Curbing hunger at night

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Replies

  • emmab0902
    emmab0902 Posts: 2,338 Member
    I battled this for years, then solved my problem by switching to the leangains eating pattern. I was never really hungry for breakfast etc, so I now eat all my calories between 2 and 10pm. It means I can eat a larger dinner and snack in the evening which suits my hunger patterns. And I have lost weight on the same number of calories so its been a win win for me! And according to body composition analysis the vast majority has been fat loss, not muscle.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,331 Member
    It does not matter when you eat, nor how many meals you eat. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/529002-a-compliation-on-meal-frequency Read through the various studies and articles linked there and you will find that anyone saying any different is simply out of date.
  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
    Try going to sleep! :drinker:

    boring but it works :)
  • nattief83
    nattief83 Posts: 35
    Strawberries or cherry toms are my best friends at this time of night if needed, eat a whole punnet and still only consume about 60 calories.
    b4 findin this out tho i would plan my eveninng snack in the morning and calculate into the diary so that it wouldnt put ur cals over when it came to having it, altho was always a binus if u get to take it out if u didnt have it,
    That or ill go bed and do my jigsaw or read a book, something that will keep mind off eating. usually works pretty well.
  • hellolouisey
    hellolouisey Posts: 51
    I agree with kkbecker12 - brushing your teeth really does help!

    But if you're really hungry, have a little snack. My faves are extra light cheese spread triangles, cottage cheese and crab sticks.
  • douglasmobbs
    douglasmobbs Posts: 563 Member
    Stop snacking at night. It is not a true hunger message, just think how long you go between meals during the day.

    I found that stopping snacking at night was hard for a few days but when I broke the cycle the false hunger massages stopped.
  • atxdee
    atxdee Posts: 613 Member
    well its 3 am here and I'm about to eat some hard boiled eggs. I am not fighting my growling tummy because if I do it will win :)
  • ChinaLexie
    ChinaLexie Posts: 37 Member
    One simple thing that works for me is: Tea. Yeah, living in China has sent snacking to a whole new level. Snacks here are either a.) fruit b.) vegetables or c.) processed junk. I thought America had TONS of junk, well, China is side-by-side. So, I figured out having something that tastes food-esque really curbs the night time hunger pangs. Obviously go caffeine free, but enjoy flavors that coax you to hit the hay such as: mint, chamomile, ginger (yum!), lemon, etc... Wild Sweet Orange (Tazo) is my favorite, though!

    No calories, fills you up, and tricks your body into thinking it ate. :) Get a variety so you have choices and don't feel a boring 'routine' coming on!

    If that doesn't work, try a handful of almonds or some egg whites. I try to do low cal, low sugar, low carbs at night!
  • billthekill
    billthekill Posts: 90
    Ninerbuff, so eating 4-5 meals a day is broscience?
    Since your handle is football related I will use the following article as an example, it includes the daily meal plan for the players of the NY. Jets and was implemented by the teams Nutritionist Dr. Tom Bilella C.C.N. (Dr. Tom Bilella is an expert in metabolic nutrition and a leading authority in exercise & nutrition, nutritional medicine, and training).
    and is very detailed down to what and how his players eat (It varies depending on the individual player) and down to the minute of when they should eat . The arcticle is located on page 80 of Muscle & Fitness NFL Training Issue called """""""" Jets Fuel, New York Jets Nutrtionist Dr. Tom Bilella, C.C.N. Shows You How To Eat For Maximum Performance."""" """"""Breakfast first thing in the morning then the players eat a meal every 2-3 hours (depending on the player) throughout the day, even on day days they do not train, to keep the body from going into a catabolic state. While post-workouts is the anabolic phase, the "growth phase" spans from workout to workout., and the goal is to maintain an anabolic environment by getting frequent feedings during the day, Bilella says, "One of the big buzzwords in sports nutrition is nutrient timing- staying in an anabolic state, whether that be pre-exercise, during,after or at other times of the day."""""

    Now I apologize but Im gonna have to go with the opinion of an actual Dr. that is also an expert in metabolic nutrition and a leading authority in exercise & nutrition, nutritional medicine, and training.
    And by the way, in charge of the diets of each and every player on the NY. Jets (some of the best athletes in the world and worth millions of dollars) than the opinion of a PT. that just has an NFL team's name in his handle.

    This was pretty much the universal opinion of 99% of the fitness expert 10 years ago. New studies pretty much have debunked these myths.

    A lot of these "old school" fitness expert had to just swallow their pride and move on. These expert are now giving sound advice.

    Those that are too proud to admit that the old way of thinking was wrong are now stuck in the stone ages.
  • billthekill
    billthekill Posts: 90
    Hi! Anyone have any tips on curbing hunger at night? or maybe healthy snack suggestions? I usually eat well during the day, then around 9-10:00 I become ravenous. I ruin my whole within this time, then I go to bed soon after and wake up the next morning feeling terrible. Any advice is appreciated! Feel free to add me!

    Would help if you open up your diary for public viewing. Upping your protein may help (got to see your diary though). As suggested by some, eat less calories during the morning a save them for later on. Skipping breakfast is actually sound advice.
  • gericole67
    gericole67 Posts: 3
    Hi,

    I usually eat a bag of Orville Reddenbockers Smartpop popcorn or a bowl of Cheerios with cinnamon and spenda. When I wake up I don't feel gross or ready to eat the kitchen chair.
  • gericole67
    gericole67 Posts: 3
    Skipping breakfast is never a good idea. The next meal you eat gets absorbed too quickly. To maximize chances of not feeling hungry, eat 3 meals that contain at least 3 food groups and 2 snacks that contain 2 food groups and you will not feel hungry.
  • gericole67
    gericole67 Posts: 3
    good advice!
  • imtriagain
    imtriagain Posts: 104 Member
    I've always been hungrier in the late afternoon / evening. Doesn't matter how much or how frequently I eat during the day. I've got around this by reducing some snacks during the day (when I don't really feel hungry) and then allowing a small snack after dinner - usually something sweet but not too high in calories.
  • Picola1984
    Picola1984 Posts: 1,133
    Here's something that has worked well for me. I DO NOT DRINK with my meals. The theory is that, if you drink with meals, the weight of the liquid pushes the food through your stomach and into your digestive tract, leaving just water in your stomach at the end of your meal. This passes quickly through your system, leaving your stomach empty soon after eating. If you don't drink, the food has more time to move through your system and therefore, you don't get the 'munchies' after a meal. Try it out and see what you think!
    All the best!
    Gwen

    This seems an easy tip, and I'm interested if anyone else can back it up?

    I drink a lot of water or coridal with my meals as I get thirsty but would happily stop if it makes me feel fuller for longer
  • ann2012evans
    ann2012evans Posts: 33
    every night me and my fiancee share a bowel of sliced apples (2 or 3 medium apples) as a snack as we read books in bed. This seems to help me. keep in mind if you drink too much before bed you may lose sleep for having to get up to go to the bathroom too often. Thats why I stopped drinking water at bedtime. Must have a good night uninterrupted sleep or I am a zombie.

    good luck
  • Ripken818836701
    Ripken818836701 Posts: 607 Member
    Ninerbuff, so eating 4-5 meals a day is broscience?
    Since your handle is football related I will use the following article as an example, it includes the daily meal plan for the players of the NY. Jets and was implemented by the teams Nutritionist Dr. Tom Bilella C.C.N. (Dr. Tom Bilella is an expert in metabolic nutrition and a leading authority in exercise & nutrition, nutritional medicine, and training).
    and is very detailed down to what and how his players eat (It varies depending on the individual player) and down to the minute of when they should eat . The arcticle is located on page 80 of Muscle & Fitness NFL Training Issue called """""""" Jets Fuel, New York Jets Nutrtionist Dr. Tom Bilella, C.C.N. Shows You How To Eat For Maximum Performance."""" """"""Breakfast first thing in the morning then the players eat a meal every 2-3 hours (depending on the player) throughout the day, even on day days they do not train, to keep the body from going into a catabolic state. While post-workouts is the anabolic phase, the "growth phase" spans from workout to workout., and the goal is to maintain an anabolic environment by getting frequent feedings during the day, Bilella says, "One of the big buzzwords in sports nutrition is nutrient timing- staying in an anabolic state, whether that be pre-exercise, during,after or at other times of the day."""""

    Now I apologize but Im gonna have to go with the opinion of an actual Dr. that is also an expert in metabolic nutrition and a leading authority in exercise & nutrition, nutritional medicine, and training.
    And by the way, in charge of the diets of each and every player on the NY. Jets (some of the best athletes in the world and worth millions of dollars) than the opinion of a PT. that just has an NFL team's name in his handle.

    This was pretty much the universal opinion of 99% of the fitness expert 10 years ago. New studies pretty much have debunked these myths.

    A lot of these "old school" fitness expert had to just swallow their pride and move on. These expert are now giving sound advice.

    Those that are too proud to admit that the old way of thinking was wrong are now stuck in the stone ages.
    Yeh, Im sure the owner of the Jets that has a payrole of what? $50 million per year let a Physician that practices "broscience" be in charge of getting every once of performance possible out of his world class athletes. And im sure those world class athletes are clueless aswell and should listen to you, right?
    Here is a link to an article from a little place called the Mayo Clinic, If you want I can post links from the Hershey Medical center ( just the institution that invented, developed, and sucessfully implanted the artificial heart in an animal (a cow) and then a human, and Also Johns Hopkins if you like?
    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-and-nutrition/AN01119
  • deadbeatsummer
    deadbeatsummer Posts: 537 Member
    Here's something that has worked well for me. I DO NOT DRINK with my meals. The theory is that, if you drink with meals, the weight of the liquid pushes the food through your stomach and into your digestive tract, leaving just water in your stomach at the end of your meal. This passes quickly through your system, leaving your stomach empty soon after eating. If you don't drink, the food has more time to move through your system and therefore, you don't get the 'munchies' after a meal. Try it out and see what you think!
    All the best!
    Gwen

    Food and liquid will always take the same time to go through your digestive system whether you drink or not. Taking sips of water as you eat should actually keep you fuller. Its basic biology.
  • billthekill
    billthekill Posts: 90
    The arcticle is located on page 80 of Muscle & Fitness NFL Training Issue

    Sorry brah but Muscle & Fitness has as much crediblity as the National Enquire. You seriously need to stop reading this magazine. They are in the bussiness to sell you supplements. They don't want the public to know that 95% of supplements out there are a waste of money. They are just going to find people to write about that will re enforce ideas that are favorable to the supplement industry.

    Here is a link to an article from a little place called the Mayo Clinic
    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-and-nutrition/AN01119
    Not a good article at all. An outdated nutritionist gives her opinion without citing any studies.
  • Chrisgarcia1287
    Chrisgarcia1287 Posts: 38
    Here's something that has worked well for me. I DO NOT DRINK with my meals. The theory is that, if you drink with meals, the weight of the liquid pushes the food through your stomach and into your digestive tract, leaving just water in your stomach at the end of your meal. This passes quickly through your system, leaving your stomach empty soon after eating. If you don't drink, the food has more time to move through your system and therefore, you don't get the 'munchies' after a meal. Try it out and see what you think!
    All the best!
    Gwen

    Personally, you should drink during and before meals. Water. Snack on some veggies to fill you up.
  • 10acity
    10acity Posts: 798 Member
    I used to eat a box of cheese its and wash it down with 5-6 beers...............now i just blast down 32 oz of water or so and go to bed.

    I'd be up peeing every hour on the hour! :noway:
  • sstein21
    sstein21 Posts: 25
    Ive been having the same problem except that I have been waking up around 1am starving and cant fall back to sleep unless I eat something. Its been very frustrating. Im thinking i need to eat protien before bed to keep me full, but then im going to bed after eating which probably isnt the best idea either......
  • karlos988
    karlos988 Posts: 27 Member
    My go to evening snack is usually either a bowl of fresh mixed fruit with a cup of herbal tea, or if I am especially hungry the oatmeal "muffin" I find quite filling. 1/4 quick oats, 1/4 cup egg white, 1/4 cup frozen berries. (You can add some sugar or sweetener for a sweeter muffin like taste) Microwave for 1 to 1:15 minutes.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member

    Ninerbuff, so eating 4-5 meals a day is broscience?

    The claim isn't that eating 4-5 times per day is bad, the claim is that it does not boost the thermogenic effect that you get from eating. It will not make a difference in your metabolism.

    Please see here, this is fully referenced and the links that I've included in this forum post contain peer reviewed research to support the claims being made. Additionally, the people that are referenced in this post have a very high degree of credibility. If you're into credentials, Alan Aragon has consulted/designed programs for the LA Lakers, the LA Kings, and he's currently working privately with Stone Cold Steve Austin, and I'm only mentioning this because of your football reference above.

    Just read this and view the websites I've referenced and perhaps you'll get a different opinion on this:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/529002-a-compliation-on-meal-frequency
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
    Ninerbuff, so eating 4-5 meals a day is broscience?
    Since your handle is football related I will use the following article as an example, it includes the daily meal plan for the players of the NY. Jets and was implemented by the teams Nutritionist Dr. Tom Bilella C.C.N. (Dr. Tom Bilella is an expert in metabolic nutrition and a leading authority in exercise & nutrition, nutritional medicine, and training).
    and is very detailed down to what and how his players eat (It varies depending on the individual player) and down to the minute of when they should eat . The arcticle is located on page 80 of Muscle & Fitness NFL Training Issue called """""""" Jets Fuel, New York Jets Nutrtionist Dr. Tom Bilella, C.C.N. Shows You How To Eat For Maximum Performance."""" """"""Breakfast first thing in the morning then the players eat a meal every 2-3 hours (depending on the player) throughout the day, even on day days they do not train, to keep the body from going into a catabolic state. While post-workouts is the anabolic phase, the "growth phase" spans from workout to workout., and the goal is to maintain an anabolic environment by getting frequent feedings during the day, Bilella says, "One of the big buzzwords in sports nutrition is nutrient timing- staying in an anabolic state, whether that be pre-exercise, during,after or at other times of the day."""""

    Now I apologize but Im gonna have to go with the opinion of an actual Dr. that is also an expert in metabolic nutrition and a leading authority in exercise & nutrition, nutritional medicine, and training.
    And by the way, in charge of the diets of each and every player on the NY. Jets (some of the best athletes in the world and worth millions of dollars) than the opinion of a PT. that just has an NFL team's name in his handle.

    This was pretty much the universal opinion of 99% of the fitness expert 10 years ago. New studies pretty much have debunked these myths.

    A lot of these "old school" fitness expert had to just swallow their pride and move on. These expert are now giving sound advice.

    Those that are too proud to admit that the old way of thinking was wrong are now stuck in the stone ages.
    Yeh, Im sure the owner of the Jets that has a payrole of what? $50 million per year let a Physician that practices "broscience" be in charge of getting every once of performance possible out of his world class athletes. And im sure those world class athletes are clueless aswell and should listen to you, right?
    Here is a link to an article from a little place called the Mayo Clinic, If you want I can post links from the Hershey Medical center ( just the institution that invented, developed, and sucessfully implanted the artificial heart in an animal (a cow) and then a human, and Also Johns Hopkins if you like?
    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-and-nutrition/AN01119

    Isn't there a good nfl team you could use as an example?
  • JoJoDoerr
    JoJoDoerr Posts: 173 Member
    I know it sounds funny but when I get hungry late I brush my teeth and rinse with mouthwash! It does work!
  • dme1977
    dme1977 Posts: 537 Member
    popcorn and/or hot tea...

    i can eat 2 cups of popped corn for 50 calories
    1 cup hot tea=0 :drinker: unless i add 1/4 cup milk then its like 23 calories
  • jstein_77
    jstein_77 Posts: 13
    Regarding the OP:

    I would suggest eating less during the day and save more calories for night time so that you can freely eat more at night and stay at the same end-of-day calorie/macro intake. If this still causes problems, I'd look at satiety on a per-meal basis and see if you can select foods that keep you full for longer periods of time.


    Regarding skipping meals, you can go for a day or two without issues. Skipping breakfast is perfectly harmless metabolically speaking. The whole concept of eating frequently to stoke your metabolism has been debunked readily.

    I wrote a detailed and referenced post on this, but I'll be damned if I can find it. LOL.


    Skipping breakfast and saving my calories for later works pretty well for me. I generally am not very hungry in the morning, and coffe gets me by. A mid-morning snack such as light yogurt or some carrots gets me through until lunch. Then I have a light lunch and I often have 1000 calories or more to use for dinner and snacks in the evening.

    If saving your calories does not work for you because you are too hungry in the morning, try eating raw baby carrots to fill you up when you get a bad craving. I eat them like potato chips. You can fill your belly up with them and not do much damage to your daily calorie intake.
  • celestialsmith
    celestialsmith Posts: 2 Member
    I really have to agree with the theory that the three square meals a day doesn't work for everyone. I have been on my own fitness journey for 3 years now. I have tried everything healthy I could find to try. The BIGGEST difference I have seen is when I started intermittent fasting. I now eat from 1pm-9pm. I have been doing this for about six months now and have seen such a change. I went from burning 600cals doing cardio at the gym and lifting weights for 20min 5days a week and eating 1200 calories per day total. 8 would split that into 300cal x 3meals with 100cal x 3snacks. My fitness level was and is great so I haven't changed that but since I have started the intermittent fasting I don't count my calories any more, as long as what I am eating is clean food, no processed, no boxed, only food that is as close to natural state as possible. With that being said I have lost an additional 4% body fat and feel great. It helped me really look at my relationship with food. Tonight before bed my snack was fresh ground peanut butter on cracked whole wheat sour dough toast. In the end, your fitness journey is our own and you have to find what works for you, it doesn't matter what everyone else says..... They are all great ideas and they have worked for the people suggesting them. But if you do try something do stick with it for two weeks and keep our journal going. Measure your body stats and check weight and let those be your guide along with how you feel. Best of luck to you and your journey.
  • SteelySunshine
    SteelySunshine Posts: 1,092 Member
    Eating from 1-9 pm works for me as well. But, then I am up for a couple of hours after that. But, I don't do midnight snacks cuz I have a troll guarding my kitchen. (I am not kidding, I wish I could rent him out I would make a fortune). So anyway, it works for me I go to bed hungry, but I would rather be hungry once in a day rather than all day long like I used to be when I was eating almost twice as much as I do now.
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