Late Night Snacking

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Replies

  • kat_lifts
    kat_lifts Posts: 56
    Well late night snacking isn't always the best idea, I think it's great that you want to try to solve this dilemma. Our metabolism is slowed down in the evening.. And at least for me I'm always in the mood for something sweet. Last night for example, I brewed some herbal tea (non caffeine) and going through that process of steeping it, then waiting for it to cool and then sipping on something warm... Just calmed me and put me to sleep. My stomach was full of this warm tea and I didn't feel all that hungry.

    But I'm not perfect! On the days I do crave my sweet night treat, I blend up a frozen banana and eat it like icecream. I'm not quite sure what you crave at night but there's a clean food for every junk food.

    And become a morning person too, that way you'll go to bed earlier and not lurking around in the kitchen late at night. Hope all this helps , it really sounds like your on the right track! Good luck
  • berriboobear
    berriboobear Posts: 524 Member
    Late night snacking definitely is a huge enemy to me. But I've gotten better by looking at my daily intake, by thinking about what I'd have to do to work it off, by looking at inspiration, by reminding myself of my goal and asking, "Is this food worth it?".
  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
    Well late night snacking isn't always the best idea, I think it's great that you want to try to solve this dilemma. Our metabolism is slowed down in the evening.. And at least for me I'm always in the mood for something sweet. Last night for example, I brewed some herbal tea (non caffeine) and going through that process of steeping it, then waiting for it to cool and then sipping on something warm... Just calmed me and put me to sleep. My stomach was full of this warm tea and I didn't feel all that hungry.

    But I'm not perfect! On the days I do crave my sweet night treat, I blend up a frozen banana and eat it like icecream. I'm not quite sure what you crave at night but there's a clean food for every junk food.

    And become a morning person too, that way you'll go to bed earlier and not lurking around in the kitchen late at night. Hope all this helps , it really sounds like your on the right track! Good luck

    Late night eating has nothing to do with fat loss. You can eat at any time of the day.
  • jgal86
    jgal86 Posts: 77
    Are you okay with drinking diet sodas? If I am feeling a huge late-night craving coming on, I drink one of those mini cans of diet pepsi. It makes the hunger pangs less sharp and its a sweet treat.
  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
    Are you okay with drinking diet sodas? If I am feeling a huge late-night craving coming on, I drink one of those mini cans of diet pepsi. It makes the hunger pangs less sharp and its a sweet treat.

    +1

    Caffeine is a very good appetite suppressant.
  • gigi_RN2013
    gigi_RN2013 Posts: 141 Member
    this happens to me to so i don't even fight it :) i just allot calories so that i don't go over for the day ...
    some things that i eat that satisfy my hunger pangs are: coconut juice, glass of milk, celery w/ peanut butter, fruits, granola bar, oatmeal ... try to eat something healthy if i can ... but if not, ice cream always works :)

    ps. i used to drink green tea but i had a hard time going to bed ...
  • achantee
    achantee Posts: 18 Member
    I normally do a cold cut like turkey and string cheese (weight watchers smoked mozzarella). It's only about 100 calories and all protein so it won't turn in to fat. Its actually good to eat a little something before bed. I don't know if you're up for it, but if it makes you feel any better, as soon as you get up do like 15 minutes of cardio in the morning. That way you burn whatever you ate the night before. I usually do a run, and actually need to eat a little something before bed for fuel
  • wannabpiper
    wannabpiper Posts: 402 Member
    By the way, I try to drink water instead....
    I still can't get the thoughts out of my head that I'm "hungry"....
    I need so much help in this area. I could lose so much weight if I eliminated late night snacking.

    Please do not take this unkindly; it really happened to me and it worked out well. I went to a therapist for some "issues" that I was having that were making me sick. She worked with me on four different occasions, and each time her bottom line answer was to start taking responsibility for my actions. One of those was that I - and ONLY I - have control over my mind. If I eat late at night, and that was a big issue for me, then I CHOSE to do that.

    I bought a pretty leather bound journal and started journaling whenever I had that urge to graze at night. I'm not a big believer in all of that touchy-feely stuff like journaling, but I was desperate. I found that when I journaled I wrote all sorts of things - just thoughts in my head, whether they were angry, frustrated, bored, tired, or just plain mundane.

    It really did help, and now when I'm beginning the power-eating ritual at night, I pull out my pretty little journal and get control over my actions.

    Best wishes!
  • dlionsmane
    dlionsmane Posts: 674 Member
    Make room for it in your total daily caloric intake. Snacking at night is not going to cause you to gain weight. It's total calories for the day, not if you eat after 8-9 PM.
    Personally, I would rather eat a snack than drink something that contains caffeine before I am going to bed for two reasons.
    1) it would keep me awake and
    2) the middle of the night need to get up and pee.
    *sleep is also an important part of any healthy living plan

    Eat something! Just make sure you leave room for it, since you know you are going to want it.
  • NerdyTXChick
    NerdyTXChick Posts: 155 Member
    I have trouble with getting the munchies at night, so I plan an after dinner snack, working it into my calories. Lately I've been stuck on air popped popcorn. I also always plan a fruit with supper (usually strawberries), and sometimes I'll eat half and save the other for later that night when I suddenly want something sweet.
  • bearkisses
    bearkisses Posts: 1,252 Member
    i try to just have a really filling day and then drink tea at night

    if you must eat something, have some greek yogurt flavoured however - i find this so filling. or a hard boiled egg...or some pb. nom nom nom.
  • nonstopper
    nonstopper Posts: 1,108 Member
    if i get hungry late at night ill take done a glass of milk or chocolate milk lol
  • winniethepooh751
    winniethepooh751 Posts: 22 Member
    I try to remind myself that I weigh-in in the mornings and that I won't know my actual weight if I still have the leftovers from last night's snacking in my system. It's hard a lot of times though because I work nights and I sometimes just want to pig out on junk like Hot Cheetos and M&Ms. I do drink a lot of water though and every time I get the urge to grab junk food to snack on, I'll walk around and do some squats. If I find that I'm just too hungry, I keep some boiled eggs or a fruit around to help quell the hunger until it's time for my actual breakfast.
  • postman_12
    postman_12 Posts: 4 Member
    My advice is contrary to what a lot of people have suggested, which shows how different we all are. For me the problem with late night snacking is that it almost always converts into an eating binge. I have no trouble whatsoever keeping to my calorie limit right up until about 7:00. I know it's entirely psychological but after 7 I have repeatedly been unable to stop myself from overeating, often in a really big way. For me a major contributor to weight loss (I lost 70 lbs 1.5 yrs ago) was a complete ban on eating after 7:00. It was painful, but it let me stick to my MFP calorie target for weeks on end and the weight came off.

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