Eating A Lot in the Evening/Night

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auteurfille22
auteurfille22 Posts: 251 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I tend to eat a lot at night. I can be totally in control for the whole day until around 7 pm and then it's like I lose it; I just have ridiculous urges to eat and eat and eat and eat. Then I blow my calorie limit in the matter of a couple hours. Does anyone have any experience or advice with this?

I've been considering doing some sort of Intermittent Fasting, like 16:8; so fasting from midnight to 4 pm or something like that so it's okay if I have a lot of calories during that time frame, but I kind of feel like that's giving in to the problem instead of trying to resolve it.

I also know some people have a "cut-off" time for when they HAVE to stop eating, but I don't know if that's a good idea for me, or if I would even be diligent enough to do it.

Replies

  • auteurfille22
    auteurfille22 Posts: 251 Member
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    Bump?
  • BelleVegan77
    BelleVegan77 Posts: 70 Member
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    I SO hear you! This is SO me. I work all day. I am too busy to cheat! But I get off work at 9pm most nights don't make it home to 10 :P and I am STARVING! I have two tricks that work for me.

    One...snack all day. Bag up your veggie sticks or some some nice healthy appropriate grazing food and go for it. Stay within your calories but eat. If I eat through the day I don't hit that crash wall where I can NOT go to bed without eatting.

    Two... if that doesn't work for you... you are back to the veggies. Have an apple. Drink lots of water. If you are a carb girl then air pop some plain pop corn.

    I hope you find a solution that works for you :)
  • hwoeltjen
    hwoeltjen Posts: 199 Member
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    Been doing IF for two weeks now. I get cravings at night, but they aren't really that bad.

    I would try eating a slow digesting carb at 5 or 6pm. That may help curb your appetite at night.

    I eat a chicken breast right at my 5pm cut off time. It really helps keep me full.
  • hgillesp
    hgillesp Posts: 46 Member
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    I, too, always find evenings difficult. One of the best things for me is to always plan in advance what I am going to eat each day. Somehow writing/logging it in advance helps me to not eat too much at night. I'm not always perfect but it has helped me so much. Also let's me stack a few more calories at night so that I don't feel deprived. I remember growing up that dinner was always a big meal and even 30 years later it is still hard to feel satisfied with a small dinner.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    I try to save the majority of my calories for evenings. I'm not usually hungry earlier in the day and I don't really like to eat much while at work. If you know you're going to be hungry later in the day try saving more calories to cover it.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,224 Member
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    I eat the vast majority of my calories after 9 or 10 PM. I eat fewer calories during the day so I have the calories left at night.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    Yeah that. Eat less the rest of the day.


    However, there may be an underlying psychological reason you are eating a lot at these times.
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
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    However, there may be an underlying psychological reason you are eating a lot at these times.

    I eat a lot at night because my dad wasn't emotionally available.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    I try to save the majority of my calories for evenings. I'm not usually hungry earlier in the day and I don't really like to eat much while at work. If you know you're going to be hungry later in the day try saving more calories to cover it.

    ^^this is what I do. Try it and see if it helps.

    If you are hungry (rather than cravings), focus on more volume foods and more fats/proteins if it fits in.
  • barnzey901
    barnzey901 Posts: 33 Member
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    I've struggled with the same issue!

    I tend to make sure I save some calories for the evening, but make sure that I consume small amounts of different healthy foods - makes me feel like I've eaten more when in fact it's still the same amount.

    I still consider it a challenge, but it is definitely a test of willpower - and you will grow stronger...
  • Katla49
    Katla49 Posts: 10,385 Member
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    You can snack and choose wisely so that it doesn't derail your weight loss. I was an evening grazer and am having less trouble with that now, but it has been a long process to get from there to here. I divide my calories into more than three meals to allow an evening snack and choose things that are low cal and filling. Herbal tea is calorie free and soothing. Five almonds is only 35 calories and a very satisfying snack. Celery is bulky and essentially calorie free because it takes more calories to digest than it contains. I treat myself to a 50 calorie square of dark chocolate when I want it. I stop at one square and nibble it to make it last. The brand I bought comes as individually wrapped 50 calorie squares so I'm not tempted to finish a chocolate bar. I also use cardio exercise to "buy" more calories from time to time. 30 minutes on the stationary bike "buys" a very nice snack. I would avoid salty snacks like chips and popcorn because the salt will cause water retention, and they seem to fuel the cravings making a person want more and more. Good luck to you.
  • suppakana
    suppakana Posts: 307 Member
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    Take your snacks that you usually eat in the evenings. Portion them out into containers ahead of time. Label them with times that you're allowed to eat them - for instance for me, I am a big snacker. I also eat bad pre-made s**t... Lol. So what I would do is something like this:

    8 p.m.: 1 serv. wheat thins (140 cal)
    9 p.m.: 1 serv Snyder's Honey Mustard pretzel pieces (yummm) (140 cal)
    10 p.m.: 1 serv vanilla icecream

    ...

    etc etc. Basically what this will do is enable you to snack/munch throughout the evening without completely throwing away your fitness goals. No, the snacks I've listed are not healthy. No, you really shouldn't be doing this. But, if you know you're going to be snacking like this ahead of time and plan accordingly for it, you can at least do it in a manner that won't derail you.

    You don't have to stop eating cookies. You just need to limit yourself to only having ONE cookie.
  • MaryJane_8810002
    MaryJane_8810002 Posts: 2,082 Member
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    You should eat more nutrient dense food. It would be easier if we can see your diary.
  • ice1200s
    ice1200s Posts: 237 Member
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    Pre-plan your food for the day. Load some night snacks into your diary first, then load your breakfast, lunch and dinner. This way you can accommodate both snacks and meals. Also, try drinking two eight ounce glasses of water about 20 - 30 minutes before you eat. That helps fill me up at meal time.
  • adailey74
    adailey74 Posts: 1
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    I often have this problem too. I admit that I have not solved it yet! But one thing that works sometimes is if I go brush my teeth right after dinner. I find that really reduces my cravings--it's like a signal to my brain that I'm done eating. Another helpful thing is to have some herbal tea, since I'm still consuming something, it takes a long time to drink it, it's soothing, and it's temporarily filling (water). Sadly, I only do these things rarely myself! :(
  • kaykay1538
    kaykay1538 Posts: 3
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    I also have this problem. I just try to brush my teeth, and look in the mirror, pointing out every part of my body I want to change and remembering why I started changing my eating habits in the first place. I also workout in the mornings, so I remind myself that if I eat too late at night, I'll feel bad in the morning and ruin my workout. Find something to occupy yourself too! Go for a walk, talk with a friend, or even better, come on here and look for motivation in the forums! :) Good Luck!!
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
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    Look at it as working with your preferred timing to eat.

    Nothing wrong with that!!:smile:

    I started doing the same thing you are planning and find myself much happier and less stressed about food.

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