Do I have a problem? Night time snacking

huango

Okay, do I have a problem?

Not even done chewing my last bite of dinner, and I'm already thinking about my night time snack.

I do IF, so I eat from 12noon-to-7pm, or like today: from 2pm-to-7pm.
But between 5pm dinner and 11:30pm bedtime, I usually reach for unhealthy snacks.
Yes, I have a lot of veggies/fresh fruits in my house, but who in the world craves for that?

So I either eat a bunch of little not-as-bad-for-you-stuff (like dried banana or air pop popcorn) but those calories add up, or head straight for the Breyers ice cream (1cup+) or Lays potato chips (2+ servings).

No, usually I'm not hungry. Like I am pretty stuffed right now.

---> Just have to go back to putting in my night time mouthguard to stop me from night time snacking ...


What do you do?
How did you overcome it?

Thanks,
Amanda

MsWallwoman

Mind over matter. YOU are in control, not your cravings.

For me, I find I binge more when I have been hungry... Then my stomach doesn't have time to catch up and I am reaching for more and more food. Maybe try eating more frequently through out the day. So when the evening time comes, you are not hungry. That helps me.

Try flavoured gum. There is awesome strawberry short cake gum, mint chocolate flavoured gum... All sugar free too. I find it helps me kick a sweet tooth and the chewing helps my munchies.

I have also been told brushing your teeth right after dinner helps and makes you not want to eat any thing after.

No matter what, you are in control and you are in charge. Get stubborn and put down the snacks. It will get easier the more you do it.

Good luck on your journey. :flowerforyou:

KMMRN

Yes! This so describes my experiences. I try to do cardio in the evening....can't eat while I'm running, biking, swimming, skating. Also it takes me a while after exercising for my appetite to return.

Looking eagerly for other people's solutions.

FrauHaas2013

Snacking is OK - just try to keep it down to 200 calories or less, and stop eating close to bedtime. You don't have to completely avoid the things you love! My husband is a snack FREAK at night and this is how he deals with it.

ice1200s

This comes up so often, I think it needs to have a permanent place in MFP. Don't fight it, accommodate it. I've read many articles lately that seem to debunk the "you can't eat at night" theory". There's no problem if you log it, and remember moderation. Just build some snacks into your diary specifically for night time snacking. Put your snacks in first, then distribute the calories that are left around breakfast, lunch and dinner. Simple, no?

lsmsrbls

Maybe you should reconsider IF, if you always find yourself always wanting to eat during your fast.

Mainebikerchick

For me, I have found that it's kinda like a craving for a cigarette used to be for me...it was REALLY intense for like 5 mins but if I didn't give in, I found it went away. Since I quit smoking 8 years ago and have stayed off them, I figured it was a good tactic to try on the nighttime snacking and for me, it DOES work.

Good luck!!

huango

Thank you for your responses.

After I clicked POST, I did a search and found a thread with several responses/ideas/suggestions.

Yes, I can allocate some calories to my night time snack. That was a big driver why I started Intermittent Fasting, thinking that I save most of my calories to the evening.

My problem is that I'm not hungry when I start snacking.
I know, it has become a bad habit.

So I'm going to:
1. change my habit: put on a calendar an X for every day I don't snack or at least binge snack, and aim for at least 21 days because that's how I can break this habit.
2. brush my teeth/wear my mouthguard
3. find some treat-like gum (all I have right now are spearmint).
4. reach for tea/water
before reaching for snacks.
Maybe plan in snacks/treats like I plan my macros (to reach my protein level)...


share other ideas?

thanks,
Amanda

Kevalicious99

I used to have binge problems myself. I ate out of boredom. I really didn't need to eat .. but I was bored and eating just seemed like a good thing to do. I used to eat a whole bag of potato chips .. and sometimes other non healthy things.

I just decided one day that I didn't look good and was disgusted at what I saw in the mirror. So it was the beginning of my healthy quest.

I have dropped all the bad things .. and feel better because of it. It is all about saying NO to those cravings to eat bad food. I stopped cold turkey and haven't looked back. Will I slip up ... maybe. But I can always get back up.

If you are finding that the cravings are getting the better of you, maybe try to eat something healthier (maybe some fruit) some of the time, rather than eating bad food during these cravings. Eventually you should be able to eat healthy all the time .. when these cravings just cannot be avoided.

Good luck.

XxAngry_Pixi

I am at my most hungriest at night, I just work my daily cals so I can snack at night.

jen_zz

Thank you for your responses.

After I clicked POST, I did a search and found a thread with several responses/ideas/suggestions.

Yes, I can allocate some calories to my night time snack. That was a big driver why I started Intermittent Fasting, thinking that I save most of my calories to the evening.

My problem is that I'm not hungry when I start snacking.
I know, it has become a bad habit.

So I'm going to:
1. change my habit: put on a calendar an X for every day I don't snack or at least binge snack, and aim for at least 21 days because that's how I can break this habit.
2. brush my teeth/wear my mouthguard
3. find some treat-like gum (all I have right now are spearmint).
4. reach for tea/water
before reaching for snacks.
Maybe plan in snacks/treats like I plan my macros (to reach my protein level)...


share other ideas?

thanks,
Amanda

Great list. Also maybe when I feel like snacking, I will have some hot tea first. Or go for a short walk.

NRSPAM

I've had this problem too, and I can tell you, brushing your teeth, and drinking water do help. However, if you still find yourself craving something sweet, I keep on hand those little Kraft caramels, I usually will grab one or two, they're only 35 calories a piece, I believe. It helps. Getting on the treadmill, or doing some cardio also helps. And I also drink a protein shake a couple hours after dinner. That way I get my protein in, get my chocolate fix, and keeps me from feeling hungry when I go to bed. I usually use the 35 calorie cup of unsweetened, vanilla, almond milk, instead of regular milk. Cuts down the calories. Good luck!!! ))

elisabeisme

why don't you shift your IF window to 5pm-11pm?