How do you talk yourself OUT of late night snacking?
Replies
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I watch my calories, fat, and sodium during the day. (Okay, so I'm starting to pay attention to the sodium and fat a bit more). If they allow and I'm hungry enough to actually go into the kitchen to fix it, I'll have something. Otherwise I close my food diary for the night and go to bed. Once I'm comfy, it has to be a really good reason to get me out until next morning.
When my husband was on second shift, I would stay up to wait for him then eat when he ate. Not a good idea. The later I'm up, the more I get the munchies.0 -
I either drink camomile tea or I brush my teeth and that makes me not want to eat...
THIS WORKS.
After a VERY LONG DAY, I forgot to finish my Turkey burger and grilled veggies. I got ready for bed and found my plate still in the dining room. Oops, I dumped it in a ziplock for today.0 -
Instead of avoiding my triggers, I had to find other ways to deal with my triggers. I took up playing the piano, bought a keyboard and stuck it right in my living room. When I feel stressed, tired, lonely - whatever - I sit down at the keyboard and play a couple of songs and feel better almost instantly. Find something you enjoy doing that relaxes you and turn to that instead of food when your triggers hit, because they always will.
As I'm working on different methods to comfort me I'm also working on not letting the triggers control me. The bottom line of willpower is taking the power over those things instead of letting them have power over you. I ask myself the question, do I have power over stress or does it have power over me? Do I have power over food, or does it have power over me? When I say it out loud, it sounds almost ridiculous that an inanimate object such as food could have power but it does if we let it.0 -
I don't.... I eat if I'm hungry, I will not pick heavy food, I'll eat veggies , small yogourt, a piece of cheese. You know, calories in the days are the same at nights, so there's no need to restrain yourself from eating at night.0
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glass of water and read a book to distract myself0
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I wish I knew , I can be good nearly every day , but get restless and hungry and then start , once i have eaten something then i think all is lost , so eat so much more and almost binge -i know I should keep busy , and I do , have a bath , read do things around the house but it is as if my brain tells me to find something ot eat and then I must finish it , perhaps I need a councellor for evening chats
Any ideas -help please0 -
I find hot drinks make me feel really full! I often have a decaf coffee in the evenings or a mug of hot sugar free blackcurrent squash. If you still really find you need to eat something then save your calories up over the day to allow yourself your night time treat.0
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I think the idea of saving a calorie allowance for this in advance may help if this is a genuine hunger time. Maybe make up a healthy graze box in the morning add the calories to your food diary straight away and its accounted for. Do you get up late? Work shifts? Your body clock may think this is a normal time to eat for you. If you don't get up say until 11am then when some are already thinking about lunch, you may be on breaky etc. Just a thought, may be helpful to write down the actual times you are eating and whether these are substantial fillers. I find some of my meals are hitting under 300 cals, and I can be hungry all day no matter how many times I snack.
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I go to bed.0
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Tell yourself you are not going to snack FOR ONE DAY. Don't try to change a habit forever - it can be crazy hard. Just take it one day at a time. And celebrate your victory - every day you make it without snacking, give yourself a gold star - figuratively or literally. I find that writing it down or marking it on the calendar really helps, even though it sounds silly.0
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Reality shows keep me from snacking....it's such a trainwreck that you can't seem to walk away. It seems to work for me...after my work out i have dinner, shower, but the baby down then reality show world i go...0
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I posted this Bible verse on my cabinet. It has helped!
"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." (1 Cor 10:13)0 -
go to bed earlier.0
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Bingo! I grab a small handful of peanuts if I get the munchies at night before bedtime. Otherwise, it's usually just plain old willpower.I don't. I changed what I snack on.0 -
willpower
Learn it and use it ^^
The only thing/person that can stop these habits is you and your willpower. Just start working that willpower muscle as often as possible and soon it will be strong enough to resist anything.0 -
Bump 0
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I have a problem - I eat right all day, but at night, I will talk myself into eating and almost always blow over my calorie goal. Afterward, I will think about what I did wrong and try to correct it, telling myself that I have to stop talking myself into eating, and instead, talk myself OUT of eating, as well as avoiding the whatever I think was the trigger. Not all the time - but often enough that it can become a week long habit, then I'll stop doing it for a couple weeks, then I will start doing it again.
I have tried a couple different things - eating or not eating dinner (not eating dinner means I only have a post-workout protein shake and sometimes a small <100 cal bedtime snack), eating a bigger breakfast, changing up when I eat during the day... It makes me think it's not something I can regulate with my body, but rather something I need to regulate mentally.
I've just thrown away the rest of the food that I have been snacking on lately, which I have not done before (and it really hurt me to do so!)...
I'm sure (I think?) I'm not the only one out there who tells themselves, 'Oh, this and this won't cause that much harm', 'oh, I'll just eat less tomorrow' and so on --
for those of you who successfully can do so, how do you talk yourself out of it? Have you found anything that works for you?
it's easy - save room in your calorie target for the day. I always eat between 250 and 400 calories just before bed.0 -
1) THROW AWAY THE JUNK FOOD. This will force you to choose a healthier snack if you give in.
2) I keep a jar of chocolates next to the couch.... and when I'm there watching TV and want a little something I let myself have 2 hershey kisses. That's it - only 2 and the craving goes away.
3) Drink hot tea or a glass of water
4) Keep low calorie popsicles on hand. Edy's makes some no sugar added popsicles that are like 30cals or something.... that way you can have something but it won't kill your calories for the night.
5) We recently got a hot tub.... after dinner we hang out in it until bedtime... no time to snack. Arguably this is a very expensive solution.... so maybe take a hot bath and read or something? It'll relax you and you won't need the food.0 -
one of lifes mysteries, combatting that little grumble at 10pm right as you turn the lights out.. i just keep some calories to spare and enjoy a granola or protein bar before bed.0
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I don't think we actually talk ourselves out of late-night snacking but rather, we replace certain little things with healthier choices. Like, if I want a snack I'll only have a bite. Because it's just a craving--and I know that I'm not hungry. This means I'll have like 1/4 inch of chocolate or maybe five potato chips. THEN! I wait fifteen minutes and by that time I am usually satisfied and don't eat anymore. It's really all about moderation and quantity. At least, that's my opinion of it.
If that doesn't work then just have a ton of water when you feel like you want to snack. I cannot tell you how many times I've had water calm down my night-time urge to eat a bunch of junk. You can get full drinking water, so if this happens, there is a less likely chance you'll want to snack.
Willpower does work as well. Just tell yourself that you don't need it or that you don't want it and you amazingly won't. (As long as you believe yourself, that is! My brain did this thing where it was like "I know you're lying to me--your stomach told me so." OR! You could get a hobby that takes all of your attention so that you don't think about eating. Get really into something and get distracted. You probably won't notice those late night cravings. Most of that eating (for me) is just boredom anyway.0 -
I have a problem - I eat right all day, but at night, I will talk myself into eating and almost always blow over my calorie goal. Afterward, I will think about what I did wrong and try to correct it, telling myself that I have to stop talking myself into eating, and instead, talk myself OUT of eating, as well as avoiding the whatever I think was the trigger. Not all the time - but often enough that it can become a week long habit, then I'll stop doing it for a couple weeks, then I will start doing it again.
I have tried a couple different things - eating or not eating dinner (not eating dinner means I only have a post-workout protein shake and sometimes a small <100 cal bedtime snack), eating a bigger breakfast, changing up when I eat during the day... It makes me think it's not something I can regulate with my body, but rather something I need to regulate mentally.
I've just thrown away the rest of the food that I have been snacking on lately, which I have not done before (and it really hurt me to do so!)...
I'm sure (I think?) I'm not the only one out there who tells themselves, 'Oh, this and this won't cause that much harm', 'oh, I'll just eat less tomorrow' and so on --
for those of you who successfully can do so, how do you talk yourself out of it? Have you found anything that works for you?
I used to have to try to talk myself out of late night snack back when I didn't eat properly. Now, based on how I eat, I NEVER GET HUNGRY AFTER DINNER. As a matter of fact, I sometimes have to remind myself to drink my special hazelnut milk that is my reward before I go to bed for eating right that day, LOL.
Here is my secret: I eat like a KING for breakfast, I eat in the morning within 30 minutes of waking up, I get lots of nutrients and healthy omega 3-6-9 fats for breakfast, and most importantly of all I get at LEAST 20 grams of PROTEIN for breakfast. Every morning. Without fail. No matter what. (And I eat clean, healthy foods all day. And I eat every 2-3 hours for a total of 6-7 feedings a day.)
That breakfast sets the stage for a great day. I have seen the results over and over again if I skimp on breakfast: I get hungry all day and I crave snacks late at night. Its amazing that what I have for breakfast affects how I get hungry late at night after dinner but it does! I saw this pattern in myself over and over so many times that now I never dare to compromise my breakfast because I know what the results will be!
So heck with willpower and inner conversation: just short-circuit the desire in the first place! :flowerforyou:
(Btw, the only time I DO get hungry late is if I stay up too late. So I've learned to get my *kitten* into bed too!)0 -
It may be that you are not getting enough protein. The RDA for protein is 0.8g protein per kilogram of bodyweight. (Divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 and then multiply by 0.8.) MFP's default protein percentage is 15%, which may not work out to enough grams of protein for an obese or overweight person. Do the math and make sure that you are getting that amount in grams, at a minimum. Some people advocate getting even more protein (as much as 1g per pound of lean body mass. (Calculate your lean body mass by multiplying your weight in pounds by your body fat percentage and then subtracting the result from your weight. Example: 200 pounds bodyweight x 40% bodyfat = 80 pounds fat. Lean Body Mass = 200 - 80 = 120 pounds lean body mass.) However, some people believe that eating more than the RDA is unnecessary. It is a personal choice that you have to make for yourself.
The important thing is that ingesting enough protein makes a difference in the level of your satiety and appetite. I found that when I increased my protein intake I stopped grazing all day or all evening. I simply don't get hungry or have cravings anymore.
I aim to eat around 25-30g of my total protein allotment at breakfast and around 25-30g of my total protein allotment at lunch. (The rest fits into planned snacks and dinner.)
Increasing your protein doesn't have to mean going all crazy Atkins or Dukan. You don't have to drop your carbohydrates to drastically low levels, simply increase your protein according to the guidelines outlined above.
Good luck with curbing your snacking.0 -
Bump!
I see some execellent tips here.
For myself I tend to snack a lot as well.
All goes down to willpower. Sleep at a fixed time, no staying up.
But then again, I seem to have insomnia all the time... So for me it's just willpower.
Another way I use is to try on old clothes, and when it doesn't fit me, it gives me motivation to stay strong and not snack at night 0 -
I drink tea. Sometimes I'm just bored so that keeps me occupied for 10min or so.
Or I eat popcorn for my night snack. I air pop it and it's filling and low calorie.
I know this about myself so I try to save a LOT of calories for 6pm and later.0 -
I was the same as you. I would eat well all day and come night time, I was craving ice cream and chips. I would tell myself a little will be ok. I woke up one morning and looked at myself naked in the mirror. It might be hard to do, but you really have to take a good look all over and decide if it is worth it. I decided that day that I would be going to the gym and eating properly. It has been 20 days now and I do not snack at night but I do allow 1 day for a treat if I want it.
When I am working out I track my calories. Then I will look at what I want to eat and decide if it was worth all that pain I just went through. 99% of the time it isn't. I eat lots of Protein to keep me full.
It is easy to say..oh I gained 5 lbs, no big deal I can take that off and then another 5 and another 5 until it seems like you can't do anything about it so you slip into a depression and eat. This is a terrible cycle that I am sure many of us have gone through.
You have to have it set in your mind that there is no more and you want a healthy start. Throwing out your snacks are a great first step. Have a glass of water or a few nuts to see if it passes. They say brush your teeth (not sure if it works).
Good Luck, you are in the right direction-keep it up!0 -
4 ideas
I do a short workout video to earn extra calories for whatever I am about to indulge in- if I don't do extra exercise, then I didn't earn the calories for the snack. (i like ot have approx 200 calories left at the end of the day after snacks) I like to have extra calories in case workout calories are over estimated or in case i wasn't exact in measuring (i eyeball a teaspoon or tablespoon.. pretty close usually because I bake)
I keep single serve bags of natural popcorn - one of them is snacky but not "heavy"
Drink some tea
Brush your teeth0 -
In the past when I have had success at losing weight and the desire for snacking would start -- I had a little dialog with myself trying to figure out why I want to eat -- am I hungry or bored or want to eat something for the taste etc... Depending upon the answer I gave myself (and I kid you not it can get pretty funny) I would employ a different tactic in response.
If I am hungry -- I would find a healthy snack and limit the portion and eat.
If I was bored -- I would find something else to do
If I wanted to taste something -- I would brush my teeth and then I couldn't do it.
If I thought it might be because I was actually slightly dehydrated I might make a cup of tea or have some ice cold water.
I just try to figure out why I want the snack and then deal with the reason.0 -
Pig out on air popped popcirn with a little pepper and Parmesean cheese. Does the trick0
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willpower
Learn it and use it ^^
The only thing/person that can stop these habits is you and your willpower. Just start working that willpower muscle as often as possible and soon it will be strong enough to resist anything.
Actually, willpower can get you going initially, but no one can sustain something every day for the rest of their life based on willpower alone. Willpower is a limited commodity. The secret is two-fold: 1) Work *with* your body instead of against it. There are ways to eat so that you don't even get hungry at night! and 2) More powerful that willpower is the Positive Feedback Loop. Learn it and use it. Track your results so that you are rewarded each time you make the right decision. Post on your newsfeed and get encouragement from your friends each time you make the right decision. Track your progress to feel good about your series of good decisions over time. Get your loop going, make it strong, and it will sustain you with an ease and consistency that willpower can never match. :flowerforyou:0 -
I am a huge nighttime snacker. Hot tea, as many people have said, does help because you have to sip it, and herbal teas can be sweet which cuts some of my sweet tooth craving as well. That, with a bowl of popcorn or a bag of Smart Pop (100 cals, no GMOs, etc) and from that point on, it's will power, sadly. I tend to eat that snack around 9:00pm and then I brush my teeth and Just Say No. ;-) Also, I cut the starchy-carbs out of dinner most nights, so I'm eating protein and veggies mostly at dinner, which saves me calories for the inevitable evening snacking.
Other snacks that have helped, for variety: Granola thins (they have chocolate on one side, crunchy and 80 cals), Frozen Whole Fruit Bars (Edy's I think, at 70 cals), frozen greek yogurt (yoplait has one, and some others), pretzel rods (three rods = 120cals).
It's hard. For me, sometimes REALLY hard. But I've learned that those hours are when I blow my diet, so I've tried to find strategies. Good luck to you!0
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