how to stop overeating at night HELP!

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palomaak
palomaak Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
I always do great during the day but when I'm at home at night I always overeat on cereal or whatever I can get my hands on. Any tips on how to stop because I'm afraid instead of progressing I'll gain weight back
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  • sunshinestate
    sunshinestate Posts: 110 Member
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    Last night I ate dinner really late, and it helped with the late night munchies. Then, I fell asleep on the couch, and when I woke up to let the dogs out I went munchie crazy. I think going to bed earlier helps, and eating a late dinner. Must avoid late night munchies, they mess us up so bad!
  • UCONNCOED
    UCONNCOED Posts: 332 Member
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    I usually try to work out and then eat dinner.... that helps supress my appetite. Also, I am a huge overeater! So I just cant START. I need to not start the snacking or i wont stop. I have tried upping my wwater, drinking tea before bed, and just getting to sleep. Honestly, the hardest part is breaking the habit
  • Slim115
    Slim115 Posts: 20
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    Hi, chew some sugar free gum! it really works! also you can brush your teeth.
  • katieann2
    katieann2 Posts: 26
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    I found that eating full feeling foods help! Such as large green salad with lots of colorful vegetables, with my meal keeps me full longer. Also food high in fiber helps.
  • Dycin83
    Dycin83 Posts: 3
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    I find a drop weight whenever I cut out the after-supper snacking. So I try to have something sweet right after supper (small piece of dark chocolate), and then only drink water or hot tea in the evening while watching TV. Eating supper later really helps, too. We only eat at 7:00 pm.
  • metco89
    metco89 Posts: 578 Member
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    OMG! This has been a constant struggle for me. I do really well all day and then at night its like a demon comes to life. What i have started doing is saving some calories for "snacktime" cause it is coming. I usually have a fat free yogurt with a TBSP of ff whipped topping and that satisfies my sweet craving. Then I try to stay up and do something to keep my mind busy for about an hour and i go to bed. If i want something more substantial which i am finding is less often now (Thank God), i would have a serving of taste escapes ham, on one slice of wheat bread. It has been difficult getting to this point and some nights i just plain fall all the way off the wagon, like last night, i ate mcdonalds but i can't change yesterday so i am working on doing different today, I just went and stocked up on my yogurts!!! Wishing you much success!!:drinker: :flowerforyou:
  • MomBo
    MomBo Posts: 24 Member
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    So know what you mean...munchies seem to really kick in after 6pm...I try to keep a bowl of dry popped pop corn sitting on the counter...maybe with a little Parmesan cheese sprinkled on it....gives me something to munch on and time to ponder:happy: before I grab something I shouldn't really eat!!!
  • AprilChampion
    AprilChampion Posts: 184 Member
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    I always do great during the day but when I'm at home at night I always overeat on cereal or whatever I can get my hands on. Any tips on how to stop because I'm afraid instead of progressing I'll gain weight back

    get a hobby that will keep your mind off of eating...sew, paint, write, do something creative....i find that if im sitting in front of the tv, i get the "boredom hunger" but if im actually DOING something to keep my brain busy (and my hands for that matter) then i wont eat.
  • Granny2b
    Granny2b Posts: 91
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    At night i make myself a night time snack box ( well that's what i call it LOL) Apple and orange slices a cereal bar a sugar free jelly etc or any low fat snacks. It works for me, i just cut back a little on my breakfast, lunch and dinner to make this possible.
    Hope this helps you.

    Pamela xxx
  • lab_goddess
    lab_goddess Posts: 170 Member
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    I get that way too, and it is a tough habit to break...I try to eat dinner between 7 and 7:30, and try to get ready for bed early. Brushing my teeth when the urge hits also helps...Delay, delay, delay, and the cravings go away...but they are vicious until they leave.
  • LadyTramp
    LadyTramp Posts: 2
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    Weight Watchers has taught me that when this happens, we must not be eating the right foods through out the day. We have to make sure we get enough protein in throughout the day. When we don't, when we get home, we eat like we're starving because we don't have that 'full' feeling. We should always eat breakfast, then a snack, lunch, snack and then dinner. Shouldn't go to bed for at least two hours after eating dinner. This gives your metabolism time to work on breaking down dinner. Then while your sleeping, your metabolism can work on other areas.
  • palomaak
    palomaak Posts: 4
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    Does chewing gum really help the cravings go away? I havent started exercising so I only have 1290 calories I can eat and its so hard even managing to eat below that all day so I guess at night I just want to snack on something really fat. I guess if I work out I can indulge a little more maybe if I work out after dinner it will help with it. Last night I had a Caramel Apple Empanada from Taco Bell and then some sugary cereal and it just seems like I can't stop until I'm about to burst.
  • palomaak
    palomaak Posts: 4
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    thats really a good idea I need to fill myself up with better thing but sometimes the cravings just get the better of me
  • imarlett
    imarlett Posts: 228 Member
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    A lot of us have the same problem. For some of us, it has nothing to do with being full. I know for me its just boredom. I can feel full and still eat food until I almost hurt. What I have started doing is some chores in the evening to keep me occupied. I am also a social eater. If someone around is eating, I feel obligated to do so as well. These are habits that have to be broken. As for actually being hungry later in the day, that is actually pretty simple, eat a big breakfast, and a decent size lunch. My grandmother told me how she kept lean (other than working on a farm) was to eat like a king in the morning, eat like a prince in the afternoon and eat like a pauper at night. It makes sense since your body is winding down at the end of the day, you don't really need a lot of food.
  • sassyg
    sassyg Posts: 393
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    it's usually boredom-related when i get like this.
    i try to find something to do OTHER than watching tv... study, crafts, read a book, clean something...

    THEN If I'm really still hungry I make sure I have something healthy, like rice crackers, or fruit. If its desperate for sweet things I am, I have a lollipop - they takes ages to suck away on for not too many calories in the grand scheme of things.

    I usually find that I'm hungry for savoury things in the afternoon, and sweet things at night, so often an instant soup for savoury or a hot drink at night for sweet, helps.
  • katieann2
    katieann2 Posts: 26
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    A lot of us have the same problem. For some of us, it has nothing to do with being full. I know for me its just boredom. I can feel full and still eat food until I almost hurt. What I have started doing is some chores in the evening to keep me occupied. I am also a social eater. If someone around is eating, I feel obligated to do so as well. These are habits that have to be broken. As for actually being hungry later in the day, that is actually pretty simple, eat a big breakfast, and a decent size lunch. My grandmother told me how she kept lean (other than working on a farm) was to eat like a king in the morning, eat like a prince in the afternoon and eat like a pauper at night. It makes sense since your body is winding down at the end of the day, you don't really need a lot of food.

    A craving doesn't come from hunger; eating will never satisfy it. Eat only to satisfy hunger! Your stomach is only the size of your fist! Try ignoring it and maybe it will soon go away, break the habit. Try having a healthy snack on hand!
  • tifany
    tifany Posts: 1
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    I have the same problem. I take lots of meds at night and it seems no matter what time I had dinner, I'm starved about 1-2 hours after taking the meds. Solution: save enough calories to have a large salad with low cal dressing, feta cheese and chicken. I haven't officially started my "diet"yet, but that's the only solution I have come up with.
  • Shannon4J
    Shannon4J Posts: 28 Member
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    My hubby & I don't eat after 9PM, even if we have calories left. :) We usually save enough for a good snack and eat it close to 9PM, then we are done for the night. :bigsmile:

    Also, we do not go over our calories, even if we are hungry, we are just done when they are gone. :ohwell: So this takes a little discipline to "budget" the calories throughout the day, so it isn't 3PM & all the calories are gone! :happy:

    Here are some ideas for some good low (or Lower) calorie snacks if those munchies attack and you just need to eat! LOL
    * Celery with Peanut Butter (We get the low fat stuff from Trader Joe's, "Better'n Peanut Butter", and it's only 50 Calories per TBS) ~ 3 Med. Celery ribs & 1 TBS PB = about 57 Calories
    My hubby likes to put raisins and unsweetened coconut on his celery with PB :) ~ 4 Celery Ribs & 1 TBS PB, Raisins & Unsweetened Coconut = About 162 Calories
    * Apple with Peanut Butter ~ Medium Apple With Skin + 1TBS PB = about122 Calories
    * 1 Cup NonFat Plain Yogurt with 1 Cup Fruit (We use frozen fruit Thawed out in the fridge = about 180 Calories

    These are a few of my favorite munchies. & I am a junk food junkie!!! LOL You just get more "bang for your buck" with fruit, or veggies, than with say, chips or ice cream.

    Hope that helps!! :flowerforyou:
  • Junisahn
    Junisahn Posts: 166 Member
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    My big problem is ice cream at night. I save enough calories to have a scoop, or even two with whipped cream and peanut butter (I save ALOT of calories) around 8pm, but even then - even after I'm done, I want MORE MORE MORE. Last night, for the first time in forever, I gave in to that, ate over 1.5 cups of ice cream, plus cones, peanut butter, whipped cream, chocolate sauuce.... UGH and am going to redouble my efforts not to do that tonight.

    Anyway, the thing that USUALLY helps me to not go back for that second scoop is that I also save calories for a bowl of strawberries after the ice cream. It satisfies the cold, sweet need, but adds bulk to my stomach, and I never feel like eating more ice cream after that.

    I went off last night, I think, because it was a new ice cream flavor that I haven't eaten in years, but that I ate all the time as a kid, and I must have alot of emotional attachment to it.... :(
  • sassyg
    sassyg Posts: 393
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    I was talking about this with a friend after my post yesterday, and he made a suggestion:

    Make a rule, that any snack/meal you eat, you prepare, and then sit down at the table to eat, with no other distractions - turn off the tv, no books, etc. No eating on the couch, no eating at the computer, no eating standing up. Prepare it, then go sit down to eat it.

    Preparing it (even if it's just as silly as putting cookies on a plate rather than eating them from the packet) makes you think about what you're doing
    Eating at the table without distractions makes you concentrate on the eating, and not on what else is going on

    You'll find you're more aware about what you're eating, it helps portion control, and if it's just boredom eating all that effort may not seem worth it after all!

    Also, prepare HALF of what you think you want at a time - you may find that you don't end up wanting to go back for the rest, but it would have been eaten had it been there in the first place!



    Made sense to me, so thought I would share.

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