so hungry at night

Jorra
Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
edited September 26 in Food and Nutrition
I am on the 1200 calorie diet and I keep blasting through all my calories during the day leaving me starving for a bowl of cereal or yogurt at night. If I try to save room during the day, I end up getting hungry as well.

How do you save calories for when you really crave them?

Replies

  • mndamon
    mndamon Posts: 549 Member
    Are you making sure you drink a lot of water through the day? That may help curb some of the hunger.
  • sctaylor74
    sctaylor74 Posts: 14
    I have the same problem:/
  • LisaRadz
    LisaRadz Posts: 3
    Same problem, I just eat something little in Kcal like grapes they are fiber and lots of water whih fill me up before bed.
  • AngelaPowPowPOW
    AngelaPowPowPOW Posts: 293
    Paint your nails when you get those munchies. I read it in Shape magazine years ago and it works. I'm not a girly girl, but I'm not going to ruin freshly painted nails digging into a snack bag.
  • Christine1110
    Christine1110 Posts: 1,786 Member
    Are you working out? On days when I workout....I'm not so hungry. It seems funny since I'm burning so many calories.
    You might want to look at your friends food log to see how they spread out the calories. You also should look for high fiber foods...they keep you full longer.


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  • secondrowchick
    secondrowchick Posts: 6 Member
    I did have the same problem but started eating an apple sliced with a small amount of almond butter on it - especially if i've been to the gym. If I haven't been to the gym, I just drink some water!
  • Ree_Chatelain
    Ree_Chatelain Posts: 229 Member
    Are you eating a lot of carbs? That will effect your hunger level. Maybe try higher protein and fiber foods.
  • Mark330
    Mark330 Posts: 75
    Jorra. I had the same problem. As silly as it sounds, I curbed it with one of the following:

    1. Single, mini peppermint patty with a full 16 oz glass of water
    2. 2 Sugar Free Popsicles and a full 16 oz glass of water.

    Both curb the sugar craving and the hunger pang. By the time it comes back, I find that I am ready for bed. It is also a nice reward at the end of a hard day of staying on track.
  • luppic8
    luppic8 Posts: 580 Member
    Drink lots of water. And be sure to do cardio because the system will award you more calories once you journal your exercise for the day.
  • bunnysone
    bunnysone Posts: 486 Member
    I cant see your diary, so I cant help with suggesting different kinds of foods you can eat. but are you eating a good, wholesome breakfast? If you load your breakfast more you can last longer during the day, needing smaller snacks to fill you up as you go. This can help massively.

    Also, you mention that you are on the 1200 calorie diet - that is right on the border of getting enough food - how much are you trying to lose per week? If your goal is to lose too much per week it can be unrealistic and make it harder to be motivated.

    Remember if you are active and regularly burning calories through exercise you can eat more due to what you have burnt! Are you exercising every day? This can add to the amount of food you can eat!

    Love to help further if you want - feel free to message me if you like xx
  • littledebbie25
    littledebbie25 Posts: 5 Member
    I have this problem much more when I'm working out. I had some success using protein shakes on days that I workout really hard. Other days, I try to make sure I eat all my protein. Not enough protein through the day makes me starving at night.
  • menchi
    menchi Posts: 297 Member
    Paint your nails when you get those munchies. I read it in Shape magazine years ago and it works. I'm not a girly girl, but I'm not going to ruin freshly painted nails digging into a snack bag.

    That's an awesome idea!!
  • Angela4Health
    Angela4Health Posts: 1,319 Member
    I am the same way, and I drink 12+ cups of water a day, but it does not help with the hunger. The foods that I find the most filling are edamame, brocolli, cauliflower, celery.
  • BandMom2
    BandMom2 Posts: 64
    I was having the same problem! Was starving at night and going over my limit. I found my fix last week and so far it is working well. PROTEIN and lots of it! Plus I am eating 2-3 servings of fruit with breakfast, and 2-3 serving of veggies with lunch and supper. No added carbs that do not come in my fruit or veggies. I have lost 5# in the week and a half I have been doing it ( I gained from my joining wt) Good luck
  • megganwinland
    megganwinland Posts: 37
    I am also on a 1200 calorie a day limit... If you need to raise your calories a few hundred there wont be a significant amount of change in your weight loss... Also what I do is work out at night so I can sneak in a late night snack packed with protein when I finish my workout.
  • happysmurf69
    happysmurf69 Posts: 3 Member
    I had this issue too so I looked back over what I had been eating and found that I was trying to eat the lowest calories possible in wich case = starving. I make sure now my two main meals are breakfast and lunch have my morning and afternoon snack wich is usually a low gi fruit and that I have a good mix of protein and veggies at night for dinner the days that I go to the gym I usually have a little extra protein and of course lots of water through the day...........Low calorie jelly wich has like 1cal is my I need to just have something else food. I hope this helps you a little :smile:
  • zeeeb
    zeeeb Posts: 805 Member
    i try and save up some calories for my night snack!

    i love to have a milk drink at night time, and i like to have something to eat in the evening, so i try and allow for it by not eating the snacks during the day.

    my partner works afternoons he comes home at 11pm every night and has a milo (nesquik) and a little packet of deli meat. he's lost 25kg in the last 5 months doing that.
  • flinchyny
    flinchyny Posts: 106 Member
    Eat more.

    Try 1400 calories and see if that does the trick.

    If you're always hungry, then your current diet is not sustainable, and any weight you lose you will gain back later once you get tired of feeling underfed all the time.
  • TS65
    TS65 Posts: 1,024 Member
    Are you hungry or is it head hunger? Prior to MFP, I was a total night muncher. I don't know if it was because I was bored or tired, but I'd get serious munchies around 8:00. Is your stomach growling? Do you have that knawing feeling in your tummy? If so, then you're probably hungry. Drink a big glass of water or a small glass of milk. Does it go away? Or are you still focusing on food. If you're just thinking about food - you know... getting up wandering into the kitchen, opening the cupboards/fridge looking for something to eat but you don't know what you want... it's head hunger. Find something else to do and step away from the kitchen.

    Are you a night owl? If you eat dinner at 5 and don't go to bed until midnight, you're going 7 hours without eating (and then another 8 when you sleep). One thought might be to break up your meals into 4-5 smaller meals (every 3-4 hours) instead of just the standard 3.
  • funkyspunky871
    funkyspunky871 Posts: 1,675 Member
    You've got 60 pounds to lose. I would NOT be eating just 1200 calories a day. I know girls who have 5 pounds to lose and are eating up to 1800 calories a day. Try bumping it up to 1500 or even 1700. Trust me on this one. :) You'll probably still lose that recommended 1-2 pounds a week, maybe even more, from the initial shock of decreasing cals and exercising. Oh, and exercise! Go to www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com, and you'll find plenty of information on why you should be eating back the calories you burn exercising every day (at least until to get a NET of 1200 calories). There you go. Solves your hunger at night problem.
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