Good morning..new here

dxsicurello16
dxsicurello16 Posts: 3 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Good morning All,

This is my first experience on here.
Any help on how to stop cravings at night?

Replies

  • JBanx256
    JBanx256 Posts: 1,479 Member
    Good morning & welcome!

    For me personally, if I start feeling snacky at night, I usually opt for:
    -take the dog for a short walk
    -chew minty gum
    -drink a zero cal beverage (eg, water flavored with Mio)
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,734 Member
    Well, it's probably going to depend on what the reason is for the cravings. Some ideas:
    - it could be because you've set your calorie goal too low - in that case, increasing your calorie intake (choosing a slower rate of loss) might help
    - perhaps the foods you eat during the day don't satiate you enough - in that case, experiment with your macros (for example increase your protein intake, increase your fiber intake)
    - perhaps your meal timings aren't suitable for you. I prefer having most of my calories later in the day, so have no breakfast or a very light one, a medium lunch, a medium to slightly larger dinner AND I make sure I have calories left for an evening sanck
    - if it's boredom/habit/stress... a hobby is great, or any other distraction that keeps your hands busy and/or keeps you away from the kitchen. A strategy to cope with your stress or other emotional triggers can help. Meditation for example. Exercise works great for me: it keeps my away from the kitchen AND helps me vent my stress.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 33,810 Member
    Great advice above.

    I'd add this: Remember that one trigger of cravings can be fatigue. When we're tired, our body may seek energy (food!). Evening cravings can be more likely because that's when the day's cumulative fatigue comes home to roost. One implication is that if your sleep quality/quantity is not ideal, working on that can help with the cravings, too. Lietchi mentioned stress management - stress can also increase fatigue.

    In addition, if you're starting an exercise program, keeping that manageable/energizing, gradually increasing the challenge as fitness improves - that can be good strategy. Exercise doesn't need to be exhausting to be effective . . . in fact, too-intense exercise can be counter-productive for both weight loss and fitness progress.

    Wishing you success!
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    all of the above!
    personally, i love my bedtime treat. usually its cookies, sometimes something else. but always sweets/junk food of some kind. I almost always have something.

    I make room in my calories for it.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,284 Member
    @Lietchi that was so well stated I shed a little tear of appreciation .

    👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

    I second third and fourth the idea of a snack before bed.

    I have an evening habit of a dessert about 8:30 and a chai tea at 9:00.

    Creating and completing a habit signals to my brain, “OK, you’re done today”.

    I do find (and others have reported here) that a large, particularly carb laden snack interferes with both my sleep, and (for some wierd reason, also reported by others) with my body temperature. Carbs give me night sweats, resulting in sleepless sweaty/chilled/tossy turny nights. So I go easy on carbs after dinner.

    The other thing I’d suggest is water. I have a tendency to drink a lot of water in the morning and it slows to a trickle or none at all after mid afternoon. I’m also (forgive me) a mouth breather, so I dehydrate easily at night, and I often wake up ravenous. Your body often interprets thirst or dehydration as hunger. Try to assuage it with some water.

    If I get up for a wee at night, I always drink a couple Dixie cups full to replenish before I get back in bed.

    I know, I know, drinking water before bed is an obvious double edged sword, but sometimes you have to pick your poison.

Categories