Wahhhh Getting hungry at night, help???

I normally eat dinner at a decent time like around 5 or 6 PM. Wait a while and go to the gym, come home and just hang out....I don't get hungry until usually later in the night and i really don't just want to eat then go to sleep, that's a no-no! any suggestions??

Replies

  • eat something that is high in volume but low in calories....like celery. Drink water as well.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    ...i really don't just want to eat then go to sleep, that's a no-no! any suggestions??
    There's nothing wrong with eating late at night or right before you go to sleep unless it causes you indigestion or other problems. As long as you take in less calories than you're expending, it doesn't matter when you take them in. Your metabolism works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Not eating after a certain hour (or not eating certain things after a certain hour) is a myth.
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
    the kitchen is closed. keep a jug of water by your bed, gulp it, and go to sleep.
  • ...i really don't just want to eat then go to sleep, that's a no-no! any suggestions??
    There's nothing wrong with eating late at night or right before you go to sleep unless it causes you indigestion or other problems. As long as you take in less calories than you're expending, it doesn't matter when you take them in. Your metabolism works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Not eating after a certain hour (or not eating certain things after a certain hour) is a myth.

    i agree with this as well, but (as i am sure Anvilhead was implying) your metabolism slows down quite a bit when you are asleep which is why i suggest dense lowcal foods before bed
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    If you have calories to spare, there's no harm in eating at night, even right before bed. That's one of those diet myths that has been pretty credibly debunked. I know many very successful people here that save calories for ice cream before bed every night, even! I prefer PB&J, personally. If you know you're going to be hungry at night l, work it in to your calorie target and have a snack- it will not in any way derail your success.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    If you have calories to spare, there's no harm in eating at night, even right before bed. That's one of those diet myths that has been pretty credibly debunked. I know many very successful people here that save calories for ice cream before bed every night, even! I prefer PB&J, personally. If you know you're going to be hungry at night l, work it in to your calorie target and have a snack- it will not in any way derail your success.

    Ice-cream in bed FTW!

    Keep it within your calorie and macro target and as long as it does not impact your sleep, eat as late as you want.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    ...i really don't just want to eat then go to sleep, that's a no-no! any suggestions??
    There's nothing wrong with eating late at night or right before you go to sleep unless it causes you indigestion or other problems. As long as you take in less calories than you're expending, it doesn't matter when you take them in. Your metabolism works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Not eating after a certain hour (or not eating certain things after a certain hour) is a myth.

    i agree with this as well, but (as i am sure Anvilhead was implying) your metabolism slows down quite a bit when you are asleep which is why i suggest dense lowcal foods before bed

    You dont need to plan on digesting and using calories immediately, that's not really how metabolism works, except for glucose during exercise. What are low-cal dense foods anyway? Usually the density of foods refers to the energy density, unless you're referring to high volume foods that are technically "dense" due to a high water content making them have a high mass to volume ratio?
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    ...i really don't just want to eat then go to sleep, that's a no-no! any suggestions??
    There's nothing wrong with eating late at night or right before you go to sleep unless it causes you indigestion or other problems. As long as you take in less calories than you're expending, it doesn't matter when you take them in. Your metabolism works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Not eating after a certain hour (or not eating certain things after a certain hour) is a myth.

    i agree with this as well, but (as i am sure Anvilhead was implying) your metabolism slows down quite a bit when you are asleep which is why i suggest dense lowcal foods before bed

    He was not implying that at all. The only reason you 'metabolism' slows down is that you are lying down. Your BMR does not decrease at night. The less calories than expending comment was related to the energy balance over the entire day (or even week for that matter) not while you are sleeping.
  • janessafantasma
    janessafantasma Posts: 312 Member
    I always get hungry at night because I tend to do my most intense cardio and strength work outs after I eat dinner, I have celiac's, so if I get a grumbling tummy, I eat a Kind protein bar, organic fruit snacks, or as someone else said, ice cream. I have always been a grazer and I find the best solution for me to keep from binging is to just eat the snack when I'm craving it and when I'm hungry, even if it is late at night. In fact, right before reading this I ate a Kind bar and its 2am.
  • The best thing you can eat right before bed is cottage cheese, to lose weight you need to keep your metabolism going and eat frequently, you cannot do that when you go to sleep as you fast for at least 8 hours. Cottage cheese is low in calories and is slow to digest, therefore if you eat it before going to bed you will not fast as long so your metabolism will not slow down as much. Then when you wake up, eat a good breafast as soon as you can, and eat small frequent meals every 3 hours or so(some diets will even require you to eat every hour). Oh and cut out the carbs (or at least the bad ones and eat small amounts of the good ones).
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    The best thing you can eat right before bed is cottage cheese, to lose weight you need to keep your metabolism going and eat frequently, you cannot do that when you go to sleep as you fast for at least 8 hours. Cottage cheese is low in calories and is slow to digest, therefore if you eat it before going to bed you will not fast as long so your metabolism will not slow down as much. Then when you wake up, eat a good breafast as soon as you can, and eat small frequent meals every 3 hours or so(some diets will even require you to eat every hour). Oh and cut out the carbs (or at least the bad ones and eat small amounts of the good ones).

    This is just not true. Intra-day meal timing is irrelevant, assuming macros and calories remain the same. Also, there is no reason to cut out carbs.

    Read this:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/820577-meal-frequency-rev-up-that-furnace-lol
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    It's not really a no-no to eat before you go to sleep. Calories in<calories out. It doesn't matter what time you eat. If it's within your calories for the day, eat it!
  • douglasmobbs
    douglasmobbs Posts: 563 Member
    It is more than likely that it is habit that makes you feel hungry at night rather than you are actually need food.

    How long is it after your evening meal that you feel hungry? I assume that your evening meal is larger, or of similar size to your breakfast or lunch. Do you feel hungry after lunch/breakfast once the same time period has passed? If not then it is habit that is making you feel hungry.

    It typically takes 1-3 weeks to break the back of such a habit, if you reinforce your will power with the knowledge that you do not need the extra food and your body is sending you habitual messages for food and not snack at night for the 1-3 weeks you will find that the desire to snack will decrease or go altogether.
  • mrsjenfrank
    mrsjenfrank Posts: 1,015 Member
    My nutritionist said that refueling your body after a workout is important. She suggested a few carbs with some protein. i usually do a small piece of fruit and some cheese... or one piece of toast and peanut butter... something small and light, that does not contain too many calories. The upside of having that small snack is it helps with the munchies/getting hungry at night.
  • L14nDv
    L14nDv Posts: 33 Member
    I found a glass of milk helped me.
  • douglasmobbs
    douglasmobbs Posts: 563 Member
    My nutritionist said that refueling your body after a workout is important. She suggested a few carbs with some protein. i usually do a small piece of fruit and some cheese... or one piece of toast and peanut butter... something small and light, that does not contain too many calories. The upside of having that small snack is it helps with the munchies/getting hungry at night.

    The post work out protein is about recovery as you have damaged your muscles whilst working out, the protein is required to repair the muscle damage. This muscle damage is how they build up and strengthen so its nothing to be worried about.
  • ClementineGeorg
    ClementineGeorg Posts: 505 Member
    Post-workout snacking. Your body needs it.
    The protein helps also you to not get hungry that quick, not only with muscle built.