Maintaining weight, how to avoid late night snacks?

Detroitcity86

New to maintaining weight, any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

PegMoffat

I generally find that as long as I eat enough calories during the day, I don't feel a need to snack at night

barbecuesauce

The same way you do it while losing . . . by planning ahead and allocating post-dinner calories.

Personally, i find that my morning runs are better when I have a carby snack in the evening.

RhodeWarrior401

Dont avoid it! Just make a sensible choice. Apples or any fruit, a SMALL handful of almonds/nuts (<< calorie dense), frozen yogurt, nibble on some dark chocolate. When you sleep, youre basically fasting for 8 hours, so its not a bad idea to eat a small snack while winding down from the day.

Detroitcity86

PegMoffat wrote: »

I generally find that as long as I eat enough calories during the day, I don't feel a need to snack at night

Thanks!

Detroitcity86

barbecuesauce wrote: »

The same way you do it while losing . . . by planning ahead and allocating post-dinner calories.

Personally, i find that my morning runs are better when I have a carby snack in the evening.

Thanks!

Detroitcity86

RhodeWarrior401 wrote: »

Dont avoid it! Just make a sensible choice. Apples or any fruit, a SMALL handful of almonds/nuts (<< calorie dense), frozen yogurt, nibble on some dark chocolate. When you sleep, youre basically fasting for 8 hours, so its not a bad idea to eat a small snack while winding down from the day.

Thanks! that sounds sensible

Francl27

Same as when losing... I don't. But it's relatively easy for me I guess, I know it's just a couple hours then I'll sleep and get to eat in the morning, so even when I'm hungry I can ignore it.

kimberlyhurt

I try to save 100 cal for a snack after dinner. Sometimes it's popcorn, sometimes it's a fudgesicle... and sometimes I just go to bed. Allowing yourself a snack tends to lessen the cravings anyway. A lot of times I just want something because I can't have it.

Azurite27

As others have said, don't avoid it, plan ahead to fit it in your calories for the day.

Unknown

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nikkiab86

When you feel the urge, get up and brush your teeth. Colgate is very minty. Usually you wouldn't want to eat after brushing. Or even with mouth wash.

nikkiab86

I usually just chew on low cal sugar free gum. And watch netflex til bed. It's not because I'm hungry late night. It's just gluttony for me.

1juaguirre

you may also be thirsty, the brain sends the same signal to you body telling you to eat or drink, so drink water!

makemybodysing

I agree about being thirsty - many people can't tell the difference between being hungry and thirsty, so have a drink and see if that helps. I find having a hot drink works better than plain water or something cold, because it's comforting, and you have to spend time over it and that makes you feel like you've really had something!

Alternatively, late night snacks may just be a habit - you're used to eating at night so that's what your body wants to do. It is really much better NOT to eat for two hours before bedtime because it can disturb your sleep - you don't need food to get your body through the night", in fact there's a lot of evidence to suggest that a long fast - say, no food from 6pm till breakfast - is actually good for you.

Detroitcity86

Thanks everyone! This really helps

Detroitcity86

makemybodysing wrote: »

I agree about being thirsty - many people can't tell the difference between being hungry and thirsty, so have a drink and see if that helps. I find having a hot drink works better than plain water or something cold, because it's comforting, and you have to spend time over it and that makes you feel like you've really had something!

Alternatively, late night snacks may just be a habit - you're used to eating at night so that's what your body wants to do. It is really much better NOT to eat for two hours before bedtime because it can disturb your sleep - you don't need food to get your body through the night", in fact there's a lot of evidence to suggest that a long fast - say, no food from 6pm till breakfast - is actually good for you.

Thanks a lot, ill try drinking decaffeinated tea!

Detroitcity86

nikkiab86 wrote: »

When you feel the urge, get up and brush your teeth. Colgate is very minty. Usually you wouldn't want to eat after brushing. Or even with mouth wash.

Thanks!

Detroitcity86

1juaguirre wrote: »

you may also be thirsty, the brain sends the same signal to you body telling you to eat or drink, so drink water!

Thanks! I always drink plenty of water, trying to cut down on how much I drink at night bcuz i have to keep waking up to use the bathroom. Ill try drinking a small amount at night

Detroitcity86

kimberlyhurt wrote: »

I try to save 100 cal for a snack after dinner. Sometimes it's popcorn, sometimes it's a fudgesicle... and sometimes I just go to bed. Allowing yourself a snack tends to lessen the cravings anyway. A lot of times I just want something because I can't have it.

Thanks! Good tips

makemybodysing

Have you tried peppermint tea, or maybe some kind of chai? You can get chai tea bags and you don't have to add milk. If you like it sweet, one teaspoon of sugar isn't going to ruin your diet.

Detroitcity86

makemybodysing wrote: »

Have you tried peppermint tea, or maybe some kind of chai? You can get chai tea bags and you don't have to add milk. If you like it sweet, one teaspoon of sugar isn't going to ruin your diet.

Yeah i actually have peppermint tea in the kitchen, i keep forgetting about it lol. Thanks for the reminder!

dmt4641

Like others have said, I allot calories to the evening because otherwise I would be hungry when I go to sleep. I usually eat some cottage cheese mixed with peanut butter - I know it sounds gross but I like it. The protein and fat keeps be full all night. If I have extra calories I will eat a little dessert too.

steph2strong

Low sugar hot chocolate really helps me. Even after I have an after dinner snack I sometimes want more (like a whole bag of cookies instead of just one) but if I make a cup of hot chocolate it fills me right up and cuts the sugar cravings.

RogerToo

Detroitcity86 wrote: »

New to maintaining weight, any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hi
As Others have said work a snack into Your calories for the Day. I am working at losing more so I do 1800 calories a day and 150 of those calories are in the evening around 9:30. That works for me. One choice would be snack packs of Pretzels, Popcorn etc. I saw one at Walmart yesterday where the different snacks were all 140 to 160 calories per, Most were 150. Or look at the small Microwave Popcorn, I have some Orville Redenbachers Mini 100 calorie bags from CostCo on the shelf. Or Use a Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt. They run a good amount of protein and only 80 calories per container. They are all delicious, I use them for Dessert with my Lunch and Dinner as a tasty treat.

Good Luck
Roger

arditarose

I eat a high volume, low calorie dinner at about 350-400 calories, leaving 200 for after dinner.

Detroitcity86

dmt4641 wrote: »

Like others have said, I allot calories to the evening because otherwise I would be hungry when I go to sleep. I usually eat some cottage cheese mixed with peanut butter - I know it sounds gross but I like it. The protein and fat keeps be full all night. If I have extra calories I will eat a little dessert too.

Wow i never heard of mixing cottage cheese w/pnut butter lol yuck lol,but i do like cottage cheese, that sounds like a good night time snack! Thanks!

Detroitcity86

RogerToo wrote: »

Detroitcity86 wrote: »

New to maintaining weight, any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hi
As Others have said work a snack into Your calories for the Day. I am working at losing more so I do 1800 calories a day and 150 of those calories are in the evening around 9:30. That works for me. One choice would be snack packs of Pretzels, Popcorn etc. I saw one at Walmart yesterday where the different snacks were all 140 to 160 calories per, Most were 150. Or look at the small Microwave Popcorn, I have some Orville Redenbachers Mini 100 calorie bags from CostCo on the shelf. Or Use a Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt. They run a good amount of protein and only 80 calories per container. They are all delicious, I use them for Dessert with my Lunch and Dinner as a tasty treat.

Good Luck
Roger

Thanks! (not really a popcorn fan) I may try the pretzels & yogurt ☺

Detroitcity86

arditarose wrote: »

I eat a high volume, low calorie dinner at about 350-400 calories, leaving 200 for after dinner.

Thanks! I may try that

Detroitcity86

fernt21 wrote: »

Low sugar hot chocolate really helps me. Even after I have an after dinner snack I sometimes want more (like a whole bag of cookies instead of just one) but if I make a cup of hot chocolate it fills me right up and cuts the sugar cravings.

Thanks! Yeah i love hot chocolate!

bkate24

I complete my diary entry right after dinner (or even after I've weighed the raw components and it's cooking). For me that's an incentive to not eat more because it's nice to see the total and the "if every day was like today" message at the bottom.

You could do similarly but just pre-log a healthy snack and then complete the day's entry. Once you see the total calories for the day that are in range, you feel proud and don't want to lose that feeling by adding more. At least that's how it is for me.

Also, sometimes I still feel like I need a dessert or evening sweet because I'm still in the mindset that your dinner isn't complete without one. But when that happens, I just make sure I plan ahead and have a dessert/snack option that fits in my calorie budget (as others above said). What I did was buy great quality but suuuper dark chocolate (Ghirardelli Midnight Reverie for me). It took me a while to get used to it and I had to take small bites because the flavor was so intense, but once I adjusted to it, regular chocolate tastes horribly sweet to me and I can't eat more than like 30g of it anyway. Plus, with just two flat squares of the really dark chocolate, it was so strong that my chocolate craving was satisfied.

Good luck!