No food past 9pm? but what if I'm hungry??

iyerritsegan1
iyerritsegan1 Posts: 20
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm an ex late night binger trying to change her ways!
Ive found myself reaching my calorie limit after my evening meal, and so like it or not, I'm not eating anything before bed.

But now I'm finding myself really hungry before bed, and then struggling to get to sleep because Im thinking about food.

Is this a psychological thing or should I just eat something before bed?

Has any one else experienced this?



(By the way, I'm 21, I'm into my first week of MFP, and I've got just under 50Ibs to lose! Feel free to add me :) )
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Replies

  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
    Try arranging it so you have about 100 calories you can play with after dinner. One of those 100 cal popcorns, or a banana, or some watermelon after dinner/before bed might help, and you won't be over your calories for the day.

    Are you eating back your exercise calories earned?
  • iyerritsegan1
    iyerritsegan1 Posts: 20
    Some days I am, but some days I don't feel the need to. Today i pushed it right to the limit, but now, right before bed, I'm thinking about the biscuits again!
  • ebonyroche
    ebonyroche Posts: 682 Member
    Try drinking some tea (decaffeinated, if caffeine keeps you up), this fills me up during my fasted state.
  • btanton27
    btanton27 Posts: 186 Member
    perhaps try eating your dinner later in the evening? I work midnights so i'm used to eating late at night. lol but I also eat my dinner (breakfast?) when I get out of work around 6:30am and am in bed by 8am. It doesn't seem to bother my sleep and i'm not munching right up till I get into bed. Hope it helps! :)
  • MercuryBlue
    MercuryBlue Posts: 886 Member
    I'm bad, I tend to "save" my lunchtime snack calories for the end of the day, just because I KNOW I'm going to get the munchies. It's inevitable.

    My honest opinion, though, is that if you're hungry, you should eat. Even if you're having a huge slice of watermelon or some frozen grapes, or veggie nibblies or whatever- even if it takes you ever so slightly above your limit. As long as it's a healthy snack and not, like, a full on meal, you know what I mean? I figure it's better to be 100 calories over for one day, and feel satiated from nutritious food, than it is to be right on target and suffering from the grumblies.
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    who told you you couldn't eat after 9? if you're hungry and have some calories left...EAT!
  • RabbiBeth
    RabbiBeth Posts: 37 Member
    I habitually save some calories for evenings because I enjoy eating something after dinner and before bed. As long as it fits into your dietary plan, I don't think the time of day matters much.
  • just4nessa
    just4nessa Posts: 459 Member
    who told you you couldn't eat after 9? if you're hungry and have some calories left...EAT!

    ^This^
  • MarioLozano16
    MarioLozano16 Posts: 319 Member
    Eat
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    It is fine to eat at ANY time of the day or night.
  • CrankMeUp
    CrankMeUp Posts: 2,860 Member
    It is fine to eat at ANY time of the day or night.

    yep
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    What about eating a lighter breakfast or lunch and planning a bedtime snack?
  • _EndGame_
    _EndGame_ Posts: 770 Member
    Eat some fruit. Preferably a banana, they help you fall asleep.
  • lewandt
    lewandt Posts: 566 Member
    My worst time is at night too. I have really been trying to not eat past 7pm and i do much better weight wise if i don't eat.

    I think it is more habit than actually being hungry. I found if i have something like watermelon it helps for the habit and it gives me something sweet and then i am fine. I try to only allow for it a couple times a week though and not every night so i can try to break the habit.
  • lenkearney
    lenkearney Posts: 116 Member
    I also get hungry at night - and I feel I sleep better if I have something in my stomach. I have been working on moving away from crackers and peanut butter to a low fat 6 oz yogurt with fruit. add a teaspoon of CoolWhipFree and I can convince my self it is a sundae.
  • LeanAmbitions
    LeanAmbitions Posts: 40
    Your body has no idea what time it is. Eat anytime you are genuinely hungry.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Why are you not eating after 9pm?

    Schedule your food in a way that makes adherence easiest and is the best for gym performance.

    Calories and macros being equal, eating late at night will not have a negative impact on your weight loss unless it means you eat more or disrupts your sleep.
  • determinedbutlazy
    determinedbutlazy Posts: 1,941 Member
    It doesn't matter what time it is, if you have calories left and you're hungry, eat.
  • foxylady522
    foxylady522 Posts: 80
    I either plan out my day to the point of having some extra calories for an after dinner treat or I plan to exercise after dinner so I can have an evening snack. I usually feel the need to have something sweet in the evening :)
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
    Honestly... microwave popcorn is what saves me sometimes, when I really just want to munch on something. I try to keep enough calories so that I can have the popcorn after dinner in the evenings.

    The poster above suggested the 100 cal pop corns. Those worked well for me, and I eventually could play around to have enough extra cals to eat a full size bag.
  • gfitnutt
    gfitnutt Posts: 1
    How about making up a nice healthy protein shake with some berries in it just blend it up and add some ice.. Gives you healthy vitamins and nutrients while sleeping.. will fill you up and satisfy your cravings..

    Keep us posted
    Gina S
  • GiGiBeans
    GiGiBeans Posts: 1,062 Member
    I eat a post workout mini-meal after 10pm and have a midnite snack. If you plan for it you'll be fine.
  • mumtoonegirl
    mumtoonegirl Posts: 586 Member
    I eat late at night. I workout after 9:00 most nights so I have my post workout protein after. And as you can see spreading my calories equally in the day has worked. I make sure I plan for it.
  • CrankMeUp
    CrankMeUp Posts: 2,860 Member
    My worst time is at night too. I have really been trying to not eat past 7pm and i do much better weight wise if i don't eat.

    I think it is more habit than actually being hungry. I found if i have something like watermelon it helps for the habit and it gives me something sweet and then i am fine. I try to only allow for it a couple times a week though and not every night so i can try to break the habit.

    why?
  • alyssabrown94
    alyssabrown94 Posts: 49
    I think there are a few things to address here.

    1.) you say you are a habitual night eater who wants to change her ways.
    Are you referring to your late night eating or just losing weight?
    If you are referring to the late night eating, then have a bigger dinner so you won't be so hungry later on, or make your dinner a little later.

    2.) It is okay to eat after 9pm. It's not like the caloric density of a food doubles after a certain time. So if you are simply a person who is hungrier at night, save calories for the night!

    3.) Ultimately, your diet must work with your lifestyle. So if that means saving calories for the night, then do so. But If you just don;t want to be a night eater anymore, it will take some getting used to. Keep in mind that you are creating a calorie deficit. It is not uncommon to experience hunger when eating less. I don't know why people are so fearful of hunger.
  • TaraJx4
    TaraJx4 Posts: 89 Member
    I have dinner between 5-6 and find that about 9 I'm hungry. I normally have an apple with peanut butter and tea. This keeps me full and holds me off till breakfast
  • CrankMeUp
    CrankMeUp Posts: 2,860 Member
    9:47pm and i just had 400 grams of watermelon.

    SO good.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    9:47pm and i just had 400 grams of watermelon.

    SO good.

    You just went straight catabolic. Say goodbye to your gainz!
  • astartig
    astartig Posts: 549 Member
    If I go to bed too long after dinner I have to eat something too. I get growwly tummy and can't sleep that way. save room for a small snack for before bed. like a piece of toast or something.
  • BostonStrong617
    BostonStrong617 Posts: 117
    I'm hungry like 24/7 lol I don't have any sort of calorie window tho. But on the week days I'm up at 5 AM so normally I fall asleep at like 10 or 11 and eat shortly before bed so I am not fasting too long for my morning work out.

    Are you sure your daily goals are reasonable? Are you actually getting enough calories? You might want to start there, make sure your goal is doable.

    A likely reason for being hungry at the end of the day is you didn't eat enough.

    I was NEVER a breakfast eater or a morning person but since I started doing workouts before work I've started to eat protein rich breakfasts after my work outs. Then I have a morning snack as well before lunch. Prior to recently I was the kind of person who would go more than half the day without eating. Then I'd come home and eat a ton of crap at night because I was super hungry.

    Now I eat 3 snacks and 3 balanced meals, if I am going to go for a big dinner I just burn extra calories running instead of overly restricting my calorie intake.

    I sleep better and have WAY more energy and I am losing more weight while maintaining muscle eating between 1600 and 2200 calorie a day. I work out 4-5 times a week (mostly running) and pretty much never binge! On the weekends when I can sleep in I eat at any time of the day and since I wake up later my meals get pushed back meaning I am more likely to eat later into the night. Haven't had any ill effects.

    During the week tho I am not often very hungry at night because I've already eaten plenty during the day and eating every few hours keeps me feeling full.

    If you know for a fact that your calories are in check and you're not under eating it COULD be psychological so something like watermelon or popcorn or veggies etc would be a good things to eat just to get you over the hump. Also I find a lot of times when I am dehydrated I feel really hungry even when I've had plenty of calories. Also days when I eat a lot of carbs and not enough fat/protein I find myself getting hungry more easily. So that's something to keep in mind,

    For me prelogging REALLY helps because I know exactly how many snacks i have room for. It gives me the room to kind of eat the snacks at any time throughout the day, so if I have a morning snack planned but am just not that hungry then I can save it for later without having to rearrange things. Also some days you will be hungriet than others. For me that's rest days so I track by weekly calories.

    Your body doesnt really have a time clock like that it doesnt reset from day to day if you're under for the week you'll be fine!

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