Eliminating over-snacking after dinner

What sort of things are you snacking on. If it's sweet things try to have a healthier option like some fruit etc. Fair enough It will add some calories to your day but it will also have minerals and fibre that your body will thank you for

Is this your daily "stress relief"? I found I had to replace it with a different stress reliever. For me, that was exercise. Maybe for you that a hot bath or a coloring book or whatever...

I had the same issue and realized that for me-night time snacking was because of habit, not actual hunger. I now no longer eat after 7pm and this works great for me.

-Are you eating enough during the day?
-Try a flavorful tea or similar drink
-Do something. Go to bed once you have the kids down or go for a walk or do some yoga or take up knitting...

Oh gosh this is so me. I love to end the night with something sweet/chocolate. The only way I de with this successfully is to save calories for this snack because if not I will eat it anyway and go over my goal.

I'm another who was at one point snacking in the evening (and at some other times) more out of habit than because it was around. So I made a rule for myself that I don't snack between meals. This doesn't mean I never have dessert (or something special after dinner that's not sweet, like a cheese course). I just think of that as different from snacking.

For me snacking tends to be just going into the kitchen and grabbing something unplanned, or having a little bit out of a larger container (with the cheese, taking a little cheese, and then a little more) in an unplanned and sort of mindless way. (Of course, people also call more planned but small meals snacks, and I understand that usage too, but in my mind that tends to be mini-meals. They don't work for me since I prefer fewer larger meals, and tend to end up wanting to eat more, but I understand they work for many who have other preferences.)

A dessert is a planned end to dinner (or pretty soon after dinner), where I have a certain pre-determined amount, within my calories (or on a special occasion where I'm not counting or worrying about calories). This is on a plate, eaten where I would eat dinner, not on the go, and its something I really like.


For some reason I find when I let myself snack I don't control it well and it gets mindless, and doesn't really affect how much I want to eat at other meals. If I limit it to a small something special after dinner which I have on some days, I tend to be satisfied and not to want more afterwards.

I save enough for some halo top ice cream or a cherry chocolate protein shake. Especially the shake fills me up--25g of protein within a chocolately treat. This week I stewed 5 apple with cinnamon, lemon juice, and some almonds. I'll eat it on yogurt or cottage cheese and it's another filling evening snack.

This has been me my entire life. I lost 70 lbs around 8 years ago and have kept it off since. I stopped going with the belief that breakfast was the best meal of the day. I don't eat breakfast, drink my coffee black and then workout at lunch. Then I eat a healthy, larger lunch, a healthy dinner and I can snack a bit at night. I just don't keep horrid things in the house.

I typically burn around 600 to 900 calories at my lunchtime workout and go into dinner at a net deficit for the day. Biggest things for me is having snacks that aren't ridiculous in calories. Also I do drink water at night as well. Wakes me up a few times at night but slows down my natural inclination to eat massive amounts of food at night. I do eat Vegan two/three days a week and if I don't supplement with Vegan protein on those days, I tend to eat more carbs at night.

Guess I'm saying I battled this for years until I just went with it. By choosing smarter snacks and fasting until a lunch after a workout (at around 1:30 when I eat my first food of the day), I've been able to keep the weight off and still feed heavy at night.

I always plan my meals the day before and ensure I’ve planned an evening snack usually popcorn or crackers and light cheese spread with a low cal hot chocolate and try and delay having it too early. Just knowing what you will be having can make nighttime munchies easier it’s been my biggest downfall in the past x

Just don't do it.

Night time snacking is just a habit. You can break it. Make a conscious effort to eat after dinner. Find something else to occupy your mind.

I had been in the hospital for about 6 weeks, several years ago. Long story, but my nutrition was completely depleted due to kidney failure. I was eating every 2 hours and people were bringing me candy, cookies, chips, etc. When I got home and was housebound for about 2-3 more weeks, I couldn't get those snacks anymore, and for the first week all I could think about was I wanted cookies, candy, etc. After the first week, the desire was gone and I was back to not snacking.