How do you talk yourself OUT of late night snacking?

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  • dorthymcconnel
    dorthymcconnel Posts: 237 Member
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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.
  • Sactown900
    Sactown900 Posts: 162 Member
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    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.
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
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    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.
  • Diamond05
    Diamond05 Posts: 475 Member
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    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.
  • Hoosier96
    Hoosier96 Posts: 118 Member
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    glass of water and read a book to distract myself
  • TRICIA47
    TRICIA47 Posts: 1
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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 please
  • emilymaya16
    emilymaya16 Posts: 104 Member
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    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.
  • fakeuntilumakeit
    fakeuntilumakeit Posts: 77
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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.:smile:
  • running_shoe
    running_shoe Posts: 180 Member
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    I go to bed.
  • elainecroft
    elainecroft Posts: 595 Member
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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.
  • MrsTorresisBACK
    MrsTorresisBACK Posts: 98 Member
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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...
  • mswn02
    mswn02 Posts: 38
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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)
  • weinbagel
    weinbagel Posts: 337 Member
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    go to bed earlier.
  • Bekahmardis
    Bekahmardis Posts: 602 Member
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    I don't. I changed what I snack on.
    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.
  • MightyDomo
    MightyDomo Posts: 1,265 Member
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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.
  • StrongerJess
    StrongerJess Posts: 185 Member
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    Bump :smile:
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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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.
  • sweetpea03b
    sweetpea03b Posts: 1,124 Member
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    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.
  • keithmf24
    keithmf24 Posts: 63
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    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.
  • addreonnaseger
    addreonnaseger Posts: 205
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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.

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