Greedy evenings...

Smileygirl20
Smileygirl20 Posts: 7
in Motivation and Support
I am generally pretty good throughout the day, eating good nutricious food and appropriate portions... BUT when evening comes... I am a vampire for candy, chocolate and other delectable delights...

Any tips on curbing evening greed??

Replies

  • rach41413
    rach41413 Posts: 82 Member
    I am the same way, and there are two main things that help me:
    1) Not keeping said sweets in the house. If I have to go buy them, I'm much less likely to give in.
    2) Eating less throughout the day so that I have more calories to use on my nighttime cravings. This may or may not be a good thing, but oh well...I really like "needing" to eat 800 calories after 8pm!

    I also generally try to continue choosing foods that are nutritionally good for me at night, but still "reward" myself with those calorie-dense things like peanut butter and cereal that I might otherwise shy away from.
  • christopherphillips1983
    christopherphillips1983 Posts: 103 Member
    I actually do most of my gym time in the evenings, when I used to start getting the munchies. I'll hit the gym at 7-8 PM, work my *kitten* off for an hour, and by the time I come back, if I want food at all, I want something good and filling rather than junk. I've never come back from the gym and thought, "Damn, I want a Snickers."
  • klyn05
    klyn05 Posts: 88 Member
    I'm similar and I agree with the above about saving some of your calories to plan for such things... it may not be the healthiest or most desirable option but it works for me. I generally try to save some calories for night time snacks, and if I don't eat them, that's a plus. Most of the time if I do eat the calories I will be more likely to stop when I have reached closer to my daily calorie goal, because I am letting myself have a treat(or two, or three... let's be honest here), and I don't feel the need to keep eating since I allow myself to indulge somewhat(within my calories).
  • Smileygirl20
    Smileygirl20 Posts: 7
    Thanks!!

    Another friend has suggested brushing teeth after dinner and sipping green tea....

    I intend to attempt to have less sugary substances in the house from this weekend also!! I don't seem to know how to stop and simply inhale everything delicious I can see in the cupboard... Piglet...

    It's always helpful to see how other's curb the evening greed...

    Cheers,

    Bex
  • stetienne
    stetienne Posts: 560 Member
    And go to bed a little earlier. I do this to stay away from latenight snacking...plus, the extra hour of sleep is a health benefit as well!
  • talktothecat
    talktothecat Posts: 8 Member
    This may be overly specific, but I've been finding lately that having a cup of my favorite passion fruit tea (not caffeinated), sweetened with a little agave nectar, is really soothing in the evening and helps keep me from craving other sweets. It's delicious, sweet without being too caloric, and since it's hot, it takes awhile to drink (which allows time for the other cravings to pass).
  • nicola1141
    nicola1141 Posts: 613 Member
    I generally try not to have too much in the house, but I also enjoy that after-dinner snack. I've found if I have to make my snack, I'm less likely to overindulge.

    Last night, I made my own peanut butter cups (I sort of followed Chocolate Covered Katie's recipe, but with PB2 instead). Since I had to wait for them to freeze, I wasn't just sitting there mindlessly eating junk. I made two, I ate two. They fit in my calories.
  • AuroraCoL
    AuroraCoL Posts: 18 Member
    I make popcorn on the stove! Really easy, take whatever size pot you like, coat the bottom with oil, and shake some popcorn kernals into the pot until it is about 90% covered by a single layer of kernals. Turn the heat to high and cover with a lid. When they start popping, keep the lid on and shake the pot so that they don't burn. It's only 55 calories per cup, and I usually flavour them with sea salt and 100 cal of butter. For a drink I have a cup of cranberry juice mixed with a can of club soda. Over all it's less than 400 calories for a huge drink and a big bowl of popcorn! You can have as much or as little as you want, depending on how many calories you have left at the end of the day. Super satisfying and perfect for a movie or tv show.

    Other than that, gum.
  • morethanthis0
    morethanthis0 Posts: 260 Member
    Oh man, I am the exact same! So for me, I usually eat lighter in the day and save more calories for night. It has been working for me. I know a lot of people say eat big breakfast and that will help blah blah but I'll still eat like crazy at night. So I save more calories for dinner and dessert (usually ice cream)
  • gemaquaries
    gemaquaries Posts: 79 Member
    Me too, I tricked myself though to eat under 1300 cal during the day, so when I sneak my snack at night (usually around 150 cal) I'm still under 1500 cal a day.
  • Kenazwa
    Kenazwa Posts: 278 Member
    Schedule something that you can't do while eating - the gym, a class, volunteering, etc.

    Or take on a project like crocheting, knitting, sewing, beading, etc. Keep those hands and mind busy.
  • jaclync324
    jaclync324 Posts: 37 Member
    You can also make popcorn in the microwave. You throw kernels in a paper bag and microwave for 2-3 minutes. Then you can add whatever you want, chocolate, sugar, cinnamon, or salt and butter/oil.
  • wrenegade64
    wrenegade64 Posts: 410 Member
    We try to keep alternative sweets in the house. Lots of fruit or fun-size candies like what you hand out at halloween. Majority of the time, we only need a small taste of something to satisfy us. If you have serious problems with control, make it to where if you have to have something sweet that you have to GO OUT to get something. The inconvience of having to leave the house often makes us change our mind and get something from the fridge instead. If you do go out for something, get the smallest portion possible. Getting a mini size Sonic Blast M&M treat cuts the calories by half or more versus a medium size.
  • TXRanchGirl
    TXRanchGirl Posts: 303
    I try to not keep sweets in the house..since the holiday are now over..this is easier..
    Ive also swapped to working out in the evenings versus first thing in the AM. This keeps me "busy" in the evening and also I am not as hungry after I workout.
  • just35lbstogo
    just35lbstogo Posts: 53 Member
    I am the same way. I can't have sweets in the house. That's the most logical and easiest thing I can do for myself because I can't say no.

    Also, I keep my meals during the day filling but low-cal so I do have more calories in the evening.

    My breakfast is usually coffee + greek yogurt or coffee + egg whites and toast.
    Lunch is usually a spinach/spring mix salad with regular or light dressing and croutons.
    Snacks are usually raisins, apple, string cheese and I eat them throughout the day whenever I'm feeling hungry.
    I workout in the evenings so sometimes I'll have peanut butter and honey on a piece of bread (like a half sandwich) for a pre-workout snack. It satisfies my want/need for food and also gives me a little extra energy for my workout.
    For dinner I just try to eat something sensible. We have a lot of breakfast burritos (98% FF tortilla + black beans+ frozen hash browns + egg whites + salsa + a little cheese) and black bean burritos (98% FF tortilla + black beans + cooked onions and red and green peppers + salsa + a little cheese) in my house. haha. If you don't like burritos you might not like these but they are pretty filling and low cal/fat if you get the right ingredients.

    I keep popcorn around for a snack after dinner if I'm hungry. Replacing chocolate with a fruit really helps me too. Apples, oranges, black cherries, etc.
  • just35lbstogo
    just35lbstogo Posts: 53 Member
    Oh also, lately, I've really been craving chocolate so I'll make hot chocolate. A regular hot chocolate packet, for the liquid I do half water (I actually do 4 oz) and half fat free milk (4 oz), and then add in some of the Carnation Instant Breakfast Essentials - Chocolate (not a full serving - I just add a tablespoon or two). It's pretty decent and gets some extra vitamins and nutrients in there.
  • elbie628
    elbie628 Posts: 7 Member
    Similar suggestions to others! Some I will have to try.

    If I have a sweet tooth at night, I usually have one or two small York peppermint patties. I'm less likely to binge on those than, say, a peanut butter cup.

    I also like tea in the evenings. Keeps my hands/mouth busy. Some of the tazo teas have a stronger flavor, which are good when I have the munchies.

    And, if all else fails, I brush my teeth. That will definitely keep me out of the kitchen.
  • jessspurr
    jessspurr Posts: 258 Member
    Similar suggestions to others! Some I will have to try.

    If I have a sweet tooth at night, I usually have one or two small York peppermint patties. I'm less likely to binge on those than, say, a peanut butter cup.

    I am a York girl myself! I have a full size one every night (I stop by the gas station on my way home from work and get one- I couldn't have a box of them in the house). There is something so satisfying about them, maybe its the peppermint, so it kind of makes you not want to eat anything else afterward. It's the lowest calorie chocolaty snack I have found that satisfies me.
  • Smileygirl20
    Smileygirl20 Posts: 7
    So many AWESOME suggestions!! THANKS :)

    I am actually going to get knitting scarves for friends for the cold Dunedin (New Zealand) winter... SO that's a super tip!!

    Hot chocolate is great idea too, as is herbal tea....

    Just reading these posts makes me adamant to curb my greedy evenings :)

    Thanks heaps!!

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