Nighttime Munchies

mcbrown82

I am new to MFP, and I am having issues with nighttime. I am able to control portions all day and usually finish dinner with around 100 calories left for an evening snack. However, I tend to get the munchies after that snack and get the urge to keep going. I try drinking lots of water or diet soda, but does anyone have any tricks that help them? Should I just try to save more calories for this time so I can have more, or are there some good filing snacks or tricks you guys use?

Dencrossgirl

Eat 100 calories of veg. and low fat dip or a piece of fruit. Those prepackaged 100 portions of chips and such are only good if you can stop after one.

Amarillo_NDN

make sure you are getting enough protien during the day. a lot of times, if you don't get enough, your body will crave.

monicawildonger

make sure u eat a protein as part of ur snack, it will keep u full longer, also try to eat ur snack closer to the time ur going to bed so u won't have as much time to think about eating more.

beethedreamer

Give yourself a cut off time and stick to it.

Also, diet soda may be increasing your cravings, causing you to eat more. May try a big glass of cold water with a few pieces of frozen fruit, like peaches, grapes, strawberries, or mangos. Then you'll get some water in before bed, and have a long lasting snack of some frozen fruit.

gentlebreeze2

I plan 300 calories for night time snacking, because I know that is my weak time. An apple takes more time to eat than some snacks and the fiber is good for u too. Most of the time it works, but if I still need something I keep gum nearby. You just need to figure out what works best for you. Good luck!

theresnoeggs

This is a HUGE problem for me! HUGE! I have switched from a 1/4 of a lb sized bag of reese's miniatures to a cup of ice cream. WAY less calories. Still not good, but nothing else is satisfying. :ohwell: ice cream is the only thing I can stop after one serving. I am currently working on decreasing the portion. I was originally going through a carton of ice cream in 3-4 nights-one bowl a night. Now that I am measuring, my bowl is only 2/3 of the way full instead of over flowing.. :laugh: I've found decreasing the amount slowly works better. When I tried cutting it out, I lasted 3 nights, then ate nothing but complete garbage for the next week.. Oops....

It's all trial and error..

YeaILift

The easiest thing would be to just cut 50-100 calories from each meal allowing for the "night time snack." However, now you can think of it as a "night time meal".

LuckyLeprechaun

Gum! I use gum to make sure my mouth is busy and this reduces my urge to eat, because I'm already chewing. Also, I have heard of folks who brush their teeth so that the minty toothpaste taste in their mouth reminds them that they are done eating and they won't want to dirty up their teeth.

I firmly believe that your tummy does not have a clock, and so if you want to "save" up your calories to snack at night, I do not think this hinders you. That said, a big full tummy can interfere with your sleeping well, so try to limit portion sizes so that your rest doesn't suffer.

garedds

water and a fibre one or Quaker Fibre bar. The water and fibre combination really does fill you up. I also usually have a diet soda. I used to be a huge night time snacker. Now it is usually only if I am stressed. You need to have about 150 calories left and a couple grams of fat left for this at night time, but I find it really works. Also if you tummy is saying "hungry", I keep saying back to it, "No that is the feeling of you shrinking!"

katybean27

So glad I saw this post! This is a huge problem for me too! Thanks for all the tips!

willywonka

I am also a night muncher big time!! :blushing:
It's something i am always working on.

FemininGuns

Best nightime snack for me is having either 1cup of plain yogurt with 1cup strawberries or 5 egg whites... But I have it arounf 8 or 830... You may need to add some proteins throughout the day and get rid of the diet pop so your blood sugar levels stay even all day and will reduce your cravings... A good way to see if it's a craving or if you're actually hungry: Ask yourself which one sounds best at the time of your hunger: an apple or an unheathier alternative... If the latter wins, then its a craving and you can most likely pass on it...