, I think I'm a freak of nature, either that or people just don't realize how naturally lazy I am. I don't eat much and yet I don't get hungry often. Then again I work 11pm-7am, and I think that plays a role in my stomach deciding if I need to eat or not.

FlyingMolly

A tablespoon of peanut butter on a slice of toast. Fat is a crucial part of feeling full for me, so cereal or vegetables just won't cut it if I want the feeling to last long enough to get to sleep.

Sued0nim

KatherineNadeau wrote: »

Oh, I still have ~400 calories for today but I thought eating right before bed wasn't a good idea.

you have 400 calories left and you're hungry .. you eat them

meal timing has no impact on weight loss .. just calorie defecit

Sued0nim

danieltsmoke wrote: »

I dunno, I think I'm a freak of nature, either that or people just don't realize how naturally lazy I am. I don't eat much and yet I don't get hungry often. Then again I work 11pm-7am, and I think that plays a role in my stomach deciding if I need to eat or not.

if that was true you wouldn't be overweight and needing to lose now would you

And I know you blame it all on sodas .. but seriously now

AspenDan

@rabbitjb I dunno, maybe the other crap food I was eating allowing me to eat well above my needs? All I know is now, I'm perfectly happy eating as much as I do now...but this isn't about that, its about what we all do before bed :] I personally think the fact that I work all night and sleep at 8am kinda tricks my mind into thinking I'm not hungry all night.

PAV8888

I used to blame my habit of snacking/eating late at night for gaining weight. And since we all know that breakfast is THE most important meal of the day, I tried to solve my weight gain problem by always eating a good breakfast.

Crazy: my plan backfired! Obviously late night snacks was the problem!

Then, a few months ago, i did a bunch of stuff AND stopped eating after 8pm!
And I lost weight!

So, obviously, not eating late, just works!

Except....

I then started on MFP. and being computer bound, I setup myself as "sedentary" on MFP.

But, I wasn't!

And the large end of day adjustments meant eating late night meals again.

OMG, my weight loss...
continued with no problems!

It seems that my "natural" preference is to have an appreciable meal during the first half of my day, coast with some snacks during the rest of the day, and then eat a substantial meal in the second half of my day.

And remarkably, the size of my deficit has a lot more to do with my weight loss than the totally random timing and content of my meals.

So if you're hungry, and have 400Cal... eat some of them!

AspenDan

PAV8888 wrote: »

y.

And remarkably, the size of my deficit has a lot more to do with my weight loss than the totally random timing and content of my meals.

So if you're hungry, and have 400Cal... eat some of them!

Good stuff :]

chubbies35

I used these chews from GNC that suppress cravings,, like coffee green bean extract, , it works for me

kami3006

I save 150 to 250 for an 8pm snack every night. Usually ice cream or yogurt. No negative effects.

DeguelloTex

Eat the 400 calories.

patrickfish7

Casein shake with milk

Emmatyan

I always have a small piece of cheese and a huge cup of milk before bed (not a good recipe for those lactose-intolerant huh ). It costs me 200 calories and makes me content:)