How do you stop that late night eating? :(

13

Replies

  • HotDog1969
    HotDog1969 Posts: 25 Member
    A cup of tea or black decaf coffee always helps me. If I really want to push the boat out I grab a few Mange Tout from the fridge :-)

    Oh and I agree with all the above calls for water but too much can mean you are up half the night......
  • FemmeJolie
    FemmeJolie Posts: 20 Member
    I work out and night and then drink water and eat a small snack. (like almonds or a coconut ice cream bar) =]
  • MarincicS
    MarincicS Posts: 265 Member
    I tend to want to eat the most in the evenings and it is my highest snack risk. So i tend to store up my calories during the day. I like to keep my breakfast and lunch around 200-300 calories each, and if i exercise during the day, i have a huge buffer for the evening. I also eat my dinner very late and tend to go to bed shortly after.

    I know some people think you should not eat X hours or certain kinds of foods before going to bed, but i figure i am at highest risk at that time. So if i eat more later, i stay at/under my calorie budget with no problems. And so far that is working.

    I have also heard that having something sweet triggers your body that the meal/eating is over, so you might try a square of dark chocolate or some other reasonable sweet when you're done eating for the day. I also find brushing my teeth both stops the sweet treat urge as well as acts as a deterrent to eating more (i don't want to have to re-brush before bed).

    Not sure if this will help - hopefully at least an idea or two.

    Good luck!
  • Jambe
    Jambe Posts: 58 Member
    Doesn't hurt to eat late. It's actually beneficial to have something that's slow digesting close to bed time. Well, Proteins. Carbs help you sleep better as well.

    I usually wake up around 3 am for some scoops of cottage cheese and 16oz or so of water.

    Helps minimize catabolism.
  • Heather_Rider
    Heather_Rider Posts: 1,159 Member
    BRUSH YOUR TEETH!!

    for real.. who wants to eat when their mouth is minty fresh!? We know it will taste like crap!

    Brush, brush brush.. your teeth.. and belly will thank you! =)


    PS.. protein before bed will help with the cravings, and help repair and build muscle! Dont feel like you cant eat before bed.. you burn calories while sleeping! Give your body something to burn! just dont over do it! ;)
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Save some calories for your late night snacks.

    Yep. I eat 3/4 of my daily intake by dinner, leaving me with a fun fest from 8pm until midnight. :-D
  • Heather_Rider
    Heather_Rider Posts: 1,159 Member
    Save some calories for your late night snacks.

    Yep. I eat 3/4 of my daily intake by dinner, leaving me with a fun fest from 8pm until midnight. :-D

    ^^ yes! exactly.
  • Matt3400
    Matt3400 Posts: 9
    Like others have said adjust your diet so you can take in more food during the evening hours. I had the same issue during my recent cut and now consume just over half my daily calorie intake between 5-8pm. I now go to bed full and the urges are gone.

    It takes some getting used to if you're used to big meals at breakfast or lunch but for me it was a relatively easy transition.
  • Kara_xxx
    Kara_xxx Posts: 635 Member
    My friend had crazy carb cravings in the middle of the night... The thing is the more of the stuff you eat, the more you want, to a point where it'll wake you up at night.

    You just need to wean your body off too many fast carbs (white bread, sweet stuff), have a high protein dinner that gives your body something to work with over night and I'm sure you won't wake up anymore craving rubbish.
  • MonkeyBars
    MonkeyBars Posts: 266 Member
    Eat some fatty ribs with some green leaf salad 2-3hrs before bed. Protein + fats = full and you'll sleep really well!

    Carbs are rapidly digested and quickly converted to blood glucose. Your blood glucose will return after 90 minutes. Then your insulin level will be at maximum. Your insulin will stack the glucose away in the form of "fat".
    After a while, the glucose in your blood will fall below normal, and you'll feel hungry again.
    If you have a carb snack, the whole process begins again. You'll be getting fatter and feeling hungry at the same time!
  • Hiya!

    Hope you're having a great day!

    You have to be really ruthless wirh yourself- it's just too easy to think that you have a hard day and that you 'deserve' a treat. Save some calories, say 150 for a snack after dinner, have it, enjoy it and then that's it.

    Physically take yourself away from the kitchen and put your mind to other activities- you'll soon forget.

    If you feel tempted, think of that gorgeous you at your target weight in a bikini looking AMAZING!

    Good luck!!!
  • kwin91
    kwin91 Posts: 128
    After I have dinner I usually exercise and have a protein shake when I've done my workout for the night.

    After that I brush my teeth, like right away:) And drink water!
  • casi_ann
    casi_ann Posts: 423 Member
    I eat my 3 meals during the day and one night time snack every night with coffee. It is planned and I save the calories for it. If I just ate the snack without the coffee it would not feel me up enough for the night. Otherwise, I keep busy with my hobbies, documenting, read book or clean.
  • sicchi
    sicchi Posts: 189 Member
    I have this problem and no offence to the water suggestions, but i find when the foods on your mind, you want food. So.... apples are great and fill the stomach, but here in australia its freezing at the moment so i take a couple of tsp of organic cocoa powder (green and blacks), 5g honey (or you could use sugar/sweetner, my diet is clean) and 200 ml lite milk and zap in the microwave for a delish hot chocolate that honestly satisfys and fills for around 100 cal (give or take). That is my one sure way to beat my night time eating. Hope this helps :)
  • ChaoticMiNd
    ChaoticMiNd Posts: 247 Member
    This was a very big part in my weight gain, but I would have fourth meal AND snacks. I just had to set my mind to it and it was hard the first few days but became a habit to NOT eat at night. For me that meant after seven unless I walk that night then I come home and eat a banana and that really fills me up.
  • Debtappe
    Debtappe Posts: 164 Member
    Give yourself a manicure.
  • mslindafranco
    mslindafranco Posts: 7 Member
    I think a lot of us have this problem. I recently started having it again. It is boredom or that you start worrying about the next day etc. emotional eating basically. It might sound silly but this use to work for me. This app is to help with counting calories so I would leave calories available to eat fruit after dinner, frozen fruit. Just a cup is under 100 calories, its like 60 and inexpensive. I would also make a notebook called me. In the notebook I placed my before photos and below wrote my goals for ex... Lose 30lbs so many inches or a size I wanted to be. After that in the notebook I clipped pages from magazines of what I would want to look like and or clothes Id want to get in. Sounds silly but works. So every time before Id hit that kitchen Id grab the notebook and flip through it and add if I wanted from magazines and such. I lost a total of 176lbs at that time no joke.
  • Kara_xxx
    Kara_xxx Posts: 635 Member
    Give yourself a manicure.

    I'd be thrilled to hear how that solves nocturnal carb cravings... :huh:
  • Kara_xxx
    Kara_xxx Posts: 635 Member
    Eat some fatty ribs with some green leaf salad 2-3hrs before bed. Protein + fats = full and you'll sleep really well!

    Carbs are rapidly digested and quickly converted to blood glucose. Your blood glucose will return after 90 minutes. Then your insulin level will be at maximum. Your insulin will stack the glucose away in the form of "fat".
    After a while, the glucose in your blood will fall below normal, and you'll feel hungry again.
    If you have a carb snack, the whole process begins again. You'll be getting fatter and feeling hungry at the same time!

    That pretty much sums it up.
  • Tatum2010
    Tatum2010 Posts: 3
    At about 7-8 pm I go and wash my face and brush my teeth for the night. I hate going to bed without brushing my teeth after I have eaten something. Once I have sat down for the night to either read or watch TV, the thought of having to get up and go brush my teeth again keeps me from eating after that.
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    Show me the scientific study that shows that you shouldn't eat after a certain time. I think that is a myth.
  • jcmartin0313
    jcmartin0313 Posts: 574 Member
    Have more sex...keeps your mind occupied.
  • WilliamsPeggy
    WilliamsPeggy Posts: 440 Member
    Planning for it would be the best option, but you could also go to sleep or whiten your teeth. You can't eat with teeth whitening strips on, & you have to brush your teeth afterwards, so usually by then you don't crave food anymore.
  • fbernas
    fbernas Posts: 2 Member
    Try a few glasses of mineral water. The carbonation helps suppress your appetite and if that doesn't work you may have to eat something fresh and natural but whatever you do, stay away from anything processed. Hope this helps.
  • sicchi
    sicchi Posts: 189 Member
    Give yourself a manicure.

    I'd be thrilled to hear how that solves nocturnal carb cravings... :huh:

    lol
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,956 Member
    I'm eating now!!! I don't worry about it since it still fits into my daily calories.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • SamanthaAnnM
    SamanthaAnnM Posts: 143 Member
    Not sure if this has been mentioned since I admit I haven't read the whole thread, but when I'm having a bad craving at night before bed, I'll go ahead and brush my teeth! It usually deters me from eating long enough to where the craving passes. :)
  • I plan to have my ice cream late at night, and log it into my day ahead of time, so that I have the calories. It also helps me say no to other things during the day, knowing that I'll have it later.

    This is a great idea! I think I will try this. Usually I have a small cup of almond milk but this is better.
  • ngressman
    ngressman Posts: 229 Member
    I actually asked my sister how to stop this. She said just go to bed. lol Seriously though I have read that when you are tired, and you ignore the sleep signal, you're body gets confused. It mistakes the sleep signal for hunger. Can't remember where I learned that, so if anyone could verify that would be great.
  • Plan to stop eating some time before bed (say 2 hours). Do not eat anything after this time for several days until you get use to it. Increase this time before bed every 3-5 days and let your body adjust. You will slowly stop craving food after dinner before bed. I have used this several times and has worked for me. You will start to crave food in the morning when you get up. Breakfast foods are typically better than late nite binge foods.

    Also eliminate the trigger foods from your environment. May replace them with lower calorie alternatives or go cold turkey...

    Good Luck!

    Great Idea too.