Late Night Gluttony...It's GOTTA' Stop!!!!

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grouchoguy
grouchoguy Posts: 20
in Health and Weight Loss
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!! :smile:
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Replies

  • cboutin89
    cboutin89 Posts: 79 Member
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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.
  • melnikdanil1
    melnikdanil1 Posts: 41
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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.
  • schondell
    schondell Posts: 556 Member
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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, whoops
  • schondell
    schondell Posts: 556 Member
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    ALSO, eating fruits in the later hours personally does not fill me up and just makes me hungry for more sweet things..
  • MysticRealm
    MysticRealm Posts: 1,264 Member
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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.
  • SheenSZF
    SheenSZF Posts: 88
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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.)
  • grouchoguy
    grouchoguy Posts: 20
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    Thanks so much, y'all!! :smile:
  • Celuwen
    Celuwen Posts: 80 Member
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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.
  • LennyInFlorida
    LennyInFlorida Posts: 202
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    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 lol
  • firemanfive0
    firemanfive0 Posts: 228 Member
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    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.
  • sugarlips1980
    sugarlips1980 Posts: 361 Member
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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!
  • Brunner26_2
    Brunner26_2 Posts: 1,152
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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.
  • kdub67
    kdub67 Posts: 181 Member
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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:)
  • barbaramitchell101
    barbaramitchell101 Posts: 360 Member
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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...
  • jfan175
    jfan175 Posts: 812 Member
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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!!
  • BiggFanofLife
    BiggFanofLife Posts: 19 Member
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    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.
  • NeverGivesUp
    NeverGivesUp Posts: 960 Member
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    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!!!
  • lovinmyselfagain
    lovinmyselfagain Posts: 307 Member
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    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!
  • Gwenski
    Gwenski Posts: 348 Member
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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!
  • nerchk
    nerchk Posts: 136 Member
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    bump

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