Trouble after dinner!!

jtkatch
jtkatch Posts: 186 Member
edited December 3 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi to all MFP ...I have recently rejoined MFP bc I put back on the 10 lbs I lost...I eat well all day...great balance but something happens at night after dinner....I crave nuts and sweets...to have a little I can't do it opens up the flood gates...any solutions? What do you do?
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Replies

  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
    edited July 2016
    I know I'll always want a snack on an evening, so allow for that and save some calories for those snacks. If at the end of the day I decide not to have any snacks I know I'm under my calorie allowance and if I do snack I know I'm still within my calorie allowance.
  • RandiNoelle
    RandiNoelle Posts: 374 Member
    @shinycrazy Great idea! :smile:
  • orla_holland
    orla_holland Posts: 2 Member
    Hi there, I used to crave sweet things at night and couldn't resist. Then I started having a protein based snack at around 4pm (chicken usually) and it completely killed off the cravings. I still make sure to have a really filling and tasty dinner in the evening too. Hope that helps ☺
  • jtkatch
    jtkatch Posts: 186 Member
    Thank you for all the ideas on how not to snack after dinner. I will surely give them a try
  • cwgrant67
    cwgrant67 Posts: 33 Member
    I have this issue as well! Going to try eat dinner earlier instead of an afternoon snack then I should have more calories available at night.
  • thrashscara
    thrashscara Posts: 72 Member
    I have this problem too! One thing i have found that is working for me is to have my evening meal when i get in from work, then go for my evening walk. Because I live up a massively steep hill, i find that by the time i get home an hour later, I'm a little hot and bothered, and find myself drinking lots of water to make up for it...! By this point I'm ready for bad, and hydrated so don't feel hungry/picky!

    If the weather is rubbish, or I just don't have time, I always have a cup of hot chocolate (highlights etc) and a low fat weight watchers chocolate bar as a naughty snack, in total no more than 120 cals! :)

  • fattyclatter
    fattyclatter Posts: 28 Member
    I've found that volume is important when snacking, for me. So, lots of strawberries or grapes or sliced apples, and/or veggie sticks with a dip like the reduced fat hummus (or full fat, if it fits), homemade tzatziki or garlic and herb, whatever flavour you prefer. Then I add on the "bad" snack at the end. I fill up on the healthier things so that when I get around to eating the chocolate or chips or whatever I'm craving, I feel full.

    I'll also have a 3-cup bottle of water next to me so when I've finished eating I can start to drink and that helps to keep the full feeling going, and also kinda fills in the urge to shove food in my face hole.
  • ptipton520
    ptipton520 Posts: 83 Member
    I try to do something that will keep my hands busy and my mind occupied. I've recently taken up coloring and I can spend all evening and not know where the time went. I'm staying out of the kitchen and I'm not thinking about food. The only down side - my dog feels neglected.
  • 22Brentwoodgirl
    22Brentwoodgirl Posts: 51 Member
    I think most of us have this issue sometimes.
    I save calories and plan to snack. Then when the taste of the snack is 100% gone I brush and floss my teeth.
    I do stay out of the kitchen too!
    Good luck.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Meal plan better, don't buy sweets.
  • NaturalNancy
    NaturalNancy Posts: 1,093 Member
    Save calories for after dinner! #Key
  • libbyjuly
    libbyjuly Posts: 6 Member
    I knit to keep my mind off of it and it's too much of a pain to put my knitting aside, get the puppies up and go find something to eat. =)
  • jtkatch
    jtkatch Posts: 186 Member

    Meal plan better, don't buy sweets.

    I try not to buy the sweets instead I bake so my family has healthier sweets in the house. I just need to stay away from them! Also I realized I. A not being nuts in the house. Too dangerous for me. Thank you for your advice
  • jtkatch
    jtkatch Posts: 186 Member
    I think most of us have this issue sometimes.
    I save calories and plan to snack. Then when the taste of the snack is 100% gone I brush and floss my teeth.
    I do stay out of the kitchen too!
    Good luck.

    Me kitchen is open concept literally within steps to my living room where I spend time with the family after dinner. You have a good idea though, the kids want something after dinner they can go get it...not me...staying out of the kitchen that way
  • jtkatch
    jtkatch Posts: 186 Member
    cwgrant67 wrote: »
    I have this issue as well! Going to try eat dinner earlier instead of an afternoon snack then I should have more calories available at night.

    I wish I can do this!! I try and have dinner as a family and wait u till my husband gets home which is usually around 6;30. By then I have been gone for an hour....hungry...making dinner and snacking and picking while I prep dinner....not good...then I eat less at dinner bc I feel bad thinking I really shouldn't eat dinner with all I just ate! BLTs (bites licks and tastes) I have to change that bad habit therefore having a good dinner and feeling satisfied and not wanting to have something after dinner.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    jtkatch wrote: »
    cwgrant67 wrote: »
    I have this issue as well! Going to try eat dinner earlier instead of an afternoon snack then I should have more calories available at night.

    I wish I can do this!! I try and have dinner as a family and wait u till my husband gets home which is usually around 6;30. By then I have been gone for an hour....hungry...making dinner and snacking and picking while I prep dinner....not good...then I eat less at dinner bc I feel bad thinking I really shouldn't eat dinner with all I just ate! BLTs (bites licks and tastes) I have to change that bad habit therefore having a good dinner and feeling satisfied and not wanting to have something after dinner.

    Perhaps have some cut veggies out for you to snack on while you make dinner? Then you can curb some of your hunger without doing much damage.
  • jtkatch
    jtkatch Posts: 186 Member
    SueInAz wrote: »
    jtkatch wrote: »
    cwgrant67 wrote: »
    I have this issue as well! Going to try eat dinner earlier instead of an afternoon snack then I should have more calories available at night.

    I wish I can do this!! I try and have dinner as a family and wait u till my husband gets home which is usually around 6;30. By then I have been gone for an hour....hungry...making dinner and snacking and picking while I prep dinner....not good...then I eat less at dinner bc I feel bad thinking I really shouldn't eat dinner with all I just ate! BLTs (bites licks and tastes) I have to change that bad habit therefore having a good dinner and feeling satisfied and not wanting to have something after dinner.

    Perhaps have some cut veggies out for you to snack on while you make dinner? Then you can curb some of your hunger without doing much damage.

    Good idea...however this brings my carbs even higher as I am vegan and rely on veggies and salads ALOT...I am always over my carbs bc of my veggies
  • dmt4641
    dmt4641 Posts: 409 Member
    edited July 2016
    I save myself calories for a night time snack but have now eat cottage cheese with peanut butter. The protein and fat keep me full. If I start eating sweets after dinner it starts happening daily and my sugar cravings go through the roof. If I am eating sweets pretty seldom I forget about them and don't need something sweet after dinner.

    ETA: I just saw you are vegan so cottage cheese won't work. But try a protein source at night instead of carbs.
  • jtkatch
    jtkatch Posts: 186 Member
    dmt4641 wrote: »
    I save myself calories for a night time snack but have now eat cottage cheese with peanut butter. The protein and fat keep me full. If I start eating sweets after dinner it starts happening daily and my sugar cravings go through the roof. If I am eating sweets pretty seldom I forget about them and don't need something sweet after dinner.

    ETA: I just saw you are vegan so cottage cheese won't work. But try a protein source at night instead of carbs.

    Used to live cottage cheese and peanut butter!! Any vegan protein is high in fat !! Then my fat is over the limit. I set me macros at 40/30/30, but am always over in carbs bc of veggies and salads. Vegan proteins are high in fat albeit lower in carbs. No win situation. Maybe duct tape! Lol....trying a protein shake with some xanthium to thicken....pretty good consistency like pudding!!! Will try and have fun with different flavors . Thank you though
  • jtkatch
    jtkatch Posts: 186 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    Plan some high volume desserts. I usually have two. A big peanut butter protein shake (with only peanut butter protein and almond milk, xanthan gum to thicken-it fills up two glasses), then a pint of some kind of low calorie ice cream or popcorn. My dinners tend to be in the 300-400 calorie range because I like to eat 3x once I get home.

    Okay....seriously....best idea so far!!!! Adding xanthium to my shake!!! Like pudding!!!!!! AMAZING!!! Thank you. What combos do you make?? Thank you thank you thank you
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I think after dinner munchies/snacking is a very common problem. I don't eat breakfast, and have a protein and fibre shake mix for lunch, I drink tea all day which definitely helps keep me full. I'm making protein fluff for dessert tonight, huge volume and low calorie. I also go to bed at 7 every night and watch tv in there instead of the living room which is right next to the kitchen...
  • AJF230
    AJF230 Posts: 81 Member
    Meal plan better, don't buy sweets.

    Yeah, this. If its not in the house to eat, you can't snack on it at the wrong times.

    Its what I've done with alcohol. If I buy some beer or wine, I seem to inevitably drink it all. And not in an alcoholic kind of way -- I inevitably have a serving a day until its gone. I now keep some beer at my parents-in-law's house. Have one when I go up there, we go there about once a week. I tune back the carbs that night at dinner then.
  • Mentali
    Mentali Posts: 352 Member
    libbyjuly wrote: »
    I knit to keep my mind off of it and it's too much of a pain to put my knitting aside, get the puppies up and go find something to eat. =)

    I feel like getting a fuzzy lapwarmer that you have to move every time you get up is an important part of this process....can I get a doctor's note saying I need one?
  • must_deflate
    must_deflate Posts: 183 Member
    I tend to have that problem, too. What helps is to brew a big pot of herbal or decaf tea, maybe with a *little* honey in it, and sip that all evening. Gives me something to put in my mouth. Also I go upstairs away from the kitchen.
  • 9jenn9
    9jenn9 Posts: 309 Member
    Lots of good advice here about planning snacks, etc. For me, the evenings are difficult not so much because of hunger but rather because of habit. I used to snack mindlessly in front of the tv. Also, if I'm tired I turn to food when instead, I should just go to bed.

    Two changes have helped. First, I get my night time routine done fairly early so that when I'm sleepy I can turn in. More sleep = less exhaustion snacking. The other big change was finding something relaxing to do with my hands while watching tv. I took up knitting. It's so zen and productive at the same time. It's hard to knit with cheeto dust or chocolate on your fingers. It's tactile and soothing like eating can be. Plus, it works as a kind of stress reliever. Coloring, zentangles, etc. would probably serve the same purpose.
  • walkdmc
    walkdmc Posts: 529 Member
    I'm the same way, even craving nuts and sweets. I have a decaf coffee after cleaning up the dinner mess. I GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN until my 100 -200 calorie snack at 8pm. After my evening snack I watch a 45 minute show...Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Stranger Things, Shameless, etc. After that, I go upstairs and fold laundry, wipe shower walls, read, etc....point is I stay out of the kitchen.

    I like Beantos chips and Fage 2% if I'm craving salt and Halo Top or Yasso bars for sweets.

    Keep other, enticing foods out of the house.
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