Healthy during the day but ravenous at night

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meganwunder12497
meganwunder12497 Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I seem to have trouble with eating healthy at night. Throughout the day I've only been eating a lot of fruits and veggies and protein but when I get home at night I feel as though I can just eat eat eat. For example last night I ate a protein bar, goldfish and a reese's peanut butter cup. I do so well during the day but I fall apart at night. The worse part is waking up in the morning and feeling bloated. :/ Any suggestions on what I should do?

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  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
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    Lock your cupboards?

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    meganwunder12497 wrote: »
    I seem to have trouble with eating healthy at night. Throughout the day I've only been eating a lot of fruits and veggies and protein but when I get home at night I feel as though I can just eat eat eat. For example last night I ate a protein bar, goldfish and a reese's peanut butter cup. I do so well during the day but I fall apart at night. The worse part is waking up in the morning and feeling bloated. :/ Any suggestions on what I should do?

    you need fat as part of a healthy diet... getting enough fat and protein should help keep you full.
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
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    You... ate a goldfish? I'm not even sure what to Google to find out what you mean, every result is just about goldfish.

    Regardless, you could work those foods into your calories for the day. I always try to leave calories available after dinner for chocolate, otherwise I go to bed hungry and wake up feeling ill. You could try experimenting with what you eat at night to see how it affects your bloating.
  • isulo_kura
    isulo_kura Posts: 818 Member
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    Change your mealtimes and eat the bulk of your calories later in the day
  • JeddersJunior
    JeddersJunior Posts: 7 Member
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    Try and eat more in the day. You wouldn't go out in your car in an empty fuel tank, its the same with your body, eat more when you're more likely to be burning it off. Then in the evening you won't feel so ravenous.
  • LBuehrle8
    LBuehrle8 Posts: 4,044 Member
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    DemoraFairy wrote: »
    You... ate a goldfish? I'm not even sure what to Google to find out what you mean, every result is just about goldfish.

    Regardless, you could work those foods into your calories for the day. I always try to leave calories available after dinner for chocolate, otherwise I go to bed hungry and wake up feeling ill. You could try experimenting with what you eat at night to see how it affects your bloating.

    Haha goldfish are crackers that are all different flavors but I'm thinking here OP means the original cheese flavored- although I could be wrong!
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    Don't bring that stuff in the house.
  • bmele0
    bmele0 Posts: 282 Member
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    How many calories do you have left after dinner time?

    I live for night-time snacking. I will actually hoard calories through the day to leave myself 100-200 calories and then I exercise another 200-350 calories off so I can have a decent amount of something I want.

    If you are planning your days, just make sure you plan your night time snack too- that's sort of how I keep it from getting out of control. And I'm like, man I'd really like extra of this snack later, I'll work harder to burn another 50 calories lol
  • leanneyeomans
    leanneyeomans Posts: 4 Member
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    I'm exactly the same. The only way i combat ot is by not having it in the house. I'm struggling so much as its easter and there is so much chocolate in the house :s
  • KatieMusselwhite92113
    KatieMusselwhite92113 Posts: 98 Member
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    If I was a movie title, my tagline would be the title of your post. Seriously.

    I eat really light meals to try and compensate, because most nights I cannot resist. I try to stick to a 200 calorie-ish breakfast (read: protein bar or similar), and sometimes the same at lunch (usually a veggie salad, sometimes with some chicken, roughly 200 calories also) so that I have 500-700 calories left for dinner and beyond. Also ditto what bmele0 said, when I workout, I plan my calorie burn for what I want to eat lol. Whatever motivates you!
  • dorkyfaery
    dorkyfaery Posts: 255 Member
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    Potential issues
    1. You aren't getting enough calories during the day, meaning your calorie deficit may be too large, making adherance difficult
    2. Your macros need an adjustment - consuming enough fat and protein helps many people feel more satiated
    3. You're dehydrated, not hungry - the signals can be confused
    4. You aren't really hungry, you're just bored

    Many people jump head first into weight loss trying to lose as much as they can as fast as possible. This often leads to difficulty adhering to the new eating pattern because it's just too restrictive. If you fall into this category, you may want to target something closer to a half pound per week loss, which will more closely mirror the eating patterns you will need in order to sustain a healthy lifestyle, as well as help you feel less hungry during the day.

    Good luck.
  • thin1dayplease
    thin1dayplease Posts: 291 Member
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    I would recommend eating more in the day and then you may not get so hungry once you get home.
  • Aemely
    Aemely Posts: 694 Member
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    I do the opposite of what some folks are saying... I save my calories for the evening with roughly a 12% breakfast, 30% lunch, 58% evening meals on work days. I always make sure to have protein for lunch or I get hangry in the afternoon. But, as long as I have protein, it works well. :p Your mileage may vary! I feel that getting the correct split that works for your daily habits is critical to success, so try out different strategies to see what keeps you satisfied without busting the calorie budget.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    No wonder you're hungry at night if you eat too little during the day.

    What you described wasn't even a splurge.

    Maybe save calories for later in day. Prelog your diary (you can always remove and adjust).

    Look at what you are eating and not just how much. A varied diet is important. Only fruit, vegetables and lean protein is not varied enough. You need fat, and food you like.

    Make sure you are eating what you think you are - weigh and log everything correctly whenever possible.
  • higgins8283801
    higgins8283801 Posts: 844 Member
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    What is your caloric intake after dinner? If you're under a few snacks won't hurt you.

    I had two mini packs if Reese pieces and a pb egg last night.

    If you are just craving sweets and want to curb that. I freeze yogurt, make my own ice cream with frozen fruits and freeze grapes. Tricks my mind a little and curbs the nighttime munchies

  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    is it hunger or appetite? and yes they are different...it sounds like you are eating out of boredom or appetite or some sort of self indulgence based on what you said you ate...

    Did you stop eating the food you love? restricting too much?
  • 91mummy
    91mummy Posts: 4 Member
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    I find if im actually hungry at night after a busy day, cheese or yogurt helps me fill up. I keep 150-200 cals for late night when I get hungry. If im busy all day the hunger catches up to me once iv settled down at night
  • futuremanda
    futuremanda Posts: 816 Member
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    Agreeing with:
    • If you're an evening eater, save more calories for evening.
    • Get adequate protein AND fat for satiety.
    • Choose snacks with your head, not your appetite. Plan ahead, and/or come up with snack-choosing guidelines for yourself to follow when you're feeling like you could eat the kitchen and need to venture into it. Full fat greek yoghurt should do it. Add an apple if you think you're REALLY hungry. Wait 20+ minutes after eating.
    • Do work in foods you like. Treats. Don't try to eat only "healthy" foods, or yeah, you'll cave and eat a bunch of "unhealthy" foods anyway.
    • Don't fill your house with a ton of foods you are trying not to eat.

    Also:

    Not sure a protein bar is a great evening snack. Maybe that's just me.

    Choose between the goldfish and the Reese's. Pick a portion size. Plan it into your evening for tomorrow. Eat that as your after dinner snack, and that's that. That is what you get. (Though I'd reiterate that if you're truly hungry and not psychologically hungry, then you may need a snack with fat and protein, not just carbs.)

    Is this change somewhat new? There is a bit of a rough patch at first where hunger and cravings are more pronounced. You may just have to make rational choices and stick to them at first, and wait on your body to adjust. Strike a balance: change the things that seem changeable to accommodate for the things you can't/don't want to change. (I am always going to want more calories in the evening, so I change other things to get that, namely, I don't snack during the day even though I do get hungry. I schedule my breakfast and lunch and adhere to the schedule to help me with that.)

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