I snack in the middle of the night. Help!

If it were me, I'd secure the food in such a way that it took concentration to get my hands on it. That way, I'd have to be fully awake, and aware, of exactly what I was doing.

I used to do that as well, still do to an extent, but when it was really bad I found it to be medication related. When I'd forget that I ate until I found the dishes... it was a side effect. Just thought I'd mention it in case that might be a possibility for you to explore. Otherwise, I'll be keeping an eye on this thread for other ideas as I still snack at night as well; I just normally remember doing it.

lettt me just say, like my name says i cant say no to peanut butter!! i love it. and also unfortunately i LOVE eating at night, i think i love eating late at night more than i love eating during the day.. it sounds like your at least eating healthy stuff, so thats good. but something that helps me sometimes is to have like two water bottles in your bed with you. also, i have these sugar free mints on my bed side table and ill take one if i want food late at night but really dont want to add more calories. also they last a long time, try it it does help and you dont want food if your mouth is minty and drink lots of water

My height/weight/age is 5'5''/225 lbs/26 years. My calorie goal is 1880 but I'm usually below that. closer to 1600 or 1700. I do take medication - a lot of medication. I have bipolar, as well as allergies. I thought about putting a piece of tape across my door so that it would be a wake up call that I didn't want to do this. I don't think securing food would work very well at my house. I might be able to secure a few things but I will just find other things. I've considered setting out a low calorie option each night so that I have planned out what I will eat. I don't eat sweet snacks. It's usually cereal (oatmeal squares or Honey Nut Cheerios) or peanut butter.

Now I have to go dancing all day (It's a festival! - great exercise). I'll probably next be able to post tomorrow afternoon.

Okay - it sounds to me like you are indeed cutting a little too hard. I'm not certain if that 1600-1700 figure includes your 400 calorie late night snack or not.

However, based on your height, weight, and age, it looks like your base metabolic rate (BMR) is around 1820 calories per day [1]. This is the amount of fuel your body uses to perform life-sustaining operations like respiration, circulation, processing toxins, digestion, etc. Eating less than this could impair your weight loss and health.

Your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is around 2400[2] (toward the low end, it may be higher if you have an active lifestyle or profession such as waiting tables or routinely going to day-long dance-a-thons :happy: ) Your TDEE is your BMR, plus walking downstairs to make a cup of coffee, going outside to get the mail - - lifestyle calories burned.

So I can imagine that if you are netting below your BMR on a regular basis, you might have some hunger cravings that are 'sabotaging' your efforts. Please consider eating a little more food, let's say closer to 2050 calories. You may also find that eating a little less earlier in the day and more later in the day could improve overnight satiety. Insofar as meal timing and frequency goes, the "right way" is the way that is best for you.

Finally, as you try to trouble-shoot your night-eating, give each change a week or two to see how your body responds.

Enjoy the dance off!!!

[1] http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
[2] http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html