After dinner snacking! Help!!!!

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So, I can eat well all day, keeping to my caloric intake and still having lots of room for dinner. But it's the after dinner/after kids in bed snacking that kills me. My husband gets out the crap he eats (crackers and cheese, chips etc) and I'm done. I won't choose the terribly bad stuff, but I tend to go over! It's what thwarts my efforts. Any ideas to help me stay away? Things to think? etc. (please don't tell me to change my husband's habits - won't happen and I believe I need to change, not him). Thanks for any advice!
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  • Lostcoastline
    Lostcoastline Posts: 21 Member
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    Go floss and brush your teeth after dinner! Then you can have some water or herbal tea. I have the same problem and it helps me.
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
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    You have three choices.

    - Fit an after dinner snack in to your calorie/macro goals
    - Willpower
    - Eat them and don't change

    Option #1 for me every day.
  • kblue5089
    kblue5089 Posts: 1 Member
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    Im håving thė såme problem! Kills me. Only suggestion either.....plan healthy alternatives such as make your own kale chips or plain yogurt parfait using...plain yogurt..light whip cream..and fruit and or cinnamon n granola....orrrrrrr practice not eating after hours! Ugggghhhh. Im goin to practice intermittent fasting!
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
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    I eat a protein bar for "dessert" just about every day. It really fills me up and I have no desire to snack.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Prelog your day to include the evening snack.
  • lisafrancis888
    lisafrancis888 Posts: 119 Member
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    I exercise to give me a few more calories and then treat myself.
  • sakuragreenlily
    sakuragreenlily Posts: 334 Member
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    I second trying to fit things you enjoy into your calorie goals for the day.

    Also consider whether or not you're getting enough calories and the right macros throughout the day. It's much easier to resist temptation if you're not terribly hungry. Don't cut your calories so low that you feel insanely deprived while you're watching someone else eat all the things you want.

    Also, drink water after dinner and find something else to do that doesn't involve watching your husband eat. I like to play video games to unwind at night (keeps my hands busy).

    Good luck!
  • elliej
    elliej Posts: 466 Member
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    I /always/ leave calories for after dinner, or rather prelog a snack, the thing is just work them into your daily intake rather than as a 'mistake'. I have a whole host of ~100 cal snacks that serve this purpose depending on whether I'm after sweet/salty/hot/cold/crunchy. Some healthy, some are just chocolate.
  • Leaping_Lemur
    Leaping_Lemur Posts: 121 Member
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    I don't have to deal with my partner snacking late at night, fortunately. But when I have the late night munchies, I try a) brushing and flossing, as others have mentioned, or b) chewing some gum. It makes your mouth feels like it's doing something, and frankly wears my jaw muscles out to the point I don't feel like eating anything else.
  • Fit_Fox88
    Fit_Fox88 Posts: 410 Member
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    Eat a little less for dinner and leave room for a snack later. If I don't have room for dessert I'll usually take a glass of water with me to the living room and sip on that. My husband is notorious for late-night snacking, especially on the weekends. I just have to ignore him and not give in no matter how bad I might want what he has. And I feel better about it the next morning. If you really don't want to go over and you know you don't have room for something you just have to have the willpower to refuse.
  • jnv7594
    jnv7594 Posts: 983 Member
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    cityruss wrote: »
    You have three choices.

    - Fit an after dinner snack in to your calorie/macro goals
    - Willpower
    - Eat them and don't change

    Option #1 for me every day.

    ...Or eat dinner late. I'm not sure if this is an option for you because many like to eat with their family, but it's what I do. It's also the meal that makes up the majority of my calories for the day. I have always been a night time eater, so this just works for me. I usually don't start eating until about 11 a.m. or noon for the day. Sometimes it's earlier if I'm hungry but usually a very small meal. I have a snack at some point in the afternoon, and then have lunch about 5 or 6. Then I eat my supper around 9 or 10. I usually make sure I have about 800 calories left for my supper so it's a good sized meal. This works for me, and has eliminated my night time snacking altogether.
  • s2mikey
    s2mikey Posts: 146 Member
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    An evening snack is perfect for the active person and will stave off late night hunger. I tend to go for something more protein and/or fat laden like a Natural peanut butter smoothie, cottage cheese and berries, stuff like that. Works great and causes NO problems. Dont buy into the "you shouldnt eat after 8pm" BS. ;)
  • Silverstar721
    Silverstar721 Posts: 33 Member
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    One of the things that I do if I have a hunger attack is to take a walk. Even if it's 15 minutes, it gets me away from the thought of food. I purchased an MP3 player and listen to this while I am walking. Also, we are encouraged to eat raw foods so make yourself up a plate of cut carrots, celery, grapes, cantaloupe. I use either salsa for the veggies or a low calorie salad dressing. It makes me feel that I don't have to deprive myself. The other thing I like is the 40 calorie popsicles. It takes a longtime to eat them and I am adding extra fluid to my body. Hope this helps.
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
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    I have the same problem so I go to the gym when my kids go to bed around 8:30. This way I'm not vegging on the couch which makes me want to eat. Plus I just earned extra calories for a snack if I really want one.
  • gramarye
    gramarye Posts: 586 Member
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    Go floss and brush your teeth after dinner! Then you can have some water or herbal tea. I have the same problem and it helps me.


    This is what I did at first; adding mouthwash helps too, because literally nothing tastes good after that. It was really hard for me to adapt to not snacking in the evenings when I first started MFP, especially when so much of my socialization with friends and bonding time with my ex-husband was over snacking (and drinking) at that part of my life.

    Nowadays I find it a lot easier to fit in smaller portions of snacks in the evenings if I need them, even though I have fewer calories to work with. So you can learn it as a habit! It just takes time. :)
  • shortntall1
    shortntall1 Posts: 333 Member
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    cityruss wrote: »
    You have three choices.

    - Fit an after dinner snack in to your calorie/macro goals
    - Willpower
    - Eat them and don't change

    Option #1 for me every day.

    This.

    I personally save and eat around 300 calories around 8 pm for my TV time. Its a must for me and Im down 111 lbs.

  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
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    Unlike some of the commenters that eat light at dinner to leave room for a snack, I try to eat a little heavier at dinner and then observe an eating cut-off at about 7 or 8 p.m. I started this a few years back as both a weight loss tool and to cope with reflux. The first week or two was brutal, but then it sort of retrains your body not to want anything at night and I think it has saved me from gaining back a ton even when I'm not focused on losing weight. And believe me, I know the situation- my husband is fit and has a high metabolism and can and does eat anything any time. It's not always easy sitting there next to him while he's got his bag of m&ms or big bowl of ice cream, but for the most part I've become indifferent. I also agree with the brushing your teeth thing... it helps me because I'm too lazy to do it twice :)
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
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    I always have an evening snackie!
  • RunTimer
    RunTimer Posts: 9,137 Member
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    Got2beme7 wrote: »
    (please don't tell me to change my husband's habits - won't happen and I believe I need to change, not him).
    Please don't think this insensitive (it is not meant to be)...
    Your husband may need to change, but he didn't write in, you did (he's there, you're here)
    The variable you have the greatest chance of being able to affect in this equation is you.
    You got some great advice here (I especially like @Lostcoastline's Eat/Brush/Sip one) I hope something here resonates that you can adopt, for your health/sanity.

    Cheers!

  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    I exercise to give me a few more calories and then treat myself.

    Truth!