Help for night time hunger?

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  • scubasuenc
    scubasuenc Posts: 626 Member
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    Whether you skip/reduce a meal during the day or exercise a little longer, the key thing is to plan for a late night snack so you have the calories for it. There are certain nights where I know I have to eat very early before a meeting, so I intentionally plan for a snack later in the evening.

    If you plan for it, you can eat something so you won't go to bed hungry. Also you will feel better about yourself because you won't feel deprived, nor will you feel like you cheated.

    What you should eat depends on the calories you allow yourself for the snack and what you like. For me it is usually a protein bar or shake between 150 to 200 calories. That is enough to tide me over until morning.
  • Lrdoflamancha
    Lrdoflamancha Posts: 1,280 Member
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    I find that protein is best for that problem... 4 oz skinless boneless chicken breast right before bed.
  • rachface1234
    rachface1234 Posts: 227 Member
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    Is it real hunger or just a night time snack craving that had more to do with being tired, wanting the comfort of food, etc? For me its usually the latter, in which case I am sometimes successful with making a big mug of tea (strong flavors that smell awesome like blueberry), and try to be satisfied with that. If it is actual hunger I agree that you should consider budgeting for more calories at the end of the day :)
  • gregtreece
    gregtreece Posts: 5
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    Don't skip meals. Eat smaller portions more frequently, 3 meals a day, plus morning and afternoon snacks. Spread your calories out among those 5 'meals', and leave 100 calories or so for a late night snack, if your habit is to stay up late, rather than go to bed.

    Find foods that are high protein and low fat. Protein helps you to feel full (and helps keep your metabolism going), and if you're getting nutrition every 2-3 hours of the day, you'll feel better at night.

    For each of your three main meals, make sure it includes a protein (lean turkey, ham, eggs, etc.), a complex carb (brown rice, whole grain bread, brown rice pasta, whole grains, etc.), and a green/vegetable. Great between meal snacks (including late night) include protein shakes or bars, cottage cheese, fruits, etc.). Spend enough time to know what portion sizes of everything will balance out whatever your calorie plan is.

    Log everything you eat (MFP is great for that), so that you always know where you stand. You won't worry about that little late night snack, if you can look and see that you've followed your plan for the day.
  • sassyjae21
    sassyjae21 Posts: 1,217 Member
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    Do yourself a favor and try to skip either breakfast, or lunch or both. Have a larger dinner (700-800) and and eat 2 servings of raisin bran cereal (360 cal + milk =440 cal) before bed. I swear you will not go to bed starving. If you skipped both breakfast and lunch you would be around 1200 cal for the day. Throw in some morning exercise and you could eat back those calories during the day if you get hungry before dinner.

    Go without eating all day?? I would punch someone in the face LOL

    I said try to skip either breakfast or lunch. Then i said, and what i meant was that if your not hungry during the day you could skip both and eat a really big dinner and a bedtime snack. This way you wont go to bed starving. To each their own, It works for me and many others, just not for everyone.

    I know what you said. I was responding to the "or both" part of the comment.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
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    If I'm hungry at night, I eat.

    But more to the point - I know I'm usually hungry at night. So I plan for it, and leave some of my calories for then.
  • ilovescarymovies
    ilovescarymovies Posts: 202 Member
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    i always leave calories for a protein shake before bed. also try to eat dinner as late as i can :flowerforyou:
  • cuinboston2014
    cuinboston2014 Posts: 848 Member
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    One of my favorite things to eat if I'm hungry, or just wanting really bad to eat before bed, is oatmeal. When I lost all my original 100 pounds I ate oatmeal almost every night...especially in the winter. Target also has some amazing flavors - including banana split. They can get a little less nutritional value than lower sugar maple and brown sugar but it's so dang good!
  • sassyjae21
    sassyjae21 Posts: 1,217 Member
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    One of my favorite things to eat if I'm hungry, or just wanting really bad to eat before bed, is oatmeal. When I lost all my original 100 pounds I ate oatmeal almost every night...especially in the winter. Target also has some amazing flavors - including banana split. They can get a little less nutritional value than lower sugar maple and brown sugar but it's so dang good!

    that's a great idea
  • pianolover2012
    pianolover2012 Posts: 168 Member
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    If I'm hungry at night, I eat.

    But more to the point - I know I'm usually hungry at night. So I plan for it, and leave some of my calories for then.

    ^^ This for sure!
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
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    You may need to increase your calorie goal. If you have MFP set to lose 2 pounds a week and you don't have all that much to lose, you should change it to .5 or 1 pound a week. That'll give you lots more to eat, and you'll still lose weight-- just a bit more slowly.
  • GettingMooreInShape
    GettingMooreInShape Posts: 80 Member
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    I always leave room in my calorie budget for a small handful of almonds before bed. In the past, I'd always snack on sweets/carbs before bed and I'd never feel satisfied and go way overboard. I like almonds but don't LOVE them, so my hunger is curbed after a few and I feel really satisfied from the protein, fat, and fiber. It's the only time of day I eat almonds, and now I always look forward to them as my little treat before bed.
    This has worked really well for me, but of course your mileage may vary. Find a healthy food that is hard for you to overeat. Make it your bedtime treat, and stick to a reasonable portion size! Nighttime eating is not a bad thing so long as you plan for it in advance :)

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