Night eating

onono
onono Posts: 25
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
This keeps happening, i will have a really good healthy day and then it gets to around midnight and i get really hungry. I try to resist but then i will just cave and 10 minutes later i'm sat wondering why i did that.
Does anyone have any tips on this? :frown:
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Replies

  • Tourney3p0
    Tourney3p0 Posts: 290 Member
    That number that MFP calculates for you as your daily caloric goal includes the calories you're expected to burn while sleeping. So long as you stay under this number, it doesn't matter what time of day you eat.

    Edit: If you're talking about going over your daily allocation at the last minute, not much can help you there other than willpower. Your other options are eating less throughout the day or eating exceptionally low calorie foods at night.
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
    Few things you might try:

    1) increase your hydration as the evening goes on
    2) add some benefiber to your water
    3) reduce carbs in dinner - it's possible you are spiking blood glucose and causing a late night crash (which will increase your hunger)
    4) get more protein with dinner. It will make you feel fuller through the evening.
    5) plan ahead. I'm a night eater too, all I do is save about 200 cals so that if the urge comes I can still grab a small sandwich and be under goal.
  • BIGJIMMYU
    BIGJIMMYU Posts: 1,221 Member
    Head to bed and read until you sleepy-poo! Works for me!
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    why not keep enough calories left over so that you can have an evening snack right before bed... I go to bed every night with 30 Almonds and a glass of 1% Chocolate milk.... been doing that throughout my entire weightloss.....
  • sailaway85
    sailaway85 Posts: 4
    I fought this for years... place a glass of water and an apple by your bedside....... enjoy and go back to sleep
  • masterofktulu
    masterofktulu Posts: 151 Member
    That number that MFP calculates for you as your daily caloric goal includes the calories you're expected to burn while sleeping. So long as you stay under this number, it doesn't matter what time of day you eat.

    Edit: If you're talking about going over your daily allocation at the last minute, not much can help you there other than willpower. Your other options are eating less throughout the day or eating exceptionally low calorie foods at night.

    It does matter what time of the day you eat. If you eat very soon before bed your body is at it's resting stage and will process the food slower. The best rule of thumb is to have your last meal or snack three hours before bed.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member

    It does matter what time of the day you eat. If you eat very soon before bed your body is at it's resting stage and will process the food slower. The best rule of thumb is to have your last meal or snack three hours before bed.

    ^ This is false, and moreover, even if it were true, it would have no bearing on body composition since by definition, you'd be burning fat earlier in the day during non-fed times.

    All that matters is that fat oxidation exceeds fat storage and over the course of time this happens when you're at a deficit regardless of when you ingest food.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    That number that MFP calculates for you as your daily caloric goal includes the calories you're expected to burn while sleeping. So long as you stay under this number, it doesn't matter what time of day you eat.

    Edit: If you're talking about going over your daily allocation at the last minute, not much can help you there other than willpower. Your other options are eating less throughout the day or eating exceptionally low calorie foods at night.

    It does matter what time of the day you eat. If you eat very soon before bed your body is at it's resting stage and will process the food slower. The best rule of thumb is to have your last meal or snack three hours before bed.

    That is a Myth..... Been eating 500-700 calories every night while in bed and have managed to lose a few pounds in the process....
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
    It does matter what time of the day you eat. If you eat very soon before bed your body is at it's resting stage and will process the food slower. The best rule of thumb is to have your last meal or snack three hours before bed.

    Thirded on calling this out as myth. Debunked with numerous studies.
  • Sandytoes71
    Sandytoes71 Posts: 463 Member
    I have this problem and it's driving me nuts!! I have no problems during the day, but after dinner, until I go to bed, I think about eating and too often I do eat. And it takes me over my cals for the day. Sometimes, I will add the cals on my next day's cals and try to stay under the next day. Also, I will usually save the majority of my cals for the evening and nighttime because I know I am going to want to eat. I need to do something other than watch tv, but that's what I like to do at night :( Something u can do is keep very low calorie foods in the house for nighttime snacking. Sugar free jello and light or fat free cool whip has saved me many times. Jello is super filling. Sometimes, I'll try to sleep. That doesn't work alot for me tho. I heard reading and doing crossword puzzles might work :). Good luck to u!
  • angelashay42
    angelashay42 Posts: 286
    Simple. Go to bed earlier.
  • dtpss188
    dtpss188 Posts: 85
    I would eat a huge friggin' steak, all by myself. That would kick me back into willpower stage for another few weeks of discipline. That's me though. If I ate a ton of chips, PB and J sammies, cakes, cookies, etc... then I would not be able to stop. But a big old steak kicks the cravings right outta my system. That's me talking though...
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
    Plan, plan, plan! Plan a late snack. Something you look forward to. Plan ahead for the entire day. Know just what you will eat and have an emergency back up for the times you feel out of control. Every night about 30 minutes before going to bed, I have a Weight Watchers ice cream bar. They have FABULOUS ice cream bars. Giant Latte Bar, Giant Fudge Bar, Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bar, Dark Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream bar, Dark Chocolate Caramel Swirl Bar, which are all between 85 and 110 calories. I look forward to my treat every night. Good luck and hang in there.. it gets easier!!

    Edit: If you stay withing your calorie range, a deficit is built in for weight loss. You can eat your calories any time, day or night. .
  • AlmstHvn
    AlmstHvn Posts: 376 Member
    I sat down to read this just after fixing myself a protein shake! It's 10 pm and I was getting the munchies, plus I was low on protein today, so .. .voila. That should hold me til morning!
  • tracferg
    tracferg Posts: 31 Member
    I have an apple, peeled and slice into thin slices with cinnamon and about 1/2 tsp honey. Peeling and slicing the apple take a bit of time so I can think about the fact I am making a healthy choice and pat myself on the back for it. Also the cinnamon and apple are sweet and lots of strong flavor to help with other cravings. Works for me so far so might be worth a try
  • buzzcogs
    buzzcogs Posts: 296 Member
    Go to bed! I know when I burn the late night hours I tend to eat. Get some sleep, wanting food may just be your body being confused and really NEEDING sleep. ;-)
  • EmmieSu
    EmmieSu Posts: 136
    I typically am a late night snacker, but a few changes in my diet have helped curb that. I eat a warm breakfast...oatmeal, omlete, or homemade breakfast burritos. I feel fuller longer, making better decisions at lunch and supper. Usually, a lean protein and a ton of vegetables. The more fiber the fuller I am. Now, I just keep a couple hundred calories for a snack. Healthy or to feed the craving, which ever I feel for that time. I find eating a dense breakfast and filling up on fruit and vegetable throughout the day, curb my late night cravings. Going to bed early is always an option, too:)
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    If you know you're going to be hungry at night, make sure you save some calories for it. There's nothing wrong with eating before bed, so just make sure you have room in your daily calories for it. I actually make sure I eat every night before I go to bed - otherwise I wake up in the middle of the night and eat entire packages of cookies.

    If you're genuinely hungry and not eating out of boredom, by all means -- EAT!
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    Simple. Go to bed earlier.

    Not everyone can solve it by "simply going to bed earlier" and really? if you're hungry, EAT. There is no way I could go to bed hungry - I'll wake up in the night and eat crap. Better to eat before bed (and therefore be awake enough to make a good choice) than force myself to bed with a hungry belly, wake up a couple hours later and eat junk.
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 8,571 Member
    Plan a little bedtime snack. I used to try to resist eating at bedtime, but now I just plan that snack I can't resist.
    Good luck -- you'll figure it out.
  • lizc_87
    lizc_87 Posts: 45
    When I am at my parents house I have a HARD time with this. As a matter of fact, right now I'm fighting the urge to go and get a bowl of cereal. Here are some tips and tricks I have found that help me in no particular order.

    1) Drink HOT something, even if it's chocolate it will probably have fewer calories that what you would eat anyways and warm liquid makes you feel fuller faster.
    2) I read this in a Hollywood Beauty Secret book, usually when I want food at night it is to make me sleepy, try putting some salt under your tongue, sounds wired but most the time it works.
    3) Try drinking some water, a lot of the time when we think we are hungry we are really thirsty.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    Simple. Go to bed earlier.

    Yep. You don't get hungry/bored when you're sleeping!
  • skichick1968
    skichick1968 Posts: 82
    I was told by a nutritionist that I should drink my protein shake right before bed when I told him my snacking habit. That way the protein rebuilds muscle used during my training, it takes longer to digest so my body is actually burning calories as I sleep, and it's not carb loaded which will be stored at fat as I'm not active. Stomach's talking right now so was going to get one!
  • GoldenGirl89
    GoldenGirl89 Posts: 31
    There's a brand of ice cream called Artic Zero that comes in a ton of flavors......a whole pint for only 150 calories!! I have not tried it yet, but people swear by it. That would be the healthiest/guilt-free pint of anything for me haha. Maybe try that at night?
  • stormdancer
    stormdancer Posts: 32 Member
    As at least one other has mentioned, when you short yourself on sleep, your body tries to make it up with sleep. Go to bed at the same regular time and get plenty of sleep should fix that. Here is an article that might explain it a little better.
    http://www.theprepared.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=486
  • Lovinglife12
    Lovinglife12 Posts: 110
    I'm fighting the urge also as I make my husband two mini shooters...lol. He always snacks at night making me want to eat what he's eating. I didn't cave but it smells soo good.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    2 things that I'd suggest:
    - are you eating enough calories overall? Usually if I'm hungry at the end of the day it means that I haven'd had enough to eat during the day.
    - plan for a small snack. I find that a few almonds (6 or 8) are enough to settle my stomach. Or try half a glass of milk.

    If you're not hungry but eating from habit or boredom or stress, then that's a different issue and one that is worth addressing separately. I'm currently re-reading "Eating less" by Gillian Riley - this book deals with addictive eating and has some good ideas on how to tackle it.
  • Lissakaye81
    Lissakaye81 Posts: 224 Member
    For me if I do not drink enough water I will feel starved and crave food so bad by the end of the night. Took me a long time to figure it out. When I started eating healthy I was really trying hard to drink all my water too and did good for 2 1/2 weeks, then my fiancé got rid of my water bottle in the fridge ( #5 Plastic) and went to get me a new one next day. I won't drink warm tap water, even if I am dying, I raided the cupboards that day, binged horribly because I didn't drink any water. I didn't know why I had done so good for weeks but it was cause I was drinking tons of water.
  • zafferFL
    zafferFL Posts: 402
    That number that MFP calculates for you as your daily caloric goal includes the calories you're expected to burn while sleeping. So long as you stay under this number, it doesn't matter what time of day you eat.

    Edit: If you're talking about going over your daily allocation at the last minute, not much can help you there other than willpower. Your other options are eating less throughout the day or eating exceptionally low calorie foods at night.

    It does matter what time of the day you eat. If you eat very soon before bed your body is at it's resting stage and will process the food slower. The best rule of thumb is to have your last meal or snack three hours before bed.

    please back that up with some proof other than overhearing someone at gym.
  • gsager
    gsager Posts: 977 Member
    why not keep enough calories left over so that you can have an evening snack right before bed... I go to bed every night with 30 Almonds and a glass of 1% Chocolate milk.... been doing that throughout my entire weightloss.....


    Planning, that's what it's all about. Great advice.
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