Late night eating . . . HELP!

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earlnabby
earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
in Motivation and Support
I do really well during the day with my eating plan but it seems that no matter what I budget for my bedtime snack it is not enough. I eat 3 main meals a day and 2 snacks (mid afternoon and bedtime) and it seems like I always want to eat more at bedtime. I know it is more a psychological thing than a hunger thing and need to find a solution. Any suggestions?

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  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    write down your goals or take a "before" picture and post them up around the kitchen, that way you have a visual reminder of what you are comporomising my snacking.

    exercise before bed, usually exercise curbs my appetite for about an hour

    since it sounds like it is coming from boredom, find something to do instead
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    I prefer eating more in the evening, so I arrange my intake to reflect that. I actually prefer to eat lighter earlier on, so it works out ok. I have the bulk of my calories from about 7pm onwards - large dinner and after dinner snacks.

    But if that's not the case and it's simply a habit you want to break - try creating a new habit in its place. Find something else to do, something to look forward to, and make it a night time routine/ritual.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    It really is a habit. My nighttime ritual has always been to turn out the lights and close up the house, grab a snack and a glass of water, then go to bed and read a little. It is when I am in bed reading that I crave something more to snack on. Previously I would take a bag of chips or bunch of crackers so now what I take isn't enough, although it should be because I am not really hungry.
  • SharonNehring
    SharonNehring Posts: 535 Member
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    Check out the Blog post from mfp this week. The topic is late night snacking.
  • shortsunflower
    shortsunflower Posts: 6 Member
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    I struggle with the same thing... I go to bed fairly early because I get up early to head to the gym, and I wake up 1.5-2 hours after falling asleep needing to use the restroom and I almost always want to eat. I try to have a reasonable snack about 30 minutes before bed to help with this, but I seem to do it almost mindlessly and half asleep. Tough habit to break!
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    Check out the Blog post from mfp this week. The topic is late night snacking.

    Thanks!
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,266 Member
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    I do really well during the day with my eating plan but it seems that no matter what I budget for my bedtime snack it is not enough. I eat 3 main meals a day and 2 snacks (mid afternoon and bedtime) and it seems like I always want to eat more at bedtime. I know it is more a psychological thing than a hunger thing and need to find a solution. Any suggestions?

    how about foregoing one of your daytime snacks and lightening the calories on your lunch so you can have a bigger dinner and before bed snack??? I do this on my hungry weeks (pms time or after big workouts) there is nothing wrong with when you eat its what you eat and how much in the day. In fact some people have to have that food before sleeping for their metabolism to have some fuel while its doing its nightly repairs. If you think its boredom.. up your water intake. Sometimes your body says drink more but your brain says eat more when you aren't in fact requiring more food. You just have to listen to your hunger signals and definitely keep up with your food diary so you can recognize and guess which one it is: hunger or boredom. If you find yourself at the limit for your daily calories but think you are going to grab a snack then reach for some better choices like water of course and maybe some salsa with celery sticks. or a low cal fiber bar or an apple or light popcorn... I always tell everyone that this journey begins in the grocery store. Have yourself ready to go snacks. I always have staples like the above in my fridge/cabinets. Buy what you like so you can eat guilt free. Your body runs on food. Just make it good food
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,266 Member
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    I do really well during the day with my eating plan but it seems that no matter what I budget for my bedtime snack it is not enough. I eat 3 main meals a day and 2 snacks (mid afternoon and bedtime) and it seems like I always want to eat more at bedtime. I know it is more a psychological thing than a hunger thing and need to find a solution. Any suggestions?

    if you think its psychological thing then try a new routine and break that cycle... say to yourself you have to work for it first. walk in place for ten minutes first then see if you still want it. or drink an entire glass of water then see how you feel. add some limes or cucumbers to the water if you need to. maybe set yourself an alarm when you are reading. when it goes off the book shuts and you go to sleep. Our wieghtloss depends on getting enough sleep. Its something I am working on for sure but when I do get enough sleep I see the results I want on the scale. when I don't ... the scale doesn't budge. Hope this helps
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
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    I do really well during the day with my eating plan but it seems that no matter what I budget for my bedtime snack it is not enough. I eat 3 main meals a day and 2 snacks (mid afternoon and bedtime) and it seems like I always want to eat more at bedtime. I know it is more a psychological thing than a hunger thing and need to find a solution. Any suggestions?

    if you think its psychological thing then try a new routine and break that cycle... say to yourself you have to work for it first. walk in place for ten minutes first then see if you still want it. or drink an entire glass of water then see how you feel. add some limes or cucumbers to the water if you need to. maybe set yourself an alarm when you are reading. when it goes off the book shuts and you go to sleep. Our wieghtloss depends on getting enough sleep. Its something I am working on for sure but when I do get enough sleep I see the results I want on the scale. when I don't ... the scale doesn't budge. Hope this helps

    ^^^^^^

    Great advice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I have only just realised how important sleep is - I cant wait to sort out my sleep habits and like you say see the results - Or at least feel energised from say 8 hours sleep a night!
  • wamydia
    wamydia Posts: 259 Member
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    If you really aren't hungry, something that may help is to chew gum after your snack. The stronger the flavor, the better, Some people also find that flossing or brushing their teeth helps them not want to eat anything else.

    If you are actually a little hungry, I think you might consider the suggestions others have made about saving more calories for the evenings. Or, for some people (like me), the problem is just the opposite -- I have to make sure I eat enough calories during the day or else I end up so hungry at night that I can't stop myself from eating whatever is at hand and I will eat way past full.
  • Tofteberg
    Tofteberg Posts: 61 Member
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    I also liked to tuck into bed with a book and a snack. When I started weight loss I really craved these snacks. Like u I recognized this as a habit vs hunger. I didn't find any great trick to get past it. I had to tell myself " I'm not hungry". Knock it off. Etc. after a week or two of standing up to myself the cravings stopped. Isn't it funny how your own mind can be your worst enemy or your biggest supporter!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Just go to bed. Watch a show, read a book... I used to be a late night snacker too but I had to make myself stop. The only times I have one now is those days when I get lightheaded because I need more food, which is maybe 2-3 times a month. Otherwise I just plan my breakfast or meals for the next day and it takes my mind of what I want to eat at the moment.

    Either that or save more calories for evening snacks. For me it's a slippery slope though, if I start having one it's often harder to stop than if I hadn't started in the first place.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
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    I do really well during the day with my eating plan but it seems that no matter what I budget for my bedtime snack it is not enough. I eat 3 main meals a day and 2 snacks (mid afternoon and bedtime) and it seems like I always want to eat more at bedtime. I know it is more a psychological thing than a hunger thing and need to find a solution. Any suggestions?

    It is a psychological thing. Stop thinking about food.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    *snipped* Isn't it funny how your own mind can be your worst enemy or your biggest supporter!

    How true!!!!!!!!!!
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 11,995 Member
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    There is a group here on mfp you can join, called "LNS FIGHTERS". (LNS = Late Night Snacking)
  • sfsoccermom2
    sfsoccermom2 Posts: 233 Member
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    I also struggle with this as well. I've only been doing this a week, and I find I have to actually tell myself not to snack. I know it's habit and comfort for me. It's a tough cycle to beat. Good luck!

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