Late night snacking!

haleyjoyy

Ive been eating healthier lately, not the best, but I've been counting calories and watching my portions. Everything has been fine except my night time cravings... It's not even hunger I just crave salt and can't sleep until I eat something. Last night I ate some chips but its so bad... Any tips on how to avoid/help with the cravings at night?

SugaryLynx

Fit it into your calories and have an evening snack?

deatharrow

If it's not hunger that makes you crave it, then it means you don't need it. You crave it because you want it. Perhaps having the snack is not that bad...if you're diet is very restrictive.

Otherwise, you're only eating it because you want to taste it. no matter what measures you to take to suppress your appetite, it won't matter because it's not your appetite leading you to eat it, only desire. And only you can control that. Eat to live, not live to eat.

Showcase_Brodown

If you like eating at night, just allow yourself some extra calories for it. Another option is stop eating at night, and eventually your hunger signals may align to when you usually eat.

gabbygirl37_2001

this is a hard one for me as well. worst time of day for me. HELP!

prestigio

If you have (almost) no calories left for the day, prepare yourself a good salad

Wilbur_NOLA

Eat an ambien...

carliekitty

Either exercise a little longer to earn the calories which actually sometimes makes you not want to eat or save calories from your daily so you can have something salty. Its honestly not a big deal.

xenu01

You could go to sleep earlier, or you could ignore it, or you could do what someone else suggested and budget your calories for a regular late-night snack. Maybe a string cheese or a couple of pieces of salami or some kimchi would do the trick if you tend toward salty.

martyqueen52

Ive been eating healthier lately, not the best, but I've been counting calories and watching my portions. Everything has been fine except my night time cravings... It's not even hunger I just crave salt and can't sleep until I eat something. Last night I ate some chips but its so bad... Any tips on how to avoid/help with the cravings at night?

Well, did you have any remaining calories for that day? If so, it's fine. If not, a few chips won't cause a body-weight apocalypse.

I like to eat at night also, so, I eat small portions for breakfast / lunch / and a snack protein bar and have a HUGE dinner and later down ice cream, pop-corn, chips, candy, or whatever I'm craving.

So just save your calories for later in the day if you're a night owl. Don't starve yourself, just eat lower cal foods (veggies, salads, etc.) and smaller protein portions.

haleyjoyy

Thanks for the feed back everyone! I always have at least 100 calories left at the end of the day... but Im not talking a late night snack... I binge at night. Like luckily we were almost out of chips so I finished them off but a lot of nights I will eat tons of salty snacks for hours until I am tired enough to fall right asleep.

melodys_attic

I am a night binger too. It doesn't seem to matter what I do. It's not hunger like you say. And I too tend to crave salty crunchy things at that late hour. There are theories on why this is so. The main one is that there is some link to serotonin. Lack of serotonin available to the brain is a factor in anxiety and depression. Eating this salty greasy stuff makes people with serotonin issues feel better. If this is what's going on I've been told that St. John's Wort as a supplement or a tea can help. I confess I haven't tried it. There are also blood sugar theories about overeating and/or major cravings late in the day. I am currently trying to combat the night scavenging by sorting my day into meals and snacks. I am trying to make absolutely sure I am never too hungry. I find an enormous (we are talking crazy big) salad at lunch is a huge help. I am still eating at night but can convince myself that a sandwich or a bagel or a muffin is filling me so I can resist the chips. If absolutely necessary I actually count out the number of chips that make a "portion" according to the calorie count on the bag. It doesn't always work, but it's getting better going this route. The hardest question is "do we log it?" Logging it means we have to face what we're doing. Sometimes simple scare tactics like seeing the numbers works. Sometimes they don't. Bottom line, you know yourself best.

ptvu0052

Before I started MFP, I used to chew a piece of mint gum, drink a cup of green tea, or brush my teeth.

Now, I check my MFP nutrition details, and that makes me stop. I still chew gum to make the crave ( or whatever you call it) go away.

Hope this help!

nohaynicknamesdisponibles

Prepare a big bowl of salad, and eat it up. That's what I do if I'm hungry in the late evening. Don't use dressing, only lime juice, no oil.

SweetCharleeGirl

Hi, I have the same problem. I like to have 1/4 cup of pistachios. Nice and salty and good for you. You just have to have the calories left for the day. When I buy the big bag at Sam's Club, the first thing I do is put them in snack bags so I am not tempted to eat more than the 1/4 cup Good luck.

hkied

my NIGHT binge is from stress! So I try to take a walk or us my last small calories for a treat! the chocolate frozen pops that are 40 cal really help! maybe this will help who knows it is really hard good luck and thanks for asking cause we all have this problem as you can tell!

lee91356

First, since you just started you may (if possible) consider getting rid of the temptations like the chips. At the start its much easier to give into cravings.

Second look for better substitutes:
- for salt and crunchy snacks: popcrips or popchips (whatever they are called from Special K) or popcorn or spelt pretzels (you get 18 pieces rather then 11 for the same calories and less fat) or even snapea crips or salted nuts - all this if you have the macros.
- lower cal alternatives then try veggies like baby carrots or radishes or jacama or edemame with a dash of salt.
-Now if your REALLY low on calories and just feel you need the saltiness and not really the crunch then try a drink - I sometimes have a cup of hot water with a teaspoon of soupmix/ bullion seasoning or soups broth (gives me the savory/ salty taste) likewise the do that same with sweet at night and have a cup of sf hot cocoa rather then a chocolate bar - fills me up and gives me that taste I was looking for

hope that helps curb some of that late night snacking!

Barbellarella_

I prefer eating more in the evenings too. So I go very light in the morning (usually just coffee calories), then save up for when I want to eat later in the day.

JazzFischer1989

It's only within the last year or so that I've really broken myself out of the late night cravings. I used to have a full meal at 1-2am. I find that drinking a buttload of water, having my first meal of the day a little earlier and just generally eating when I'm hungry/not skipping meals has helped A LOT.

Red_sparkling_Titania

If it's not hunger that makes you crave it, then it means you don't need it. You crave it because you want it. Perhaps having the snack is not that bad...if you're diet is very restrictive.

Otherwise, you're only eating it because you want to taste it. no matter what measures you to take to suppress your appetite, it won't matter because it's not your appetite leading you to eat it, only desire. And only you can control that. Eat to live, not live to eat.

^^^ THIS.

Barbellarella_

Thanks for the feed back everyone! I always have at least 100 calories left at the end of the day... but Im not talking a late night snack... I binge at night. Like luckily we were almost out of chips so I finished them off but a lot of nights I will eat tons of salty snacks for hours until I am tired enough to fall right asleep.

There are a lot of reasons binging can occur, but often times its due to under eating. If you open up your diary, we'll be able to help you better. If you'd like someone to run your numbers, thats no problem too.

This is a great source for binge eating. Read all these entries if you really do believe you have this problem.
http://www.brainoverbinge.com/blog-1/

haleyjoyy

How do I open up my diary?

haleyjoyy

Okay guys, I figured out how to open my diary so any one can view it if they want! I think underrating could be possible... But it's not like I purposely do it. I have a really hard time eating in the morning so usually I'll eat barely anything, or I'll skip it all together. I try to eat big lunches but sometimes I'm too busy. And dinner is always fine. So I guess I just need to find time to make sure I am eating full meals.....

It's also hard because I still live with my parents and their eating habits are not healthy at all... In fact, their eating habits would probably give a normal healthy person nightmares. My dad has a big mug that I believe is 60 ounces or more, and he fills it up with Diet Pepsi all day. Thats all he drinks. No water. And he says he goes through 6 liters a day about. He also doesn't eat all day and then at night has a big bowl of ice cream or a whole pie.

We also all smoke. Which I have tried a few times to quit but it's hard when your family smokes.

I have a job but my pay check is just not enough to go healthy grocery shopping so I basically eat crap all day but control my portions... And at night I have access to endless snack foods.

myfitnesspale3

Me too. Pickles. Late at night. Very few calories so no limit.

Sometimes I'll just have some rock salt.

Hot sauce. Mustard - no calories. You eat enough hot sauce and you forget why you were hungry.

Water is always good, but I like me some diet soda.

haleyjoyy

Even if I save calories, isn't it bad to eat late at night?

myfitnesspale3

Nah. Not me anyway. Track it all, your body will digest it without your attention.