Advice for Late Night Eater

kmdebellis

I've been aware of the fact that I tend to have little binges at night. However, it wasn't until I started tracking everything that I realized just how bad it was.

Any suggestions for getting over those late night cravings?

katerinab

I drink a bottle of water and go to bed before my body realizes I've tricked it.

jrich1

Factor in snacks into your calories, it doesnt matter when you eat, your body doesnt treat a calorie any different at 7pm than 9pm etc. I have always eaten snacks right up till bedtime.

gentlebreeze2

I save 300 or 400 calories just for nite time snacking. Right after I've had dinner... I get my snacks ready... so when I wanna just grab something handy... its right there. I cut up apples, strawberries, pour a serving of dry cereal, or 21 cocoa flavored almonds already counted out and keep yogert handy. You can't always control your cravings, but if you plan... you are much better off.

glassyo

I don't know if it'll help with binging but, since you know you're going to want something later at night, I would just save some calories so you *can* eat later.

katikati

Well they say make a rule no eating after say 8pm! Then you can look at the time and just not eat...ha ha really hard if you have been good all day but feel hungry, also clean your teeth can help :flowerforyou:

AdamATGATT

Your diary is set to friends only, so I can't check that, but how are your eating habits for the rest of the day? How many "meals" do you consume?

themommie

I have the same problem. I try to find something that is similiar to what I like to snack on that has alot less calories and fat. example: I love to eat ice cream so now I eat weight watchers popscicles (only 60-100 cals depending on the kind). when I want something crunchy I do popcorn with light or no butter, or rice cakes Make sure you stay within your calories.. I hope this helps.

creativefrugalmom

When I go shopping I come home, portion out veggies, etc. into little baggies. I cut up the celery, put in a bag, count out pretzels, put in bag, baby carrots, put in bag...you get the drift. This way, my kids can grab healthy snacks and I can to. Also keep some bananas, yogurt, ff pudding, applesauce, etc. handy so you don't go for the less healthy stuff. It doens't hurt to snack late, just watch what you are snacking on and include in your daily "menu".

I also agree that drinking a bottle of water after dinner helps too.

I have definitely learned that the easier it is to "grab" something the more likely that is what you will grab so make it something healthy and prepare ahead of time.

Good luck!

RedHotRunner

A nice hot cup of decafinated tea always helps me.

NoAdditives

Eating late isn't necessarily bad, it just means your body will have more food calories to burn instead of burning your body fat. And depending on just how close to bedtime you snack, your body may be turning a fair amount of those calories into fat since your digestive system works slower at night.

I would suggest maybe eating dinner a little later and make sure you're eating whole grains and lean protein so you'll feel fuller longer and drink plenty of water.

Jennplus2

I read that if you skip meals or go more than 3-4 hours between meals you will be much more prone to overeat at night. I knew that I was a binge eater at night but thought that because I was eating during the day the rule didn't apply to me. WRONG! I realized that I would eat at 7am, then let work keep me busy doing "just one more quick thing before I eat" until 2:30 or 3pm. I would eat lunch, but 7 1/2-8 hours after my breakfast, not a good plan. I set my computer alarm to go off and remind me to eat, sounds silly I know, 10:15 snack, 1:15 lunch and 4:15 snack. So now I stop whatever I am doing and eat on time. Regardless! (Helps a lot, BTW)

Sometimes the blood sugar will get low and then you will start craving stuff late night even if you have had a healthy late lunch and healthy dinner. Not sure if this is your issue or not so I will also list other things I have tried...


Brush your teeth
drink a ton of water, as fast as you can
have a cup of tea
just go to bed already (this is the one I try to use the most)
gum
clean something (you can always come clean my place if yours is clean lol)

:flowerforyou: This is IMO the hardest part of the weight loss! Good luck to you!

Egger29

Factor in snacks into your calories, it doesnt matter when you eat, your body doesnt treat a calorie any different at 7pm than 9pm etc. I have always eaten snacks right up till bedtime.

It DOES matter when you eat. While a calorie is a calorie, your metabolic rate is the slowest when you're sleeping so if you have a huge meal before going to bed you won't be burning it off in your sleep.

Consider this: When you're asleep the average metabolism will burn about 1.2 calories / minute, Sitting Idle in a chair will be about 3 Calories/minute, Standing and moving around will burn about 5.4 calories a minute.

It's from this that many people gain weight because they have excessively large meals too close to their bedtime.

WildFlower7

Eat before 7 and drink a glass of water before bed. . . if you absolutly have to have a snack before bed or after dinner when your relaxing watching t.v. or something go with a very small right size portion of either (these are my faves) green or black olives, popcorn or sunflower seeds :bigsmile: