Former Late Night Snacker

Dr_Flo
Dr_Flo Posts: 465
in Recipes
the hardest thing in improving my eating habits was cutting out the late night snacks.

I'm a night owl by nature, so being up late is normal for me. Being up late like that naturally you're going to get hungry.

I was REALLY bad. Anything i could get my hands on. Chips, cookies, cereal. Sweets were the worst.

Dont leave sweets out, I'd crush a bag of mini-chocolates or an entire thing of Nutter Butter cookies in one sitting.

My highest weight was 225lbs. That was 3 months ago.

Today I weighed in at 207lbs. (I cheated and didn't wait for Friday to weigh in)

I'm hoping that cutting out the late snacking will continue to help.

Tell me, have you suffered from the late nights as well? :yawn:

Replies

  • HazelCaz
    HazelCaz Posts: 48 Member
    We used to snack after dinner in front of the t.v. In the beginning, I just had to go to sleep early to get away from the cravings. My body had gotten used to eating late and expected food after dinner. Eventually, I was able to settle into having nothing after dinner without the cravings. I drink a lot of water after 6pm though and that continues to help.
  • Dr_Flo
    Dr_Flo Posts: 465
    Yeah I've noticed that using water to calm the stomach before bed does in fact help.

    I guess I should go to bed earlier too. I hear that proper sleep schedules can help with weight loss.

    Hmm.. we might be on to something
  • kmorris246
    kmorris246 Posts: 312 Member
    I ALWAYS want to snack in the evenings! I make sure to save up cals every day specifically for this reason. I make homemade protein bars and they are awesome! I have one of these every night as I settle in to watch my fav tv show or read a book. It gives me something to look forward to, AND its healthy :-) Since I make sure to incorporate it into my cals for the day, it hasn't impeded by weight loss at all!
  • CynthiaElise
    CynthiaElise Posts: 262 Member
    I ALWAYS want to snack in the evenings! I make sure to save up cals every day specifically for this reason.

    ^^^ THIS! I try to save most of the cals for dinner/after dinner :)
  • michwinger
    michwinger Posts: 37 Member
    Okay, share the recipe for the homemade protein bars! :)

    As for late night snacking...some recommend that brushing your teeth after dinner helps. It doesn't do much for me though, because I know I can brush my teeth again. ha ha! But, I definitely agree with drinking lots of water. Don't drink so much that it disrupts your sleep pattern though! :)
  • shiseido_faerie
    shiseido_faerie Posts: 771 Member
    My thing is that I wake up at 3am...EVERY SINGLE NIGHT...and want to eat, usually sweets. I'm not hungry, I think it's just habit, I only do it at home. I am not sure when this behaviour started, I can't remember NOT doing it though i'm sure as a child I probably didn't. I'm getting better, now I wake up and can usually go and just have glass of water and go to bed, some nights I still have a square of chocolate with the water, but that's an improvement from a full chocolate bar or granola bar and a glass of milk. In time I hope to completely be able to stop it. Strangely, I don't usually snack in the evenings...just at 3am lol.
  • kmorris246
    kmorris246 Posts: 312 Member
    Okay, share the recipe for the homemade protein bars! :)

    As for late night snacking...some recommend that brushing your teeth after dinner helps. It doesn't do much for me though, because I know I can brush my teeth again. ha ha! But, I definitely agree with drinking lots of water. Don't drink so much that it disrupts your sleep pattern though! :)
    Okay just sent to you michwinger! For everyone else who's interested:

    3 C vanilla protein powder (or whatever flavor you prefer)
    2 C oats
    2 C crunchy peanut butter
    6 Tbsp honey
    3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
    10-12 Tbsp water (or however you much you need for a good consistency)

    Mix the PB and honey in large bowl, microwave 45 sec and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and mix until well combined. Press into a 9x13 dish and refrigerate for 30 min. Remove from fridge, then cut up into 16 equal sized bars. I like to keep mine in the fridge because I think they taste better cold, but that would be up to you ;-)
  • leslie0422
    leslie0422 Posts: 108 Member
    I ALWAYS want to snack in the evenings! I make sure to save up cals every day specifically for this reason.

    ^^^ THIS! I try to save most of the cals for dinner/after dinner :)

    Me too. I always save the majority of my calories for dinner.
  • hauer01
    hauer01 Posts: 516 Member
    Okay, share the recipe for the homemade protein bars! :)

    As for late night snacking...some recommend that brushing your teeth after dinner helps. It doesn't do much for me though, because I know I can brush my teeth again. ha ha! But, I definitely agree with drinking lots of water. Don't drink so much that it disrupts your sleep pattern though! :)
    Okay just sent to you michwinger! For everyone else who's interested:

    3 C vanilla protein powder (or whatever flavor you prefer)
    2 C oats
    2 C crunchy peanut butter
    6 Tbsp honey
    3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
    10-12 Tbsp water (or however you much you need for a good consistency)

    Mix the PB and honey in large bowl, microwave 45 sec and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and mix until well combined. Press into a 9x13 dish and refrigerate for 30 min. Remove from fridge, then cut up into 16 equal sized bars. I like to keep mine in the fridge because I think they taste better cold, but that would be up to you ;-)

    this is awesome. Do you know how many cals it is? I can't wait to make these
  • Captain_Spatchcock
    Captain_Spatchcock Posts: 136
    I try my best to have a little snack or treat right before bed every night.
  • Daytonamistie
    Daytonamistie Posts: 11
    (My late nights usually come around 2 AM...I wake up and find something sweet." I use to never be like that.)
    the hardest thing in improving my eating habits was cutting out the late night snacks.

    I'm a night owl by nature, so being up late is normal for me. Being up late like that naturally you're going to get hungry.

    I was REALLY bad. Anything i could get my hands on. Chips, cookies, cereal. Sweets were the worst.

    Dont leave sweets out, I'd crush a bag of mini-chocolates or an entire thing of Nutter Butter cookies in one sitting.

    My highest weight was 225lbs. That was 3 months ago.

    Today I weighed in at 207lbs. (I cheated and didn't wait for Friday to weigh in)

    I'm hoping that cutting out the late snacking will continue to help.

    Tell me, have you suffered from the late nights as well? :yawn:
  • Bakerchk
    Bakerchk Posts: 424 Member
    These are the worst! I've found that I pre-log my days and add something healthy for a "nighttime snack" that way if I do decide to eat it, I don't feel too bad because I've already logged it. But normally I will have some fruit or a protein shake and that will help. If it's really late, I just force myself to go to sleep or else I will much bad!
  • Wabbit05
    Wabbit05 Posts: 434 Member
    I'm such a snacker after 8pm. It's horrible. I don't keep snacks in the house so I can't get into them. I only will allow myself to eat that late if I'm under my calories for the day. But when I'm sitting at home, watching TV and unwinding from my day, I want to SNACK and nothing seems to satisfy it. I tried tea before bed and that seems to help a little. It's still an issue for me, but at least now I'm eating fruit, nuts and wheat crackers with cheese instead of chips, cookies, brownies, and ice cream.
  • samhigh
    samhigh Posts: 86 Member
    I used to always snack late at night - trail mix, chocolate, ice cream, carne asada french fries, cashews, etc.

    Adopting IF has eliminated the 'ability' to snack at night, allowing me to reach a lower bf% than ever before.

    Green tea helps, and going to bed earlier is also effective.
  • ShanniLee
    ShanniLee Posts: 69
    Okay, share the recipe for the homemade protein bars! :)

    As for late night snacking...some recommend that brushing your teeth after dinner helps. It doesn't do much for me though, because I know I can brush my teeth again. ha ha! But, I definitely agree with drinking lots of water. Don't drink so much that it disrupts your sleep pattern though! :)
    Okay just sent to you michwinger! For everyone else who's interested:

    3 C vanilla protein powder (or whatever flavor you prefer)
    2 C oats
    2 C crunchy peanut butter
    6 Tbsp honey
    3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
    10-12 Tbsp water (or however you much you need for a good consistency)

    Mix the PB and honey in large bowl, microwave 45 sec and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and mix until well combined. Press into a 9x13 dish and refrigerate for 30 min. Remove from fridge, then cut up into 16 equal sized bars. I like to keep mine in the fridge because I think they taste better cold, but that would be up to you ;-)

    Sounds Awesome, definitely gotta try this! Thanks :)
  • vkruithof
    vkruithof Posts: 227 Member
    bump! thanks for the recipe!
  • petreebird
    petreebird Posts: 344 Member
    Okay, share the recipe for the homemade protein bars! :)

    As for late night snacking...some recommend that brushing your teeth after dinner helps. It doesn't do much for me though, because I know I can brush my teeth again. ha ha! But, I definitely agree with drinking lots of water. Don't drink so much that it disrupts your sleep pattern though! :)
    Okay just sent to you michwinger! For everyone else who's interested:

    3 C vanilla protein powder (or whatever flavor you prefer)
    2 C oats
    2 C crunchy peanut butter
    6 Tbsp honey
    3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
    10-12 Tbsp water (or however you much you need for a good consistency)

    Mix the PB and honey in large bowl, microwave 45 sec and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and mix until well combined. Press into a 9x13 dish and refrigerate for 30 min. Remove from fridge, then cut up into 16 equal sized bars. I like to keep mine in the fridge because I think they taste better cold, but that would be up to you ;-)




    3 cups of protein powder??? Is that right!? It sure seems like a lot.

    I plugged all of this into the recipe creator here on MFP and here's the breakdown...

    Per Serving:
    CAL359
    CARBS26
    FAT18
    PROTEIN28
    SUGAR11


    That's if I got all the conversions correct...Hardly seems worth all those calories IMO.
  • xMillyLouisex
    xMillyLouisex Posts: 171 Member
    the evenings r so my downfall all i think about constantly is what i can eat.. its as soon as ive finished dinner even though im not hungry i think right what is there to eat, and the cravings so bad i find it so hard to fight it! i find just going to bed early is the easiest way!

    any tips u can give or fellow evening snackers add me and id b grateful then we can help each other fight the urges!! :)

    x
  • Kitsada
    Kitsada Posts: 105 Member
    I was a not great but stable 180 without dieting/effort for over ten years... (I'm 5'6") and I regularly slept about 9 hours a night. I snacked at night, but nothing crazy, maybe 6-8 chips ahoys, not every night even, while watching tv up till like 9-10 pm then bed.

    After having kids, I did lose the pregnancy weight, it came off as its supposed to, again without much effort.

    AFTER that, I found myself with no time to myself, and the only time I could find 'me' time was when everyone else was asleep. There started my computer habit, and with it, horrible mindless nighttime snacking. Chips worst, and alcohol, but if I did indulge in sweets love fig newtons, can easily eat half a package before I've inhaled once or twice. I stay up late, and now only sleep ~6 hours a night, sometimes less. This is directly the problem, I've read if you don't sleep properly it makes you gain, and that and my staying up late eating damn cookies all night, well its no wonder I gained weight.

    Started using my fitness pal about a month ago at 221... down to 214 now, struggling though. Still crave chips/cookies/cheese/alcohol, am trying to have them in moderation. MFP helps greatly in counting the calories, something I never did before. I remember when I thought 180 was fat, but boy I'd love to get back there....lol.

    Yes, I understand the late night snacking urges, all too well. I am having trouble breaking it. A couple things I"ve tried...
    1-Yes, saving calories for later, knowing I"ll need them for 'snack' section...
    2-Quaker rice cakes, chocolate. No, you'll never confuse these for chips ahoy *sigh*, but they're like made of air and have hardly any calories, and at least you can chew and get the idea you're eating something sweet, sort of...
    3-Weight watcher's 'smart ones' dessert sundaes. These are actually really tasty, just kind of small. I suppose they are what a portion is actually supposed to be...they're yummy though, anyways.

    Good luck!
  • BlueJean4114
    BlueJean4114 Posts: 594 Member
    i am still finding my way, new here,
    but,
    i have lifelong habit of ONLY eating at night, never ever ate in the daytime, never.
    Even when i was buff and slim, for decades,
    i never ate in daytime.
    cuz
    once *I* eat---IT'S ON NOW! STOMACH IS "ON"!! MORE, MORE, MORE!
    So for *me*, if i eat in daytime, i will eat allllllllll dayyyyyyyyy longgggggggg.................for hours.
    and hours.

    Plus, eating makes me sleepy/less energetic.
    so i eat in the evenings,
    and eat a bit more right before i go to bed, always have.


    BUT, maybe i will have to try something else.
    I had one day so far, where i ate in daytime since joining MFP, and that was the day i blew it, and ended up on feeding frenzy, lol.
    but, i will continue to experiment.
  • Dr_Flo
    Dr_Flo Posts: 465
    Im so happy to see that so many people suffer from the same issue that i do.. well I guess its mean to say I'm happy. Let me rephrase.. I'm saddened by the plague "Stuff-My-Face-At-Night" has affected so many innocent people. HaHaHa


    Hey if any of you want to friend me .. go for it.

    It'll be nice to laugh at each other when we're all craving cookie dough ice cream or a snickers ..
    chips, reeses peanutbutter cups .. ok I have to stop. lol

    Anywho .. add if you need a friend. I always do
  • nyyankeedeb
    nyyankeedeb Posts: 10 Member
    Man your making me hungry....LOL

    I like to watch tv and with watching tv comes the chips....man do I love chips...its been a real challenge...I challenged my self to other things like instead of eatting chips....make some hot air pop corn with no salt or butter....
    then if I did have chips I challenged my self again to getting on my exercise bike and burn some calories to get them off...
    But like you said these are all habits we have created and somehow we have to change the habit....:smile:
  • Dr_Flo
    Dr_Flo Posts: 465
    Man your making me hungry....LOL

    I like to watch tv and with watching tv comes the chips....man do I love chips...its been a real challenge...I challenged my self to other things like instead of eatting chips....make some hot air pop corn with no salt or butter....
    then if I did have chips I challenged my self again to getting on my exercise bike and burn some calories to get them off...
    But like you said these are all habits we have created and somehow we have to change the habit....:smile:

    Agreed.

    Sometimes we need help from others. They see our habits clearer than we do. Lets face it.. after we pig out we dont see much of anything while in that food coma.

    Friends on MFP will definitely keep me moving in the right direction.
    Only down 2 .. but that's 2 less than yesterday .. so As long as I'm moving forward .. I'm gonna keep on keepin' on.

    OMG .. did I just seriously say that? hahaha. I must be tired.. yep.. I'm tired (at work)
  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
    I always have been a late night snacker too. I'm usually very busy during the day so other than my planned meals/snacks - I don't have time to sit and just mindlessly eat but when I'm ready to relax and I'm not occupied - here come the munchies. Since I know I'm going to eat at night, I have my dinner fairly late, usually around 8pm and I save calories for a snack before bed. My snack is usually fairly substantial in volume (like bran crispbreads with nutella) and usually has a sweet component. Its helped a lot.
  • Kitsada
    Kitsada Posts: 105 Member
    Yeah, I've splurged on chips a few times since starting this, but wow when you put it in there and see that 19 chips is like 240 calories, well, there you go, this explains why your butt looks this way.... LOL. (Since who had only 19? more like 190...)

    I got this great dip at trader joe's 'reduced guilt' spinach/kale/greek yogurt dip, its so much lower in cal/fat than normal onion dip with sour cream, and its pretty good. Eating it with bits of cardboard... er, I mean, whole grain/flax seed crackers, which I actually count out...

    Read something in Bob Harper's book, going to try. Apparently one of his fav snacks is sliced cucumber with hummus. I like both of those, and like chips better, of course... but maybe it'll work...
  • kmorris246
    kmorris246 Posts: 312 Member
    Okay, share the recipe for the homemade protein bars! :)

    As for late night snacking...some recommend that brushing your teeth after dinner helps. It doesn't do much for me though, because I know I can brush my teeth again. ha ha! But, I definitely agree with drinking lots of water. Don't drink so much that it disrupts your sleep pattern though! :)
    Okay just sent to you michwinger! For everyone else who's interested:

    3 C vanilla protein powder (or whatever flavor you prefer)
    2 C oats
    2 C crunchy peanut butter
    6 Tbsp honey
    3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
    10-12 Tbsp water (or however you much you need for a good consistency)

    Mix the PB and honey in large bowl, microwave 45 sec and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and mix until well combined. Press into a 9x13 dish and refrigerate for 30 min. Remove from fridge, then cut up into 16 equal sized bars. I like to keep mine in the fridge because I think they taste better cold, but that would be up to you ;-)




    3 cups of protein powder??? Is that right!? It sure seems like a lot.

    I plugged all of this into the recipe creator here on MFP and here's the breakdown...

    Per Serving:
    CAL359
    CARBS26
    FAT18
    PROTEIN28
    SUGAR11


    That's if I got all the conversions correct...Hardly seems worth all those calories IMO.
    Yep! 3 cups of protein powder ;-) Don't knock it till you try it. This is the highlight of my daily food intake on a daily basis. To each his/her own, I guess?
  • annecolorgreen
    annecolorgreen Posts: 116 Member
    I'm going to have to try that. I ate a 500 calorie cookie this morning because I was "on the go"...that would have been much better--more protein/less calories!

    My problem is that I work nights, so I'm up and about and tired. That always adds to the snackiness. It's really hard when I have to go out and see patients--and many of the fast food places are open 24/7 now!
  • DietCuki
    DietCuki Posts: 44 Member
    Like everyone, I too have the late night snack problem. I usually don't eat much in the day, maybe popcorn and a coke which was bad because by the end of the day I would start shaking and I was starving and would just eat a big meal followed by yummy late night snacks before bed. I am starting to change that, trying to aim for the no food After 8 rule, so far water is cutting the trick.

    Good luck to all soon to be former late snackers!

    Add me if you'd like! I could definitely use more friends ;)
  • sethjeremy
    sethjeremy Posts: 9 Member
    I too stuggle with night eating... I work till 9:00 pm or so, and come home wanting to eat! I know that it's not the time to pile on calories, just before your body is shutting down to go to sleep. I have tried the drinking water to controle the hunger also... but then end up having to get up 3 or so times during the night to go to the bathroom... So I have been letting myself eat a sensible snack and make sure its satisfying... like choboni yogurt or something... I hate going to bed hungry!

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