Does anyone else have a problem with eating in the evening?

penny39
penny39 Posts: 266 Member
edited September 24 in Health and Weight Loss
It seems like I get most of my calories in the evenings, I feel like I don't get enough during the day, then spend the evening "grazing". Does this sabbotage what you've done during the day? How do you get a way from snacking after dinner?

Replies

  • Bridgetc140
    Bridgetc140 Posts: 405 Member
    I'm a total grazer...I usually keep all my meals around 300 calories so that I may eat several times a day and sometimes I even work out longer just to have the extra exercise calories!
  • chelseamckell
    chelseamckell Posts: 27 Member
    me too!! Totally can relate.
  • robertf57
    robertf57 Posts: 560 Member
    As long as you are watching your total you should be OK. I used to think eating a big breakfast helped to cut down on calories later in the day. However, a well done study showed that wasn't the case. However, don't go hungry during the day. Hungar is the enemy of thoghtful eating. Spreading out your protein (it is the most satieting food/ calorie) is important. Finally, depending upon what you are grazing on, you may want to unlearn that behaviour. In my case, mindless evening eating leads to poor choices!
  • Athena413
    Athena413 Posts: 1,709 Member
    My dietitian told me to eat several times during the day...not just 3 meals. Try 6 smaller meals. And never go more than 4-5 hours without eating something. If you stick to that, then you're less likely to binge in the evenings. And if you're a grazer and that's just how it's going to be...make sure the foods you're grazing on are healthy choices. Try celery...you actually burn calories eating it because it's mostly water...and it's crunchy, so you're tricking your mind and body into thinking you're getting some kind of treat!
  • lilwashee
    lilwashee Posts: 222 Member
    im no doctor so i cant say for sure but as long as your keeping your calories where mfp puts them and u arent eating a whole bunch of fatty items or sugar i think u should be fine.personally my struggle is wanting more sacks at night right now i go for the 100 cal snacks im hoping to break myself of this and eat more fruit..
  • Jess21684
    Jess21684 Posts: 202 Member
    sounds most def like me.. i can relate. I dont eat enough throughout the day and most my calories are coming from evening time-dinner and after :/ I feel like Im constantly wanting to snack late late at night while im up watching tv and such.. ughhhh! I know I need to eat more consistently thru the day so ive been trying to eat more thru the day... I keep low calorie snacks available though for my go-tos for late night snacking.. 100cal packs of popcorn have been my thing lately.. its really low calorie and you get ALOT so it keeps me busy for awhile :) I like to cut up apples as well I Know im going to snack at night so i try to plan for it and set aside and make sure I have some calories for that purpose so I still stay in my calorie range for the day and not blow my whole day
  • Justin741
    Justin741 Posts: 249 Member
    Evening binging is exactly what caused me to put on all the weight that I have put on! The weight that is on top of what I already too much of! I have forced my self to snack during the day, at the advice of a dietitian. I eat a snack mid morning & mid afternoon & have a snack planned for after dinner as well. Snacking has really cut out that temptation. The only time it has come up is when I'v e gotten up in the middle of the night and wandered into the kitchen. I've even found myself not having to have that evening snack! What a change!
  • asj0901
    asj0901 Posts: 141
    I too have this problem... I work 3 evenings a week til 11pm and I usally dont get break to eat until like 8. On my days off I try to stay on schedule so when everyone goes to bed at 9 and I have 3 boring hours to myself..... I want to snack. Sucks! I just dont buy snacks I like..... Then I am only left with cherrios, nuts, popcorn... low cal stuff. I usually am frustrated by the time I go to bed...
  • spackham
    spackham Posts: 252 Member
    My dietitian said it doesn't matter as long as you 1) don't skip a meal and 2) it does not effect your sleep. I eat most my calories in the evening and have learned to eat some nuts as snacks during the first part of the day. Just stay withing your proper calories and it will all even out.
  • emmaleigh47
    emmaleigh47 Posts: 1,670 Member
    I have an odd approach to the evening splurge... just embrace it!
    What I mean is, I plan a good majority of my calories to be at night, I eat dinner later because I am busy after work and less likely to snack ... and I eat dinner later I am often full or distracted and never even have my planned dessert.

    Its weird but it works for me (and yes I eat, breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack)!
  • Staceslim
    Staceslim Posts: 100 Member
    Yeah I have this problem. I am usually pretty good during the day but when it comes to evening I prowl around the kitchen wanting chocolate & I usually crave something salty to go with the sweet. I usually do have some 100 calorie snacks around because I am also diabetic & need to snack often. I do need to get the smaller more often meals in though. I need to take everybodys advice to heart & use it.:bigsmile:
  • This is probably my biggest problem. I love to snack at night...and it adds up to probably more than I've eaten all day.:grumble:
  • Sounds like a common problem... I too have been riding this evening meal issue. I have found when I eat a little more in the morning for breakfast especially it tends to curb my after dinner "snacking" that being said there are still some days when I can't stop putting stuff in my mouth. So I've tried to drown myself drinking water which has also helped. Slowly I am edging away from late night snacking but the problem can flare up every now and then...
  • dmm808
    dmm808 Posts: 3
    This was a big problem for me, my cravings would come in the night a few hours after supper.I started snacking on small healthy foods throughout the day as well as drinking lots of water which eliminated my hunger and cravings after supper! I also told myself to not eat past 8pm and instead of eating foods which added extra calories I just drink water which fills me up and makes me not have those cravings.:smile:
  • BizzyBee62
    BizzyBee62 Posts: 20 Member
    This is definately one of my biggest reasons for gaining weight. I'am a mindless eater, I just dive into whatever I eat and don't pay any attention to how many calories I have consumed, it is such a bad habit and one that I'am really working on breaking. I know from myself that eating late makes me feel horrible the next day, I feel so much better when I don't eat after 7pm, I don't feel bloated and miserable the next day and I'am more willing to have a sensible breakfast rather than not feeling hungry and waiting until noon to eat. From what I have read it seems as if the food we eat late at night is the food that is stored as fat, so going to bed a little hungry might be a really good thing!
    Take care,
    Jodi
  • PrairieRoseNE
    PrairieRoseNE Posts: 265 Member
    Yes - the hours after supper until bedtime are the worst. I've started alloting myself an evening snack - saving up some extra calories during the day.
    I know I don't get enough fruit in my diet during the day, so the past few nights I've been treating myself to a full cup of frozen blueberries with a 1/2 tsp of sweetener. I eat them one at a time - it makes the bowl last longer. Blueberries have lots of antioxidents!
  • AmoreCouture
    AmoreCouture Posts: 255 Member
    YES, it's the WORST time for me. I want to eat, eat and eat all night it seems. During the day I'm fine, and I eat enough/regularly. I think it's because my sleeping was backwards for years and I'd eat at night and now I'm use to it.

    Carrots are excellent to eat at night. you can have a lot of them for so little calories and no fat. I just ate 25 of them for 35 calories and it satisfies me and keeps my wild night eating at bay.
  • Carrots are excellent to eat at night. you can have a lot of them for so little calories and no fat. I just ate 25 of them for 35 calories and it satisfies me and keeps my wild night eating at bay.

    Plus all the crunching you've got to do to eat those carrots is sure to burn a couple of extra calories :laugh:
  • jrbanta
    jrbanta Posts: 4,375 Member
    My dietitian told me to eat several times during the day...not just 3 meals. Try 6 smaller meals. And never go more than 4-5 hours without eating something. If you stick to that, then you're less likely to binge in the evenings. And if you're a grazer and that's just how it's going to be...make sure the foods you're grazing on are healthy choices. Try celery...you actually burn calories eating it because it's mostly water...and it's crunchy, so you're tricking your mind and body into thinking you're getting some kind of treat!

    I had to attend a diabetic class and the nutritionist instructed us to eat 6 times a day 3-4 hours apart. If you pair carbs and protein together you will stay satiated and also fuel your body and avoid the fatigue issues. So my mid morning snack is a carb and protein together (and the same for 3:00pm and 9:00pm). At night after dinner I find a container of yogurt, string cheese and crackers, or a 100 calorie microwave popcorn works well. The repetitive spoonfuls, portion of crackers or pieces of popcorn feeds the oral need and makes you feel like you're getting enough. Keeping up water intake throughout the day really helps me also. I'm not that hungry in the evening if I've already had 6-8 glasses of water or more and drink my last glass mid evening.

    Lots of ideas from everyone. Experiment and see what works for you.:flowerforyou:
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
    nope. but it's usually because I am asleep. I work graveyard hours. :tongue:
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    If you know that you're going to snack, then plan for them. I have at least 5 snacks with me/planned for each day - some berries, greek yogurt, baby carrots, grapes or another piece of fruit, and a juice bar just before bed. This is in addition to my normal meals. It helps keep me out of 'binge mode'.
  • perrytyra
    perrytyra Posts: 357 Member
    I need a snack in the evening too. I try to save at least 200 calories for the evening snack. Then I have popcorn or pistacchios. Both are very filling.
  • april_denise
    april_denise Posts: 24 Member
    I have this problem also. It happens around 10-11pm and I'm going to start doing what people have mentioned, planning this meal with healthy, low cal snacks... I love celery and carrots so I'll probably start with that. But yeah, I don't think it's a problem unless you're choosing the wrong things to snack on.
    I didn't have any good snacks for last night so I just didn't eat anything and I find that I'm much hungrier this morning than usual. So I'm going to the store today to get some good snacks for those late night cravings. :smile:
  • Bethannny
    Bethannny Posts: 66
    That happens to me too. Most of the time I end up cheating on my diet in the evening. I try to make sure I save enough calories that will fill me up in the evening by eating lightly during the day, but without going hungry. I usually try to save my last 600 calories for the evening and eat something heavy.
  • penny39
    penny39 Posts: 266 Member
    Thank you so much for all the great reply's, I feel much better now knowing I am not alone on this issue. Thank you, for all the great ideas,too.
  • michelec64
    michelec64 Posts: 120 Member
    During the week it's not much of a problem because I only have about 2 hours downtime between dinner and bedtime, so I have to keep it light or I'll be up all night with indigestion. The weekend is a different story though with me grazing an hour or two after dinner. I'm early in the MFP journey so I'm still trying to fine tune what I'm eating and how much.
  • This is probably my biggest problem. I love to snack at night...and it adds up to probably more than I've eaten all day.:grumble:

    Disneygal, what on earth is your avatar? I don't believe I have a dirty mind...but that just doesn't look right at all.
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