Lose control at night!

kete05

Hi all. I have about 50 lbs to lose. I want to lose 80. I am doing a great job during the day. But once my kids go to bed and I am just sitting around I tend to binge on random stuff. Like tonight. First I had an apple with peanut butter. Then a pudding cup. Then a bunch of graham crackers. I am not hungry but I have a compulsion to eat. Its like I lose all of my will power at night. And it may not sound like a lot but it pushed me about 300 calories over my daily goal. Does anyone else do this? Anyone have any tips on how to control it? Or some good, healthy options that seem indulgent? If I pre-plan my night eating maybe I won't go overboard?

Hummingbird914

If you want to eat at night you have to space out your meals. Make it so you still have calories to eat at night. There are a ton of healthy snack recipes you can find on pintrest. Kale chips, flourless muffins etc. Fill your fridge with healthy snacks like fruit. Get rid of the graham crackers and pudding cups.

annette_15

I eat smaller meals during the day because I know I'm gonna wanna snack after dinner. I always leave 3-500 calories to eat between dinner and bedtime

heatherlewisis

Just go to bed.

Ashtoretet

Pre-planning would be a good idea.

I really just forced myself to stay within my day's calories and it stopped being an issue (it's still super hard, but I am doing it so it's not something I consider an issue). Before I got on my fitness journey I would eat half a box of whatever sweet I bought that day, it never lasted beyond 2 days. After I started counting calories I just told myself "Look, if you don't hit these calories, you're not going to be happy. You can eat another brownie tomorrow you'll have to deal with just eating one tonight."

hevarrrrr

this happens to me sometimes. i think i've worked out triggers!

1. boredom. so now if i have time to snack i'll stick a workout dvd on (doesn't always work lol)

2. hydration. if i haven't drunk enough water it tends to make me hungry at the end of the day. so now i have reminders to drink water in my calendar!

3. fruit and veg. i an sure this links to the above but the leas fruit or veg i eat for lunch appears to have a lasting inpact on what i have for tea! my 2.5 year old isn't big on veggies but i now squeeze them onto the plate! i find too much fruit also makes me hungry.

hope this helps.

whiteblossom14

It's a hard thing to stop doing. And going over your goal is not the answer. Do a bit more work out to compensate what your eating you will soon want to keep those extra calories and you will see the weight drop off x

Nanogg55

Been there, eaten that. Things that have helped me:

• Eat dinner, brush teeth and go to bed. OR,
• Leave extra cals in your daily allotment to allow for an evening snack after dinner and THEN brush teeth. Or,
• Eat dinner, brush teeth and take up hobby like knitting, crochet, puzzles,etc. OR,
• Eat dinner and suck strong peppermints when you feel the urge to graze. Peppermints make food taste strange (at least to me) and easier to resist. Remember to log the mints; they can add up! Honestly though, the biggest help I have found is to go to bed early after dinner. Once my teeth are brushed and I am in bed it;s not hard to resist the grazing urge. I can even stay "up" watching TV or reading in bed and resist the urge.

gabstotheabs

I do a couple of things. Mainly I wait as long as I can all day to eat. Sometimes I will drink 100 calorie muscle milk shakes and chew gum through breakfast and lunch. That way, when dinner rolls around and I make a healthy 400 calorie dinner, I still have ~400calories to play with in terms of snacks. If I don't eat the snacks, great! If I do, no harm done. Second, I get sugar free puddings, 100 calorie bags of popcorn, and flavored rice cakes to up the volume and lower the calorie intake if I feel like munching and crunching for a long time.

victoria_1024

Personally I save 300 or 400 calories for night time snacking. Like you, my kids go to bed and I want to sit down and eat in peace! I pay attention throughout the day to make sure I save enough and do a longer workout if it's a tight day. I usually plan the snack I'm going to eat so I don't just sit a mindlessly eat chips straight from the bag. I love popcorn because I can have a big bowl for not a lot of calories!

Liftng4Lis

Pre-log your days to include your night snacks.

Domicinator

I do one of three things when I get like this at night:

1. Brush, floss, mouthwash. Having a clean mouth is a good motivator to not eat.

2. Hop on my bike and take a jaunt around the neighborhood. Always gets my mind right.

3. Fire up the Playstation 4.

With me it's a mental game. My stomach feels fine, and I am physically not hungry, but my brain is telling me to eat everything in sight. I just have to get my brain to think about other things.

vivmom2014

I really relate to this, OP. The suggestion to go to bed is not a bad one.

Even if I have 300 calories to spend, I wind up going over because of a domino effect. It's a matter of discipline and healthy distraction. I've enjoyed reading the tips for success!

nvmomketo

Once I changed my diet (to LCHF) I found it easier to control my evening intake of food. That being said, some days I feel snacky and save calories for later, or I just eat 100-300 calories over and possibly cut back on next day's breakfast.

mlaccs

I am sure you know this but for me the night stuff is helped by NOT having foods around that are triggers or bad for me. If there is ice cream in the fridge then it MUST be consumed to save the planet. If there is no ice cream in the fridge then I am not likely to go out and buy some.

bethanyka

What's LCHF?

vivmom2014

Low Carb High Fat (I think)

Asher_Ethan

I have to leave myself 300 calories for night (sometimes 500) or I binge eat at night. Always leave yourself something so you know you can eat at night. I also know I eat a lot at night because I'm tired. When I get tired my body sends me hunger signals... They aren't actually hunger signals... It me being tired and my body is looking for a form of energy (food)

JayRuby84

I think planning your meals with room in the evening for snacks is the best bet. The teeth brushing with mouth wash is helpful, too. Night time snacking is breaking me at the moment. Funny how giving advice is much easier than doing.

ElkeKNJ

I agree on the pepermint taste. I drink peppermint tea to keep me from snacking. I think the warm feeling in the stomach also satisfies me.

glitzy196

I buy snacks i really want, right now it is drum sticks. I look forward to it and it is only 110 calories. For me eating exactly what i want is more satisfying than random crap, so i don't feel the need to kust keep eating because whatever i grabbed didn't 'hit the spot'. I also go as long as i can without eating in the morning. Most days i can go from 6:30 to 12:00.

ntinkham88

Yea! I am the same exact way and weekends are even more difficult! I have learned some tricks that occasionally work for me. After dinner, I totally shut the kitchen down and turn out the lights. I brush my teeth right after eating because I never want to eat after having that minty taste in my mouth. I also try to keep busy. I'll go for a walk or go right to bed. I do my best but it doesn't always work for me hope this helps a little!

booksandchocolate12

I thought this thread was going to be about something else.

Bom chicka wah wah....

kete05

Asher_Ethan wrote: »

When I get tired my body sends me hunger signals... They aren't actually hunger signals... It me being tired and my body is looking for a form of energy (food)

Interesting. Wonder if that could be it. I am going to do my best to get more sleep at night (only get about 6 hours). Not a huge fan of gum but peppermints or hard candy might be a good choice. A friend suggested frozen grapes. I am sure it is partly related to boredom since it is usually the first time I get to sit and relax.

Thanks for all of the suggestions and tips. Hopefully one of them works for me!

tomteboda

I save dry popcorn for my nightly snack , if I want it. A lot of nights I wind up eating it just to get my fiber count up (I refuse to use supplements). The monotony has more or less killed my desire to snack at night.

PinkPixiexox

By all means, continue the night time snacks if it makes you happy to do so but try and include them in your daily allowance. You could have a smaller lunch or a smaller dinner which would make room for your snacking in the evening's. I think this is probably the best way to go about it right now

I could say "Just stop snacking" but that may not be realistic for you and if you LIKE sitting in front of the TV in the evenings with a yummy snack, you shouldn't necessarily stop doing that! Moderation is key!

47Jacqueline

Control is the issue. If you're holding on that tightly, you'll always have to let go. There is no way to "just" stop this. You'll need to put some time into changing your approach to eating, your attitude of dieting and your relationship to food.

allenpriest

booksandchocolate12 wrote: »

I thought this thread was going to be about something else.

Bom chicka wah wah....

Bladder issues?

jazzielicious

I do this too, I feel physically sick after binging tonight. Have picked up some good tips here though that I'll try.

AshuhleeMarie

I, too, have night time binges (did last night...blah!) but thank you to everyone for the tips, I've found them very useful! Just to mention, if you are logging everything in your binge, and you're here the next day, that's a good sign! I'm telling myself "yes, you went over your calories and binged, but you picked yourself up and are learning that today is a new day" and that, in and of itself, is a change for me! Usually I would just throw in the towel and not log anything!
I really like the idea of saving some calories just for unexpected night time snacks

vivmom2014

AshuhleeMarie wrote: »

I, too, have night time binges (did last night...blah!) but thank you to everyone for the tips, I've found them very useful! Just to mention, if you are logging everything in your binge, and you're here the next day, that's a good sign! I'm telling myself "yes, you went over your calories and binged, but you picked yourself up and are learning that today is a new day" and that, in and of itself, is a change for me! Usually I would just throw in the towel and not log anything!
I really like the idea of saving some calories just for unexpected night time snacks

I don't call it "binge" - but overeating? Yep. Last night we had popcorn during the movie, taking me to 22 calories under goal for the day. But then somebody just HAD to bring down a pristine bag of potato chips. Aaaaand I was over by 458 calories when all was said & done. I ate, I own, I log.

And today is a new day.