How do you stop from snacking at night?

ladykayaker · January 2012

oh, good question! That's really been one of the things wrecking me - a few "treats" after everyone else goes to bed.

Agree - very good question. I thought I was the only one battling against this. It is also my undoing. I can do so well during the day, carefully watching and logging all I eat, and then at night when the kids are all in bed, and I can sit and relax in front of the telly for a little while ... and then the munchies call. I am going to try the brushing teeth idea, like that one!

livelovelaugh12 · January 2012

go to sleep.

nnapieralski · January 2012

If you eat enough of the right stuff during the day, you shouldn't be hungry at night. The most important thing is to differentiate between eating because you are hungry.....and eating because you are bored. I used to snack all night long.......because I was bored. Sometimes I still find myself in the kitchen at 8pm looking for something to eat. But then I ask myself "Am I bored or hungry?" The answer is ALWAYS bored.

Debbe2 · January 2012

I have my favorite yogurt nearly every evening as a planned snack and I add something I enjoy in to it as long as I stay under for the day

amaried621 · January 2012

If you feel the urge to snack, grab some popcorn - I buy the 100 calorie bags and that's enough for me. Or grab some fruit. You can still have a little snack, just make sure it's not high in calories and try grabbing something healthy.

ronanoo · January 2012

I've not really, i've cut out any coke and chocolate and eat a small orange instead i find the other stuff keeps me awake

jnbud2002 · January 2012

Definitely like many others have posted, try and save some calories for after din! Or even put in some workin out so you can have more calories left for a snack! I try to do this so I can have something at night as well, because I'm a night owl. If all else fails, I just go to bed before that hunger pain strikes me!

xXHeatherRaeXx · January 2012

Usually at night is when my sweet tooth kicks into high gear. I found sugar-free strawberry glaze that's helped combat that (10 calories for three tablespoons) and dip strawberries or apple slices to curb it and it works.

chicky89 · January 2012

I only get late night cravings if Im up late and am really bored. So I go to bed!

MB_Positif · January 2012

I don't stop myself from snacking at all! Most of my meals throughout the day are from 200 to 400 calories and lots of snacks in between. I have the occasional cookie or chips and salsa or whatever, but I try to keep most of my snacks healthy too!

Edited to say, as long as you are not going way over your calorie goal to get the snack in, it's not a big deal!

MummyOfSeven · January 2012

Drink a bunch of water.

This has never worked for me. It doesn't quench my appetite at all, just gives me heartburn.

Michele7091 · January 2012

If I still have the calories left over and I'm hungry I eat. Its that simple.

If I'm hungry and don't have calories left over I brush my teeth, complete my diary on here, and drink some water. I know that its all mental but as soon as I click on that "finished logging for the day" ~ I know I'm done. Nothing else is getting added.

Ezwoldo · January 2012

This is something I did when I gave up smoking but I have a lolly pop only a small one and after you seem to forget why you wanted the food in the first place.

trdy77 · January 2012

I'll usually grab a couple cashews and almonds and then I have a mandala coloring book to keep my hands occupied until bed time.

beckyinma · January 2012

turn off the tv! Find something else for your hands to do, read, type, write, knit/crochet, scrapbook, anything to keep your hands busy instead of in that hand-to-mouth mindless snacking.

I save as many calories as I can some nights because I just know, when I wake up and the kids are on each other from the minute the alarm goes off that it's going to be one of those nights, I'll bank calories so I can have something. Then it comes down to willpower if I go over or not.

onefitdiva · January 2012

I had this problem BIG time. I used to wake up with the munchies and go to the kitchen. Bottom line for me was just not to do it at all. It was hard for about 2 weeks, I could not fall back to sleep because I was obsessing over what ever it was I was craving. But as I said after 2 weeks the need or want to eat late night stopped.

SarahLee10 · January 2012

Hot tea is good, nothing in it and it fills you up. I have just recently found Kroger brand CARBmaster yogurt, 60 calories. All kinds of flavors and they are really good. I agree the brushing your teeth is a good one too. Good luck! I hope all the tips help.

firedudecndn · January 2012

I think you need to figure out why you eat in the evening. I find I often want to eat in the evening out of boredom or because I was used to snacking in front of the TV when I still watched TV. Sometimes it's boredom, sometimes it's a "trigger response" because something you do triggers that bad habit and creates a desire to eat.
A trainer I know says if you MUST eat in the evening; eat protein.
I suggest; if you truly want to stop eating in the evening, is to promise yourself that you will not snack for 21 days. This is long enough to start a new habit and in all reality; it will only be a few days that will take a lot of willpower. After you have a bunch of days behind you your mindset changes and goes from "I can't/won't eat this evening" to "I am not willing to eat and break my streak of 3, 8 16 etc days"
Go for a walk, call a buddy, chase your cat, do something that will take your mind off the snacks and for crying out loud; why are they even in your house??? Make it difficult to get them.

sayfay · January 2012

If I'm legitimately hungry (i.e, not just bored and eating out of habit), then I will eat something. I keep sugar free jello and pudding cups on hand. They are nice and satisfying for my sweet tooth and @ 60 calories. Or I'll have string cheese, 94% FF popcorn, a handful of nuts, etc. Something small and low cal, but enough to make sure I'm not going to bed with a growling stomach.

Lesa_Sass · January 2012

If I am hungry, I eat, if I am bored and want to snack I do a couple of different things

I. I brush my teeth.
2. Sugar free cough drops

princessf1 · January 2012

I brush my teeth. Everything tastes like crap after you brush your teeth :sick:

THIS! I have alot invested in gum surgery, so I hate to blow all the effort of brushing/flossing by eating again before bed.

MacSkillz · January 2012

Have a cup of tea, brush my teeth, and try to keep myself busy. If I'm occupied with doing something else, I won't think about food!

Jen788134 · January 2012

Try a cup-a-soup if you fancy something warm and savory. A bowl of fat free yogurt with grapes and slices of apple and a squeeze of natural honey for something sweet. Nothing worse than going to bed hungry! Just make sure you save enough cals for the evening or go for a quick walk to gain the cals you need for a snack.

Ephena · January 2012

I try to have a cup a tea, it really helps me control the munchies.

grapenutSF · January 2012

I've accepted it about myself and planned for it. At 9:30 I get to have a choco yogurt. So I can wait til then. After that, it's near enough to bedtime.

jeffazi · January 2012

I make sure I have a really good dinner and I drink a lot of black tea. Black tea seems to quell my hunger for some reason.

ckehoe89 · January 2012

I brush my teeth. Everything tastes like crap after you brush your teeth :sick:

I totally agree. Or I put a mint in my mouth at other times of the day to do the same thing!

ebaywidow · January 2012

I try not to eat anything more after 7 p.m. and usually do my exercise around 8 p.m. I try to be in bed by 9:30 p.m. during the week, so week-ends are rough. I am the "original" Midnight Snacker...so it has been a challenge. If I do get hungry, I try to eat something that will fill me up and not crash my day such as: a boiled egg, lite yogurt w/ 1/4 cup of GrapeNuts (if you put the yogurt in a bowl & let the grapenuts swell some, it looks like more, & is filling), veggies (cucumbers, radishes, carrots, red peppers). I stay away from the 100 cal. snacks. Those are a killer for me. 1 - 2 packs becomes the whole box...bad! I also keep sugar-free popsicles on hand. Also, guilt is a great motivator for me not to ruin everything I did for the day. These are some things that work for me. Good Luck!!