Late Night Snacking issue! Anyone else?

cherylknaack
cherylknaack Posts: 4
edited September 26 in Introduce Yourself
I start out the day great with 2 eggs for breakfast, then a salad for lunch, i try and eat something healthy for dinner....but then i allow myslelf a snack at night, it started out with a sugar free jello or fruit or veggies, but now i find myself eating crackers and cheese and bowl(s) of cereal, and sometimes just plain junk food like brownies or a pop tart.....i feel like i cant stop myself from doing it once i start and then i feel like i wrecked my whole day of being "good"....anyone else do this>? Any advice on stopping?

Replies

  • floss28
    floss28 Posts: 3
    try chewing gum - it helps supress my appetite :)
  • MidniteDayDream
    MidniteDayDream Posts: 142 Member
    Try some frozen fruit. It's still healthy for you, but it gives you that felling of eating something "frozen and sweet". It's what I use when I have a battle with my sweet tooth.
  • shellgib
    shellgib Posts: 196 Member
    my hardest part of the day too. i started drinking mint tea after dinner and it helps. some say to brush your teeth right away too.
  • Paint your nails. No one will mess up freshly painted nails for a snack!:wink:
  • cokpara
    cokpara Posts: 32 Member
    go to sleep!!! lol, i have the same problem sometimes. but i've set a 9pm cut-off time for eating so my body has ample time to digest food and i don't feel like i'm wearing 50 extra pounds around in the morning. try just getting a big glass of water and going to sleep, chewing gum (although i've heard for some people it just stimulates their appetite even more), add a "nighttime snack" to your food diary and pre-plan what you're gonna have... or if you're gonna have something, just choose ONE thing and don't feel guilty about it... just try not to do the late night snacking 7 days a week. you'll be fine once you figure out what works for you, but I have the sameeee issue sometimes, it makes you feel like you just "undid" your whole healthy day.
  • I purposely go to the gym at this time of night so I am not at home to start the eating binge. I simply can't stop myself if I stay home.
    I go and walk on the treadmill and watch tv there so I have no access to food.
  • Late night snacking is my absolute weakness and the reason I gain weight. I always try to workout during the day, and i'm always pleasantly surprised at how much healthy, late night snacking it will buy me. I know, I know...eating before bed is generally bad. But if it is your weakness, what can we do but work with it. Factor in the calories and make sure you have plently of healthy stuff on hand so you don't hit up the poptart stash : )
  • I have the exact same problem. I have always had tyhis problem and so has my mom. I can eat super healthy all day with no effort. But as soon as 9pm hits i want chocolate or ice cream and I start to eat more than i actually should. It drves me nuts. My solution has been going to bed with my hubby no later than 10. But of course I haven't done that lol
    But I have great intentions :tongue:
  • monkeybelle83
    monkeybelle83 Posts: 141 Member
    Something I've found helps me is that I will eat a pound of strawberries, which isn't high in calories, but is surprisingly filling. I stay full until breakfast and it doesn't ruin my day.
  • skinnyjeanzbound
    skinnyjeanzbound Posts: 3,932 Member
    I eat Jif Natural or Smucker's Natural PB w/ some honey and Heshey's Dark Chocolate Baking Cocoa. I thin the "good" fat in the PB fills me up b/c I used to be a terrible nighttime snackers and now, even if I still have calories to spare, I'm full after that snack. It's about 220 calories, but it is 16g of fat, so either save up for it or be "ok" w/ going over fat allowance :smile:
  • jmjones66
    jmjones66 Posts: 144 Member
    If you have to have an evening snack, try eating a sugar-free popsicle. They are basically just colored, frozen, water and will satisfy that need to have something sweet.
  • MsKittyCAT
    MsKittyCAT Posts: 217
    i have insomnia and the later I'm up the more I want to eat. I try to drink more 0 calorie flavored water to keep feeling full but that doesn't always do the trick. I try to leave a little buffer room in my planning so I can have a sensible snack.
  • Carlito65
    Carlito65 Posts: 2 Member
    Funny enough I did this exact same thing last night with crackers, i stayed up too late do to being on night shift 6 nights previous, a lame excuse cause i was tired and should have gone to bed and eliminated the issue. Glad I work tomorrow day shift and won't be able to do it again.
    To respond to your question how to fix it, I would say ensure you exercise accordingly to remove those excess calories. I think after a few times doing the extra exercises may change the hunger pang and going to bed early will be what I'm doing then I'll have a good breakfast in the morning.
    I read somewhere the snacking is definitely associated with people staying up later with lack of sleep = weight gain or heavy people.
    Hope this kinda helps :smile:
  • chris0912
    chris0912 Posts: 242 Member
    try vitalicious vitatops. 100 calories, 2 grams of fat. chocolaty, brownie goodness. and if you have a little extra wiggle room, top it with 1/2 cup of breyer's smooth & dreamy no sugar added vanilla ice cream. 190 total calories & 6 grams fat TOTAL. i leave room for this on nights when hubby is off work (he's on midnights) cuz i know he's always gonna want ice cream and i can't watch him eat it without wanting some.
  • How about snacking more during the day between meals, that way you are full at night. It works good for me. I eat like 6 times a day; three meals and snacks in between and I always feel full after dinner till the next morning.
  • CathiWiltsey
    CathiWiltsey Posts: 8 Member
    I was just about to post a very similar topic. It seems like (on many nights) as soon as I put my daughter to bed, I go into 'snacky' mode. Some nights I can fight it, some nights I can appease it with a small, healthy snack, and some nights (like tonight), well... I've had a Special K protein bar, 100 cal pack of cheese nips, some crackers, some croutons and now a bowl of cereal with a banana. I've noticed that I get like this more when I am stressed and tired. Those nights that I've gone to bed at a resonable hour have been better. Since I don't have it beat yet either, the best advice I can give is tomorrow is a new day. I can't let (and you shouldn't either) screwing it all tonight mess it up forever.

    Oh, I also have the "ex-smoker hand to mouth habit" excuse that I pull ot from time to time. For those nights I find those DumDum lollypops wonderful for keeping both my hands and my mouth busy.

    Good luck!
  • Late night snacking is actually quite common. I have the toughest time preventing my night snacking from getting out of hand and I feel like it often blows away my entire day's effort to eat healthily. But, I believe once the cycle is broken, my intense cravings for snacks will stop or at least be reduced to a managable level.

    Here are some things I've tried: An extra glass of water at night will sometimes kill the craving. Sometimes I'll have some fresh fruit, veggies, or even a small slice of bread; whatever I think I may have gone too light on during the day. You see, I have a theory that when I feel like snacking it's because my body is missing something from the big picture of nutrition, but it will always default to craving sugary snacks.

    So, my suggestion is to try taking a mindful approach to why you're craving the snacks. Try out a few different things like the extra glass of water, or filling in the nutritional 'holes' as I've tried explaining above. Maybe keeping your mind busy with some sort of activity will do the trick. Brushing your teeth right away after dinner, and many other great ideas were mentioned here. Take note of what seems to curb the cravings, and what doesn't. Over time you might learn a few things that work, and perhaps once you break the cycle you will get control of the snack monster. Even so, there might still be a day here and there when nothing short of a half pound of M&M's can make you feel sated, and that's okay as long as it doesn't become the status quo.
  • Tonight, after I finished all the calories I switched to propel zero grape water (very good), and sugar free jolly ranchers, and have gum ready. It's been a tough week learning not to snack at night. Last night, I tried apples, that helped too.
  • Autumn1206
    Autumn1206 Posts: 126
    I had that problem tonight as well, so I had a drink of some 0 calorie soda (which is really still not good for me), but something else I have found helpful is taking yoplait no fat whipped yogurt and freezing it. It comes in chocolate flavor. Then just eat it like ice cream. So you get the frozen sweet treat you're probably craving, and some needed protein and dairy to help your belly feel full. I work out at night usually too, and I try to go to bed early to help keep me from wanting to snack, but it's not always fool proof. Just try to keep some snacks around you that won't make you feel like you've blown your day, or that you can have a handful of and still feel good about sticking to your plan. That usually works for me, anyway. Good Luck!
  • Hootsmamma
    Hootsmamma Posts: 254 Member
    I chew a piece of gum. It seems to satisfy my sweet tooth, atleast thus far. Then after the gum looses flavor..I brush my teeth. I struggle with this issue as well. Sweets have always been my downfall and veggies were never my fav. But I am learning to like them (o.k.--only SOME of them, and these mostly raw). Good luck.
  • phatvenus
    phatvenus Posts: 3
    I have the exact same problem...it's nice to see all of these posts and know that i'm not alone! I do well with Yogi's Blueberry Slim Life green tea. It is a natural appetite suppressant, and tastes yummy as long as you don't mind the bit of caffeine in it. Drinking 0 calories is better than starting the eating since once I start, there's not much control left.
  • Heather_Rider
    Heather_Rider Posts: 1,159 Member
    My issue as well! I am new here and looking for friends also! I have found that I simply cant be bored! I try to do things with my hands, so they arent used for eating! Also, i love the protein shakes in the evening and add a scoop of fiber to it to give me that "full" feeling.

    Grind up fresh fruit, and add a little diet green tea and pour into popsicle molds for a low calorie sweet treat.. and have as many as you want!!

    My day starts about noon, and ends about 4am, so the late night snacking truly has a deep meaning for me! lol. I have a few friends that live across the US, so i like to IM with them also when im feeling like eating. Just as long as im busy.. and drinking LOTS of water, i do okay. Dont beat yourself up over it though! You cannot succeed without failure, because NO ONE is perfect! =)
  • this is a major problem for me. i have mild insomnia and when 2 am hits i am ravenous. since i started MFP i haven't but i know it's just a matter of time because if i'm up, i'm thinking about food and fall asleep with a very audible rumbling tummy.
    i saw an ice cream maker at target for $25, and i found a recipe for making fat free frozen greek yogurt. it calls for sugar but i'm sure could be substituted with date-paste or splenda...
    http://allrecipes.com/recipe/frozen-greek-yogurt/
    save calories and dollars at the same time?
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