Anyone have success with night eating?

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mamaboobear
mamaboobear Posts: 52
in Health and Weight Loss
So I love to eat at night, and I don't have the willpower to stop, at least not yet lol, so I'm hoping I can just binge within my calorie goal. Anyone else save up lots of calories for the evening and still have successful weightloss? Or has anyone tried this, and gained? Looking for answer's with experience!!! Thanks in advance!

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  • poustotah
    poustotah Posts: 1,121 Member
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    I wouldn't say that I binge at night but if I'm currently breastfeeding and have found that if I don't eat something at night, I don't lose any weight at all. So my snacking has been at night before I go to bed. I'll have some whole grain chips and guacamole or some carrots and some chicken. I try to keep it in moderation but sometimes at night I'm so hungry I could eat a whole cow!!!
  • Shrek55
    Shrek55 Posts: 14
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    absolutely. night shift workers do it all the time. eat light including protein and low cal carbohydrates like salad. Usually i eat a couple of pieces of sliced ham or turkey or protein shake. all low calorie and it should take care of your cravings.
  • Learnin2LuvMe
    Learnin2LuvMe Posts: 465 Member
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    Im the opposite,if I eat at night I don't lose any weight..So i have my dinner around 5 or 6 pm and have a small snack after..
  • abbyko
    abbyko Posts: 108
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    From what I've gathered so far as long as you're not going over your calories it doesn't matte when you eat then, be it the day or the middle of the night. So save your calories for the night time if you can and go for it!

    I'm a bad nigh time snacker too but I really try not to and what I find to be the most help is a glass of diet coke with ice. Now I know it's not good for me and I try not to drink too many a week (we're talking about 3-4 a week). I've also noticed that since I started this journey (end of April) I've had to rely on the soda less and less. So I'm not questioning the health aspect of it and just going with it!
  • katcena
    katcena Posts: 326 Member
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    I am a nighttime eater as well. I have lost almost 40 pounds and have had no trouble as long as I stay within my calorie goals. I think it is important to note though....while I do eat late at night, I still eat breakfast every morning (whether I am hungry or not, within 1 hour of waking up) and I try to space out my meals and snacks throughout the day (approx every 2 hours). I will snack on things like salad, veggies, greek yourt, nuts, and granola bars throughout the day when I feel hungry. I typically do my workouts in the evening (sometimes as late as midnight-1am) and I always have something after that that is high protein. Usually that is when I have my Shakeology, milk, or protein shake. Perfect meal before bed, fills me up but is not heavy and doesn't affect my sleep.
    But, my favorite days are when I am active all day and have saved up 1000 calories to eat back at night! lol IT motivates me to exercise more....whatever works, I say!
  • mamaboobear
    mamaboobear Posts: 52
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    well, unfortunately at night I want chips, sometimes a sandwich, ...you know, things I'm not supposed to have. During the day I can tell myself all I want that I'm only going to eat healthy after dinner, but I blow it every night. So I'm hoping if I just eat my dinner and snacks later, but during the day eat all my healthy food, then I should still be able to stay in calorie range and hopefully still lose....
  • mamaboobear
    mamaboobear Posts: 52
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    KATCENA, OMG, thats totally me. I will do taebo twice if it means I can eat more chips haha. Glad to know you've still had succes with it!
  • pnieuw
    pnieuw Posts: 473
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    Put them in front of me, and I used to eat a bag of chips after dinner...1,000 calories in a snack! Brutal! I've cut the chips, and now I save a bowl of raisin bran and 1% milk for my after dinner snack, and I've gotten used to it.

    Still miss the chips, though....:laugh:
  • bjohs
    bjohs Posts: 1,225 Member
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    So I love to eat at night, and I don't have the willpower to stop, at least not yet lol, so I'm hoping I can just binge within my calorie goal. Anyone else save up lots of calories for the evening and still have successful weightloss? Or has anyone tried this, and gained? Looking for answer's with experience!!! Thanks in advance!

    Here are a couple of suggestions after browsing through about a week of your food diary:

    1. Really lower your sodium level. It appears to be well over the recommended number every day. That may be making you dehydrated in which case drink plenty of water. Our bodies often mistake dehydration with a feeling of hunger. Try drinking a bottle of water in the evening to see if some of those hunger cravings go away first.

    2. I know this is going to sound evil... but try to avoid heavy pasta meals, etc. for dinner. The carbs and sugars in your current diet may be triggering cravings later on in the evening.

    Good luck!
  • TS65
    TS65 Posts: 1,024 Member
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    well, unfortunately at night I want chips, sometimes a sandwich, ...you know, things I'm not supposed to have. During the day I can tell myself all I want that I'm only going to eat healthy after dinner, but I blow it every night. So I'm hoping if I just eat my dinner and snacks later, but during the day eat all my healthy food, then I should still be able to stay in calorie range and hopefully still lose....

    I log what I know I'll eat at night BEFORE I eat my other meals. That way, it's already worked in! If you want chips or a sandwich, then log it first. Just make sure to keep to portions. This needs to be something you can sustain for the rest of your life. Make it easy on yourself!
  • JuniperT
    JuniperT Posts: 394 Member
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    Somewhat off topic but someone had given me heck for eating after 8 o'clock, saying that it's not good for your metabolism and so on...not true then? I always eat at night because I'm breastfeeding and I find I need to have a snack after that, even if it's just a couple of almonds or something, I need to have it. And I seem to still be losing weight, not huge amounts or anything, but still, a loss is a loss.
  • Persipan
    Persipan Posts: 85 Member
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    I always weight my calories very heavily towards the end of the day - I know me, and I know there's no point doing the whole finish-eating-early thing because I'll just start eating again. I do eat breakfast and lunch and snacks throughout the day, but I make sure I have plenty of calories left for a proper dinner plus dessert of some description and maybe even a bit of chocolate later on. It works perfectly well for me!
  • taem
    taem Posts: 495 Member
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    Make sure you eat the "right" carbs to get your nutrition and drink your 8 cups of water. My cravings at night have stopped since I started eating my nutrients and drinking my 8 cups of water. I hope it will work for you as well. I believe serotonin is increased as you eat veggies and it goes down when you eat protein (thus you feel full but you are craving sweets cause it has none). Eating healthy carbs is a challenge though, I will give you that.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin Under Effects of Food Content.
  • Hollycat
    Hollycat Posts: 372
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    I have success. I reserve 300-400 calories for evening snacks. I PLAN for it. I log EVERYTHING I'm going to eat that day in the morning. When I don't....uh oh.

    Hollycat
    :flowerforyou:
  • mamaboobear
    mamaboobear Posts: 52
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    Thanks for all the suggestions!! I will definetly try logging in my nighttime snacks first thing in the morning, and then planning the rest of my day around it. I have tried removing crappy carbs from my dinner, only for about a week, but it didn't really make a difference. Nighttime is eating is such a habit, its ingrained in me. I have done it for about 5 years solid now. I truly believe that if I didn't eat at night, I would lose my weight no problem, but it feels like it would be hard to quit than smoking! Which I did quit in Jaunary, but man have I been craving one lately! grr. I have to pick my battles right now and not spread myself so thin that I give it all up.
  • CraigIW
    CraigIW Posts: 176
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    It could be that if you ate more protein at dinner you wouldn't need the snacks at night as you'd feel more full. Also, maybe you should actually have your dinner a little later so that you are not feeling hungry again later at night?

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