Dilemma: Late Night Snacking

michellej94
michellej94 Posts: 22
in Motivation and Support
There is one thing which sabotages all my day's good eating habits.... LATE NIGHT SNACKING.
I don't know what to do about it! I eat really well during the whole day and exercise too, but then I get these cravings at night time and I always give in and it hinders my weight loss a lot.

Does anyone have any tips of how I can avoid this?

Replies

  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    I go to bed early =)
  • Cranktastic
    Cranktastic Posts: 1,517 Member
    I have had a lot of luck with having my coffee in the morning and saving my calories for a bit later in the day.

    I really love having more to eat at night.
  • Heather_Rider
    Heather_Rider Posts: 1,159 Member
    There is one thing which sabotages all my day's good eating habits.... LATE NIGHT SNACKING.
    I don't know what to do about it! I eat really well during the whole day and exercise too, but then I get these cravings at night time and I always give in and it hinders my weight loss a lot.

    Does anyone have any tips of how I can avoid this?

    typically, i have calories left over at the end of the day, but my "naughty" late night snack is 200 calories.. and its AMAZING.. and i eat it in bed for more "naughty" feeling.. LMAO

    32 angry birds cheese nips, with 17 hormel turkey pepperoni, cut in half..

    put them together, in one bowl.. eat a cracker, follow with half a pepperoni.

    taste like pizza! Mmmmmm!

    I snack on this while playing my kindle before bed, and seriously.. it takes like half an hour to eat, so it totally give me the "munchie" fix.. and lets me slap the hubbys hands a few times a night while he trys to steal. LMAO!

    Try it!!
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
    Ration some calories so that snacking fits your caloric intake goal.
  • artickb22
    artickb22 Posts: 411 Member
    i had this problem too, so I started making myself walk at least a half mile..either outside or on the treadmill or do 100 crunches before I indulged in a snack. I was tricky at first cause I seriously at times didnt even realize what I was doing until I was already on the couch with a bag of chips and a quarter of them gone. I just used to get in this habit of zoning out so bad I'd seriously walk into the kitchen and get them and start eating without realizing what I was doing. It took a while for it to stick but either before hand or when it hit me that I was snacking I'd remind myself if I wanted to continue I'd have to get physical. Sometimes its just worth it, but at any rate, I'm at least more mindful of what, when and how much I'm shoving down my throat hole. :)
  • lobstergirl
    lobstergirl Posts: 176 Member
    I have had a lot of luck with having my coffee in the morning and saving my calories for a bit later in the day.

    I really love having more to eat at night.

    This is what i do really....its just the way that works for me!
  • jemdee76
    jemdee76 Posts: 2 Member
    This is just like me. I think I have had a great day, eaten healthy foods so I can eat a square of chocolate. But then that turns into half a block and I look for more :(
    It helps me if I find something to do so I'm not thinking about food, rather than watching tv and doing mindless eating. Or if you brush your teeth after your last meal you are much less likely to snack.
  • NocturnalGirl
    NocturnalGirl Posts: 1,762
    Try saving more of your calories to eat later at night and see if that helps you stay within your calories. If it doesn't then I'd analyse your diet, maybe you are not eating enough in general? Or possibly boredom snacking? Try and keep busy or just go to bed! :)
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I am a late night snacker. I structure my calories accordingly:

    Breakfast: 200
    Lunch: 300
    Afternoon snack: 100
    Dinner: 400
    Evening snacking: 420
  • kschueller
    kschueller Posts: 23 Member
    Hi,
    I've had this exact same problem for years. I would literally get so hungry at night that I would have to eat....I would feel like I was going to pass out if I didn't. My nutritionist suggested really focusing on high fiber items and lots of veggies during the day and saving 200 calories or so for a 9-10pm snack. I've done this for the last week and it's really helped me. A few of the nights I didn't even eat the 10pm snack and I find that I am rarely hungry after dinner now too. It's been a lifesaver!
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    I have had a lot of luck with having my coffee in the morning and saving my calories for a bit later in the day.

    I really love having more to eat at night.

    This is what i do really....its just the way that works for me!

    Me too.
  • MouseTmom
    MouseTmom Posts: 201 Member
    I think everyone struggles with this! My solution is going upstairs (away from the kitchen) and either read or watch TV - sometimes jumping on my exercise bike also helps!
  • VaingloriousVictoria
    VaingloriousVictoria Posts: 137 Member
    Here are some suggestions:

    1. Try air-popped popcorn w/popcorn seasoning (lower calorie and delicious)
    2. Try drinking water before you eat. Usually people mistake hunger for thirst.
    3. While you're eating, don't drink. It will help you not over eat while you are snacking.
    4. If you CAN avoid carbs, try protein-rich snacks like jerky, cheese, etc.
    5. Try chewing your food to applesauce consistency each bite. This will allow you to fill up and not overeat!

    Good luck! I hope one of these suggestions help you out!
  • angieleamc
    angieleamc Posts: 1
    Is it because you are hungry or bored? For me, I tend to be rush rush rush all day then evening comes and I get bored and wander to the kitchen. I try to keep myself occupied when this happens.
  • TinaBean007
    TinaBean007 Posts: 273 Member
    I had this problem too then I started eating smaller meals about 4 times a day with my last one around 7 or 8pm. (Always including a lean protein and complex carb) It really helped a lot.
  • pink_nails
    pink_nails Posts: 5
    I would say that this problem is 9 out of 10 times a psychological issue. Yes, there is a chance that you dont eat properly during the day so that you are hungry at night, in which case the solution is easy - just as someone above suggested simply adjust your diet.

    Psychological aspect is more difficult to deal with. Again, as someone pointed out, this is a habit now so you dont usually even think about it. It's automatic. It's an automatic way to make you feel good. So find other ways to feel good. Are you bored in the evenings? Do you 'zone out' in front of tv? Change how you spend your evenings.

    For me yoga really works. It takes time to get into it but it's nice to have this 'clean' soothing ritual to finish the day. Very gratifying. Meditation does the trick also, but I know it's not for everyone so I'm careful recommending it.
  • purplemama16
    purplemama16 Posts: 6
    I have two small kids, so when I get home from work it's always a rush to feed everybody, get the kids their bath, jammies, snack, brush teeth, reads books and get them into bed. By the time I've finished this, the only thing I want to do is to sit on the couch and relax ... which usually means I suddenly find myself craving my husband's stash of cookies or chocolate. It's not that I'm hungry exactly, it's mostly out of habit and temptation. The more I try to concentrate on not giving in to temptation, the more I want to go in the kitchen and eat the whole bag of chocolate-covered almonds!
    One thing I've been trying lately is to bring a basket of laundry into the living room and fold it while I watch TV. It takes forever to get the laundry done because I get wrapped up in watching the show, but it keeps my hands busy - and I get one of my chores done, too!

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