Late night munchies

I'm a grad student, and I end every day with a good sit in front of the TV to relax and unwind (currently in love with watching Supernatural on my computer, those Winchester boys are so hot!). My problem is that even if I'm not hungry, I feel the need to be munching on something while sitting there. It's like a need for an oral fixation or something. I try to keep a mug of tea with me or a glass of water for something to reach for, but it usually doesn't do the trick. I find myself roving around the kitchen around 9 trying to figure out something to munch on. These after dinner snacks are the time when I'm most likely to throw the calorie limit out the window. Anyone else have a similar problem? Anyone come up with a pretty good solution?

my favorite snacks are apples and oranges.  satisfies the sweet tooth, and is good for you, too.  i've heard of people putting grapes in the freezer for munching on, but haven't tried it myself.  i don't think you can go wrong with any kind of fruit for snacking.  if you want to keep the protein ratio better, add some lowfat cheese, or a tbsp of peanut butter.

under the 'food' forum you often see ideas for low cal snacks.  Everything from a hot apple with granola to many others.

I don't sleep well if I go to bed hungry.  And as the day wears on my appetite increases.

The advice I got on here was:  eat dinner later.  Save 100 calories for a bedtime snack.  My fave in cold weather is a slice of warm toast (light bread).  Also I enjoy frozen berries with light cool whip.  Popcorn wouldn't be too bad if you didn't drown it in butter.  I use a butter spray and sprinkle parmesean cheese on. 

I dont' know how your will power is, but Sun chips aren't as bad as other chips, if you could limit your servings.

If you know that you munch at night, then save your calories for the night. It's best if you eat your calories early, but if you just have to eat at night, go for it! Just make sure you plan for it so you don't overeat.

I agree with the popcorn idea. Popcorn is considered a whole grain, and light versions of popcorn are great mindless munching food since a huge handful has very little calories. I buy the 100 calorie packs of popcorn, and I find them very satisfying. There's no trans-fat in them either, so that's a huge plus. 

Carrots, celery, plain popcorn, sugar-free gum, vegetable soup, diet coke, cucumber slices.

If you're munching mindlessly, then saving too many calories doesn't really make sense because you aren't enjoying them OR paying attention to how much you're having.

Maybe try brushing and flossing really thoroughly with a strong toothpaste before watching your shows. 

huh, I like that tooth brushing idea. I also like the crunchy veggies idea and diet coke. Thanks!

Oh yeah, the late-night munching habit was the hardest to break!  I finally had to cut it out altogether, because I'd start by munching the low-cal stuff and quickly graduate to bigger and better things! 

Now, I just try to have dinner pretty late- 7 pm or after- so I'm positive I won't be hungry before bed.  I don't keep any snack-type things around, so even if I have a craving, I can't do anything about it. If I absolutely have to cave, I have air-popped popcorn.

It helps that since I've cleaned my diet up- no more refined carbs- the cravings have pretty much gone away.  Now, it's more that I just have the habit, and habits can be broken!

oh most definately.  i began to associate unwinding watching tv/movie with also having wine and snacks.  i cut the wine out, but i still feel that need for an oral fixation.  i drink water mostly, if i really want to sip something "different" i drink fruit juice.  for snacks- popcorn!!!!!  i buy the fat free kind and even if i eat the whole bag of it it's only 100-200 calories.  i bought fat free butter spray and some different powder seasonings that add really no fat or calories.  it works teh best for me.  fruit would probably work too, but i feel like i eat so good all day i want a "treat".  pretzels and salsa work too.

 also, i leave myself room for the calories.  if i know my show is on that night and i'm gonna want a snack, i cut out a nother earlier snack or do some exercise before the show.

 

 

I wish I could eat the low cal popcorn, but I can't find it here in Scotland! :0( I think that's one of my biggest problems. Popcorn is one of my favorite snacks, but I can only find the full fat kind around here.

The same thing happens to me and I always say that I'm not hungry but my teeth are bored. :-)  I've given up trying to kid myself out of it playing mind-games or pretend that brushing my teeth is a good substitute.   Instead I chop up lots of crunchy vegetables and serve them on a platter with a little low-fat hummus dip.   Keeps teeth busy for ages, the vegetables are nicely filling and all for very few extra calories.  Hasn't hurt my weight-loss in the slightest.

I have a late night snack while I am surfing the Internet. I always confine my snacking to between 11 PM and 1 AM. I usually have a mini snickers, a mini reese's fast break and a pack of fun size m&m's. I occasionally have two small cookies.

This is my downfall too. The best thing I can say is to go to sleep earlier. The later I stay up the less my resolve. If it's been 4 hours since I've eaten dinner I'm hungry again...

You could try timing your dinner. For example, if you know you stay up until 1am, don't eat dinner at 7--of course you're going to have the munchies. Plan to eat closer to 8 or 9 (I know some people will disagree about late eating but I think it's more about eating too close to sleep).

After that, keep hydrated. Plan for one good snack. Some light that you like (I have a zone bar every night. I look forward to it and it stops be from snacking).

good luck.