mindless night eating

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lisabaldauf
lisabaldauf Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone else struggle with mindless snacking, especially at night? That's when I'm more likely to feel bored (not too much with two little boys running around), stressed or just emotional in general. That's when the sweet craving really hits too. How do y'all handle it? I need more will power!

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  • helper1112
    helper1112 Posts: 80 Member
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    Late night I have been having fruit this helps to meet to sweet craven and gives me something to eat, you could also try a protein shake or protein bar, very similar to a candy bar.

    Hang in there..
  • AniyahsMommy324
    AniyahsMommy324 Posts: 104 Member
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    I'm a huge bored/emotional/mindless eater. I'm a stay at home mom to my 6 month old daughter, and we're a 1 car family right now so I'm inside most of the day. I've done really well this week though. I don't eat after 7:00pm anymore. And really, what did it for me is it finally REALLY clicked in my head that I want to lose the weight. I'm not happy the way I am and only I can change it. Hope that helps a little :) You can do it! It gets easier after the first few days!!
  • psychmz3
    psychmz3 Posts: 55 Member
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    Leangains.com

    That stopped my night eating 5 months ago.
  • cal1973
    cal1973 Posts: 306 Member
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    I don't know how to help you, but I'm with you on the late night eating.. I eat my dinner at around 7.30pm and then all of the other snacks on my food diary are eaten before I go to bed at around 10!!!!!!!!!! I manage to maintain my weight this way though, just be a little more restrained during the day!!!
  • missikay1970
    missikay1970 Posts: 588 Member
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    Leangains.com

    That stopped my night eating 5 months ago.

    i'm confused as to why this article stopped your night eating? the article seems to express no correlation between night eating and gaining weight, unless the overall eating lifestyle is negative. just curious :smile:
  • riacurtis
    riacurtis Posts: 37 Member
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    Leangains.com

    That stopped my night eating 5 months ago.

    i'm confused as to why this article stopped your night eating? the article seems to express no correlation between night eating and gaining weight, unless the overall eating lifestyle is negative. just curious :smile:

    I agree... i just read it.
  • Nerruse
    Nerruse Posts: 40 Member
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    I am so guilty of this. I work evening shifts and don't get home until after 10 p.m. By that point I'm usually hungry so the first thing I'll do on getting in the door is grab a snack. And since it's so late I can't be bothered to look for/make something healthy, it's just whatever I grab out of the nearest cabinet. Cookies, candy, snack cakes, whatever. It's a terrible habit that I'm really trying to break. I think part of it though is that I'm also a mindless eater when I'm at home and now that I'm back in school, between that and work I just don't have as much time to sit there snacking all morning. My body's not used to the decrease in food intake yet, so that makes it even worse. =/

    I'm trying to come up with solutions that don't involve indulging my appetite or drinking anything, cause I don't want to be getting up at night either. Sleep is a precious commodity right now.
  • psychmz3
    psychmz3 Posts: 55 Member
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    Leangains.com

    That stopped my night eating 5 months ago.

    i'm confused as to why this article stopped your night eating? the article seems to express no correlation between night eating and gaining weight, unless the overall eating lifestyle is negative. just curious :smile:

    I agree... i just read it.

    Leangains is an alternative approach to eating. You fast for 16 hours, eat for 8. Usually it is 2 large meals that cover your complete calorie allotment. My eating window is from 1pm-9pm but you can do it any 8 hours that you are comfortable with. I was always hooked on the "oh you need 5-6 meals a day" myth.

    I know plenty of people here follow the leangains method also and hopefully they can chime in a little bit.
  • lisabaldauf
    lisabaldauf Posts: 9 Member
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    I feel like it's something I have to learn to conquer. I'm not one to follow diets with their restrictions (outside of calorie counting). I will sometimes drink coffee. It doesn't keep me up at night. Right now I just feel totally out of control and frustrated with myself. I want to lose the weight so bad, but I'm the only one in my immediete family (husband and kids) who has to worry about weight. I get so busy taking care of everything and everyone that I don't take time for myself. I think that's why I am such an emotional eater, especially at night! Thanks for all of your responses!
  • jjs22
    jjs22 Posts: 156
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    Well, I had never tried to diet before. So when I started logging calories with MFP just the hassle of having to calculate and log the calories for each little snack was enough of a bother that it cut down on a lot of mindless eating. I used to just take a swig of milk or a bite of cheese for no better reason than the fact that I was passing by the fridge.

    So if its mindless eating, I'd say being very strict about recording every last calorie is useful. Another little trick might be to brush your teeth shortly after dinner : "close the door" on eating for the day.

    If its more of a matter of cravings, one thing you might look into is how many (and what type) carbs you eat. I'm not doing "low-carb", per se, but I found that carbs are the least useful foods for me to eat. Once I cut back on sugar and bread and pasta, I found that healthier foods became a lot more appealing and satisfying : I can now enjoy having a carrot or an apple for a snack.

    Good luck to you !

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