Late Night Gluttony...It's GOTTA' Stop!!!!
grouchoguy
Posts: 20
Following years of a habitual unhealthy diet, along with other terrible habits, I'm now putting forth effort to transform my fat and bloated body. I quit smoking almost 3 weeks ago, ending a 34 year habit! I've also radically altered my diet. And although these first weeks living a healthier lifestyle have been somewhat easier than I anticipated, one area still haunts me; craving "HUGE" amounts of food in the late night hours. I have very few moments during the daytime that cause me to wanna' overeat. But, 10PM and later?...and It's very difficult! Any helpful hints? Any "filling" low-calorie foods? For the record, I'm very tired of raw Celery and Carrots!! LOL I'm also Diabetic. Any help would be appreciated greatly!!!! Thanks so much!! 
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Replies
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Hey there, Fruits of any kind can are very filling. You don't have to just eat raw celery and carrots( even though vegetables do fill appetite as well ). You can even make a smoothie with any natural fruits and vegetables of your choice which can help as well. A small bowl of muligrain cereal with low fat milk or a small piece of wheat toast will do fine as well. It has also been said that drinking a glass of water before and after meals reduces food intake. I hope my suggestions helped.0
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You are doing great job my friend! I am impressed! Try to drink plenty of water.you could eat late too,I know popcorn without butter is ok.try to divite your calories equal that you will have some left for night time cravings.What about going to bed early?your craving is just a habbit you should brake.0
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I make a packet of low fat hot chocolate (60) with 1 cup of almond milk (40) and dump in a cup of cereal until theres no more water (250) and it makes a really strange but delicious filling snack..
It's not low calorie at all at 350, whoops0 -
ALSO, eating fruits in the later hours personally does not fill me up and just makes me hungry for more sweet things..0
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I leave myself the large majority of my calories for after work. I usually eat around 500-600 calories for my meals and snacks till after work (including the snack I eat on the drive to the barn/ or drive home from work) so I have 900-1000 calories for after work. This helps prevent me from sitting around late at night thinking about food but going 'no no, can't eat' which can lead to binging. Instead I can think 'hey, I can eat this, and this, and this still!' and I can make choices that fit into my calories.0
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A couple suggestions that are nutritious and low-cal:
Unsweetened Almond-Coconut Milk. A cup only has 45 calories.
A protein shake. There are a lot of options in lots of different flavors for around 140 calories with 23 grams protein: just be sure and check the sugar (go for 8 or fewer sugar grams). Add more volumn by blending in lots of ice and water (or some of the almond-coconut milk mentioned above.)0 -
Thanks so much, y'all!! 0
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I find having a small portion of nuts can help with the late night munchies. I also have fruit, but as you're a diabetic, I'm not sure if you have to limit your fruit in-take?
I also snack on broccoli and peppers and a spicy tomato based dip.
A small portion of popcorn or an egg might work if you want something less veg-based.0 -
I recommend avoiding sugary foods at night as they trigger MORE hunger. Eat protein rich foods and water...
If you must eat sugar, eat fruit, You can eat an entire large watermelon and only ingest 600 calories, it's a lot better than a 2k calorie binge on cookies... and I doubt you could even eat an entire watermelon before you vomited lol...I'll typically spec in 1/2 watermelon and i'm so full it's ridiculous lol0 -
try 1-2oz of jerky...jack links has the 1oz packs(like you see at the gas stations). They are full of flavor, take a few minutes to eat, relative low in calories and packed with protein. just watch your sodium intake and good luck. This is one of my go to snacks, i keep them in the truck, desk and cupboards.0
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A huge congrats on quitting smoking! It's the best thing you can ever do for yourself. I quit 5 months ago and have now gradually lost 15 pounds. I'd say quitting the *kitten*, exercising and eating healthier all go and in hand and can be done together but just be patient with yourself at first. Quitting the *kitten* was priority for me, and I wanted to exercise and get fitter and not pig out and pile on the weight like I have with previous quits. Weight loss was something I pushed a bit more a couple of months in. To stop late night binges, I would make sure you're not eating your dinner too early. Eat a healthy filling meal about 7pm if you go to bed about 11pm. You can do this!0
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I don't eat breakfast and I usually eat my last 1000 or so calories right before bed. Maybe that would help you. Also, are you eating enough? Restricting too much can lead to cravings and overeating.0
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I don't have a problem with after 10pm eating, but my earlier in the evening rocky time is between 8-10. I know it sounds dumb, but what helps me is to brush my teeth after I've eaten my last meal for the day. You know how orange juice tastes yucky with freshly brushed teeth? It's the same thing for me at night. It might not work for you, but it's enough of a push to keep me from noshing at night:)0
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look, eating anything with carbs, increases your hunger...I used to take one (whatever) then I couldnt stop....I added more protein drinks, starting the day with a diet type (soy)....if you want to try what I use, check my diary for the name and google online.it is not available OTC...I have found that after starting this, and later adding an ENSURE high protein, I really am not having those carb cravings anymore...and it is much easier to stay away from them.....it is fairly easy to stay at or below the 1200...and am losing about 2 ounces per day, consistently...not a lot, but I have a desk job and get NO EXERCISE....I have lost almost 40 bs with this over the last 2 years....good luck....hope this will help you...0
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I had a similar issue when I began. What really helps is to not go to bed on an empty stomach (don't believe the crap that it's bad to eat before going bed), and make sure you get to bed at a decent hour. If I stay up late, I'm very vulnerable to uncontrollable cravings. I'm not nearly as hungry in the morning, whether I succomb to the cravings or not.
Congrats on quitting smoking!!0 -
First off congratulations on you weight loss success so far!
I feel your pain. I am having the exact same problem. Nothing I did helped, eating low calorie snacks, saving calories to compensate. I know what I'm going to say is going to be hard to hear, but you might have what I have, A binge eating disorder. As guys we can't fathom the concept that we have a disorder, or we are helpless to control something like this.
As guys, we often "Man Up" and suppress these thoughts. That is a huge mistake.
This is all new to me too.
For weight loss accountability I do an audio talk show (Podcast) about my weight loss journey and this week I was dealing with binge eating. If you are interested in listening you can go to http://letsreverseobesity.com and listen to episode 006 or if you have an ipod, or iphone you can down load it from iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-reverse-obesity-john/id562921246
So far just realizing I have this and doing simple breathing meditation has helped me.0 -
replace eating with exercise or go to bed. Or you can save some calories to enjoy during your hungry time. My hungry time is late evening so I fast until the evening in order to feel good and satisfied for dinner. I never wake up hungry whether I go to bed hungry or not. This battle is all about replacing bad habits with good ones and sticking to the good ones so that you don't go back to the bad ones ever again . Late night eating is not the problem, it is that you have eaten all your allotted calories before you get to the evening. Tweak things around a little bit and it will be fine .
Oh and fabulous job quitting smoking, that is a huuuuuge accomplishment!!!0 -
I used to struggle with late-night eating. It's another downfall that comes with insomnia. If you're not working during those hours and have insomnia like I do, I suggest putting in effort to going to sleep earlier. I had gotten so used to staying up late that I would delay taking my insomnia meds and the later I stayed up, the more I wanted to mindlessly eat. So try to work on going to bed earlier. If that's not your issue, I suggest eating plain Greek yogurt with some flax seed and fresh fruit, if allowed. Or natural peanut butter on toast. Something higher in protein and/or fiber to keep you feeling full and satisfied. Drinking warm water also helps to make you feel full, since it stays in your body longer. Good luck!0
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Thank you for posting this! I am experiencing the same trouble. It seems to be that I do great all day and just don't have the willpower to avoid a 200 cal snack at. 10 or 11 pm. I could make adjustments in my day to have those cals left but that is not what I want to do. I really want to go to bed without 'needing to eat'.. It's all mental to me... Another self control issue to work through!
Hang in there, and know you are not alone!0 -
bump0
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try eating slow digesting protein in the evening, my favourite is low fat cottage cheese with cinnamon, high in protein, low calorie and filling... and surprisingly tasty.0
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Congrats on quitting smoking. Your body will thank you in the future, although it may be pretty pissed at you right now
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Try a cup or so of frozen blueberries mixed with some low fat lemon (or vanilla) yogurt. The yogurt freezes on to the berries, and it's almost like eating ice cream, and at only slightly above 100 cals, is a great snack.0 -
No one else mentioned the fact that you quit smoking! It changes things. I quit in july so I know where your standing right now. The cravings will get ....better...a little. If you can.... go to bed! If your sleeping your not fighting any urges! Have sex and crash! Then your burning calories too!0
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you're smart. and absolutely correct.0
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100 calorie pack of almonds and an apple or pear
peanut butter and jelly on 1/2 slice of healthy bread
Laughing Cow cheese wedge and an apple or pear
popcorn - air popped sprinkled with parmesan cheese
hard boiled egg
diet hot chocolate
Congrats on changing your lifestyle to a healthier one! Good luck with making your late night munching healthier.0 -
i have the same problem. I also tried balancing my calories though out the day, tried eating less, working out and the only time that i didnt binge was when i did the 4 hour body diet. I had beans for lunch and in the evening with my meals and they really kept me full for longer. Problem is, it is kinda hard to eat so much lentils. Maybe i should go back to that0
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Save calories for the end of your day, work out in the evening (this kills my appetite) and when you eat in the evening don't eat anything that will spike your blood sugar. Stick to proteins and if you have enough calories left, some nuts. You can also try drinking water when you think you're hungry. It's hard to tell the difference between thirst and hunger.
Congrats on your life-style change.0 -
Maybe you need to snack more during the day so you're not as hungry at night. Nuts, particularly almonds are a really healthy filling snack and they actually stabilise blood sugar levels which is really good if you're diabetic. You don't have to just snack on rabbit style stuff... nuts, dates and even prawns or avacado are really healthy and more likely to keep you satisfied as opposed to celery sticks yuk :-)0
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You've done great to stop smoking but that was only very recent and will have messed with your blood sugar levels, hunger signals and sleep patterns - these all interact to cause cravings. Look at what and when you are eating during the day, little and often from breakfast, always protein, fibre and healthy fats (oily fish, nuts, seeds, avocado, olives, coconut, cocoa), switch to small servings of the lowest glycaemic index carbs (barley, beans, lentils) if you have not already. Eat way more low sugar fruits and non starchy vegetables with your evening meal - at least nine servings a day - really stuff yourself so you can't eat any more.
Be sure also to practice good sleep hygiene, a proper wind down routine with no TV or computer. You may find you have been artificially keeping yourself awake with nicotine and food, and you need to go to bed earlier rather than continue this habit. Sleep deprivation or low sleep quality puts the body into a state of stress which can cause the body to hold onto fat and crave unhealthy foods.0 -
First of all, congrats on stopping smoking! That is awesome! Secondly, I found that it takes your body and mind a few weeks to get used to the new food intake. Be patient with yourself!:flowerforyou:
I haven't read all the respinses but a few things that may help-
-Go to bed earlier
- air popped or light popcorn and a big glass of ice water
- tea
- string cheese and an apple
-greek yogurt with a little frozen blueberries thrown in
remember to try and slloooow down your eating too. That was one of my problems, I like to scarf food down!!!:laugh:
Best of luck to you!:flowerforyou:0
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