Carbs/Startches at night

nsanville

OK, SO i find that I do really well during the day with my eating. I make my breakfast, lunch and snacks the night before and bring them to work with me. If you look at my food diary, I am CLEARLY eating enough. But I find that when I get home at 6, and I am making dinner and what not, I am constantly looking for something to eat. Crackers, Chips, Toast, or I feel the compulsion to make pasta or potatoes with dinner. I cannot seem to control it, and then after I eat these things, I feel so guilty! does anyone else experience this type of thing, or have any sugggestions to curb this?

kimbsh01

get all the junk food outta the house...if its not there u cant eat it...good luck

mommy_03

i have found that if i dont incorporate those types of food into my daily routine then i will binge at night also. so i have since started to eat just one pack of fun size candy after lunch (right now its fun size reese pieces and then i'll buy a bag of another fun size candy) and they are only 100 calories. if im having a sandwich i will have 16 pringles multi grain chips (yes i count them out according to the nutrition facts)..i have learned not to deprive myself of anything, you can eat whatever you want just in moderation, i even eat my 1/2 cup of icecream out of a measuring cup lol

mommy_03

get all the junk food outta the house...if its not there u cant eat it...good luck

if she has a husband and kids, then thats damn near impossible, at least at my house!

JasonDetwiler

Try Carb Backloading and you can have those things at night, just not every night.

zyxst

There is nothing wrong with those foods. Plan them into your daily cals and move on.

Look at why you're eating those foods. Are you bored? Hungry? Eliminated from your diet?

Fenomka

First, it's TOTALLY okay to have good carbs with dinner -roasted or boiled baby red potatoes with just some salt and pepper, or maybe even a tiny bit of skim cheese on top, with your dinner is a really good way to round out the meal, and leave you feeling full and satisfied. The thing you have to watch out for is what kinds of carbs you're craving, and WHY. Is it the carb, or is it the salt? I find that sometimes, if i'm really just knawing my arm off, I'll have some bagel thins with almond butter. That way, I'm getting the carb I want, but I'm also using it as a vessel for a good, healthy fatty protein, and the combo almost always knocks that craving on it's butt, and lets me get back to work.

You' can do this. You're totally on track. Trust your body, and trust yourself.

YOU'RE A ROCKSTAR!!!

rainghirl

Sounds like it's an associated behaviour, or habit. You assoicate the carbs with that time of the day. Could you pre-prepare your evening meal, and then whilst it's heating up go and do something away from the kitchen? Just something to break the association. Once you've broken it for a while it should become easier.

I don't worry about carbs personally, but I run so I need them, I just try and keep the calories, fat and salt within the boundaries instead.

nsanville

get all the junk food outta the house...if its not there u cant eat it...good luck

if she has a husband and kids, then thats damn near impossible, at least at my house!

Thats exactly the issue! I have 4 boys and my husband. If i took ALL the "junk" out, they would revolt!!

SideSteel

There is nothing wrong with those foods. Plan them into your daily cals and move on.

^ That.

vim_n_vigor

You have your carbs set very low. I don't know why you decided to have that level, but perhaps it is too low for your body and your body is telling you something at night like - Gimme my carbs!

Jimaudit

My wife hides all of the babies food so I am not tempted. Even though I know where it is, I do not open that cabinet.

I do not have carbs with dinner at all. 4-6 ozs protein and 2 veg.....some Fage and truvia to round out the night. If I eat carbs at night, I gain weight instantly because I do not work out much at all (bad back and neuromuscular disease). I stopped missing it after a month or so becuase I have a carb with b-fast and 2 with lunch.

LorinaLynn

There is nothing wrong with those foods. Plan them into your daily cals and move on.

^ That.

Yup. I have baked potatoes a couple times a week, and pasta or rice daily.

fitsin10

have a bowl of fruit and or fresh vegetables nearby so that you'll grab for that instead. For me it's the mindless grabbing for things sometimes.

ahamm002

OK, SO i find that I do really well during the day with my eating. I make my breakfast, lunch and snacks the night before and bring them to work with me. If you look at my food diary, I am CLEARLY eating enough. But I find that when I get home at 6, and I am making dinner and what not, I am constantly looking for something to eat. Crackers, Chips, Toast, or I feel the compulsion to make pasta or potatoes with dinner. I cannot seem to control it, and then after I eat these things, I feel so guilty! does anyone else experience this type of thing, or have any sugggestions to curb this?

I used to have the exact same issue! It's called carb cravings, and unfortunately snacking on processed carbs is basically death to any diet plan. Carbs make you feel good, and your body will definitely make you crave them when you try to diet.

Here how to deal with it:

1. Minimize all "processed carbs". Don't keep the chips, pretzels, cereal, etc., in your house. It's still okay to have bread and pasta with your meals, but minimize them. Switch to snacking on fruits, cottage cheese, yogurt, etc., instead. I'm not recommending going low carb though, just to minimize processed carbs.

2. Stop drinking diet soda, soda, juice, or anything sweet for that matter. It just reinforces the carb cravings and sweet tooth! Only drink water, tea (unsweetened), and coffee.

3. After about 45 days you'll stop missing the processed carbs, and then it's safe to start eating them more frequently. But you should still minimize them, and especially avoid snacking on them (once again, snacking on processed carbs can seriously destroy a diet).

EDIT: another option is to eat very low calorie for breakfast and lunch, thereby saving most of your calories for night time. That way it's okay to have your carb cravings and whatnot. Just make sure you save up enough calories!

DopeItUp

I peeked at your diary. Two glaring things stood out to me:

1) You're eating way under your goal almost every day. Of course you're going to be craving all kinds of food. Starving yourself will only cause burn out. Shoot for a moderate calorie deficit and stick to it (say +/- 100 calories a day).
2) Your protein intake is extremely low. Protein is easily the #1 satiating macro you can eat. It will keep you fuller, longer. Period. Shoot for your goal level of protein as a MINIMUM. Not as a maximum.

Between eating your goal calories and getting more protein you will feel much better. Try it for a week and see. You will be shocked at the difference - I never crave snacks or anything anymore.

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

Why do carbs make you feel guilty? I eat them ALL THE TIME! SERIOUSLY! There's no reason to feel guilt over this.

firstsip

I peeked at your diary. Two glaring things stood out to me:

1) You're eating way under your goal almost every day. Of course you're going to be craving all kinds of food. Starving yourself will only cause burn out. Shoot for a moderate calorie deficit and stick to it (say +/- 100 calories a day).
2) Your protein intake is extremely low. Protein is easily the #1 satiating macro you can eat. It will keep you fuller, longer. Period. Shoot for your goal level of protein as a MINIMUM. Not as a maximum.

Between eating your goal calories and getting more protein you will feel much better. Try it for a week and see. You will be shocked at the difference - I never crave snacks or anything anymore.

^ This x2.

crazylovergrl

get more unrefined sugars and complex carbs in your diet.

throw out the chips and crackers, eat a potato with salt and pepper or a sweet potato with stevia and cinnamon
make oven fries
eat air popped popcorn
eat oatmeal!
eat squash, it's in season!

Get those carbs, but eat the healthy ones!

hiker359

If you're just facing the urge to munch, have a bag of baby carrots or apple slices. Just something you can grab and nibble while you cook. it's really easy not to eat the bad stuff if it isn't in the house, but short of a ban, just make a healthy substitution.

wmagoo27

For what it's worth, later in the day your body is less sensitive to insulin. Eating carbs in the evening is less likely to build fat than eating them earlier in the day. Just keep an eye on your calories and you should be fine.