Any tips to curb evening snacking..

Terri73

I have never bothered to take care of myself being overweight as could never be bothered but even though i've not lost a lot i can see small changes to my body... so when the evening cravings start i get the cleansers and moisturisers out and have a little pamper session. My skin had never been in such good condition (water helping with that too).

Anyone else have ways of curbing those cravings???

peteloafer

I'm no expert but what works for me is...

If I really must eat something I get a cup of green tea and a rice cake with marmite or margarine or
a few dried apricots (if any in the cupboard)

Fills the "must-eat" gap and minimal calorie damage

good luck

Pete :-)

posherspice

I find this the hardest time of day too - am usually insane with hunger by the time I get in from work! I try and have supper as soon as I can (tho' this can be difficult as husband often doesn't get in till much later) while I still feel in control. Otherwise I tend to pick and snack which is fatal. I also try and stay out of the kitchen, so my cupboards upstairs are much tidier than they used to be. A low cal hot chocolate can take the edge off my appetite too.

Interested to hear others' tips as I suspect lots of people struggle with this.

Well done on making a start - 7lbs off is a great beginning!

kkrgimson

Try snacking on low fat cottage cheese or something high in protein. Therefore you are not eating unnecessary Carbohydrates which will turn into fat.

Crystal817

A cup of tea! Helps get me sleepy and curb cravings. I'm having some right now.

hellen72

Keep a lettuce or cucumber in the fridge and when u want to snack allow yourself to pig out on it

That is my aim but have only managed it a few times as it is not appealing!

JunkFoodJane

If you're hungry, eat, if it's anything else take a warm bath, do your nails, work a puzzle, take up knitting. Knitting in the evenings keeps my hands too busy for snacks. And come next winter it will help keep my family warm.

ninyagwa

This is going to sound silly, but here goes. I was watching an episode of the Tyra Banks show one day, and a tip that her dietician gave her was to keep plain turkey breast lunch meat in the fridge (not smoked or flavored or anything) and if she got the urge to snack, that should be it. I've never tried it as I haven't felt the need to curb any snacking at the moment. She says it works, and she's "fierce" so who knows...

PamDW

I have made a rule and that is no eating after 7:30. We usually have dinner by 7. It has helped to make sure I cook a filler to go with dinner (broccol and cauliflower are great for that) Then if I do get a craving to eat I ask myself am I really hungry or am I just looking to munch. If I am truly hungry then I eat. Also looking at your log before you snack might help. If I am over my calories I ask myself, is it worth it. Now it is a mindset.

jellybaby84

I agree with PamDW, have a time after which you are banned from eating and then it ceases to be an option.

Mine is 7pm unless I'm at the gym late in which case I have saved 100 calories for a pre prepared snack which I take with me and in the car before driving home so I don't have the option of choosing something unplanned.

SageGoddess320

I brush my teeth :happy: Everything but water tastes like crap afterward.

minburke

Eek this is my worst habit too! I wonder if ham is the same as the turkey thing? I always love eating shaved ham... That cleansing ritual and the tea are great ideas too! I've found since giving up the coke I get the worst sweet tooth around 8pm every night. I never used to be a dessert or chocolate girl.

prov31ms

A few things that work for me...

1. I log my dinner in the morning and save anywhere from 200-400 calories for the evening (you can quick add some calories to your evening snack in the morning and then when you are in the mood to snack that night you have those calories waiting for you)

2. If I have no more calories & I still want something - I have some teas that I love - black licorice tea & chai spice tea

3. Another great option is sugar free jell-o - it is only 10 calories

4. Chewing gum instead of eating also helps if I am just in the mood to chew something

Atlantique

Are you actually hungry in the evenings, or is this just a habit?

If you're actually hungry, you can plan your day to either space out your calories better so you're satisfied from dinner til bed time or to have an evening snack. I have a snack just about every night-usually baby carrots with hummus or one serving of almonds or pistachios.

If it's a habit, rather than hunger, driving the snacking then keep doing what you are doing--finding other ways to keep busy.

bmontgomery87

A cup of tea! Helps get me sleepy and curb cravings. I'm having some right now.

agreed. I have green tea in the evenings. All that extra water seems to help keep me from snacking for a bit.

SeasideOasis

My boyfriend makes a homemade chai/ginger root iced tea. We keep a HUGE container of it (its about 7-9 inches tall and fits the entire length of the frig) in the frig. Its light, refreshing, but also carries a nice kick. Instead of eating something, I reach for a class of tea. Its helped so far in not eating late at night.

wolsteem

I tend not to snack in evening but there are certain times of the month that something sweet is really wanted. I satisfy that with a cup of Options hot chocolate... 35cal. It satisfies the sweet chocolate desire and it feels as if I am not depriving myself as to maintain the weight I still have to live and that means occasional treats (within reason of course! )

Coco_Belle

Some really great tips here, thanks for posting!
I need to have some 'ready-to-go' ideas ready as I stay away from home a lot so don't have my knitting, face masks, nail polish stuff with me!
I usually drink tea, or have the 10cal pots of jelly!
we will crack the habit eventually!

Good luck

sophjakesmom

if I get a craving but don't think I am hungry, I will drink water and chew gum. Some days, my jaw feels like it will fall off, but I am afraid if I stop, I will start munching. The other option is to save some calories for the evening time and plan a snack. if you control it, it may not put you over the deepend.

sophjakesmom

A cup of tea! Helps get me sleepy and curb cravings. I'm having some right now.

great idea! the warmth makes me feel more full.

Marcus_E

I'd suggest a nice cup of Green Tea - Sometimes it's going through the motions of doing something that you might realise it's not hunger you have, but more a habitual thing.

Also, try drinking a glass of water.. What I started to do if I had cravings, was pour myself a glass of water and drink it whilst I was rummaging through the cupboards and fridge - I noticed that after I finished the water, I hadn't got anything out of the fridge or cupboards and wasn't feeling snacky anymore.. It's not a perfect answer, but could help..

JeninBelgium

here's one that no one seems to have answered- go to bed- so many of us are sleep deprived- and I had once read that when we are sleep deprived we tend to crave more sugar y or starchy foods (don't know if this is scientifically true- cjust made sense for me) try going to bed early sometimes, you won't be thinking about food and you may wake up more refreshed and ready to take on the world than on other days :-)

goron59

Could try snacking earlier in the day, obviating the need to snack in the evening :bigsmile:

Dawntodusk

I drink a lot of water and then I sip herbal tea while watching a movie. (That's what I did last night.)

rosey808

Evening is my worst time. Yesterday was my first day on my diet and the evening was hard. Thanks to everyone here for the suggestions. I'm jotting them down.

This is what I did yesterday to avoid eating:

Went for a walk
Cleaned my bathroom
Sorted socks (I have a million stragglers)
Read a magazine (Shape and InStyle, seeing pretty people keeps me motivated)
Watched TV
Ate ice chips

heathersmilez

CELERY!!

I'm not often hungry after dinner but If you are relaxing and just watching TV the desire to munch is unreal so I found that eating a 1 stalk of celery (cut up) satisfies that desire.

If that doesn’t help and you can't take it anymore, toss yourself in bed even if it’s only 9:30, the extra sleep will do you good.

heathersmilez

A cup of tea! Helps get me sleepy and curb cravings. I'm having some right now.

I thought green tea (specifically Lipton) had caffeine? If it's past 8:00 I avoid it for that reason but of course that’s prime munching time. I generally hate coffee and tea but bought a huge box of the green kind just b/c of the health properties so if you hate the stuff too, you can do it!

TrainerRobin

My daughter's approach: Go to bed.

My approach:
(1) Determine what KIND of hungry I am by asking myself whether ANYTHING will do (which means PHYSICAL hunger) or whether I have a craving for something specific (which means EMOTIONAL hunger).
(2) If I'm physically hungry, I'll find a healthy small snack to eat and then log it, OR
(3) If I'm emotionally hungry, I'll either take my daughter's approach (go to bed) or get a hot cup of a flavored tea with a touch of sweetener.

Hope that helps!

Mommyof3texans

Great idea! I usually grab a bottled water and go do something to make myself busy. I tend to go to bed fairly early so it isn't a big issue for me thankfully. Sometimes if I feel like I'm going to raid the pantry, I just go to bed instead!

RMinVA

I reach for herbal tea or water if it is close to bedtime. If I am truly hungry, maybe a piece of cheese or non-fat yogurt.

For what it's worth, last week I cut my fruit intake: only 2 servings per day, no fruit after 2pm, and am filling up on protein instead. It seems to be working wonders on my appetite.

Mairgheal

I find evening time the hardest as well.
What works for me is to do an exercise (currently the 30 day shred), which definitely puts me off overeating, after putting in all that effort. Last night I was very hot and thirsty after that and I had a large serving of sugarfree jelly (my daughter is mad about that stuff, so we always have some made up in the fridge), it was surprisingly satisfactory!


Oh and someone just told me yesterday about a supplement, chromium, it's meant to decrease your cravings for sugar and fat. Haven't tried it myself, but I will look into it. If anyone here uses it, would love to hear your experience!