Night Time Snacking...

bioklutz
bioklutz Posts: 1,365 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am looking for a little advice. I enjoy snacking at night. I prefer going to bed feeling full. I am not much of a morning or afternoon eater.

Recently though I have been prescribed some medication to take - twice a day. I am supposed to take it in the morning and evening on an empty stomach. This is not a problem for me in the morning but does require some careful planning for the evening. I need to avoid eating for 2 hours in the evening before taking the medication. And until I get used to it I may need another half hour before I can lay down and sleep for the evening. I will be taking this for the next 6 months and then I will be re-evaluated. For now, it feels like it may be a long term change in my eating patterns.

I have decided that 7:30 pm will be the last opportunity to eat. If it doesn't make me feel nauseous before bed I can probably change that to 8:00. I will probably have a bigger dinner and then a protein bar that is also high in fiber at 7:30 pm.

Has anyone ever had to change their eating patterns in a way that does not feel natural? How long did it take to adjust? What kind of things did you do to make the adjustment easier? Where there any casualties because of the change? :wink:

Replies

  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
    I got hypnotized. No kidding.
    About 10% of the population can be effectively hypnotized. I have not eaten a single morseel of solid food between dinner and breakfast the next morning since November 2011. Probably a long shot.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,409 Member
    Couldn't you have your meds first thing in the morning and then mid-afternoon? I mean, any way you can do them on an 8-12 hour schedule would work, right? So if you don't eat from (say) noon until 3PM, you could take the afternoon pill and then eat again at 5-8, or until bedtime. For a while I took my meds in the middle of the night, when I got up to use the bathroom...but my nighttime bathroom breaks are pretty predictable.
  • bioklutz
    bioklutz Posts: 1,365 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    Couldn't you have your meds first thing in the morning and then mid-afternoon? I mean, any way you can do them on an 8-12 hour schedule would work, right? So if you don't eat from (say) noon until 3PM, you could take the afternoon pill and then eat again at 5-8, or until bedtime. For a while I took my meds in the middle of the night, when I got up to use the bathroom...but my nighttime bathroom breaks are pretty predictable.

    Yes, that may be possible in the future. Unfortunately I am on teams for 3 different projects at work at the moment and things are pretty hectic. I don't know if it is feasible... sometimes the next meeting is starting before the one I am in is ending. I am often working on multiple things at the same time and don't know if I can trust myself to remember to take a pill in the afternoon at work. I could set an alarm but there are times when I just don't have time to check my phone for a few hours.

    If I am really not able to adjust to not eating in the evening I will make an effort to try your suggestion.
  • DraxusD
    DraxusD Posts: 17 Member
    Set alarm for 2 hours after bedtime, wake up, take the pill and go back to sleep.

    I have trouble with snacking late at night too and for me it's not really a hunger thing most nights, just habit and boredom I think. I have to overcome it with willpower, less calories earlier in the day, extremely low calorie things to snack on at night, or going to bed earlier. You will have to break the habit. Maybe try changing up other nighttime routines/habits.
  • bioklutz
    bioklutz Posts: 1,365 Member
    DraxusD wrote: »
    Set alarm for 2 hours after bedtime, wake up, take the pill and go back to sleep.

    I have trouble with snacking late at night too and for me it's not really a hunger thing most nights, just habit and boredom I think. I have to overcome it with willpower, less calories earlier in the day, extremely low calorie things to snack on at night, or going to bed earlier. You will have to break the habit. Maybe try changing up other nighttime routines/habits.

    It really isn't a bad habit for me. It is just a personal preference. I am not going over my calorie goals. I just prefer to eat much lighter during the day. If I have a larger amount of calories earlier I find myself sleepy and sluggish. I just seem to function better with the bulk of my calories consumed at dinner and some snacks in the evening.

    I survived 2 days of this change without stabbing anyone. :wink: Luckily I don't think this medication makes me feel nauseous so I think I have a little more wiggly room for my cut-off time for eating!

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