Keep blowing it with night time eating!

Are you sure 1200 cals is what you need to lose? I lose steadily at about 1900. Part of the reason your nighttime cravings are so strong could be that they're not cravings but hunger.

1200 seems low (to me) but everyone is different. I am a night owl/night time eater. That is how I will probably always be due to my insomnia. I've found what helps is eating my dinner later in the day and making sure I have cals leftover for late night snack or small meal.

I've struggled with this too. I don't know if I've totally beaten it yet, but here are some things that have helped me curb my night-time snacking.

- Eating breakfast. I find that on days that I eat breakfast, I have a much easier time controlling food cravings later in the day.

- Eating a substantial dinner. If I eat a dinner that's slightly higher in calories (I'm talking like... 500, which is a lot when you're eating about 1200 a day) and has a lot of bulk (from vegetables, mainly) then I don't feel as hungry later.

- Leave 100-200 calories for snacking at the end of the day and plan out what your snack will be/when you'll have it. It's a lot easier to avoid grabbing something impulsively when you know that at 10pm or whatever you're going to have a scoop of frozen yogurt or something. It's also better to have a snack that has some bulk or that takes a while to eat. Popcorn or vegetables are pretty good for this. This is sort of my,"'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" strategy. It still allows me to snack but mitigates the harm done.

- Go to bed earlier. Seriously. I used to be a total night owl, but now that I've started going to bed earlier (and waking up earlier) I find that I don't have as much time at night to get bored and mindlessly eat. Plus, I usually have more willpower earlier in the day, which means that instead of terrible night eating I end up having a healthy breakfast.

- Don't have problem foods in the house. I know that I tend to snack on the same things at night, so I just don't have those things in the house. I think night time snacking is mostly about boredom or comfort for me, so I just don't have the foods I used to like to snack on around.

Anyway, those are a few things that have helped me. I used to have a huge problem with night time eating, and I've mostly eliminated it now using these strategies. Good luck!

In order for me to lose weight my calories need to be 1200.

I would definitely rethink this part here. It's not your nighttime snacking that's the problem. It's this.

I agree with everything everyone else had said: not enough calories, saving cals for snacks, eating more protein. I would also add planning in advance all of your food for the next day. While having dinner, I log and plan everything I will eat tomorrow so I know exactly what I am going to consume.

I didn't do that at first and I had a hard time starting to lose, once I did that starting a couple of weeks ago, I have started to loose steadily.

leave yourself 200 calories for the end of the night to snack on.

Agreed. I cannot stop myself from eating sth in front of the tv at night time. At first, I kept thinking I was naughty :devil: but now I just keep some calories for a late snack in front of the tv. And now that I am allowing myself that late snack, sometimes I just forget to get it! :grumble:

In order for me to lose weight my calories need to be 1200.

I would definitely rethink this part here. It's not your nighttime snacking that's the problem. It's this.

This. Your body is trying to tell you something: "I'm starving!!!" I was under-eating for a prolonged period (thanks MFP for those terrific calorie recommendations... NOT, but finally learned to use my own brain) and guess what I got from doing that? Less lean body mass and a slowed metabolism. Under-eating is a FAIL.

Save calories for the evening and eat less in the morning.

hi, i'm like you -eating at night !! find i'f i save most of my cals have some fruit for breakfast , then a salad and a small meal for lunch .then a light dinner with large salad ( love salads !!) . i do have popcorn every nite with a few energy bars and love that jello is only 20 cals for/cup seems to be working foe me ...i make it and have it every day it's cheaper then buying the pre-made ones..

You may want to look at your balance of calories. Fat and protein provide longer-lasting satisfaction. I find when I have a small spoon of peanut butter in the evening, I feel very satiated, and some of my best weigh-ins are the mornings after such a snack. Pair it with celery for satisfying crunch.

I actually leave room for 1/4 cup of ice cream every night around 9. Tastes good and very satisfying. Sorbet is like 80 calories.

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What I would suggest is to look carefully through your diary and see where your high calorie items are. Can you change them out to something else? For example, I changed bread (150 calories) to wraps (60 calories), went from 16 to 6 oz glasses of milk, and radically reduced my cheese intake. Suddenly I had a lot of calories in my day.

That an hour long walk after dinner made a 1230 calorie allowance more than tolerable. DO eat your exercise calories back.

this helped me. Mentally and physicially "close the Kitchen " after dinner. Make a ritual of wiping counter, putting dishes in sink, etc, then wal out turn off the light and annouce out loud "The kitchen is closed for tonight". Do not return for Anything. KEEP WATER IN THE LIVING ROOM.

sugar free jello, decaf tea, decaf coffee are what I use when I want some flavor but no cals.

But I eat all the way until I go to bed...

I do all three of these. LOL! But also...I'd die on 1200. More food! Save some cals. Like everyone has said. But you should absolutely be able to eat more than 1200 and lose.

1200 is likely too low, unless you're under 5' tall.

Why is your calorie target so low? Are you also working out on this calorie target?