Help! I need some support/suggestions!

niightwindz

I need your help here, everyone. I've always been a late-night muncher. Not because I'm hungry but just because...well, its fun. :embarassed: Food is my comfort.
Throughout the day I am perfectly fine to stay away from junk. I might treat myself to some chips if my calories allow it and if I'm eating right through the day, or a piece of chocolate every once in a while. But I don't go over board with it and I don't feel huge cravings for junk.
About an hour after supper though, I start craving it. I want.. everything! Chips, chocolate, cookies, sweets, salty snacks... you name it, I'd probably be willing to stuff it down my throat.
I *know* I don't need that junk. I *know* I'm not even really hungry - I just feel like eating because I love it so much!
How can I stop this? I have tried different things like having a glass of water or green tea, eating a bit of fruit, etc. But it doesn't seem to help. Eating that way was what got me to the point I'm at right now and I know it, but it so hard to resist!
Any suggestions? Support? Anything would be lovely right now. :frown:

kayakkc

How about going for a walk after dinner or walking your dog. Popcorn is a great snack and does not have a lot of calories. Popcorn is nice because you can eat it piece by piece and it takes a long time to finish a bowl. How about getting into a good book after dinner or reading a fitness magazine. I play words with friends at night which helps me to stay away from junk food. Good luck.

Emtabo01

Gum is the only thing that works for me.

niightwindz

@Emtabo: Yes, I find that chewing gum has helped me sometimes. I'll need to get some more tomorrow!

@kayakkc : Thank you for all you suggestions. I love popcorn so maybe I'll have that next time I'm craving something to snack on.

libster1

I have to have something sweet at the end of the evening so I went for 85% Coca Lindt dark chocolate - only 110cals for two squares and they are large and thin, it hits the spot - I have dinner at 6pm and I am in bed by 9pm as I get up early to exercise. I think you have to remember why you are doing this, I say to myself, OK, break it down into 6 week lots, that way I only have to think, 6 weeks, you can do 6 weeks - have a goal, like a new pair of jeans and say to yourself, do you want junk or would you like new jeans - go for it, you can do it and if you fall off the wagon, don't panic, just start a fresh the next day

shantibk

In front of where I munch at night... the TV I have two bowls, one of tea light candles one candle for each kg I have to lose and the other bowl I put in the kgs I have lost. With each kg I lose I get to take one out of the "weight to lose" bowl.
I also do 30 day challenges to kick bad habits. If you can do it for 30 days you can kick the habit. But just focus on not doing it for 30 days.
I also drink lots of herbal tea.
When I get cravings I try and break my train of thought by distracting myself. Pick something like Pinterest or a slim pic of yourself, or a song. Basically train your brain to interrupt the cravings thoughts when it gets distracted with a particular thing.
I have a friend that is send a quick text message to whenever I get cravings she may or may not text back but it breaks my train of thought and I don't think about my craving anymore

skinnylady2014

Wow, you've lost 13 lbs. That takes some hard work and dedication!

Maybe plan non-food tbings for your "comfort" in the evening....like a walk, a book, something online , start a new hobby.....stick with whatever for 3 weeks until it's a habit.

Or save some of your daily calories for the evening to enjoy food that makes you feel comforted . PLAN for it and enjoy it.

Call or visit a friend.

Am wondering if you are eating ENOUGH calories during the day so you are not as apt to feel ravenous at night. I've done that before!

Keep your chin up!!

TwinkiesNKetchup

If it's a bad habit you can break it. For most (you can vary either way) the craving only lasts 3 minutes. I suggest you take the suggestions given already and also work on over coming your craving. Remember everything you say outloud you say inside 10 times more, so give yourself positive reminders through out the day. Tell yourself outloud (and to yourself) that you're proud of how well you're doing and how much confidence you have in yourself to resist temptations. Tell yourself you can do it over and over and believe it or not you can and you will.

Lastly be very critical at tracking your diet and "budget" for snacks and rewards. Your goal should be to be healthy and a healthy diet should include some snacks and treats now and then.

Best of luck! Twink (FWIW I don't eat Twinkies or ketchup!) :P

ashharris424

I'm an after dinner snacker also. What I've done is try to save any big projects I'm working on for after dinner. That way I stay distracted for a few hours and don't think about food. If I'm still seriously craving something, I'll eat popcorn or a small piece of chocolate chased with a couple Ritz crackers (that way I can kill the sweet and salty cravings at the same time).

MarisaDLS2

Willpower is finite.
When we are well rested, feel good, are busy with other things, we can pretty much resist a lot of temptations.
Trouble comes later in the day when we are tired, want soothing and we give into temptation.

1. Set yourself up for success in the future by controlling your environment.
Remove all foods that "trigger" you to overeat.
I do not have any chips in the house, period, as I know I will not stop at one serving.

2. Allow yourself healthy substitutions.
Have a bowl of fruit such as oranges, pears, apples, bananas on the counter so they are what you reach for.
Have healthy snacks in your fridge in the very front, ie carrot stick, celery sticks, cucumber slices, hummus.
I love the 100calorie popcorn bags and usually have one a night and stop there.
The foods listed above are nutrient dense and very filling.

3. Preoccupy your thoughts, get busy with a project, call up a friend, play a game you love, read a book you are really interested in, play with a pet, etc.

4. If you do overeat, analyze why, plan what steps you will take next time to overcome this.

5. Forgive yourself slips and get back on track.

Great job losing 13 lbs and good luck for your continued weight loss success! You can do it!

sidkrose

Maybe you can take up a hobby or do something with your hands in the evening? I like knitting while watching tv. There are loads of videos on learning to knit online and you can make all sorts of things. If that's not your cup of tea, try to find something that you can do where you can't eat, that keeps you occupied. (maybe giving yourself a manicure, stretching on the floor, playing a game on your phone, etc)

lalaland82

I always input anything on my calorie counter before I eat it - it kinda gives me an extra 'are you sure you want this' break and i usually find it puts that guilty feeling into me before I eat something rather then after when its too late to do anything about it.
I try to make sure I have lots of around 100 cal snacks in that I have slotted into my daily allowance and save for the evening when I know that I will be most tempted

tekwriter

I too struggle with constant munching in the evening. I find that most of the time if I can schedule two snacks, say something sweet shortly after dinner and then popcorn a couple of hours later I tend to do better.

samcat2000

Maybe you need to pepper your diet with healthier sweets like fruit more often during the day to try to stave off that evening sweet tooth. I have a BIG sweet tooth. I've been on a fruit kick lately and eat different kinds of fruit a couple of times a day. I'm finding that lately I actually crave fruit now versus a lot of the other stuff I would normally want. My son had a double caramel magnum tonight and I wasn't even tempted to ask for a bite...I had my pears and strawberries LOL. Put pecan pie or Enstrom's almond toffee in my fridge and things might end differently. :explode:

kitscatpaws

I also love night-time sweets so the trick is to not buy any. If there are no bad things to snack on in the house, I dont really have a problem. It also saves me lots of money not to buy any

=^..^=

flowergirl45

Grab a big glass of water and get on MFP and encourage other people with comments, pick up the house or get things ready for the next day. I always have laundry. In the past, my point of weakness has been sitting at the computer munching or watching TV.

Being on MFP has cured my computer munching. I just keep a browser tab of MFP open. LOL!

HotAshMess

Add me and read my blog. I think you'l find something that will help!

niightwindz

Thanks so much everyone for your different suggestions, as well as a big thanks to the people who added me - I hope we can give each other support on our journies.

tammyvaughn1957

Can you go for a walk? Now that spring is here, it's light until at least 9:00 here. Let us know how you do. Don't kick yourself just because you flubbed up. Everybody does! :bigsmile: Hope this gives you courage.

niightwindz

Can you go for a walk? Now that spring is here, it's light until at least 9:00 here. Let us know how you do. Don't kick yourself just because you flubbed up. Everybody does! :bigsmile: Hope this gives you courage.

We actually just got a huuuge dump of snow, and the snow we already had that was in the process of melting has flooded all over! I could barely get out of the driveway for work today and my 15-minute drive took 45-minutes. I miss grass.
I suppose I can always walk up and down the hallway at my home though.

eagertoloseweight1

I eat healthy and no junk food at all, not even once a month! I only drink water mostly

kbeaumont88

If you don't want to eat anymore for the night you could brush your teeth.