snacking at night

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hewson44
hewson44 Posts: 11
in Motivation and Support
i'm fine throughout the day, i stick to my plan to the last calorie...

then comes evening and the urge to snack and binge!

the cravings for cookies and crisps are like crashing waves!

how do you guys beat the cravings? any tips would be much appreciated
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Replies

  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
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    I'm a night time eater too. I leave room in my day for it, and then I make good choices.
  • hopefloatsup
    hopefloatsup Posts: 207 Member
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    I've been trying to figure this out too! After the kids go to bed, it's my "me" time. I sit, relax, and do my computer work for a few hours. That seems to be the worst time for me. I'm a snacker. I always have been. I'm trying to force myself to eat more well balanced MEALS. I think it's making it harder for me. I don't do breakfast - never have. I have my 3 cups of coffee and I'm good until lunch. However, since starting this, I've been trying to eat breakfast.

    My plan (and I have no clue if it will do any good) is to continue on my coffee in the morning, but at least try to have a piece of fruit in the morning. Lunch, I will just have something small like normal, and Dinner, we eat as a family, so it's our main meal. I think my problem was more of WHAT I was eating. I wouldn't eat healthy, therefore I'd eat more for portions. I NEED to learn to make room for my night time snacking or I'm going to fail. It's a lifestyle change....and I'm slowly learning that it doesn't happen overnight. That's been my BIGGEST struggle so far.
  • hewson44
    hewson44 Posts: 11
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    it sucks! i used to binge like crazy as well at night, and now its become a habit.... so its hard to break!

    gotta keep thinking of how good i will feel without a big gut haha!
  • starrybirdy
    starrybirdy Posts: 18 Member
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    I'm worse at night - planning ahead is the best strategy - save a few cals if you can or exercise to earn a few


    I like a small bowl of breakfast cereals in the evening sometimes - it fulfils that sweet craving but is substantial enough to feed my hunger
  • hewson44
    hewson44 Posts: 11
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    yeah ive been trying that recently, planning all my meals and calories so i dont have room to snack!

    just so hard!

    i might give the cereal thing a go because it tends to be sweet cravings i get!

    better a bowl of muesli than a pack of cookies ha!
  • emstgm
    emstgm Posts: 117 Member
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    It is a hard habit to break, especially if it's paired with another habit, like watching TV. That is probably one of the biggest contributing factors to my being overweight. However, I discovered Fiber One 90 calorie brownies. Don't get me wrong, they're not as good as the real thing, but I'm happy with the. So when I've stayed within my goal for the day, if there's room, I have a brownie and 1 cup of skim milk. My little treat. For the snacky munchy things that I crave, I try to hold out for the weekend when I like to have some popcorn with my family while watching a movie.
  • lmalaschak
    lmalaschak Posts: 346 Member
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    Maybe it's a bad idea, but I save calories for it. My breakfast and lunch are always quite small and then in the evening I can eat quite a lot, actually. I'm sure some will say this isn't the way to do it, but so far it's working.
  • kylesmommy89
    kylesmommy89 Posts: 356 Member
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    Maybe it's a bad idea, but I save calories for it. My breakfast and lunch are always quite small and then in the evening I can eat quite a lot, actually. I'm sure some will say this isn't the way to do it, but so far it's working.

    This! It's working for me, too. :)
  • alygover
    alygover Posts: 68 Member
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    I find eating about 1/2 - 1 cup of frozen wild blueberries really works for me when I'm craving a sweet snack at night. I feel like I'm eating a snack that is sweet, but there aren't too many calories in it. Also, since they are frozen it kind of forces you to eat them more slowly than other snacks.
  • donald149
    donald149 Posts: 211 Member
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    My nutritionist recommended 7 hours sleep per night and when I did this, the cravings actually went away. Before this I was sleeping 4-5 hours a night and would be searching the cupboards for anything sweet at night. Even gobbling down chocolate chips to feed the cravings.
  • xMsAlly
    xMsAlly Posts: 164 Member
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    Try sleeping earlier? Can't eat if you're not awake lol

    Edit: Donald beat me to it :)
  • lmalaschak
    lmalaschak Posts: 346 Member
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    My nutritionist recommended 7 hours sleep per night and when I did this, the cravings actually went away. Before this I was sleeping 4-5 hours a night and would be searching the cupboards for anything sweet at night. Even gobbling down chocolate chips to feed the cravings.

    Donald, there is no shame in eating 16 Ghiradelli 60% bittersweet chocolate chips. Not that I EVER do that, EVER. :D
  • nicehormones
    nicehormones Posts: 503 Member
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    I'm the same. I find if I at least allow myself like one piece of dark chocolate and eat it slowly, I am fine. I am not good at denying myself things that I want. It works for me.
  • wilberfamily
    wilberfamily Posts: 111 Member
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    I try to build in calories for a snack in the evening. On work days I tend to eat 5 smaller meals a day and then a snack at night. It is so much harder if I feel deprived. About 11 years ago I lost 101 pounds and kept it off for 5 years and I had an evening snack all that time too. You can have evening snacks and still lose/maintain weight. You just have to plan for it.
  • Masachapa
    Masachapa Posts: 79
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    I save a few calories for an evening snack. That way, you can have an occasional treat without feeling guilty!
  • xXKatrinaXx
    xXKatrinaXx Posts: 234
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    i crave food at night too and just leave room for it. Usually I try and log my day earlier what I know Im going to eat so I know how much room I have (and leave some room for night snacking)

    Ive ditched ice cream for arctic zero ice cream (i get it raleys or whole foods) its 150 calories a pint and if you pop it in the microwave to soften up it really does taste like ice cream. its good :)

    Also vita muffin tops i get them in chocolate flavor and they are 100 calories each . Those cure my chocolate cravings.
  • racha2424
    racha2424 Posts: 58 Member
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    I have the same problem. Some snacks I eat in the evenings are sugar free pudding, Smart Pop 94% fat free kettle corn, rice cakes with peanut butter, and skinny cow ice creams.
  • Danpellizzari
    Danpellizzari Posts: 130
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    I usually get hungry right before bed. That's when I grap some Greek yogurt or cottage cheese. I also het a handful of almonds or walnuts. This helps fuel me while I sleep. And usually the yogurt eases my sweet tooth.
  • keywestsunset
    keywestsunset Posts: 139 Member
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    What do you do in the evenings? My trigger was watching tv. I would snack the whole time I was watching tv. I cut out how much tv I watch in the evenings and that really helped with my evening snacking. Now it's not a habit to grab a bag of chips and stuff my face while in front of the tv.
  • Julesalison
    Julesalison Posts: 1 Member
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    Drinking lots of sweet herbal tea (naturally sweet, like cinnamon apple, decaf chai, etc). Also grapefruits (you can eat the whole entire thing for hardly any calories) and air popped popcorn. Good luck!

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