Evening Hungries....what to do?

shamrocker1
shamrocker1 Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Around 9:30 in the evening I get really hungry. I usually have supper around 5:30 - 6:00. I've tried drinking lots of water when the urge to eat hits, but it doesn't help. Having a piece of fruit makes it worse. Wondering if anyone else has this happen to them and how you handle it!
Any advice is appreciated!

Replies

  • lmf1012
    lmf1012 Posts: 402 Member
    I agree with @steveko89 maybe build in some room for a late evening snack. I like to have some air popped (actually a cool microwave popper) for like 100 calories. Granted, it will be more if you add butter to it lol
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,421 Member
    I had to change my entire life around. No more staying up late. Early to bed, that's my trick. Plus eating dinner 2-3 hours before I go to bed.
  • thisvickyruns
    thisvickyruns Posts: 193 Member
    shamrocker1 wrote: »
    Around 9:30 in the evening I get really hungry. I usually have supper around 5:30 - 6:00. I've tried drinking lots of water when the urge to eat hits, but it doesn't help. Having a piece of fruit makes it worse. Wondering if anyone else has this happen to them and how you handle it!
    Any advice is appreciated!

    I'd be the same if I ate my last meal that early. And fruit has never worked as a snack, its not filling for me at all.

    Eat tea later or move some cals round for a 9pm snack
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,944 Member
    You need to find out what works for you. I work a snack into my calorie allowance. Also, working out helps me against hunger pangs. Low calorie foods that also work: snack cucumber and cherry tomatoes, watermelon, pickled gherkins.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    To add, personally, I do casein protein and a spoonful of natural peanut butter before heading up to bed. It's not exactly low calorie as to get 20g each of protein and fat it's a 40g scoop of PB and 28g of the casein powder I use so it's 324 calories. I plan for it and pre-log it everyday. I've been doing so for almost two months loosely following the RP Diet templates and like it a lot. Knowing I have it as part of my routine keeps me from snacking on other unplanned things between dinner and bedtime (~3-4 hours).
  • ridiculous59
    ridiculous59 Posts: 2,908 Member
    edited May 2021
    I try to keep some calories for an evening snack but if not, herbal tea helps me. And I know what you mean about fruit making it worse. When I see someone casually eating an apple while driving their car I'm actually a little bit jealous. It would just make me hungrier! I can eat apple slices with peanut butter or cheese, or berries and plain Greek yoghurt. But never fruit just by itself.
  • shamrocker1
    shamrocker1 Posts: 4 Member
    Thanks everyone for all your helpful comments! They make a lot of sense and I will definitely be incorporating many of your suggestion into my daily life. I guess I should mention that I'm 69 years old, have a very slow metabolism, and I have never been this heavy in my life. I'm not nearly as active as I used to be, and though I'm working on that, I tire easily and usually need an afternoon nap. I can see I'm in need of a serious lifestyle change!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I eat dinner later in the evening. I'm not sure I would know what to do with myself if I ate dinner at 5:30 or 6. I suppose I'd probably just make room for an evening snack. That's a whole lot of hours between last meal and bed.

    Between work and kids soccer practice and other goings on, I'm not generally home before 6...and usually closer to 7. We usually have dinner around 8...sometimes 7:30, but that would definitely be considered early for us.
  • westrich20940
    westrich20940 Posts: 921 Member
    Eat later in the day or eat more. Is this a 'craving' or actual hunger --- if the later, then why not just eat more??
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,496 Member
    I'm generally up at 5AM ot before so bed at 10is isn't a problem
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  • ridiculous59
    ridiculous59 Posts: 2,908 Member
    Something I forgot to mention....when I first started exercising I found I got a lot of leg and foot cramps during the night. I tried all the usual preventative suggestions but the only thing that helped me was stretching before bed. So instead of watching the news while sitting on the couch or laying in bed, every night I pulled out my yoga mat and would do 45 minutes or so of stretching while I watched. That could be helpful for you too. It might divert your attention long enough so that you can decide if you really are hungry, or just bored, plus would give you some easy movement.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,992 Member
    Eat dinner later or ensure you save some calories for snacking at night. For me what works is that I don't eat in the AM at all. First meal after 12pm then I'll snack and eat dinner around 7pm or later, then snack while I catch up on TV shows till 11:30pm.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    ridiculous59 wrote: »
    Something I forgot to mention....when I first started exercising I found I got a lot of leg and foot cramps during the night. I tried all the usual preventative suggestions but the only thing that helped me was stretching before bed. So instead of watching the news while sitting on the couch or laying in bed, every night I pulled out my yoga mat and would do 45 minutes or so of stretching while I watched. That could be helpful for you too. It might divert your attention long enough so that you can decide if you really are hungry, or just bored, plus would give you some easy movement.

    I was having problems with foot cramps during workouts. Better shoes and a banana/day both helped and it's a non-issue now.
  • ruqayyahsmum
    ruqayyahsmum Posts: 1,513 Member
    I'm never hungry when I wake up but always hungry at night
    So I don't eat until 1 to 2pm and have lunch, dinner at 6pm and supper about 9pm

    So long as you keep to your deficit it doesn't matter what time you eat, just try to stop before you fall asleep waking up with a mouthful of food isn't fun 😂
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,745 Member
    We eat dinner early and generally go to bed fairly late, so I get hungry at 10:00 or 11:00 as well. I have found that I can't sleep if I go to bed hungry and will end up getting up an hour or two later to eat and read a while before I can fall asleep. Not good as I get less sleep and still end up eating. So I usually eat a piece of cheese or drink some milk before I go to bed. I'll eat more if I have the calories left over. If you get more exercise during the day, you may find you have more energy, plus you'll have some extra calories you can use.
  • natasor1
    natasor1 Posts: 271 Member
    Don't eat carbs for dinner, they may imduse appetite at later hours. Instead eat big piece of chicken legs, fatty beef or pork. Peanut or almond butter work eccellent to breake your cravings. This type of appetite is mostly cravings. By design you done with your calories intake for the day, so all you have are the desire to snack on something sweet or salty (if you don't want sipmle food, like cucomber or celery, you are not hungry). When people are really hungry they can eat fryed cryket or raw monkey brain
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,496 Member
    If eaten an appropriate number of calories for the day, just suck it up. I know I won't starve.
  • natasor1
    natasor1 Posts: 271 Member
    Do little analisis of your feelings before reaching for the extra food at late night. If it feels like you want cheese, potato chips or cookies, it means you are not physically hungry. It is only a cravings which are result of the high release of cortisole in the blood and low glucose level, that gives your brain signal to eat high caloric food. Brain is doing everything in its power to make you deliver glucose for brain feeding. If you really hungry, it will be sufficient for hunger sutisfaction just bunch of celery, or tomato before bed time.

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