I'm always hungry in the evening

VR82
VR82 Posts: 19
in Health and Weight Loss
It seems like for the last few months now I always tend to get hungry in the evening after I've already had dinner around 10-11pm. I think I eat quite healthy most days and always try to get my 5 a day and exercise so why am I still hungry?! At first I thought it was because I was doing more exercise on some days (3 days a week I will walk to and from work and then most times I will exercise too) but then on the days I don't do as much I'm still hungry. Can anyone offer any suggestions on why this is and also good late night snacks which are healthy? Thanks in advance for you help :)

Also, I've changed my settings to my food diary so you can see it and provide me any advice.
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Replies

  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    I like to save 100 calories or so for an evening snack. One of my favorites is one of those 100 calorie bags of popcorn. It seems like you get a decent size snack to munch on for very few calories.
  • Jo2926
    Jo2926 Posts: 489 Member
    I also get hungry on an evening. Favourite snacks before bed are porridge made with soya milk and or 0% greek yogurt with dash of honey.
  • mrsmschn99
    mrsmschn99 Posts: 8
    i am always hungry in the evenings too! I try and just drink water to get the hungry feeling to subside... sometimes it works other times not... Popcorn is very low cal if you air pop it and put not much on it! its filling too :)
  • pamwhite712
    pamwhite712 Posts: 193 Member
    I'm hungrier in the evenings as well. I budget my calories so that I can eat more at that time.
  • VR82
    VR82 Posts: 19
    I guess it's normal but am I doing something wrong to be hungry in the evening? I try to snack regularly and eat foods that are suppost to keep you full.
  • Missdanicali
    Missdanicali Posts: 8
    The question is: Are you TRULY hungry, or are you just bored? Because thats my problem. All i want to do is snack in the evenings, but its just because I'm bored.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    I eat at night EVERY night. Just save yourself some calories.
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
    Could it be habit? I used to have the habit of grazing all afternoon every afternoon. I knew it wasn't because I was hungry, though.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    If you're doing something wrong to be hungry at night, then I'm doing the same thing wrong. I'm ravenous at night. I save calories so I can eat-problem solved.
  • Lammerchops
    Lammerchops Posts: 68 Member
    It's hard to reply with advice without seeing your intake for a week. Analyzing your overall intake and the breakdown of that intake (macros) will tell us a lot.

    Frequency, intensity and time of day of your workout sessions would also help.

    But as a general rule of thumb for evening snacks that do the least damage, *they* say no carbs after 7pm (which includes fruit, and I personally would exclude dairy due to the lactose). Again, would really like the chance to review your intake, but have you considered a healthy spoonful (NOT A 1/4 cup) of all-natural peanut butter? Filling, and a dose of monounsaturated fat.
  • MJH2
    MJH2 Posts: 55 Member
    I guess it's normal but am I doing something wrong to be hungry in the evening? I try to snack regularly and eat foods that are suppost to keep you full.


    You are doing everything right and that is why you are hungry. You are feeling after burn of all your hard work. A mentor of mine would always tell me that if I wasn't a tinge hungry I wasn't doing it right. I often brush my teeth when I know I am out of calories and it's later in the evening.
  • sb277
    sb277 Posts: 6
    Me too. I know I have eaten enough during the day, but am hungry at night. I save calories for the night. Fruit is always a good thing to eat, especially apples.
  • VR82
    VR82 Posts: 19
    Thanks, good to know there are so many hungry people in the evening. Any other healthy snack ideas? I do air popped popcorn, glass of milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, but sometimes I do crackers and cheese which is not so calorie friendly.
  • Spokez70
    Spokez70 Posts: 548 Member
    I always save some calories or pre-log my bedtime snack. I usually have some yogurt or ice cream.
  • VR82
    VR82 Posts: 19
    You can see my food diary at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/VR82 the items where calories are just added are items I couldn't find, so I just looked on the packet.
  • VR82
    VR82 Posts: 19
    You can see my food diary at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/VR82 the items where calories are just added are items I couldn't find, so I just looked on the packet.
  • VR82
    VR82 Posts: 19
    Why is fruit so bad to eat in the evening though? I heard this before but don't really understand.
  • ta2fan1975
    ta2fan1975 Posts: 5
    I kinda know the feeling, but then again, I'm not really 'hungry' in the evenings, I just want a damn Snack! Evening for me, is just a time I can relax and watch a show or two...and watching TV somehow makes me want to nom on bad things. What I usually do is drink some carbonated Water with some Lemon. It satisfies me.
  • mistesh
    mistesh Posts: 243 Member
    Toss some garbanzo beans in your lunch, and you'll feel less hungry in the evening. But if you still need a little, try cottage cheese, which shouldn't upset your sleep.
  • Synapze
    Synapze Posts: 499
    I just smash down a Piece of Watermelon, or invent some Fruit Smoothie.
  • denezy
    denezy Posts: 573 Member
    First of all, I think we all are different and have to find what works for us.

    That being said, if I don't eat three times before noon... I am starving ALL day and ALL night.

    I don't like to eat in the evening as I have found that it affects my sleep and I just don't feel as well.

    Now I wake up in the morning hungry, eat a big breakfast, two snacks, plus lunch. I sometimes have one small afternoon snack and a light dinner and it works for me. Sometimes I feel like I'm munching all morning at work... but have found that I feel so much better now that I have found a natural rhythm that works for me.

    Just thought I would suggest that as you don't look like you eat breakfast very often.

    Experiment. Find what works for you. :)
  • spamantha57
    spamantha57 Posts: 674 Member
    I've always had more of an appetite in the evening & can't go to sleep if I'm hungry. There's nothing wrong with that. Just plan your calories appropriately throughout the day to allow for it. It doesn't make a difference what time you eat. I'll usually have some yogurt or toast before I go to bed & that's less than 180 calories.
  • Lammerchops
    Lammerchops Posts: 68 Member
    I can take a look at the intake if you want to chat in more detail about it.

    Fruit is sugar. And before ppl reply saying fruit is natural, etc, etc, I know it is. But it still contains fructose.

    In a nutshell:

    During the day, your body spends its time converting the foods you eat into usable fuel sources. Carbs get stored as glycogen in your muscles' "bank accounts", until that glycogen is called upon to be broken down and converted into energy. Once those bank accounts are full, where are the carbs going to go?

    Well, if you went to the gym, you'd burn them off, because the body's first go-to source of energy (and most easily broken-down) is carbs.

    But what if it's 10pm and you're going to sleep? Anything that can't be used is stored as fat. And fructose, aka your fruit, is the carb most easily converted into fat molecules. So naturally, that's what would happen to your fruit while you snooze.

    Again, I haven't looked at your intake, your size, or your goals, so I'm not one to tell a person to fear apples and bananas after dinner. But if you're overweight, and/or trying to lean out, you'd probably be avoiding fruit in the evening.
  • Lammerchops
    Lammerchops Posts: 68 Member
    You can see my food diary at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/VR82 the items where calories are just added are items I couldn't find, so I just looked on the packet.

    I just reviewed your intake for today. Did you skip breakfast?!
  • jwaters1006
    jwaters1006 Posts: 136 Member
    If I don't eat breakfast I'm starving all night. It's not a pretty sight. I have a hard time eating breakfast most days because mybody is used to not eating until lunch and eating all night. Now I try and pre-log my food. If I don't eat all I planned for breakfast, I save it and it it later. I also save calories for those nights I just need to have a snack.
  • VR82
    VR82 Posts: 19
    I can take a look at the intake if you want to chat in more detail about it.

    Fruit is sugar. And before ppl reply saying fruit is natural, etc, etc, I know it is. But it still contains fructose.

    In a nutshell:

    During the day, your body spends its time converting the foods you eat into usable fuel sources. Carbs get stored as glycogen in your muscles' "bank accounts", until that glycogen is called upon to be broken down and converted into energy. Once those bank accounts are full, where are the carbs going to go?

    Well, if you went to the gym, you'd burn them off, because the body's first go-to source of energy (and most easily broken-down) is carbs.

    But what if it's 10pm and you're going to sleep? Anything that can't be used is stored as fat. And fructose, aka your fruit, is the carb most easily converted into fat molecules. So naturally, that's what would happen to your fruit while you snooze.

    Again, I haven't looked at your intake, your size, or your goals, so I'm not one to tell a person to fear apples and bananas after dinner. But if you're overweight, and/or trying to lean out, you'd probably be avoiding fruit in the evening.



    I do workout out regulary 3-4 times a week on average (about 1 hr) on top of walking to and from work 3 days a week. I'm not overweight by any means but wouldn't mind losing a couple pounds, which I find difficult. I'm 180cm tall and weigh 65kg. It would be great if you could give me any advice. You can look at my food diary http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/VR82.

    I may rethink fruit in the evening now but I always thought it was a healthy snack.
  • VR82
    VR82 Posts: 19
    You can see my food diary at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/VR82 the items where calories are just added are items I couldn't find, so I just looked on the packet.

    I just reviewed your intake for today. Did you skip breakfast?!

    Sometimes if I get up later when I don't have work till later, I'll workout when I get up and by the I shower etc, it's close to lunch time so I log it as lunch.
  • Lammerchops
    Lammerchops Posts: 68 Member
    I do workout out regulary 3-4 times a week on average (about 1 hr) on top of walking to and from work 3 days a week. I'm not overweight by any means but wouldn't mind losing a couple pounds, which I find difficult. I'm 180cm tall and weigh 65kg. It would be great if you could give me any advice. You can look at my food diary http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/VR82.

    I may rethink fruit in the evening now but I always thought it was a healthy snack.

    It IS a healthy snack. Don't get the wrong idea. But your body's a sophisticated machine, and we can go beyond the "apple good, Big Mac bad" obvious theories and delve into the fascinating world of combinations of healthy foods, the time of day they're consumed, the requirement to eat 1-2 grams of protein per pound of body weight, an individual's weight loss response (or lack thereof) to dairy, etc, etc.

    I don't mean to get too nitpicky about diet/nutrition, but these types of details become even more important for an active person who's already in a healthy weight range. Your weight and body composition would change if you played with these factors.

    But before all of that, it would change if you ate 100% clean. Have you considered totally cleaning up your diet for 3 weeks? (And by clean, I mean no alcohol, no useless garbage carbs, no high-fat cuts of meat, no sugar, etc?)
  • VR82
    VR82 Posts: 19
    I do workout out regulary 3-4 times a week on average (about 1 hr) on top of walking to and from work 3 days a week. I'm not overweight by any means but wouldn't mind losing a couple pounds, which I find difficult. I'm 180cm tall and weigh 65kg. It would be great if you could give me any advice. You can look at my food diary http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/VR82.

    I may rethink fruit in the evening now but I always thought it was a healthy snack.

    It IS a healthy snack. Don't get the wrong idea. But your body's a sophisticated machine, and we can go beyond the "apple good, Big Mac bad" obvious theories and delve into the fascinating world of combinations of healthy foods, the time of day they're consumed, the requirement to eat 1-2 grams of protein per pound of body weight, an individual's weight loss response (or lack thereof) to dairy, etc, etc.

    I don't mean to get too nitpicky about diet/nutrition, but these types of details become even more important for an active person who's already in a healthy weight range. Your weight and body composition would change if you played with these factors.

    But before all of that, it would change if you ate 100% clean. Have you considered totally cleaning up your diet for 3 weeks? (And by clean, I mean no alcohol, no useless garbage carbs, no high-fat cuts of meat, no sugar, etc?)

    I'm not going to lie, I really don't see myself doing a clean. Thanks for your advice and taking the time to have a look at my diary :)
  • significance
    significance Posts: 436 Member
    What time do you eat dinner? If you eat at 6 and don't go to bed until 12, it's not surprising that you get hungry in the evening. Options include having a later dinner, saving more of your calories from the day for a bigger dinner, saving some calories for a healthy after-dinner snack, increasing your exercise to earn more calories for the evening, or making do with water and the knowledge that it is not too long until bed-time.

    I often eat at 8 or 9 pm, and no that won't reduce your weight loss as long as your overall intake is balanced. I also tend to have up to half my total daily calories at dinner-time. There is some recent evidence that including as 12-15 hour "fast" in each day can help you lose weight, but that can be achieved equally by an early dinner or a late breakfast (despite popular wisdom, no breakfast is also okay as long as you don't end up having unhealthy morning snacks instead).

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