nighttime snacking :(

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Replies

  • sabolfitwife
    sabolfitwife Posts: 423 Member
    I'm trying to kick this habit myself. Last night I didn't eat after 7 pm and I'm going to try my best to make it that way every night. My thing is I get bored and find myself wandering into the kitchen. Not so much that I'm hungry, just boredom. I'm going to start reading nightly or enjoying a crossword/word search/sudoku puzzle to entertain my head and keep the snacking under control! Good luck to you all!
  • successgal1
    successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
    I'm pretty active into the evening by way of having a craft I sell online so I have to fill orders...basically what I'm saying is that if your hands are busy with something else, they can't hold food.

    On the other hand, if I've had an active day I can get hungry a few hours after dinner. What You/I can eat depends on how good we were earlier in the day. For a sweet tooth I love nuking some frozen blueberries until warm and mushing them up with a touch of my no cal sweetner of choice. For a big of protein and creaminess vanilla no fat greek yogurt (I use oikos) is a good option. Use instead of whip cream on blueberries. Fresh blueberries are great in season. The darker the fruit, the less sugar it usually has.

    Half a grapefruit will stop hunger pangs long enough to fall asleep, also low in sugar, can add a no cal sweetner to it, and I have discovered that sprinkling cinnamon on it is delicious.

    Munch on berries, munch on grapes, make a dip with greek yogurt and hidden valley ranch dip mix and dip all those veggies you should have eaten all day into it.

    I find hunger cravings usually mean I need more protein.

    Oh and there is always air popped popcorn, no butter!
  • weightloss12345678
    weightloss12345678 Posts: 377 Member
    This is my biggest weakness
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    I just make sure I have the calories left to snack a bit in the evening. I eat a reasonable breakfast (around 400 calories) and a reasonable lunch (around 600 calories). Then, I end up with around 1200 calories for dinner, dessert and snacks.

    I know 2200 calories is a bit more than most MFP'ers eat, but I'm on maintenance now. If you're working with fewer calories, just shift the calories around so that you have more left in the evening than you eat throughout the rest of the day. :smile:
  • shaynooth
    shaynooth Posts: 10
    I am bad for night time treats. What works for me is if I cut back on my calories just a bit during the day maybe for lunch or dinner, then in the evening I have my treat. Something I really enjoy like popcorn or chocolate it seems to keep the snack monster at bay. If I feel I can't help but snack late I have some diet coke, very little calories but its satisfying.
  • eddierdiaz
    eddierdiaz Posts: 8 Member
    Try Pop Corn!
  • blissfulself
    blissfulself Posts: 193 Member
    i always save calories for after dinner. i like to eat a bowl of cereal (usually special k or raisin bran) or some kind of low calorie ice cream treat (i.e. fudgscicle 60 calories) in bed so i just plan ahead for it and usually log my snack and dinner at the same time so i don't go over
  • cassidaymoriarity
    cassidaymoriarity Posts: 10 Member
    Boil up some eggs so when you have an night time snacking urge you can either try waiting at least 20 minutes to see if your body is truly hungry and if it is eat an egg, don't use a ton of salt though! I don't even use salt I will warm an egg up in the microwave for like 15 seconds take it out and then peel and eat it. Be careful though the egg can possibly explode in the microwave if in it for too long and gets to warm.
  • Reneeisfat
    Reneeisfat Posts: 126 Member
    I find 20 minutes of exercise curbs my appetite pretty well. It also reminds me how hard it is to work off calories.

    ^this
    And I'll take a shower and go to bed.
    Can't eat if you're sleeping...unless you're a sleepwalker!
  • Starfish1125
    Starfish1125 Posts: 169 Member
    Another night time snacker, here. It was my favorite time of day - but it added significant pounds to my waistline :wink:

    What I do now is I drink 16 oz of water and eat a hard boiled egg. This way I'm filling up my belly with much needed water and some protein.

    Then I try and determine what I need for the next day's meal and try to accommodate a bowl of cereal with milk and fruit for a night time snack.

    I know that the week before my period I am RAVENOUS 24/7 - so I need to think of ways to get through that. This is my first week back on MFP - so I haven't had a period this month :blushing: - but I hope by the time it rolls around, I'll have some good habits in place.

    Just know that you are not alone in this battle!
  • Iceman420
    Iceman420 Posts: 195
    I've been terrible at nighttime snacking over the years. So far I've gone 5 nights without eating anything. When I'm feeling hungry I just ignore it until I fall asleep. It's really tough sometimes but I am determined to get this weight off.
  • breasonable
    breasonable Posts: 115 Member
    I have a yogurt and maybe a cutie or an apple! I use to always have ice cream or chips but I just switched it something more healthier!
  • AFGyrl
    AFGyrl Posts: 34 Member
    Bump
  • Blokeypoo
    Blokeypoo Posts: 274 Member
    I always have what I call "8'oclocksies" built into my cals for the day. I get up at 0530 and would be famished if I didn't eat then as it's a long day, I also wake in the night if hungry. I always do my cals the night before and don't deviate fromthe plan, it removes the bad decision making which can happen when faced with food choices when hungry/at work.

    During wt loss it was 2-3 jaffa cakes, now it's anything I have cals for but usually biccies of some sort.

    I don't care that they are empty cals, I care about creating sustainable habits with enough norties to keep me on track. I lost my wt in 2012 and have been maintaining for a year so figure I'm not doing badly.
  • SenseiCole
    SenseiCole Posts: 429 Member
    Hubby like to snack at night, so does make it hard on me, he is trying so what i do i plan an evening snack, something healthy 1/2 a fruit and custard or something like that

    I hope this helps
  • vixxxen88
    vixxxen88 Posts: 69 Member
    I usually don't eat dinner until around 8pm at night as after i finish work i go straight to the gym , nights i am not at the gym if i feel peckish usually i have a glass of water and then jump into the shower to take my mind off it as i know its just eating out of boredom! I cleared all my cupboards of chocolate sweets and crisps so the option isnt avaiable to me , if i want a sweet snack its a spoonful of peanut butter , fruit or nuts , failing that i just go to bed lol :) x
  • gold_4
    gold_4 Posts: 3
    I love the idea of closing the kitchen! I think this would discourage my kids from snacking too, I'm sure they don't need the snacks, and neither do I. I'm a dreadful nighttime snacker and regularly sabotage the entire days' good work and willpower by giving in to that monster! I don't even have the excuse that I'm bored/inactive as I am usually at the gym but despite that, I will come home and then start the snacking....I also like the idea of brushing your teeth early or planning the next days food. Thanks for all the ideas!
  • aarondnguyen
    aarondnguyen Posts: 270 Member
    Contrary to popular belief, meal timing is irrelevant. Calories consumed at 11pm are the same as those consumed at 8am. Meal frequency is also irrelevant. Take your standard 2000 calorie diet. If you do the typical 5 meal approach, each meal would be 400 calories. On the other hand, if you eat 2 meals a day, each would be 1000 calories. At the end of the day, the energy your body expends to metabolize these calories will be the same no matter how you look at it. You cannot make yourself more "efficient" or "boost" your metabolism by manipulating how often you eat (e.g. every 2-3 hours). That's just not how it works. We don't have a biological clock that slows our metabolism down at night either
  • rosanna421
    rosanna421 Posts: 65 Member
    i'd usually snack on berries, low in calories and tasty, i'd also make a large cup of decaf coffee or tea, it helps me relax and get ready for bed.
  • Beckilovespizza
    Beckilovespizza Posts: 334 Member
    I am a horrible nighttime snacker! I too find myself doing well all day only for it to be ruined by my inner snack monster at night. I think for me its boredom, so my advice to myself is to stay busy. For anyone else, find your "triggers" and start there. If you eat because you're bored then stay busy, the added bonus is if busy means up and moving then you're burning calories. If snacking is because your day time intake is too low and your blood sugar is dropping at night, then play with your dietary needs until you find yourself craving less. Cravings mean your body is lacking something, so listen, just don't listen while tearing up a bag of doritos! I have gone as far as eating an entire bag of mini carrots but at least it wasn't chips.

    I agree to keep busy if u snack out of boredom, I will clean or do the laundry or something (double bonus of clean house and less calories lol). I do also try to work snacks in to my daily allowance but I make sure all snacking foods in my cupboards are lower cal. However, I cannot preach, sometimes the snacking monster takes hold and I go for it!!

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