Nightime (before bedtime) Eater!

ginabryan
ginabryan Posts: 8
in Motivation and Support
I do great at work with the healthy eating - I suppose becasue I stay busy, but once I am home and I have the first bite of something to eat, I just want to keep on eating until it is time for bed. I am currently trying to sew in the evenings to keep from eating since this gives my hands something to do and my mind as well. I have tried to excersise rather than eat in the evening, clean - but I'm already tired from work and I want to relax for the hour or two that I have. I have tried to go to bed early to avoid it.
Does anyone else have this issue and do you have any ideas to help me avoid this pittfall?

Replies

  • MaxineMarieM
    MaxineMarieM Posts: 50 Member
    Save some of your calories for your evening snack that's what I do.
  • rvicini
    rvicini Posts: 252 Member
    Exactly, fit your budget, or have a wonderful orange or something like that if you are close to your limit...
  • MeriLeMay
    MeriLeMay Posts: 57 Member
    I have this problem too. Had calories last night left over but I went for the rigatoni instead of a healthier snack. Still under 1550 calories for the day but I have to break this bad habit.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Save some of your calories for your evening snack that's what I do.

    ^ That.


    Since you're tracking intake you can see what you've got left for calories. When you eat those calories is of very little importance outside of how it effects mood/performance/preference/etc. If you want to eat your calories right before bed, and you can still meet your nutritional needs, then there's nothing inherently wrong with it.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    Brush your teeth.

    Try altoids curiously strong peppermints.

    Suck on a jolly rancher.
  • Crankstr
    Crankstr Posts: 3,958 Member
    Save some of your calories for your evening snack that's what I do.

    ^ That.


    Since you're tracking intake you can see what you've got left for calories. When you eat those calories is of very little importance outside of how it effects mood/performance/preference/etc. If you want to eat your calories right before bed, and you can still meet your nutritional needs, then there's nothing inherently wrong with it.

    yep
  • tracymat
    tracymat Posts: 296 Member
    I have discovered a new way to squash my night binges... I eat dinner pretty early a few nights a week due to a second job. I get home at 9:30 at night and by that time am hungry.

    I use the chicken soup protein powder from Unjury. I mix a scoop with 8 oz of water. Fill a coffee mug 1/2 full with water and microwave to heat. Add 4 oz (you'll have 4 oz left for tomorrow night) of the protein powder mixture to the cup and you have a little cup of "chicken soup" with 10.5 grams of protein for 50 calories. Warms my belly, and makes it think it's full.

    http://www.unjury.com/store/protein/reg/chicken_soup_flavored_protein.shtml

    PS you can't heat protein powder, so I developed that little premix trick! You have to do it that way or it'll curdle.
  • ToshaFeb268
    ToshaFeb268 Posts: 71
    Save some of your calories for your evening snack that's what I do.

    ^^^This
  • zilea
    zilea Posts: 31 Member
    I have this problem, too. I definitely save some calories every day for a my evening post-dinner snack and once I'm done with it, I brush my teeth. It's so hard to go back once you've brushed your teeth! :)
  • chrishg
    chrishg Posts: 35 Member
    How much do you think evening eating in the past was responsible for your weight problem? If not really then you can save calories for that time of day and that should be fine.

    However, if you always have had a compulsion to eat at this time, and this has contributed to you being overweight, then you need to take the opportunity to break the habit. In this case I would suggest eating all your calories by the end of your evening meal and then toughing it out for a few week even if you do feel a bit hungry. Then you might just break a habit that you have to lose to be able to maintain a healthy weight?
  • LadyBeryl
    LadyBeryl Posts: 344 Member
    Save some of your calories for your evening snack that's what I do.
    This. You can change your labels on MFP for that allocation too.
  • LoveAlwaysAlisa
    LoveAlwaysAlisa Posts: 111 Member
    Anticipate eating this late and budget your calories to fit it in. Doesn't matter what time you eat really , just make sure you fit within your calorie goal. I do it too. I try to save about 500 cals for after dinner because I get a late start on eating everyday...well, most days. :tongue:
  • joyous504
    joyous504 Posts: 72
    I get that way sometimes and my new favorite snack, that doesn't make the scale go up in the morning, is cold grapes and Nearly Naked Popcorn. The sweet and salty are perfect together and they are both super low in calories - 4 cups of the popcorn is 130 calories and 100 grams of grapes is appx 134. I get the popcorn at Costco, I'm not sure where else they sell it. I'm sure any popcorn will do though.
  • verptwerp
    verptwerp Posts: 3,629 Member
    I plan to have a HEALTHY snack late in the evening ....... and I exercise each day to make sure there are "extra" calories to play with .......

    Happy planning :drinker:
  • Pedal_Pusher
    Pedal_Pusher Posts: 1,166 Member
    Mind over matter. No, seriously.
  • MizSaz
    MizSaz Posts: 445 Member
    Cucumber slices with garlic salt or caramel rice cakes, depending on whether your looking for savory or sweet. :)
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    I eat right up until I put my head down at night, there's nothing wrong with it as long as you accomodate for it.
  • trishmce
    trishmce Posts: 59
    I work out a 5am so I always have something before bed to have some fuel in the tank. It is budgeted into the daily total
  • fitwithwhit88
    fitwithwhit88 Posts: 59 Member
    I have the same problem....I'm great all day at work, then come home and find myself binging, even though I eat regularly and healthily throughout the day. I'm going to try drinking tea - maybe a nice chai with skim milk...or a low-cal protein shake to curb my cravings.
  • kooltray87
    kooltray87 Posts: 501 Member
    Theres nothing wrong with night time eating if you're within your limits and what youre eating is clean. I failed at both of these so in order to break my habit I've stopped eating after 8pm. Its a drastic solution but I'm trying to break my mental habit of overeating at night.
  • JESSJESJ
    JESSJESJ Posts: 121 Member
    is it a hunger thing or a boredom / need something to do with my hands - mindless eating?

    If I dont eat enough during the day when I come home i'm hungry and will go through the kitchen looking for the most unhealthy & tasty snacks available usually in the form of cookies / cakes / candy, in other words crap. but when I eat more during the day or have a snack at work before I leave, it seems to solve the problem and the tasmanian devil of eating doesn't appear.
  • MarthasVineyard
    MarthasVineyard Posts: 35 Member
    You are not alone! I have always been a big night time before bed eater. I could eat more between the hours of 9 & 11 p.m. than I ate all day. Salty, then sweet and then I'd think "Well I've already blown it" and just keep eating. I'd go to bed, full, defeated and miserable. Until I joined MFP, I woke up every night with horrible heartburn. Most of the time I ate out of habit. I'd finally sit down around 9 p.m., get in front of the TV and start eating.

    I've employed a lot of the great tips shared. They've helped. Tracking my food has helped most of all. Any night time snack is based on the calories I have available, and once I've had my snack I go straight upstairs, brush my teeth and go to bed. If I'm not tired I take my Kindle up and read. Once I'm in bed, I won't get up and go to the kitchen.

    Keep working at it. It took you a long time to get into the night time eating habit. It will take time to break it. I've been told, the rule of thumb is it takes 30 days to start or break a habit.

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