Snacking

dlopez754
dlopez754 Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all, I have been doing so well with eating clean as far as my meals go, but at night, I get so hungry right before bed. And I go to my pantry and eat anything I find! How do y'all controls your cravings?

Replies

  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    Make sure you leave some calories for a late night snack. And eat enough during the day....
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Are you eating enough during the day? Have you tried budgeting some calories for a snack each night?
  • jammer1963
    jammer1963 Posts: 106 Member
    dlopez754 wrote: »
    Hello all, I have been doing so well with eating clean as far as my meals go, but at night, I get so hungry right before bed. And I go to my pantry and eat anything I find! How do y'all controls your cravings?

    I love peanut butter. I find that just a tablespoon of peanut butter, without the bread is a delicious snack that curbs my appetite. Now I'm hungry for peanut butter! lol
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Are you eating enough during the day? Have you tried budgeting some calories for a snack each night?

    This.
  • bekim123
    bekim123 Posts: 391 Member
    Budget for your calories and have some "good" snacks available instead of junk.
  • oolou
    oolou Posts: 765 Member
    Did you used to snack before bedtime in the past, before you changed to your current eating plan?
  • Colt1835
    Colt1835 Posts: 447 Member
    Are you eating breakfast? I used to eat breakfast everyday because "it's the most important meal of the day" well it's not important it was just causing me to eat when I wasn't hungry and that just opened the flood gate and I ate way too much the rest of the day.
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
    My life changed when I started eating a small breakfast and a small evening snack before bed. I'm able to more easily stick to the calories and my food planned for the day. I don't get hungry as often either. You might give it a try. The amazing thing to me was that the small breakfast seemed to eliminate the late evening hunger ( I was a 'nothing but coffee until lunch type' before). Hope it works for you. :)
  • DaniCanadian
    DaniCanadian Posts: 261 Member
    I'm the same way. For one, forget "clean" eating. Pick foods that will satisfy you, just eat portions that will stick within your calorie goal.
    Two, check your weight loss goal. Is mfp saying to eat 1200/day? Cause that's the bare minimum it'll suggest, you can still lose weight while eating more. Weight loss isn't a race to the finish line, it's slow and steady and for life.
    Three, I always have a harder time resisting night snacking when I'm tired. So maybe try going to bed earlier if you can. If you can't (I have a 3 and a half month old so she pretty much runs my sleep right now), eat a small breakfast and lunch so you have Cals left for the end of the day. I'll eat a grapefruit and egg for breakfast, peanut butter and whole wheat toast for lunch. I usually have 1600 Cals (I eat an extra 500/day for breastfeeding) left at the end of the day. So if I can't get sleep, I have room to snack.
  • nixxthirteen
    nixxthirteen Posts: 280 Member
    I'm also in camp "save calories for a snack".

    Shave some calories off a meal or two and have a bowl of popcorn, or some babybel cheeses and a few crackers, or veggies and dip...

    My new fave snack is 1 serv Cheerios, with raspberries and 1/2 cup unsweetened cashew milk. Less than 200 cal and really satisfying.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    dlopez754 wrote: »
    Hello all, I have been doing so well with eating clean as far as my meals go, but at night, I get so hungry right before bed. And I go to my pantry and eat anything I find! How do y'all controls your cravings?

    Make sure your idea of clean eating doesn't mean that you undereat or deprive yourself. Set a reasonable calorie goal adjusted for your height, weight, age and activity level. Log correctly and consistently, neither under- nor overestimating intake.

    We don't know anything about your situation, so at this stage the advice would be to eat more earlier in the day, or leave calories for a snack, or don't buy snack food.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,835 Member
    I don't "eat clean" and I prelog so that I know what I can and when throughout the whole day ... right up to midnight or 1 am, whenever I go to bed.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    edited June 2016
    Couple ideas:

    (1) Mentally put up a "closed" sign in the kitchen. Don't go in it. And brush your teeth and use mouthwash so any food will taste bad.
    (2) Make sure whatever your idea of "healthy" snacks are more readily available than the foods you don't want to eat. Have fresh fruit on the counter. Store convenient yogurt cups and string cheese right at the front of the fridge.

    Full disclosure: I myself save calories for after dinner snacking (or wine)
  • dlkfox
    dlkfox Posts: 463 Member
    I love my evening snack so much that I prelog it at breakfast.
  • dlopez754
    dlopez754 Posts: 7 Member

    Thank you very much everyone! I have read all of your replies and will try some different things! I really like the save the calories suggestion!
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,835 Member
    dlopez754 wrote: »
    Hello all, I have been doing so well with eating clean as far as my meals go, but at night, I get so hungry right before bed. And I go to my pantry and eat anything I find! How do y'all controls your cravings?

    1) I always have at least 300 calories for something to eat late in the evening.

    2) I prelog so I know I have at least 300 calories.

    3) I don't keep much of a variety of "snack food" in my house. If I'm bored hungry and thinking I want to snack on something it'll be yogurt or fruit or maybe some toast ... and usually if I'm just bored hungry, those choices don't appeal.

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