Stopping the overeating at night tips?

kare4acure

I try to save about 200-300 calories for night time just for this reason.
My boyfriend and I LOVE making popcorn at night. We share a bag of the 94% fat free popcorn which is about 120-130 calories each.
I love it cause it feels like you get to eat foreverrrrr if you eat it one piece at a time!

TRUE TRUE!!

seamadden

bump

JennaM222

Drinking Hot tea!!!!

TKHappy

I like to have some cut up berries and a square of dove dark chocolate. And a cup of tea. Fills me up, and satisfies my sweet craving.

This!! I have berries and tea!! Even during my 3 o'clock crash I drink tea so I don't hit the candy bowl!

runfatmanrun

I don't think it matters. I eat, in moderation around 200-300 calories, up until I go to bed and it's worked for me just fine. Calories in calories out.

ehg87

chew a piece of gum.....or better yet brush your teeth...nothing tastes good after you've just brushed

tomusiakl

Seriously, I brush my teeth from early and the desire for food goes away. Try it. Then only sip on some water.

mlewon

Is there a reason why you eat at night? Are you hungry or just bored or is it just a habit to eat then?

By saving cals during the day for the night are you stopping yourself from eating when you're hungry at all?

Make sure you're only eating when you're hungry and not because you're bored. Also, if you're going to snack at night, try to eat things like carrots, yogurt, almonds...etc.

CEHayes73

Try replacing the habit of eating at night with other healthy habits. Exercise, go out for a walk, or prep healthy food for tomorrow! Make yourself a salad for tomorrow's lunch, if you end up binging on that, there's nothing wrong with that. I also have a 'treat' snack I have in the evening that's filling, and that I really look forward too. I have a 35 calorie yogurt with half a cup of fresh or frozen berries, and a quarter cup of granola. It satisfied my sweet tooth, and come in at around 140 calories altogether. After a week or two, you'll stop craving it!

HeatherGTaylor

I was getting so bad at night. Binging up to 1000 calories over just at night! I agree with all the popcorn posts, I save enough calories for a regular butter size popcorn bag (about 420 cal) and 1-2 jello chocolate puddings. Covers the range of salty and sweet and the bulk size.

So far it's worked for me, I know if I eat a small something I'll go get another small something and another and another....

joanie152

That wouldn't happen if you went to sleep by 10 pm. Deepak Chopra talks about the 3 period of the day and 10 in the morning and 10 in the evening is the beginning to the hungry/active time or pitta time period :indifferent: (according to Ayurvedic tradition.)

One of the dumbest things I've ever read.

Kind of rude don't you think?

joanie152

I have two Thin Crisp - Thin Rye Crispbread - 2 crackers = 40 calories. They don't taste that good, so two is more than enough to satisfy my bored teeth.

Flaming_Reef

I too leave calories for nighttime snacking.
But if I don't have many left for whatever reason I love Brach's Cinnamon Hard Candy. The sugar free is 3 pieces for 35 calories and something about sucking on spicy cinnamon stops my nibble.

jsapninz

Step 1: Leave calories for late night snack (I do about 130 cals worth) and use them
Step 2: Decaf tea.
Step 3: Brush teeth

kellyreynolds14

I have the same problem, as it sounds like most people do! Last night was actually a bad night for me but I scooped myself 8 oz of plain yogurt (170 cals) and mixed in 10g vanilla sugar free jello mix (25 cals) for a creamy sweet treat. 8 oz is a LOT of yogurt and I was so stuffed when I finished eating that I was feeling EXTREAMLY guilty. Then I logged it and realized t only cost me 195 calories and even though I was over my daily calorie goal, it wasn't by much. So although I am still trying to figure out what works for me, I would say find snacks that maximize satiety, satisfy whatever it is you are craving (for me it was sweets) and dig in on that before you reach for the higher calorie, less filling snacks (for me, that would have been peanut butter, I could eat that forever and it racks up calories faster than you can blink!)

Also cantaloupe seems to be very filling for me and in the summer it tastes AMAZING!

TravisBurns

Try brushing your teeth anytime you feel you are getting bad cravings. It will make everything nasty and bitter if you try to eat it.

StrongerJess

Bump

MrsSWW

:flowerforyou: Take up cross stitch or knitting, if you're hands are busy and need to be clean you can't snack

tdelo7634

Casein Protien Shake. Very slow digesting, keeps you full. I take mine between 9 and 10pm. Iuse one scoop with just water, of Optimum Nutrition Vanilla flavor. 120 calories. 24g protein.

sharleengc

The only tip I have is what you're already doing. For a long time I saved my exercise calories (200-300) for an after dinner snack. Such as a cheese sandwich (the bread I use is 90 cal/2 slices and 110cal of cheese so 200 total), or the flavored mini rice cakes, or a Green Giant just for 1 veggie tray, or my sweet tooth....whatever...

I have found now that after "saving" 200-300 for a year, I no longer need to. I slowly got over my night time snackiness as long as I don't stay up later than normal. If I stay up later than midnight, I tend to need something just because it's been 6 hours since dinner.

Now, I am able to plan my day out, and I include a skinny cow candy bar or frozen yogurt which is now my 8pm snack. I now find I struggle to add back in my exercise calories because I am able to plan low call, filling meals.

aubreykkkk

Do not walk past food or even enter the kitchen. The kitchen in my house is in the center, so I really have to try to avoid it! Maybe stay upstairs away from any food. Good luck!

MudDancer

Buy some ultra high cocoa % dark chocolate and have a square or drink tea. Lots and lots of tea (pref green). I have about a bagillion cups of tea a day to stop myself eating.

I agree, if I'm starving at night one square of 80% dark chocolate and a cup of tea satisfies the urge to eat

xipow

I disagree with all those who say it doesn't matter when you eat. Calories in-calories out is too simplistic. There are other factors that effect weight loss. To convert fat into glucose so it can be used as energy, the body uses Human Growth Hormone (HGH). The presence of insulin in the bloodstream inhibits the release of HGH. To stimulate the release of HGH from the pituitary gland, do not eat a carbohydrate meal near bedtime. If you are hungry, eat a small protein meal before bed, plain yogurt, chicken breast, egg whites etc. Or foods with a very low glycemic index such as an avocado. http://www.carbs-information.com/glycemic-index.htm#gi

HGH release is stimulated by exercise and fasting, or when we are low on glucose in the blood and the pancreas is not producing insulin. The pituitary releases higher amounts of HGH while we sleep than while we are awake, if insulin is not being secreted by the pancreas. The highest HGH release comes during deep sleep, so lack of sleep affects the ability to burn fat stores. Sleep apnea is an enemy to weight loss.

As we age (after age 40) the pituitary gland slowly starts to cut down how much HGH it produces. Hence we have an increasingly difficult time burning excess fat stores.

Apart from increasing height in children, growth hormone carries out many other metabolic functions such as increasing calcium retention, strengthens and increases the mineralization of the bone, increase in muscle mass through the creation of new cells, promotes lipolysis, resulting in reduction of the adipose tissue (body fat), increases promote synthesis and stimulates the growth of all internal organs, reduces the liver uptake of glucose, an effect that opposes that of insulin, helps in the maintenance of pancreatic islets, promotes liver gluconeogenesis (glucose generation), plays a role in fuel homeostatis and it also stimulates the immune system. (http://www.jintropin.cn/hgh.html)

Bottom line, stop eating carbs late at night if you want to burn body fat.

Read more: How Does Human Growth Hormone Work? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4759518_human-gr owth-hormone-work.html#ixzz1prKqNa6A

myfitnessnmhoy

I do great all day but it's like at night my head flips a switch and no matter how hard I fight myself I end up binging half the time. I know it's a hard habit to break and anyone who knows how to do this the right way please tell! I have been saving three hundred cals for at night and so far its working pretty good!

If saving 300 calories is working for you, then that's what works for you.

I'd focus on things that will keep you full longer, like proteins, rather than things that are going to make you energetic (harder to sleep) and not get burned off, like carbohydrates. You might find that a nice protein snack of 100 calories counts more toward satisfying hunger all night than a 300-calorie carbohydrate and particularly sugary snack.

chewy1986

I make sure I save some calories during the day for night time. I try to stick to fruits and veggies like if I want candy I will make a bowl of strawberries with some lite whip cream or if I want like chips I cut up some cucumbers and lightly salt it and it mostly helps

ArtemisMoon

I used to snack a lot at night and that was a huge problem for me even when I had to be in bed for work the next day. These are the tactics that finally cured me:

1. Don't eat anything else after you brush your teeth. Only drink water, nothing else. Even diet soda can cause cravings. This acts as a done signal to your body.

2. Save a large portion of calories for dinner so your body really feels full.

3. Make sure you eat something that will be satisfying to you. If you feel completely turned off by a salad, but eat it anyway, you are going to feel a much stronger urge to snack later because you aren't satisfied by dinner. I would rather bulk up a portion of mac n cheese with veggies and have the mac n cheese I am craving then deny it and risk feeling restless and in need to more food later. Or if you can't have exactly what you want, try to find a good compromise instead of forcing yourself to eat something you don't want.

3. Always eat dessert if you like sweet things. Fruit, single serving cakes, popsicle, ice cream bar...something that will fit within your plan. This acts as a done signal to your body. Hot tea or something you can do nightly will work as well.

4. Once you close your diary for the night, DONE. Do it before brushing your teeth. This acts as a done signal to your body.

This incorporates three whole signals to your body that you are finished for the night. Even if I feel hungry before falling alseep I don't feel the urge to eat anymore.

TinaDay1114

Sounds like the saving extra calories for nighttime plan is working for you. So if it does, stick to that.

I find myself eating a TON at night when I am TIRED. That's usually my common theme. If I really ask myself, "Do I wanna go to bed right now?" it's usually a YES, but I'm reaching for the snacks to stay awake. Usually I want to stay awake to either get some more chores done after the kids go down, or get some "relaxation time" for myself (stress/tired).

If I go to bed when that happens, I can:
1. sleep if I'm actually just sleepy, or
2. read a book in there for my "relaxation time" and still feel like I got what I wanted / needed.

If I stay "up", I'll be snacking for sure. I think the longer you stay awake, the more your body is saying "Hey, if you're gonna stay up this long, you gotta FEED ME."

jetabear10

Just step away from the fridge...when you get the urge to eat ~ go for a walk instead and drink a glass of water. That way you are actually benefiting yourself instead of "denying".

Stay strong...eventually, you won't even crave that evening snack. (Little stuff like that could also be the difference between losing 0 pounds a week to losing 2 so step away from the snack) lol

Cheers!

fudgebudget

Try brushing your teeth anytime you feel you are getting bad cravings. It will make everything nasty and bitter if you try to eat it.

^^^ This. Also, just don't go in the kitchen. Prepare tomorrow's lunch while you're doing dinner and don't go in the kitchen. Refill your glass of water from the bathroom tap if you have to, or get a bigger glass. It's a habit for me to wander into the kitchen and automatically open the fridge to see what's there (hint: the same thing that was there 30 minutes ago). Break the habit of both boredom eating and boredom kitchen wandering. Find other things to do to keep yourself busy.

Josshhh

I think the biggest thing that helps me is going to bed as early as I can Plus I feel better and more energetic in general... If I'm desperate though I'll just eat something like an apple. I don't want this to be some kind of miserable diet where I can't eat anything, it's a lifestyle change so I'm gonna have to find a way to work things like that in :P

But yeah, granny smith apples and small bowls of cereal are my favourite for after-dinner snacks