Challenge: Can you stop nighttime snacking for a whole month

zaza54
zaza54 Posts: 1,475 Member
edited September 20 in Motivation and Support
A little over a year ago, my friend dewdrop put out a challenge to forgo snacking at night. It was a great challenge and helped me lose a little weight. For several months thereafter, I renewed her challenge. Unfortunately, I fell off the wagon. Now, after a hiatus of several months, I am back on mfp. I need the accountability and friendly competition of a challenge to keep from packing on those calories at night.

So, if you have the same problem and want to challenge yourself and me, join this challenge for the month of Feb. (it's a short month - how bad could it be?) Here's what you do:
Choose a cut-off time and then do not snack or consume anything caloric after that time. Keep track of how many consecutive nights you do not snack past your personal cut-off time. The person with the longest stretch of consecutive nights of no late night snacking through Feb. 28th wins the challenge.

My cut-off time is 9:30 p.m. because I don't go to bed before 11:30 or midnight. I do allow myself a later cut-off time of 11:30 p.m. for special occasions/week-end nights if I'm out.
Choose a time that works best for you.

Since some of us fall off the proverbial wagon by snacking past our cut-off time and have to start all over at Day 1, this challenge lends itself to newcomers at any time. So, everyone is welcome even if you start the challenge after Feb. 1.

I''ll touch base on Feb. 1 to see if anyone is interested.

Zaza
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Replies

  • Alexandra888
    Alexandra888 Posts: 71
    This is definitely my downfall on diets. I get bored at night so i eat cuz it is after all the best past time activity. :) So my cut off time will be 9:00. I work til 11:00 sometimes so i do need to eat a snack on my breaks or i get really shaky and weak. Good luck!!
  • TwentyTen
    TwentyTen Posts: 585
    Oh this is a challenge, as I often will wake in the middle of the night and fill my tummy with a bowl of cereal. It helps me get back to sleep. Maybe downing a bottle of water will be as effective? I don't know, but I will give it a go! I will simply make my cutoff time bedtime since I do not tend to snack at night, but in the wee hours of the morning . Lets do it Zaza.
  • weaklink109
    weaklink109 Posts: 2,831 Member
    Oh this is a challenge, as I often will wake in the middle of the night and fill my tummy with a bowl of cereal. It helps me get back to sleep. Maybe downing a bottle of water will be as effective? I don't know, but I will give it a go! I will simply make my cutoff time bedtime since I do not tend to snack at night, but in the wee hours of the morning . Lets do it Zaza.

    Speaking from experience....if you drink the water, it really will become "the wee hours of the morning" if ya know what I mean!!:laugh:

    Seriously, I wish anyone well who tries this, but seeing as how I am up now due to insomnia, and my tummy is growling, I am going to do what I always do in this situation. Find something filling and low calorie and add it to my food diary for Sunday!!!

    One thing that usually fills and satisfies me is a teaspoon of almond butter and a banana.
  • yolandita
    yolandita Posts: 23 Member
    Wow! this one is hard because alot of the times my overnight snacking is due to night terrors. I'll eat something filling but low cal because food puts me back in my comfort zone. I don't wan't to snack at night, so i'll try to find some other way to put myself back in my comfort zone and join this fitness challenge.
  • kmwhealth
    kmwhealth Posts: 1 Member
    This is a challenge for me, I get so snacky at night, which is probably not helping me take off a few pounds. My cut-off time will be 7:30 because I usually go to bed around 9 or 9:30.
  • zaza54
    zaza54 Posts: 1,475 Member
    Hi-
    Great to see so much enthusiasm for this challenge. You have tonight to practice and we'll start officially tomorrow night, on Feb. 1. Good luck to all!!
    Zaza
  • nina1968
    nina1968 Posts: 86 Member
    I am in. sounds great. I have 15 lbs to go, so this will really help. My cut off time will be 730. Good luck to everyone:smile:
  • nina1968
    nina1968 Posts: 86 Member
    I am in. sounds great. I have 15 lbs to go, so this will really help. My cut off time will be 730. Good luck to everyone:smile:
  • zaza54
    zaza54 Posts: 1,475 Member
    bump
  • 3littlegirls
    3littlegirls Posts: 27
    I'm in. My cut off time will be about 830 pm (translation - right after my girls are in bed). That would be a good 2 hours before I crash for the night.
  • enj09b
    enj09b Posts: 2
    Ah, I'm in, too! Cut-off for me will be 9:45, except on Sundays, which will be 10:30. I'm at work or in class until a little after nine most days, and at work until ten on Sundays.
  • lilangel7671
    lilangel7671 Posts: 353 Member
    Maybe this challenge will be good for me. I have been struggling to get my late-night eating under control! I actually have been binging so badly I feel sick sometimes..so hopefully I can stick to my guns this time! I'm a clean eater (probably about 85-90% clean) and get really bad cravings for junk at night..ugh! But thanks everyone I'm in! :drinker:
    Edit to add: My cut off time will be around 9:30, some nights I am in bed by then, others not..so I think that should be good.
  • Overfifty1957
    Overfifty1957 Posts: 5
    Sounds like a good challenge to me. My cut off will be 8:p.m. since I go to bed about 9-9:30 and get up really early. Weekend will be later about 10.
  • zaza54
    zaza54 Posts: 1,475 Member
    Welcome everyone. :flowerforyou: I really need this challenge and am so happy to have some friendly "competition" (company). We'll start officially tomorrow night. For now, I'm practicing. My dinner guests just left and I'm not going to have anything else with calories for the rest of the night. At least, that's the plan.
    Zaza
  • zaza54
    zaza54 Posts: 1,475 Member
    Good morning.
    It's Feb. 1 and this challenge begins tonight.
    For those of you who haven't seen this thread yet, here's how it works:
    Choose a cut-off time and then do not snack or consume anything caloric after that time. Keep track of how many consecutive nights you do not snack past your personal cut-off time. The person with the longest stretch of consecutive nights of no late night snacking through Feb. 28th wins the challenge.

    I need the accountability and friendly competition of a challenge to keep from packing on those calories at night.
    So, if you have the same problem and want to challenge yourself and me, join this challenge for the month of Feb.

    My cut-off time is 9:30 p.m. because I don't go to bed before 11:30 or midnight. I do allow myself a later cut-off time of 11:30 p.m. for special occasions/week-end nights if I'm out.
    Choose a time that works best for you.

    Good luck and stick with this so you can be earn the title of "Ms. or Mr. February" on Mar. 1 when we compare who has the longest stretch of consecutive nights of no late night snacking from tonight through Feb. 28.
  • zaza54
    zaza54 Posts: 1,475 Member
    Hi-
    Just a friendly reminder that the challenge starts tonight. I know a couple of you have early cut-off times. How are you doing? Hang in there. Floss and brush your teeth and CLOSE the kitchen!!!
    Good luck everyone.
    Zaza
  • Alyxw
    Alyxw Posts: 50 Member
    Hi,

    I would like to join this thread too! My cut off time will be 8pm ;-)

    Wishing you all the best!
  • zaza54
    zaza54 Posts: 1,475 Member
    Welcome Alyxw!
    So, how did everyone do this evening? I stuck to my cut-off time and it's a good thing because I was out of control right up until 9:30. Thank goodness for this challenge. I knew I had to stop eating because I was too embarrassed to start this challenge and blow it on the first night.
    Now, all I have to do tomorrow is stick to my calories AND not snack at night.
    Zaza
  • TwentyTen
    TwentyTen Posts: 585
    We'll see how it goes tonight when I wake up at 3 or 4am. With any luck, I just won't!
  • 3littlegirls
    3littlegirls Posts: 27
    I did good last night.. Got my girls to bed, and then came down and had my snack... It helps from right after my snack until nearly 11 I was on the computer finishing up my oldest daughters invite for her birthday party, so time flew by and I was completely distracted.
  • zaza54
    zaza54 Posts: 1,475 Member
    Great job, 3littlegirls !:flowerforyou:
    So, we each made it through Day 1. How did everyone else do?
    Zaza
  • enj09b
    enj09b Posts: 2
    Made it through, though I also didn't have any particular cravings for anything... Then again, maybe the sticky note I put on my door to remind me is actually working.

    Good job to everyone sticking to it!
  • TwentyTen
    TwentyTen Posts: 585
    Eh. Had hot flash wake me about 3am, had the hungries, and had a thin slice of swiss cheese. Better than a bowl of cereal tho' right? Will hope to do better tonight, promise.
  • zaza54
    zaza54 Posts: 1,475 Member
    How are you doing Twenty Ten? You can do this!

    Way to go enj09b! :flowerforyou: Are you getting thru tonight too?

    I have to say this challenge is working for me. I kept my eye on the clock and, now that it's cut-ff time, I am not having anything except seltzer. So, unless I totally lose control, tonight will be Day 2 for me.

    Good luck everyone.
    Zaza
  • TwentyTen
    TwentyTen Posts: 585
    I did it. Yay. I actually slept through a night without getting up at all. Worked late, dinner was late, might have something to do with it. Nevertheless a snack free night. Glad to hear you were successful too zaza. Lets do the same tonight!
  • 3littlegirls
    3littlegirls Posts: 27
    I missed my cut off last night by about 15-20 minutes because it was a non school night, so my girls got to bed a tad later, and I didn't even get back to the main floor until 5 minutes past my cut off time.. But got my snack right away, and ate it, and didn't get anything else for the rest of the night. :)
  • nina1968
    nina1968 Posts: 86 Member
    Just wanted to check in since i joined this challenge. So far so good. No snacking after 730 for me. It has been 5 days and counting.
  • TwentyTen
    TwentyTen Posts: 585
    Well I blew it last night. 3am hot flash had me up and a bowl of cereal helped me back to bed. Very little will power that time of night, particularly after the day I had. So, .. yeah. Tonight is another night tho. I figure the challenge is a whole month , not just going to let a night or two or three make me throw in the towel.

    See some of you are good at this!

    How's it going zaza?
  • TwentyTen
    TwentyTen Posts: 585
    Two fer two for me. Made it through last night without any 3am snacks. Now if I could do two in a row I might start to get somewhere!
  • TwentyTen
    TwentyTen Posts: 585
    Although it seems i may be talking to myself at this point, I DID get through another night without the 3am snack attack.
    It's a good thing. Hope everyone else out there is having some success!
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