Evening eater

Fitnesswanted · February 2013

Hi all,

I'm new to MFB. I'm wanting to lose about a stone and tone up. I'm setting myself some fundraising fitness challenges this year and need to better my diet. I lived off toast pretty much! I'm thinking the food diary will really help me to improve my nutrition.

I'm really self-disciplined all day, I can turn down any amount of junk food and have two healthy balanced meals...then comes the evening. I don't even believe I'm truly hungry but I pick at snack food and eat far too many calories.

I've been thinking hard about why I do it and boredom and emotional reasons seem to be the culprit.

It's become a habit for sure and I feel wound up and jittery if I don't snack.

I'm trying my best but wondered if anyone else has ever experienced the same thing and if so, do you have any strategies?

Thanks for reading.

Beka_Elizabeth · February 2013

I'm having exactly the same problem! I live in a student house and come tea time there's snacks everywhere

fryxgal · February 2013

Welcome to MFP!
I have to admit I have the same kind of issues. I can follow my fitness routine all day, only to sabotage it by eating snack food at night. I also think it is related to emotional eating - which can be tough and difficult to understand. I wish I had an easy answer, but I don't.
This cheap trick works for me most of the time. I just tighten my fist and remind myself that I'm strong.
Also, I really work on eating clean foods. I find that the snack foods I'm drawn to are highly processed with lots of sugar, salt, and fat. I believe these foods are highly addictive - at least for me. I work very hard to snack on healthier clean foods.
Good luck - I'm with you girl!

fryxgal · February 2013

It's really hard when snacks are right in front of you.

littlebudgie · February 2013

If you live alone, keeping the snacks out of the house can help. If you don't, try to stay out of the kitchen as much as you can. Do things that occupy your hands. Chew gum. Or even budget in some low-cal snacks, like baby carrots or cucumber.

KarenJanine · February 2013

What is your daily calorie goal and are you eating your exercise calories back?

If not then your body may just be hungry and needing more food hence leading you to snacking.

Fitnesswanted · February 2013

Thanks for the replies everyone...lots to think about!

x

eatrainsmile · February 2013

I am an evening/night eater too.
Check it again if you are consuming enough calories for the day.
Don't buy unhealthy things as much as possible. If you see it, you'll eat it.
Work out or keep yourself occupied with non food related things such as reading, knitting etc. in the evening instead of sitting in front of the tv.
Let yourself have a snack for the night which consists of a good amount of protein like cottage cheese or protein shake.
Chew a gum, drink herbal teas.
Brush your teeth after dinner.
It's mostly a habit and needs 21 days to be broken.

leketchup · February 2013

Eat your healthy fats, your protein and some carbs. It's not just about eating clean, you need to get right nutrients and right amount of it do not under eat maintenance to extreme, or your body will crave like there is no tomorrow.

Any time I visit my moms there is hundreds sweets pies and other choclate stuff. Guess what I can sit there and look to it all day If I have to. I have no desire to taste it. First I know it's junk sugar and worth nothing second I have no cravings for such a food, as I mentioned above my nutrition is well balanced.

TiffCK · February 2013

I understand completely. This is when I want to snack the most. But, I have been trying to eat big breakfasts and I don't starve myself at night. I save my chocolate for nighttime, sometimes more than one. 14 lbs in 25 days so I'm not doing so bad. But I usually don't eat an hour or 2 before bed. Drinking lots of water helps keep my cravings managable.

P.S: I only have a beverage other than water usually once every 2 or 3 days. Leaves more for food calories.

sweetbeckymarie · February 2013

I have been having the same problem for many months! Now it's gotten really bad to where before I was just eating too much healthy stuff, and now I just want processed crap. It definitely has a lot to do with it being a habit. You feel weird if you don't do something that became a routine. You'd feel jittery if you realized you forgot to brush your teeth that morning, or put on your make up too if these things are routine for you. Another part comes from filling some emotional void. There is a book called Brain Over Binge that explains how there are two parts of our brains. The animal brain and the human brain. The animal brain is the part that tells us we need to eat to survive, it is not related to the human brain because it cannot transmit back to make us physically pick up the food and put it in our mouth, that's the human brain at work. The animal brain just gives us the intense urge or craving. It is all our doing if we choose to eat the food. I hope you find something else to focus on instead of night snacking, and I hope I do too!

uwdawg07 · February 2013

I'm not just a night eater, I'm an all day grazer. I've found it helps to keep the kitchen loaded with healthy, lower calorie options, so when I feel like snacking, I can do it in a healthy way.

If it's boredom, try distracting yourself. Often you'll forget about the food and be just fine!

2013sk · February 2013

So hard not to snack..... Make sure you've got good healthy snacks, and not all the sugary ones (That are calling your name)

Maybe try and add more protein into your diet, Lots of fish, chicken, turkey, eggs, nuts, cottage cheese etc, That way you should be fuller for longer.... and not snack

We all need a snack at times......when that belly rumbles.....arggghhh!!

Evening eater

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