struggling with overeating at night

I have a problem with this too because I am busy with my kids that I do not eat enough during the day that night once it gets quiet i have am hungry!! I try to eat within my calorie count for the day and I try to stop eating by 9 at night!!!
I know it is hard but do not beat yourself up over it just go with what makes you feel comfortable!!!!

Have you considered taking an Intermittent Fasting approach to maximize evening calories?

I too am a late night eater. i don't know why, I just like consuming most of my calories at night. I'll eat a whole slew of healthy veggies, fruits, and proteins, but at night I get a "bring on the carbs!" sort of feeling.

I've found though, that it helps if plan for your late night snacks and log them early in the day. That way you know how many calories your snack is going to cost and can plan the rest of your day accordingly.

If you feel you REALLY need to eat at night, why not try a cup of green tea instead? Other things that works for me is to eat berries (I microwave frozen berries and when they are warm they seem to help fight the cravings better), a protein shake (low calorie!), some unsweetened greek yoghurt or cottage cheese.

Once I started really paying attention to what I was consuming, I found myself less motivated to eat those extra calories at night. Honestly, after about 6:00 pm, I think of how horrible that heavy brick of food will feel in my stomach. I find that I sleep better if I don't eat after 6 or 7, too.
Brushing your teeth when you think you're hungry helps, and drinking a large glass of water and waiting a few minutes can help determine if you're "really" hungry, or just stress hungry. You could always try a sugar-free gum or something, too, just to satisfy that need to chew on something. If all else fails, and you absolutely have to eat, then eat something high in fiber and low in calories, like celery or carrot sticks. Celery with peanut butter is one of my favorite "munchies" because it's pretty healthy, gives me an energy pick-me-up, and doesn't kill my calorie count for the day.

Can you tell yourself the kitchen is "closed" after a certain hour? I have an acquaintance who actually put up caution tape around the entry to her kitchen at 8pm every night so she couldn't eat passed then!

Night eating was one of my biggest problems. I don't keep anything in the house anymore that is bad for snacking. A few things are in the kitchen for my husband and I make sure I stay out of his snacks. For evenings I have Special K, italian ice, almonds, and plain popcorn. I think logging everything into this site is a huge help, I think twice before snacking.

I think one problem is that I was just sitting and watching TV and eating. Now I try to stay online, read or work on an online course I am taking.

last week I ate very few refined carbs during the day, focusing on lean protein and greens (salad greens, kale, mixed collard/turnip) - and I noticed that when I did that during the day, it was a lot easier to not eat at night. I am usually a crazy night eater with everything in the kitchen calling my name, so I was really surprised that several days last week I was able to be "done" eating by 6:45 - 7:00. so that, plus distracting myself with MFP! good luck to you

ETA: also keeping snacks out of the house is a big one too. I used to get really pissed when I would troll the kitchen looking for something to eat and not find anything! made me so mad ... and FORCED me to admit I was eating b/c of boredom, and FORCED me to find something else to do. not fun at first, but very eye-opening for me.

Raising my hand here on the night eating challenge! Since I have been doing MFP, it's been MUCH better! What I do in the evening if I'm really munchy is I keep some 85%+ cacao chocolate on hand in the freezer. Freezing it helps make it REALLY hard to eat! I also allow myself a large bowl (about a cup) of frozen blueberries, add about 1/4 cup of my granola and about 1/4-1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk. Putting the milk on top of the frozen berries kinda freezes the milk and the granola to the berries, and makes it a bit hard to eat. Takes longer that way! Just be careful the first time you try it -- I've learned to break the frozen berries apart without flipping them all over the place LOL

Keep busy and get out of the house if need be.

I go for an hour long walk in the evenings and if I am feeling particularly tempted I head out shopping or to visit a friend. I find just getting out of the house helps a lot.

I totally agree with this. I get out of the house and have a quick walk.

I agree with the tea/water/gum chewing/ going to bed early.

if that doesnt work, i try yelling at myself for awhile (haha) basically just trying to figure out what it is i actually want besides food.

also i find that watching TV triggers cravings for me (i guess i ate in front of the TV as a child) and I try to get away from it.

Casein Protein/Cottage Cheese are slow digesting protein that will help you stay full...\

Try eating either of those an hour before bed ....I plan casein protein in my calorie count first thng when I wake up so I don't go over.

good luck

Lite Pringles and Pace Chunky Salsa will run you under 150 calories, gets more veggies in and lets you feel the slightest bit like you cheated because you get the potato chip effect. Yum.

For me I have always liked to eat late at night these days I go to bed early then im not tempted to snack x

I do too so I've started going to bed early or atleast getting into bed earlier. Of course brushing your teeth is healthy and a great weigh to signal to your mouth and stomach that you are done for the night. Just curl up with a good book or something to take your mind off food until you fall asleep.

This helps me too. I am a major night owl and if I stay up after my son and hubby are in bed I almost always end up snacking. Now I try to get ready for bed and turn in earlier. I read a book or watch a show on my computer with my headphones. I have tried to say, "I wont eat after 7pm", but that type of thing does not work for me. You just have to try a few things, but getting in bed earlier has been best for me.