Evenings are thee WORST enemy!!

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CatieBuck
CatieBuck Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey ya'll-

I need some tips/help/support or whatever for the evenings.. They are the absolute worst time for me. I usually end up failing. :/ And I hate to admit it, but I don't track it either... I sometimes get bored and want to find something sweet and salty or one of the other. But on the flip side I'm really good all the way up till then hence the evening are the worst for me. And I dont wanna starve myself till dinner cause I'll just make bad choices anyway.. Anybody got anything tips???
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Replies

  • TinaCleg_cancel
    TinaCleg_cancel Posts: 276
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    I am notorious for that too. This week I have been really good at logging after dinner and making any adds or changes. I will normally make myself a decalf cup of coffee when I want to go eat something or a high protein cup of hot chocolate that has 85 calories, low in carbs, and about 12 grams of protein. It's better than eating a cookie !
  • Rheaethan
    Rheaethan Posts: 16
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    OMG I have the same problem! I know I'm not supposed to eat after 6pm and I def try to eat dinner with the family before then. But since this is my first week, I give myself a little lee-way. After dinner, I keep drinking water. I literally have a bottle of water with me wherever I go in the house. If I do get the urge to snack on something, I eat a piece of Werther's candy which is like 15 calories and I suck on it for as long as it lasts. While I'm sucking on it, I drink tons of water. After a while, the time goes by and you have to go to bed. It is a struggle, for sure, but maybe that will help? =)
  • lorinbc
    lorinbc Posts: 48 Member
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    I use sugar free Jello and 95% fat free CoolWhip for a sweet treat and fat free pretzel sticks wit low fat onion dip for my salty treat. Low calories for both.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    Idle hands are the devil's playground!:devil:

    Find a hobby, learn to play guitar, read a book..........boredom eating is very common, one of the reasons I'm glad my kids keep me running around like a loonie with their soccer.
  • theartichoke
    theartichoke Posts: 816 Member
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    That was the absolute worst for me too. Before MFP and after I joined. What helped me the most was setting my macros at 40/30/30, paying attention to my micros and eating at my BMR. I knew I fed my body everything it needed and had treated it with respect. The nibbles were just habitual at that point. I drink plenty of water...like tons...and chew a piece of sugar free gum. If that doesn't work and I still feel empty then I listen to my body and eat. Almond butter on Ezekiel bread, half banana and a string cheese or a carrot and a few nuts. Taking the crap my brains says out of the mix and focusing on my overall health has helped the most.
  • violabeatle
    violabeatle Posts: 87 Member
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    Idle hands are the devil's playground!:devil:

    Find a hobby, learn to play guitar, read a book..........boredom eating is very common, one of the reasons I'm glad my kids keep me running around like a loonie with their soccer.

    THIS. I've always enjoyed arts and crafts. In order to stop boredom eating at night, I picked up knitting again! It keeps my hands busy and I stay focused on something else, so I forget about food. And it's another goal to work toward - I'm trying to finish a blanket for my family before the end of June!

    If I have a really strong urge to chew on something, I usually have a pack of sugarfree gum nearby. It's chewy, it's flavorful, and I consume about 5 extra calories. Also, keep a glass of water nearby. If you drink a little water when you first feel hungry, it will reverse the feeling in a healthy way.

    One more thing - try eating more during the day, it will make you less hungry at night! This used to be a HUGE problem for me, but someone suggested having a protein bar between lunch and dinner, and it made a WORLD of difference! It was the kickstart I needed to start really losing. You can do it!!!
  • nitnit333
    nitnit333 Posts: 2
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    I eat sugar free jello with a little fruit in it and come cool whip. Be careful on the "low fat" foods because many of them add tons more carbs when decreasing the fat. More carbs = more belly fat......... I hate dieting.
  • regina2063
    regina2063 Posts: 203 Member
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    the last time i ate sugar free jello when my stomach was growling at night...the think i had a rude awakening. my stomach slapped me.:laugh:
  • thekarens
    thekarens Posts: 254 Member
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    Idle hands are the devil's playground!:devil:

    Find a hobby, learn to play guitar, read a book..........boredom eating is very common, one of the reasons I'm glad my kids keep me running around like a loonie with their soccer.

    This!

    As crazy as it sounds since I've found an online game that I'm obsessed with it has ended my evening snacking. After dinner I sign on to my game and do that until it's time for bed. I'm too busy playing to eat.

    Guess the answer is to find a hobby that keeps you busy in the evenings.
  • angie_sample
    angie_sample Posts: 190
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    evenings are hard for me too. What can i say i like to eat while i watch my evening shows. So i purposely make sure i have 200-300 cal left for a snack. I usually eat fruit/veggies/nuts/yogurt something like that. Its gotten easier since i've been doing this since June last year but it was tough for probably 3-4 months, i just wanted crackers or chips or something snacky like that.
  • TKHappy
    TKHappy Posts: 659 Member
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    We eat dinner around 6:30 and I found I was guilty of the same thing...so I added a extra snack at about 3:30 to 4:30. I honestly think it was because I was going so long from lunch at 1:30 til dinner. So I will have a apple with peanut butter or popcorn, some nuts and raisins! I also set out blackberries or strawberry slices while I cook so I'm eating those instead of testing the pan of mashed potatoes 10 times!! :)
  • Bonnieelizabeth
    Bonnieelizabeth Posts: 68 Member
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    I try to eat small frequent mini meals to keep me full and satisfied. I need to do it this way for the diabetes any way but after it has gone away I plan to keep it up to avoid overeating. I also eat airpopped popcorn! Great to snack on and crunchy! Try changing your plans for that time of the day. look up this website http://newsinhealthe.nih.gov/issue.Jan2012/Feature1 see if this information helps you if it does share it with a friend!! I would post the whole thing but don't know how to do that
  • wyndwoman
    wyndwoman Posts: 14 Member
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    I hear ya! It helps that now we're working out just before dinner (we used to work out in the AM) and then by the time I get dinner on the table and the clean up done, it's almost time for bed.

    My downfall is the middle of the night, i'm half asleep and i go grab food then. not the best way to make good choices......
  • joannezuk
    joannezuk Posts: 153 Member
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    I have the same issue. Luckily, lately, I'm not getting home from the gym until 7:30 or 8:00, so I'm not eating dinner until 8:30. The key for me though, is spreading out my food. I have breakfast at 7, snack at 10, lunch at 12, snack at 3, sometimes a half banana and glass of milk before my workout, then dinner at 8:30. I don't eat MORE food, I just spread it out. This means my lunch and supper portions are on the small side (not necessarily small in size, but small calories...it's amazing how many veggies you can eat for very few calories). But, since I eat pretty frequently, I'm always stuffed. It's only if I stay up well past my bedtime that I get hungry again. And in that case, I try to have a couple of nuts, half a glass of milk, or something else around 50 calories that has protein in it.
  • nateraemom
    nateraemom Posts: 16
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    I like to keep healthy snacks on hand because I'm a snacker and I know I WILL snack!. One of my favorite things to do is to slice up an apple and bake it with cinnamon. It gives a nice dessert type feel but without all of the fat and calories.
  • Bonnieelizabeth
    Bonnieelizabeth Posts: 68 Member
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    You know it is better to have a mini-meal or snack than to go to long without eating. If you go too long you usually will overeat! I try to eat something every 3-4 hours . This avoids the hunger that yoiu get from waiting for 6 hours or more to eat. Thionk of your body as a furnance you have to have fuel for your furnance so you have to have food for your body! Hope this helps !
  • AvsFreak
    AvsFreak Posts: 152 Member
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    I know I'm not supposed to eat after 6pm..

    What? *facepalm*

    Save some calories from other meals and eat them at night. Cottage cheese or peanut butter is great before bed. Keeps me full til morning. As long as you stay within your calorie goal, timing does not effect weight loss. That is a myth.
  • GoldenIsis
    GoldenIsis Posts: 2
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    Helloooooo, I am new to the site however, i agree evenings are the wordt for me as well. The other night i pigged out on peanuts, lays potato chips with dip, and even a Suzie Q. they were on salwe 10 for 10. Which is a buck.. OH YEA. I kinda felt bad so what I did was Before bed I burned a candel and put on some fast music and danced through 4 songs I felt great and tired.

    I went to bed woke up like when ever I get BORED I will put on some music and just shake it out... I work swing shift so I get home after 11p.m. who wants to eat that late right? So I drink a slim fast or its equivalent ( generic brands):drinker:
  • SteffieMark
    SteffieMark Posts: 1,723 Member
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    I'm not sure where the 'Don't eat after a certain time" came from. I have heard it forever too. I do not go by it though. I won't eat a huge meal or anything like that, late in the evening. But, I will have a stick of string cheese or something small later, if I feel like it. I log it though. I do not think that is as important as being accountable and adding it to your diary, even if it puts you over. How are you going to keep up with what is going on if it is not accurate?

    I agree with a lot already said here, especially spacing your meals out and finding something else to focus on and keep busy with.
  • ANewLucia
    ANewLucia Posts: 2,081 Member
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    Hey ya'll-

    I need some tips/help/support or whatever for the evenings.. They are the absolute worst time for me. I usually end up failing. :/ And I hate to admit it, but I don't track it either... I sometimes get bored and want to find something sweet and salty or one of the other. But on the flip side I'm really good all the way up till then hence the evening are the worst for me. And I dont wanna starve myself till dinner cause I'll just make bad choices anyway.. Anybody got anything tips???

    Oh my, you sound like me...you shouldn't be starving at any point through this weight loss journey. Many times the calorie deficit we impose upon ourselves at the guidance of MFP "I want to lose 2lbs" is just too steep. You are probably eating under your BMR, which means your body has slowed it's metabolism to conserve energy because you aren't providing it enough to meet basic functions to breath laying in the bed for a 24hr period. You should start at a cut of TDEE - 15% (TDEE total daily energy expenditure) and then make sure to NET your BMR on workout days.

    Hun, I tried eating 1200, 1350, 1500 and had the hardest time..I would binge eat, feel guilty, felt horrible, then do it again the next day or two...it is just not sustainable. I then started reading some topics about women eating, actually eating 1800 and up, and losing! Man, off I went...started researching...and I have never looked back. I started a group that is now over 1300 people strong...it isn't necessary to eat under BMR to achieve your goal. I now eat 1900 cals daily and more on workout days and am losing fat, have way more energy, LIFT WAY HEAVIER then I could before, am not agitated, and just feel down right great!

    Anyone can join just to read about what I could only touch on hear...it works...and the best thing is now the group is all of about 7wks old so there are women that are seeing the results and just too excited because you can "EAT MORE TO WEIGH LESS"!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

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