After-dinner snacking is killing my diet!

Hello! I'm kind of new to the site but I really want to lose 10 pounds (I'm currently 141 lbs). I can do great with portion control and heathy foods for breakfast and lunch. I usually work out in the afternoon so I have a little snack for energy an hour before that. I've even got myself eating healthy dinners and it's great...except that after dinner I can't help snacking...a TON. I get tempted by chex mix or fig newtons or anything to snack on. All my moderation goes right out the window. It's ruining my diet and I was wondering if anyone had any tips to stop eating after dinner. I could REALLY use some help. I always feel full at bedtime and I hate it. How do I resist the urge to snack on carbs in the evening??

If there's something "bad" in your house that you always seem to go to for a snack, simply get it out of your house. You can't snack on it if it isn't there.

I always allow myself one snack after dinner...usually 100-calorie pack popcorn while I watch TV. A trick that has really worked for me is brushing my teeth right after I need to stop eating. Getting the taste of food out of your mouth really helps with temptation.

This is a really good post for me as well. I have such a hard time at around this time..before bedtime. I just want to chow down on some chips and chocolate..or somthing! I want to stop this as well.

I do have some tips though. Water is very well to get rid of being hungry. It tends to fill you up. Some people say chewing gum works. Others have said to save aprox 200 cals and eat a healthy snack just as long as you stay within your calories for the day.

I find that if I eat a medium size banana with a 3/4 cup of creamy vanilla denone yogurt it will hold me over and it is 200 cals right on.

I had the same problem for a while: no matter how well I changed to healthy options, meals, and lifestyles, I found it hard to shake snacking, especially after dinner. What I've done is adjusted my eating schedule so as to eat gradually throughout the day, push dinner back and hour or two, and schedule in a snack for after dinner.

What helped the MOST was getting the bad snacks out of the house. Once I got rid of my favorite after dinner snacks (Cheezits, jerky, popcorn, etc), I found it was quite easy to make the transition. If you're sitting there with a snack craving, it doesn't take much convincing yourself to do it if you have the foods right there; however, if you know that you have to drive a few miles to the store to get it, it will deter you.

I found the best thing was buying about two dozen pieces of fruit and putting them in a large bowl right in front of the sofa, that way I had a healthy snack option if I wanted it. So, my eating schedule has become:

breakfast->fruit->fruit->lunch->f ruit->fruit->dinner (pushed later a bit)->nuts->fruit

Afterwards, I make sure to brush my teeth so as to quash any cravings. Not only does it get rid of the taste of food from your mouth, but it also creates a mental block that "you aren't supposed to eat after you've brushed your teeth for the evening."

I'd say the biggest help for me, though, was definitely just getting rid of the bad snacks. "Bad" snacks can be incorporated into a healthy diet, but the problem is invariably snacking too much on them, which tends to happen, especially after dinner for me.

wow thank you guys so much! these are all great ideas! I love the brushing your teeth idea, I'm definately going to try that!