Question about eating at night?

Question

I am being inspired watching "The Biggest Looser" in t.v. I would like to stop eating at night- does anyone have any suggestions on how to stop? How do you avoid temptation? What foods should I be eating at dinner that would curve the night cravings? I get a bit hungry around 8 pm or so. I go to bed between 10:30 and 11:00 at night.

Answer 1

hi sweetie. i had the same problem.
Be sure to eat 3 good meals during the day with 1 or 2 between meal snacks. Most people try to eat too few calories during the day only to binge late at night. A good insurance policy is to eat most of your calories before 6 PM.

When you feel the urge to eat late at night, try drinking 2 or more cups of water. You can also make a cup of herbal tea sweeten with honey or artificial sugar. Hot liquids have a soothing effect on emotions and appetite.

Remind yourself that it's normal to feel hungry late at night due to habitually eating late. Breaking this habit is like learning to quit smoking. Remind yourself of your goal to lose 20 or 30 pounds and the key to losing this weight is to STOP late night eating.

Much of late night eating after dinner can be avoided by hiding the junk food. Put foods that you're prone to eat late at night out of sight. Better yet, don't buy junk food at all, though this may not be possible if you have kids.

Suck on hard candy. Most hard candy have only a few calories and they give you the satisfaction of snacking.

Keep a written copy of your diet plan in view, which will keep your goal of losing weight firmly fixed in your mind. The temptation to snack late at night will not be as great if you don't give into the urge for several weeks.

Some people have great success by simply brushing their teeth late at night. This method has been known to curb late night eating for many people.

The most vulnerable time for eating late is 1 hour after dinner right up to bedtime. Keep your life interesting by working on a favorite hobby and NOT watching TV. The ads on TV can subconsciously trigger the impulse to eat. Boredom is your biggest danger to late night eating.

Psyche yourself for the battle. You know that you will feel tempted to snack late at night. It's an artificial feeling that will go away when you go to bed. The next morning, you probably won't be hungry .... eat breakfast anyway .... it's the most important meal of the day.

Answer 2

I would try to eat an earlier dinner (protein, vegetables) and if you're hungry at 8pm, eat an apple and a glass of water (I love lemon in it if it's icy cold).

I find that if I can curb nighttime eating and eat a light dinner (very difficult) I have a much easier time losing weight, even if I eat more during the earlier parts of the day. My favorite time to eat is at night, so this is hard!

For me, the easiest way to curb cravings is to finish dinner, leave the kitchen, and relax in the bedroom with a great book. I don't know if you have crafts that you do like knitting, but that works too. Or watch a TV show that you look forward to. (I have made it a practice never to eat while I watch TV -- that's a good one too -- mainly because I don't want the kids to get crumbs all over, but it helps cut the cravings caused by watching TV).

Hope this helps,

Liz

Edit: Take the TV out of the kitchen if you have it there.

Answer 3

Well, first of all you should try to limit processed foods and anything like "weight watchers" as much as possible because the MSG in the food is most likely what is making you crave food when you don't need it. MSG is a neurotoxin that attacks your pinial gland in your brain which controls hunger. When the gland becomes weak, the MSG easily makes you crave more food.

Some foods you should be eating at dinner are meals cooked by you or a someone that lives with you. That way you know what's in the food and don't have to worry about it having MSG. Also, try to limit going to restaurants if you do so.

Hopefully I was helpful...

Answer 4

Television is a huge culprit for the nighttime binges, especially with the commercials. Keep a bowl of fruit, watermelon, other zero- or low-calories snacks on your tray table if you must watch the tube, and nights would probably be a good time to catch up on drinking water. Water can be quite filling if it's not mealtime.

Answer 5

I know this sounds really simplistic, but I started going to bed much earlier, that way I wasn't up to be hungry.
I'm am normally a night owl, but I've found if you can get up earlier, you do, of course, feel more tired earlier, so that helps with not eating at night.
I try to eat by 7:00pm and be in bed by 9:30 or 10:00PM

Answer 6

Whenever I want to eat at night, I tell myself to give it 10 minutes and go do something else. Most of the time it makes me forget the craving. I also brush my teeth and spend my time upstairs or in the basement so I am not tempted to run to the kitchen.

Answer 7

drink water this can help fill you up.

exercise instead.
get active and fight your cravings
but if you do give in eat veggies or something healthy not ice cream or cookies.

did you know they did a study several years ago that concluded an when craving ice cream it was actually the body mildly dehydrated and craving liquid? i wonder how many other cravings are like this also? or our body craving vitamin and minerals because our eating habits are so poor.
so eat right and drink lots of water not soda.

Answer 8

Drink more water after dinner to help your stomach stay full. If you want some fruit or veggies thats ok. Try eating high fiber things as well. Those keep you fuller longer.

Answer 9

It is not good for you. This rich and greasy food is placing a lot of stress on your digestive system at a time when it is supposed to be resting. The cheese could promote gas, it is a tough dairy product to digest at any time of day and the ham will give you hot dog breath throughout the following day.

Answer 10

its not bad to eat at night, its just what you eat. for dinner protien and veggies are best. and for snacks late, try something that is low sugar...for a sweet tooth try strawberries with ff cool whip. it tastes great and its a a good fight for sugar cravings. keep drinking lots of water after dinner. that helps fight the hunger too.