This is why I'm fat

I would go with not watching T.V. One thing I noticed on an earlier diet was how many fast food commercials there are. Add that in with any desert commercials and it can lead to disaster. Also I would recommend to just keep chugging water late at night. Won't really cure the craving so much as give you something zero cal. to keep putting to your mouth.

eat dinner later.
go to bed earlier.
exercise. stay busy.
stop watching tv.

This is good advice

When I get that totally uncontrollable urge to eat a lot of something mindlessly... baby carrots are my best friend. After a single serving I feel REALLY full. Sometimes I will add a very small handful of nuts, just to get some protein into the snack. If you are still hungry after that, it's not hunger, it's habit or boredom or something else, but it's not hunger. I am only really beginning to learn the difference myself.

I just went shopping today and a 2 pound bag of baby carrots was in the same price range as a large bag of chips, and much more valuable to my body.

I also have to chime in about television. Television and snacking go hand in hand. It's ok to like to watch TV, but if that is your nightly routine, and also when you struggle the most, you do need to consider changing that routine. No one is going to tell you that you need to stop watching TV completely, but limiting the number of hours you spend in bed watching TV each week is sure to help. Probably not what you want to hear but, no one ever said change was easy!

Plan your calories differently.

My lunch is often smaller than my breakfast because I keep down my calories in the middle of the day to allow for more food later on. I have dinner as early as 6pm some nights, go to work with a snack and have another snack when I get in, just before bed because I know I'll get hungry.

Or at least part of the reason. I'm in bed watching tv around 8pm and literally all I can think about is food. I've already eaten my calories for the day. I start craving cinnamon rolls, even look up low calorie recipes. I eat a portion of mozzarella cheese. I exercise for 10 minutes. Still all I think about is food, specifically something sweet. Hours later, still thinking about food. I exercise for 10 more minutes.

How the hell do I deal with this every single night?

Hi. To be honest you sound like me. I have struggled with my weight for years. Finally when I went to a nutritionist she had me keep a journal of not just what I was eating, but how often I think about food or my next meal. For me, I honestly have an addiction to food. I over eat and have "trigger" foods that put me into binges. I started going to online OA meetings and found that it helped.

I think it might be helpful if you were to just take a chance and hang out in an online Over-Eaters Anonymous (OA) meeting. Its confidential, no one knows who you are, no faces. Its a good place to talk about the food cravings, "falling off the band wagon" and to network with people who have the same thing going on.

As for justifying not eating healthy simply because your husband and son are ok with putting food in their bodies thats slowly killing them over time, that honestly is a cop out. I say that because I did it for years. Then I justified eating it myself because they "wouldn't" eat healthy foods. I realized that the longer I let that go on, the more unhealthy my child was going to be; and I was setting him up to be in the same exact position that I was struggling with. Once I threw all of it out and refused to let anymore of it in my house, they magically started to enjoy the healthy, home cooked meals. While I'm divorced now, my son still refuses to eat anything that is pre-packaged. He says it tastes bad. *SUCCESS*

It takes 21 days to make or break a habit. Its better when you have your family supportying your healthy choices. I say give it a go.

Smiles!
Katie

~Feel free to send me a message if you ever want to talk when your having your cravings or just in general~

you screen name is very close to kegel

bump

My best advise for the nighttime cravings is to drink water. If you are not a big water fan then put a little lemon or cucumber in the water.

As for the not being able to afford fresh fruit and veggies, well, they are actually more bang for your buck than processed foods. You can even make a box of mac-n-cheese go farther with steamed veggies thrown in. Sometimes you can use one box instead of two if you use veggies as fillers. Fruit will help curb your sweet tooth. Buy fresh veggies and fruits that are in season or at a local farmer's market.

You can also buy the fresh stuff on sale and chop it up and put it in the freezer for later use. You just need to re-adjust your thinking about the foods you purchase.

As for the hubby and kid(s), there are a ton of recipes you can follow or create that use the fresh produce and don't contain the additives that processed foods do. You will be helping your family in the long run too. I am a teacher and it is heartbreaking to see obese children and know that they can tell me the menu from McD's but don't know how to peel and orange.

I'm a little disappointed that almost every single reply on here has to do with eating food and reinforcing the behavior. I stick to my earlier comments about habit correction...

That, and the kegal thing. I agree.

Don't forget to eat enough healthy fats. Once I started to eat healthy fats - like EVO - and Coconut Oil I stopped having so many cravings.

As for the carb cravings, you can get rid of them somewhat but you have to fight at the beginning. It gets easier with time. I know you can do it!

I started gathering friends on mfp because of the SAME reason! I am done for the day with my calories and all I think about is the snacks in the cupboard.

It is just something that you HAVE TO WORK AT AND HARD! I have kept around my calories a few times, but I don't think I ever come under because of my evening obsession.

I just read an article on how Jordyn Sparks lost 50 pounds and it was simple: she chooses the right foods now (salad with dressing on the sides and chicken, stops after eating the right size portion and does not eat at night.)

She didn't have an easier time than I am, so I am going to TRY really hard.
good luck!!!

Based on your diary most of the things you eat are pre-packaged, processed food.

Unfortunately, at this time, that's all I have. It's a struggle because my husband and son are fine with what they eat (I'm not fine with it, but they are) and it's hard to justify spending a limited grocery budget on fresh produce, etc. when I'm the only one that eats it. I wouldn't mind making things from scratch if I could figure out how to afford it.

I have a LOT of budget friendly, healthy options. Let me know if you're interested in any of the recipes!!!

I don't want to sound harsh but all I am seeing is excuse after excuse. If you want to get healthy, do it. I have OCD, bi-polar and social anxiety and I don't sit around making excuses. Do you do the shopping and cooking? If so, problem solved. If not ask for their support. Eating healthy is not hard or expensive.
Oh...another great book is "Brain Lock" I read it when I found out I had OCD.

I haven't read the entire thread, so I apologize if this is a repeat. Do you like jello? Sugar free jello is VERY low in calories (20 calories per 1/2 cup) And if you put a little bit of canned fruit in it (35 cals for 1/2 a peach cup), it tastes delicious....well, in my opinion. I usually have some in the fridge for those sweet cravings.