All I Wanna Do Is Eat At NIGHT!!!!

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eeelizabeth2012
eeelizabeth2012 Posts: 132 Member
in Motivation and Support
I do fine all day. I eat high protein breakfast. High protein morning snack. Lunch. Snack. Supper. As soon as I am done supper... I WANT FOOD! I usually cave and eating something else by bedtime. I am not hungry. But I am craving something!!! Sometimes sweets, sometimes carbs. I researched this and apparently we do this for evolutionary reasons. But... it is sabotaging things for me. Any suggestions? Ideas? Do you have this issue?
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  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    If you know you want to eat at night, try saving some calories for later and plan a snack at night. Make sure it fits your macros, but sweets/carbs aren't bad if you're getting enough proteins and fats as well. I love ending the night with a serving of gelato or ice cream, and it really seems to wrap up my cravings well; you just have to make sure to portion it out and leave room in the daily calories.

    Also, personally, I am usually hungrier at night, so I eat a small breakfast, small lunch, small afternoon snack, and then I eat about 40% of my daily calories after 6pm. Just find what works for you; meal timing doesn't matter.
  • Goaldn2015
    Goaldn2015 Posts: 7
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    I love popcorn made on the stove with coconut oil,but by night I don't have the numbers .. I think its just fine tweaking every day we will find what works for us.
  • sunshyncatra
    sunshyncatra Posts: 598 Member
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    I save 200-450 calories so I can have a night snack. In the beginning, I would log those calories ahead of time so they would be there. My favorite night snack choices are air popped popcorn with butter, chocolate, and/or a cocktail :)
  • Katiebear_81
    Katiebear_81 Posts: 719 Member
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    I also save some calories for night - some wine and a sweet snack (usually fruit or chocolate) are things I love. If I've saved enough calories for a banana and some wine, my boyfriend's chips and dip don't look so tempting! :)
  • crazykatlady_
    crazykatlady_ Posts: 46 Member
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    auddii wrote: »
    If you know you want to eat at night, try saving some calories for later and plan a snack at night. Make sure it fits your macros, but sweets/carbs aren't bad if you're getting enough proteins and fats as well. I love ending the night with a serving of gelato or ice cream, and it really seems to wrap up my cravings well; you just have to make sure to portion it out and leave room in the daily calories.

    Also, personally, I am usually hungrier at night, so I eat a small breakfast, small lunch, small afternoon snack, and then I eat about 40% of my daily calories after 6pm. Just find what works for you; meal timing doesn't matter.

    ^This! I am like you. I am fine during the day, but night time rolls around and I just want food. Sometimes I am genuinely hungry, but often not. So, I save some calories for night time, and I try to eat a salad (but I put something in it that makes me feel a little indulgent. Like something crunchy, some nuts, a few croutons, some sunflower seeds.). More often than not, this works for me and I still stay in my calorie budget.

  • bluesarah13
    bluesarah13 Posts: 31 Member
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    I am the same way. I'm good all day and then I get home, have dinner and want to snack ALL evening. Like you, I'm not hungry. Mostly just bored. So, I taught myself to knit. This keeps my hands distracted as I watch tv. For me, it's all mental. If I'm distracted, I won't think about snacking.
  • AshleyRKnutson
    AshleyRKnutson Posts: 98 Member
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    When I get like that, I grab a couple spoons of peanut butter and a few multigrain crackers. It always does the trick for me...and my husband does it too. We like the honey peanut butter, so that helps kick the "sweet" craving.
  • lemur_lady
    lemur_lady Posts: 350 Member
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    I have the same issue! I usually allocate anywhere from 200-400 calories for an evening snack but its still so hard sometimes not to go crazy. I think its because I get bored in the evenings so I snack to give me something to do.
    I find putting on my headphones and listening to some good music can help keep my mind off of it.
  • eeelizabeth2012
    eeelizabeth2012 Posts: 132 Member
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    Thanks everyone! I used to do the peanut butter thing. I got into a routine of having a piece of fruit as a dessert but then later on I would want something more. My issue with saving calories is I only have 1200 per day as it is. I will keep at it though! Thank you.
  • w0den
    w0den Posts: 84
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    Go to bed early! :) If I can't distract myself from the craving, I just get in bed
  • Chain_Ring
    Chain_Ring Posts: 753 Member
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    LOL @ "evolutionary reasons"................No I think you do it because you're hungry.
  • SwankyTomato
    SwankyTomato Posts: 442 Member
    edited January 2015
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    eeelizabeth2012 wrote: »
    Thanks everyone! I used to do the peanut butter thing. I got into a routine of having a piece of fruit as a dessert but then later on I would want something more. My issue with saving calories is I only have 1200 per day as it is. I will keep at it though! Thank you.

    I bumped my calories to 1450 because it is a more realistic goal for the day for me and is still a calorie deficit diet.

    1200 is the very bare minimum.

    Figure out your TDEE. That will help with what your caloric needs really are. My guess is that 1200 is really not a suitable level for you.

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html




  • eeelizabeth2012
    eeelizabeth2012 Posts: 132 Member
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    Pedal_Pusher2point0 wrote: »
    LOL @ "evolutionary reasons"................No I think you do it because you're hungry.
    No. It is not hunger. I have no problem eating if I am hungry. It is the the types of food I am wanting and the specific times. Some literature I found does talk about how we tend to want high energy food at a time when our body is more likely to store it as fat for later on. Others talk about hormones and insulin spikes, etc. I have always been this way. It doesn't matter if I have a big meal or a small meal or a carby meal or a meal that is just protein and veggies. It is not psychological either. It is an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach (not hunger) that seems to only be relieved when I continue to eat. But, yes, sometimes I can trick it with tea or a small snack of some sort.

  • itsclobberintime
    itsclobberintime Posts: 164 Member
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    Skip breakfast, eat more later.
  • eeelizabeth2012
    eeelizabeth2012 Posts: 132 Member
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    w0den wrote: »
    Go to bed early! :) If I can't distract myself from the craving, I just get in bed
    This is a good idea. I really should be getting more sleep anyway
  • eeelizabeth2012
    eeelizabeth2012 Posts: 132 Member
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    itsclobberintime wrote: »
    Skip breakfast, eat more later.

    Is this really a good idea though? I heard breakfast is important for metabolism. And that it should be within the first hour of waking. Also, a high protein breakfast usually lasts me until lunch time before I am hungry again.
  • meganjcallaghan
    meganjcallaghan Posts: 949 Member
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    eeelizabeth2012 wrote: »
    itsclobberintime wrote: »
    Skip breakfast, eat more later.

    Is this really a good idea though? I heard breakfast is important for metabolism. And that it should be within the first hour of waking. Also, a high protein breakfast usually lasts me until lunch time before I am hungry again.

    I can't say for sure, but I think that's bunk. Or maybe just untrue for me. I'm up by 6:30 am and don't generally get hungry or eat until closer to 11 or 12. SOMEtimes as early as 10 depending on convenience and my schedule for the day. It actually makes me feel sick if I eat within the first few hours of waking up. When i log something in my diary as "breakfast" it would probably be more accurate to call it "lunch #1" lol. I do the bulk of my eating (probably around 65% - 70% of my calories) between 8 and 11 pm
  • itsclobberintime
    itsclobberintime Posts: 164 Member
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    eeelizabeth2012 wrote: »
    itsclobberintime wrote: »
    Skip breakfast, eat more later.

    Is this really a good idea though? I heard breakfast is important for metabolism. And that it should be within the first hour of waking. Also, a high protein breakfast usually lasts me until lunch time before I am hungry again.


    Your metabolism is not affected to any significant degree by meal timing. It is mostly affected by activity.
  • 42carrots
    42carrots Posts: 97 Member
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    I can get pretty snacky at night too, what I find often works is having a small snack, like some dark chocolate, and then I do an extra thorough teeth brush/floss/mouth wash, more often than not it helps me focus less on wanting to keep snacking so I don't sabotage my clean teeth!
  • Milenac93
    Milenac93 Posts: 47 Member
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    When i get hungry at night I'll brush my teeth so that eating would taste bad and then i sit at my computer and make progress pictures so I can see how much my body has changed so that I'm occupied without wanting to eat to get back to my "before" picture!

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