How do you prevent after dinner sweets & snacking?

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melissamk89
melissamk89 Posts: 20 Member
in Food and Nutrition
This is the main thing I struggle with and its so frustrating. I exercise everyday and my nutrition is on point throughout the day...until after dinner! I just want sweets and never seem satisfied. If I eat a dark chocolate square or give into something healthier...I ruin it by eating way more than I should. Help!
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  • willammoney
    willammoney Posts: 137 Member
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    Just don't do it.
  • melissamk89
    melissamk89 Posts: 20 Member
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    Good advice, I just need to prove to myself that I can say no! Thanks :)
  • melissamk89
    melissamk89 Posts: 20 Member
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    girlwithcurls2 wrote: »
    willammoney wrote: »
    Just don't do it.

    I'm afraid this is it. I have the same issue. I have realized that it's habit. I mean, how can I be hungry if I just ate dinner? I try to substitute something else-- a cup of good decaf with some half and half, a cup of yummy tea with honey? The next thing for me to try (thank God it's getting lighter out in the evenings!) is to shake up my after dinner routine. Don't drop to the sofa. Take a walk, read a book in a room without the TV, do laundry, come to mfp and read Success Stories...

    People ask me how I can make time for myself with a family at home and I tell them, "Swimming is just 'what I do.'" Well, snacking after dinner needs to be something "I don't do." ;)


    This is so so helpful, I truly do believe it's a habit and I need to break it for good! Thank you so much!! ❤️
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
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    Let that chocolate just melt slowly in your mouth?
  • Lovee_Dove7
    Lovee_Dove7 Posts: 742 Member
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    melissamk89 wrote: »
    This is the main thing I struggle with and its so frustrating. I exercise everyday and my nutrition is on point throughout the day...until after dinner! I just want sweets and never seem satisfied. If I eat a dark chocolate square or give into something healthier...I ruin it by eating way more than I should. Help!

    Just curious, are you logging that extra food intake or not?
    If not, log that extra intake so you can see what your actual intake and pattern is.
    If you are eating quite a bit of sugar, one way to break the craving is to lower your sugar intake to 15g or less for a few days (like, 3), to reset your appetite. Warning...this will make you crabby for those days. After 3 days, notice how your appetite has changed.
    Try tracking your fiber intake instead of sodium for a few days, too. Try increasing your intake by 5g every day or two until you get to 35g fiber daily. The fiber helps with appetite and many other things as well.
  • Kamikazeflutterby
    Kamikazeflutterby Posts: 775 Member
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    See if there's something you can eat a reasonable amount of. Forget the individual squares of dark chocolate, an original klondike bar is 250 calories. Do you like klondike bars? Can you make that fit?
  • ClubSilencio
    ClubSilencio Posts: 2,983 Member
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    Eat leafy greens with your dinner. Fiber and minerals.

    Eat sweet potatoes or carrots with your dinner. Sugar, fiber, and minerals.

    Doesn't look like you eat any leafy greens (I only looked at yesterday's diary though). Minerals and fiber could help.
  • melissamk89
    melissamk89 Posts: 20 Member
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    ClubSilencio wrote: »
    Eat leafy greens with your dinner. Fiber and minerals.

    Eat sweet potatoes or carrots with your dinner. Sugar, fiber, and minerals.

    Doesn't look like you eat any leafy greens (I only looked at yesterday's diary though). Minerals and fiber could help.

    I will start adding more leafy greens to my dinners...I already make sure I get lean protein, clean carbs (sweet potato, brown rice, quinoa) & veggies but I don't usually eat leafy greens. Thanks for the advice! I'll try that tonight!
  • sthome925
    sthome925 Posts: 13 Member
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    As long as I eat every 3-4 hours and include protein in every meal, I've been able to get rid of all my after dinner cravings. I aim to have between 60-80 g of protein each day.
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
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    I save most of my calories for dinner and something chocolate. I like to have around 200-250 calories for ice cream or something.
  • Heartlight441
    Heartlight441 Posts: 278 Member
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    I eat enough throughout the day... and if hungry will firstnhave an herbal tea. Then if still, I have about a 100 calories available for a snack. If still, then I'd go to bed! ;)
  • willammoney
    willammoney Posts: 137 Member
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    I do devour a full organic chocolate bar twice a week but it's in my count :|
  • melissamk89
    melissamk89 Posts: 20 Member
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    Lovee_Dove7 wrote: »
    melissamk89 wrote: »
    This is the main thing I struggle with and its so frustrating. I exercise everyday and my nutrition is on point throughout the day...until after dinner! I just want sweets and never seem satisfied. If I eat a dark chocolate square or give into something healthier...I ruin it by eating way more than I should. Help!

    Just curious, are you logging that extra food intake or not?
    If not, log that extra intake so you can see what your actual intake and pattern is.
    If you are eating quite a bit of sugar, one way to break the craving is to lower your sugar intake to 15g or less for a few days (like, 3), to reset your appetite. Warning...this will make you crabby for those days. After 3 days, notice how your appetite has changed.
    Try tracking your fiber intake instead of sodium for a few days, too. Try increasing your intake by 5g every day or two until you get to 35g fiber daily. The fiber helps with appetite and many other things as well.


    Lately on the days I have after dinner snacks I have not been logging because I'm so frustrated with myself and have already completed my diary for the night! I'm determined to kick my habit cold turkey though...I know I have the will power to do it! I even joined a group on mfp where lots of people are tracking their late night snacking every single day and motivating each other! I love the MFP community :) thx for the advice!
  • ginnywed
    ginnywed Posts: 327 Member
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    Brush your teeth after dinner.
  • Jlove726
    Jlove726 Posts: 1 Member
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    I fill in the food diary and exercise diary then say I am done for the day. The program tells me what I would weigh in 5 weeks if every day was like today. If I don't like what it says, I can get back on the exercise bike and ride some more and try again until I like how much I would weigh in 5 weeks. Try to remind yourself of the importance of keeping your food journal. Keep your motivation!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,100 Member
    edited April 2016
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    I just plan it into my day's calories. I eat a very varied diet, lots of vegetables. I hit my protein goals and fat goals every day. After my morning meal I have a grapefruit or half an apple, sweet and does the trick. After dinner I have 1/4 cup kashi cereal with frozen blueberries and strawberries and 25g of Fage greek yogurt. It's sweet and filling.

    The other thing is that I don't eat after dinner (except that little 120 calorie treat.) I would say find some fruit that you like and devise a little dessert for yourself. Maybe a cooked apple with a little granola and some milk...or a cookie and yogurt...something under 150 calories.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    OP, I save 150-300 calories for a late snack every day. That works for me. Sometimes its a beer, sometimes some popcorn and chocolate, sometimes ice cream. For other people adjusting what they are eating during the day or meal timing can help. Maybe including the kinds of snacks you crave during the day when you have more control will keep you from craving them in the evening.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    edited April 2016
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    Have a cup of tea and brush your teeth.

    Or think about it hard, save some calories, tell yourself that you have the choice - have one piece of chocolate (or a cookie, whatever fits in your calories) or nothing. That's it. Usually by then I tell myself that man, I'd still really like a piece of chocolate, so it's easier to stop at one because I take my time to savor it. I mean, never having any chocolate anymore because of lack of self control would make me sad... so I got to learn moderation.
  • Rabidrunner
    Rabidrunner Posts: 117 Member
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    I have the same challenge! I have found a couple of things that help, I'm not there 100% with this yet though.

    First tactic if I decide I'm going to allow myself to snack after dinner is I pick out my after dinner snacks the day before, and allow a few hundred calories (c'mon, if you're gonna do it, do it right yeah?) then I save my calories up all day. Today is an example, it's 7pm and I had a 307 cal lunch, a 200 cal afternoon snack, I'll have dinner soon and then my chosen snacks for the evening are a Quest bar and a tub of flavored Greek yogurt. Note the high protein in the snacks - I'm totally full after eating those!

    Second tactic on a non-snacking evening is I make a huge mug of green tea and sip on it for hours. Keeps my hands and mouth busy and I think that's 90% of the battle anyway.

    Good luck!

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