3am nibble anyone?

lunnon1984

So ever since I have been about 16 - I have always woken up at around 3am and started to crave sweet things! At the ripe old age of 33 this is still happening. I cant go back to sleep until I have had something sweet...

Any ideas why guys?

Thanks in advance! x

TomKershawUK

Hi, not really had this problem but do sometimes have some cheese before bed if feeling hungry.

cruzn27

Hi u talk about eating at 3am my shame is having wicker baskets on the head of my bed use to keep candies cookies whatever I’d just reach up and grab. I had the gastric sleeve done 5 yrs ago loss 175lbs can’t eat much but can snack like crazy so much so that in 5 yrs I’ve gained 50lbs back. So i picked Monday yesterday to start another eating plan since I have to have a snack in the middle of the night I’ve chosen to keep one of those small packs of plain Ritz whole wheat crackers in the basket and a large bottle of water sometimes I go into the kitchen and put a little peanut butter on about 5 crackers eat and go back to sleep. it’s really helping I started this 2 wks ago. I know crackers could never take the place of a great Hershey bar. I wish u luck this is hard.

lunnon1984

cruzn27 wrote: »

Hi u talk about eating at 3am my shame is having wicker baskets on the head of my bed use to keep candies cookies whatever I’d just reach up and grab. I had the gastric sleeve done 5 yrs ago loss 175lbs can’t eat much but can snack like crazy so much so that in 5 yrs I’ve gained 50lbs back. So i picked Monday yesterday to start another eating plan since I have to have a snack in the middle of the night I’ve chosen to keep one of those small packs of plain Ritz whole wheat crackers in the basket and a large bottle of water sometimes I go into the kitchen and put a little peanut butter on about 5 crackers eat and go back to sleep. it’s really helping I started this 2 wks ago. I know crackers could never take the place of a great Hershey bar. I wish u luck this is hard.

Thank you! I have tried everything even tried eating healthy things when I wake up but my body craves sugar not healthy celery or carrots at 3am!
I hope you manage to kick the 3am habbit too!! x

IM_in_training

Maybe 1) not enough calories during the day, 2) eating last meal of the day too early...Many people that say they drink wine to help them get-to-sleep often wake-up in the middle-of-the-night from a sugar crash.

shadow2soul

lunnon1984 wrote: »

So ever since I have been about 16 - I have always woken up at around 3am and started to crave sweet things! At the ripe old age of 33 this is still happening. I cant go back to sleep until I have had something sweet...

Any ideas why guys?

Thanks in advance! x

I sometimes wake up hungry. I can’t say it’s one specific thing though. Sometimes I want a couple cookies and other times it’s a cheese stick. I just save some calories for if/when that moment hits.

I do notice that I am less likely to wake up like that if I eat something filling right before bed.

lynn_glenmont

Work the 3 a.m. snack into your planned calories. Plan what you will eat to allow you to go back to sleep. Have you tried fruit? Diet soda? Warm low-fat milk with sugar-free syrup (like those used in espresso drinks)? (I'm assuming your concern here is about the calories?)

As for your actual "why" question, I think the idea that nothing "healthy" will satisfy your "body" at 3 a.m. is just an ingrained habit/belief/preference, not a physical need. Your body doesn't know the difference between sugar from "sweets" and sugar from vegetables, fruit, or any other sources -- or sugar broken down from more complex carbs, for that matter, although admittedly that might take a little longer to hit your bloodstream.

bigbandjohn

Have you tried small sweets? A piece of hard candy? Mint? Gum? A small piece of dark chocolate? Maybe a few berries? If it's more habit than physical need, perhaps something like that would work.

Like what so many have said here, work those calories into your plan, and that won't be the issue. If it's a habit you want to curb, slowly reduce the amount of sweetness you take in. That's how I stopped drinking sweet iced tea and now drink unsweetened iced tea. Maybe reducing the portion a little each week will help.

Danp

Food doesn't have a watch and can't tell the time so it doesn't really matter when your calories come.

If you like a 3am nibble then have a 3am nibble. There absolutely nothing wrong with it as long as you log it, and work it into your calorie target.

nakiahwoody

I am 35 and I have the same problem I pop up at around 4am or so and want something @ first it was a cookie anything I had sweet but now I grab some grapes I keep in a bowl in the fridge and go back to sleep... I am desperately trying to stick with my weight loss journey...

wmeche7

Nice heavy shake with slow digesting proteins before bedtime might help?

lmrnurse

Im restarting my fitness pal again. I've noticed this same "habit". Im a middle of the night nibbler too.. Not really hungry, well maybe occasionally. I eat because it makes me feel cozy, comforted. I eat my favorite easy comfort food... peanut butter. My goal with this wt. loss experience is to explore these "habits!!!" Yes, it is only a habit. It can be worked on. Eating a small amt. is my goal. So eat what I want but can I limit. My plan this week: eat minimal amt if I feel a cue. Start with a drink of milk, then go back to bed, small amt of pbutter on 1-2 crackers.(1tsp or less) or just go back to bed after a glass of water. Good luck on your challenge! Make a plan for your "habit". It can be changed! Plan! glass of water-milk, small carb/protein/fruit. 3 weeks to change a habit! Read about habits! We can do this!!!

xxxNavarroKinesiologyGodxxx

I have the same issues. I would eat chips ahoy and stuff I didn’t enjoy, but I started catching my habits and replaced those chips ahoy with peanut butter or almond butter as a better caloric intake for a sweet tooth habit. 📈

hroderick

I have 2 suggestions
1. The supplement chromium picolineate kills cravings for sweets in some people. It worked for me. After 30 days I didn't need it anymore
2. There's 2 points to interrupt a bad habit. The cue that triggers the craving and the response to the cue. You might work on the cue by avoiding it. For example go to bed early and begin your day at 2am, Or stay up until 3am then go to bed. Working on the response may be less drastic. Instead of eating at 3am, when you wake up at brush your teeth then go back to bed.

happytree923

Maybe try berries? Raspberries are high fiber and pretty low calorie. Also maybe find another motivation to quit, it sounds like this could be bad for your teeth depending on what you're eating/doing so maybe your dentist could scare you out of it!

lunnon1984

wmeche7 wrote: »

Nice heavy shake with slow digesting proteins before bedtime might help?

I think I will try this, thank you!

lunnon1984

lynn_glenmont wrote: »

Work the 3 a.m. snack into your planned calories. Plan what you will eat to allow you to go back to sleep. Have you tried fruit? Diet soda? Warm low-fat milk with sugar-free syrup (like those used in espresso drinks)? (I'm assuming your concern here is about the calories?)

As for your actual "why" question, I think the idea that nothing "healthy" will satisfy your "body" at 3 a.m. is just an ingrained habit/belief/preference, not a physical need. Your body doesn't know the difference between sugar from "sweets" and sugar from vegetables, fruit, or any other sources -- or sugar broken down from more complex carbs, for that matter, although admittedly that might take a little longer to hit your bloodstream.

This is brilliant info thank you, you are so right my body doesn't know the difference between sugars so I will start with grapes tonight and see if that works! Thank you

lunnon1984

nakiahwoody wrote: »

I am 35 and I have the same problem I pop up at around 4am or so and want something @ first it was a cookie anything I had sweet but now I grab some grapes I keep in a bowl in the fridge and go back to sleep... I am desperately trying to stick with my weight loss journey...

Thank you! Well done for changing your cookies to fruit! I hope you are enjoying your weight loss journey

MissPolini1

I always try and make it a point to try and stop eating at 5 and if latest 7 per your metabolism slows down In the night with the lack of activity. Maybe to get that sweetness do a Protein bar, there are so many great flavors with out the regret 😉

gabi_texanmom

I would get 'hungry' around 10pm, right before going to bed. I've started having a hot cup of tea around 8:30pm, and it gives me a full feeling so I haven't been snacking late at night. Have you tried just drinking water instead?