My method to deter late night snacking!

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to share something I've been doing for the past two weeks that has been really successful for me in avoiding the late night snacks (past 9PM). 

Pretty much every evening when I am winding down in my bedroom around 9-10:30PM, I decide I am hungry again.  This is bad because by this point I have already eaten up to my cal target.  Usually I just want to taste food again, or maybe it is boredom, I'm not sure, but it's no good when you are trying to lose weight!

So, instead of going straight to the kitchen, I have a rule that I MUST do 20 wall pushups and 20 leg lifts (or some other ab crunch).  After this, if I still feel I am definitely hungry, I'm allowed to have 1-2 slices of cheese (50-70cals) or a piece of fruit.  If I think I can hold out without eating,  I make a nice cup of tea or get a big glass of water and then lock myself in my bedroom for good!  It has helped me avoid going over my cal target for sure, plus I get in a little more exercise.

I've used this method in other ways as well..like every time I go in my bathroom I have to do 20 squats after.  It's not meant as punishment or anything like that, it's just a simple way to amp up my exercise and only takes about a minute.

Give it a try =) 

cool i will try drinking tea or water method not the crunches or pushup since im tired as freak from my daily workouts/martial arts/school so yea

Ive pretty much got my stomach trained not to get hungry any more late because im not gonna eat anyway.


I usualy just chew gum and drink water so i think that keeps me from getting hungry.

That's a great idea - I will try it!

I am a chronic night time snacker too, and recently I accidently found a solution that seems to be working for me...

Instead of preparing and eating my dinner when I get in from work, I now defer having it until after 7pm.  I'm usually nice and full until bedtime then, and it has definitely lessened my urge to snack.

It won't work for everyone, but perhaps worth a try... 

thanks for the tips about the tea / water and mini workouts

Ax

I'm like demerara- I put off my dinner until 7-8pm and I'm usually nice & full until I go to bed.

I think this is a horrible idea. Is that really a lifestyle change? Why don't you cut 100 cals out of your lunch, or 25 from each meal, and just eat a frickin piece of cheese before bed?

But to each his own.

Original Post by minda_spk:

I think this is a horrible idea. Is that really a lifestyle change? Why don't you cut 100 cals out of your lunch, or 25 from each meal, and just eat a frickin piece of cheese before bed?

But to each his own.

 Well, for me personally, I'm trying to cut out unnecessary snacking? So yes- it is a lifestyle change.

um - yes it's a lifestyle change, and one that works...for me.

I find it hard to stop snacking at night if I start, and I don't think that eating at my main meal at  7pm is extreme or excessive - especially as I find it keeps me full up until I go to bed.

If it doesn't work for you  - fine, but it might for others.

I wan't commenting on eating dinner late, but making rules about amounts of exercise that need to be done in order to be 'allowed' a snack when hungry. Personally (yes, personally) that sort of rulemaking seems extreme and not something most people would maintain for any length of time.

And again: to each his own.

It's all about cals in vs out. It doesn't matter what time you eat your meals. If this works for you, that's great.

What works for me: Working until 5pm. Hitting the gym at 530/6. Eating dinner around 730/8.Having a small dessert to end the night. Getting ready for bed.

Personally, I use exercise to eat more bc my daily burn is A LOT lower these days since I've been losing weight. If I want a deficit from just cutting cals, I'd have to eat 1200 every day (I'm 1700 on a regular sedentary burn). I'm 5'8...that's NOT going to happen.

Exercise is great for my body, soul and weight-loss. I completely understand why someone would do a little more working out to eat more later.  Not everyone is the same.

Minda,

This isn't about making myself do a certain amount of exercise to get a snack, it's more about breaking my personal habit of eating late when I am usually NOT actually hungry.  By distracting myself for the 2minutes or so it takes to do a couple situps and pushups (not a big deal for me) I am able to refocus and realize that I do NOT need to eat because I am NOT actually hungry.  This is a habit breaking strategy more so than anything else.  Like I said, if I find that I am really hungry, I eat, and no problem there. Similar methods are often used by people who pick their nails, etc.  You distract yourself by following a certain routine, whether it be counting to 20, doing situps, or something else.  I just like throwing in the exercise component as it is beneficial to my current goals.  It's not about how many cals I might burn with this little routine or anything of that nature.

No strategy is good for everyone.

Hey Rebel! I actually wasn't a night snacker until I started dieting because I knew how much I COULD eat and so I wanted to at least eat that. It's like rationing during the war; a lot of people didn't think about their food until it was limited. My advice is to keep doing what you're doing; find ways to NOT think about eating, or remove those temptations.

When I feel like I want to snack but know I'm not hungry, I tell myself: If you eat this now, you won't want to eat a better breakfast, or lunch. If you eat this now, you're going to think about the calories you could have later.

I try to hold off eating for as long as possible *when I'm not hungry*, and distract myself in the mean time. It's hard because I LOVE cooking, and the apartment is small so I'm always by the kitchen. But I try to do things that take long time and keep me pre-occupied. Get some Dance Dance Revolution going! Play a computer game! I think your situp/crunch distraction is a good idea. Sometimes I do that when I'm feeling snacky. Good luck :D

I've started brushing my teeth shortly after dinner--instead of waiting until my bedtime routine (usually 5-6 hrs later: i.e. eat dinner 6/7 go to bed around midnight).  I don't want to eat after I've already made my teeth and mouth feel fresh and clean!

Original Post by maddie109:

I've started brushing my teeth shortly after dinner--instead of waiting until my bedtime routine (usually 5-6 hrs later: i.e. eat dinner 6/7 go to bed around midnight).  I don't want to eat after I've already made my teeth and mouth feel fresh and clean!

 I do the same thing.  I brush my teeth after every meal, if I can.  It really helps me kill my cravings, especially for sweets.  Sweets taste horrible after you brush your teeth!

kuri!? IES kara?

i don't know what i would do without tea!

I don't like the whole exercise or else you don't get food concept.  My inner self will probably get angry, tell my outer self to screw off, and then go have a snack because I'm hungry...I get cranky when I'm hungry :D

If I'm just having a snack attack, I've resorted to frozen grapes.  They're about 2 calories each, and because I have rather sensitive gums, each grape takes me a few minutes to chew through.  I find gum makes me hungrier and excess water just makes me want to pee, lol.  This seems to help--something cold and sweet to have in my mouth while the munchies take a hike. 

I just go to bed...works everytime.

I just go to bed...works everytime.

Sorry to be a pain but I was just wondering what Cheese you can have that only has 50 – 70 cals in and what weight the slices were?

Personally I drink a glass of water or go and clean my teeth or just have a snack. These days I keep calories out of my daily allowance for a snack and if I don’t have any left I just have it any way, I’ve found over a week it all evens out any way as some days I don’t manage my whole calorie allowance.

AND that has been my biggest lifestyle change I eat mindfully and stop when I’m full and don’t eat if I’m not hungry. I can’t tell you how liberating that is. When I was small my family were very hard up and we all had to clear out plates at every meal, regardless of whether we were full or not. So for me to push my plate away with food on it because I am full is a huge achievement. (I have also finally learned to serve smaller portions too) How old am I? 51 it’s taken a long time to learn this and I am convinced that this is why finally I am shifting weight and beginning to feel good about myself.