I do great until I get home.......

Try replacing the behavior. Every time you want a cookie, get up and go for a walk. Or do a chore. Or check your email. Anything to get your mind off of it.

Several suggestions.

1) Talk to your husband about eating better with you. I'm most cases if there is only one person in a family trying to eat healthier while everyone else isn't, the likelihood of failure is high. Get him on board. This will eliminate the need to buy junk food which causes temptation once you get home. If that's not an option then..

2)Eat more volume. Avoid calorie dense foods at dinner. Eat big voluminous meals that will hold you over the entire night and keep cravings at bay.

3)Plan to eat you favorite snacks AFTER you've eaten you big dinner. Never before. I find that when I'm really full and know that I have a snack or two waiting for me, which fit my macros, it gives me a feeling of satisfaction and comfort. And I tend to eat them much slower when I'm full; so I enjoy them longer.

^^ Great post!

depending on how late in the evening you are getting these cravings, have you considered brushing your teeth maybe an hour or even 2 hours before bed? i know that when my teeth are brushed, i dont eat anything afterwards. so, if you sleep at 11 pm, you could brush around 9, then do mouthwash rinse at 10. its just a psychological tool i have used in the past.

Have a night time tea ritual.

Tea! If you have a few calories left add a little honey to it. This way it's sweet and (for me at least) will fill you up! I have this almost nightly to end the day with something a little sweet and help me relax before bed.

gamesandgains wrote: »

Several suggestions.

1) Talk to your husband about eating better with you. I'm most cases if there is only one person in a family trying to eat healthier while everyone else isn't, the likelihood of failure is high. Get him on board. This will eliminate the need to buy junk food which causes temptation once you get home. If that's not an option then..

2)Eat more volume. Avoid calorie dense foods at dinner. Eat big voluminous meals that will hold you over the entire night and keep cravings at bay.

I really agree with these points. I find that I just cannot have that "food" in the house. I know it may seem unrealistic since the world is full of all those cookies and treats that I am avoiding but to come home to it as well seems unrealistic. I find that I am not feeling that need to nibble so much when I do have this amazing evening meal that is full of a lot of variety but not overdosed with calories. I love a nice filet of salmon with this fabulous salad that includes a variety of veggies and a great vinaigrette. Perhaps you need to put more energy into preparing an evening meal that will keep you satisfied.

These are all good suggestions and nothing is a one stop solution for everyone. The key point, I think, is your insomnia. I too suffer from frequent insomnia, as does my SO. We found that, individually, we would consume 1000 calories easy during a sleepless night. For me this was tougher because I was also raised to be a "bored eater". If I'm not busy doing something, my tendency is to find something edible to keep me busy, so I don't always have any wiggle room in my accounting.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to find a way to treat the insomnia. Melatonin, warm tea right before bed, prescriptions, medical marijuana or whatever. Just find something that works for you. For my SO, the answer was a sleep aid, combined with having her designated treat later in the evening so she was going to bed with it still in her mind.

Late calorie stuffing can also be a sign of being too strict. You might need a few more cals through the day, or a different balance of nutrition to satisfy your physical nutrition needs.

That is my problem as well! Maybe you should save calories for those cookies. Maybe that is what you want more then the treats you give yourself. My sister and I live together and our kids want all the cookies, cake, ice cream and treats. Sometimes I just say no, but I have learned to calculate those things in ahead of time. I don't like tea, but they are right about it. When I drink tea it makes me full.

Make sure you fill yourself up at dinner time and are satiated. That way you are less likely to indulge.

Tell that sweet tooth monster to kick rocks

Exercising at night, brushing my teeth early or just going to bed work for me. If I really want something sweet I usually have either a cinnamon toast eggo waffle plain or a special K chocolately pretzel cereal bar that I still have calories left for. I have found though that every time I am able to tell myself no and stick to it that gives me a sense of accomplishment and empowerment showing me that the food does not run my life I do! I always liked the saying "nothing tastes as good as being healthy/thin feels" When I do give in because I didn't plan ahead of I just decided oh well no big deal I always end up regretting it later so I try to think of that regret ahead of time. Keep at it you'll be ok!

I have that problem too - I have moved my "dinner" time a little later at night, and then tell myself I can't have anything until at least an hour after that, and then tell myself that it is "after 9pm" so I really don't need it. That has worked in the past couple of weeks - at least most of the time.

I also try to distract myself with something else, folding laundry or washing dishes during commercials when I am watching TV.

Melatonin is a great non-habit forming sleep aid.