Can't Stop NIght Snacking

I have the same issue. Eating at night has become a habit. I save calories for evening. An apple or banana or slice of cheese fills the hole, most of the time. If it doesn't, usually it's because I've been undereating and actually need more food. When we are traveling, I often don't get the midnight munchies, but I also get a lot less exercise so am less hungry.

You could try getting ready for bed and brushing your teeth earlier. Nothing tastes nice after you’ve got that minty fresh toothpaste taste in your mouth.

It very much sounds just like a habit that you need to cease and once you’ve done so then you won’t miss it.

Perhaps hold a stash of ‘approved’ evening snacks which aren’t your high calorie chocolate, biscuits, crisps etc but only fruit or protein. If you know those are your only option maybe you’ll be less tempted and it’ll help break the cycle?

It can be difficult to stop. I think one of the first steps you need to do is meal prepping. If you meal prep, then you can eat more food later in the day to help with your cravings.

I have a couple of go to's for a before bed snack. First is a muscle milk protein shake because it has 25g of protein and only 160 calories which fills me up. Second is called a Built Bar. It's basically a candy bar with 15 g protein and only 130 calories. Occasionally I will have 3 cups of Boom Chica Pop popcorn (140 cal) or a serving of Harvest Snaps (130 calories, 5g protein). Basically I turn to protein to satisfy me and keep me satiated.

I could knock down some serious snacks in the evening.

Now, I’ve trained myself not to eat after 9pm.

We about for dinner between 6:30 and 7:30 and automatically take the dog for a long walk after dinner.

When we get home, it’s usually nearly 8, so just enough time to settle down and have a snack I’ve budgeted for.

If I don’t have many calories left, a “rich” tea like a chai with milk and half and half and liberal diesels of cinnamon is very satisfying. A green or “packet” tea just wouldn’t do the job for me.

But our favorite is a low cal homemade ice cream. We make it an event. We use pretty sundae dishes, and canned whipped cream (surprisingly low cal) , sprinkles, sugar free syrups, maraschino cherries (5 cal apiece) make it festive. Our ice cream are simple- skyr or Greek yogurt, whipped with sugar free pudding mix, some water, some Skinny Syrup to amp up the flavor. We can have a huge bowl for 150-170 calories apiece.

Tonight’s an experiment: chocolate cayenne.

The vanilla we’ve made even makes an awesome rootbeer float with some sugar free Barques. A huge serving of that comes in about 110 calories and is just as tasty as going to a diner or whatnot.

I have the same problem .. always snacking at night

@Dreamroper ~ how's it going?

I have some planned snacks (yogurt, fruit, veg) that are built into my day, it was the unplanned grazing on whatever that was annoying me.

Having the dog on the couch with me put a stop to that. The dog doesn't need extra calories so I can't share. Therefore, I abstain.

Dreamroper wrote: »

ythannah wrote: »

I have some planned snacks (yogurt, fruit, veg) that are built into my day, it was the unplanned grazing on whatever that was annoying me.

Having the dog on the couch with me put a stop to that. The dog doesn't need extra calories so I can't share. Therefore, I abstain.

Oh how I wish that I liked yogurt! Unfortunately, I just can't stand the stuff, not even in smoothies. I made a banana smoothie one night with a mix from the grocery store which was very filling but I almost fell out of my chair when I added up the calories.

As a non-meat-eater I'm always looking to bump up my protein and the calcium is a nice bonus too.

One of my other regular snacks is smooth cottage cheese (Nordica is the brand I get but there must be others). Same texture as yogurt but without the sour tang. Or quark, another cheese product. I can't get it here but I've bought it in US grocers in the single serve pots like yogurt.

I plan my snacks. Fudgesicles, sugar free jello, Good Thins crackers with skinny cow cheese are all good low calorie options. Then I keep my hands busy with crocheting or puzzles while I watch tv as that is prime time for boredom eating.

Same here. I fast all day just so i can eat a big meal at night and a bowl of cereal or bowl of frozen grapes and mango chunks before bed. Solved ever going over daily calories.

I make sure to drink lots of water, eat lots of protein and fat within my calorie goal. I try to limit carbs because they make me more snacky. I also track my calories every day and if I don’t have it left I don’t eat it except for the rare times in the weekend I am having a treat.

tmoneyag99 wrote: »

I learned that drinking broth massively helps with this.

I just warm up some beef broth, (1 cup) add some garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, a smidge of Worcestershire. Sip and cravings are gone.

I'm a vegetarian, but along the same lines I like to make a chai herbal tea (Bengal spice) and sprinkle in ground/zested ginger root, cinnamon, cumin, masala and hot sauce w/ a pinch of stevia. Weird I guess, but it works for me. Especially delicious mid afternoon.

springlering62 wrote: »

PAPYRUS3 wrote: »

tmoneyag99 wrote: »

I learned that drinking broth massively helps with this.

I just warm up some beef broth, (1 cup) add some garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, a smidge of Worcestershire. Sip and cravings are gone.

I'm a vegetarian, but along the same lines I like to make a chai herbal tea (Bengal spice) and sprinkle in ground/zested ginger root, cinnamon, cumin, masala and hot sauce w/ a pinch of stevia. Weird I guess, but it works for me. Especially delicious mid afternoon.

Trader Joe’s sells shredded Dorot brand frozen shredded ginger cubes that are great for quick use

Thanks. I don't have access to a TJ's, but would be easy to make my own too. Great tip