I've noticed a really bad cycle these past few months and I thought I could get a handle on it, but I'm having a hard time. I eat when I'm bored. I can think back as far as I can remember and I ate when I was bored from the time I was around 8.

My Issue is, I'm good all week, I start to lose some weight but then the weekend comes. I'm off work and because I work the graveyard shift, I'm up all night. There is nothing to do, nothing on TV to distract me. Sometimes I can get into a good book or game and be okay... but often I'll visit the kitchen for small things to munch on. I've learned to brush my teeth and chew on gum but I still end up messing up my week of hard work from my midnight snacking.

Does anyone have any tips? I'm about to start tying myself to the bed post to keep away from the kitchen.

I can be so good all day, but as soon as I start getting sleepy my self control goes out the window. I've dealt with this for years, and I'm not sure I'll ever be able to stop late-night snacking.

I can however, control what I eat. I keep a lot of fat free yogurt around and 100 calorie bags of microwaveable popcorn. Lots of bowls of fruits in hands reach. Certain things I just cannot keep in my kitchen because I know no matter how disciplined I am during the day, I'll eat them ALL at night. Bags of croutons, TV dinners, sugary cereal, and other snackable items have been banished.

Hey Sakai!

Here are some strategies that might help.

- Make sure your "evening meal" is a good one, with sufficient protein.
- Banish all dangerous snack foods from your house (or lock them up if you can't get rid of them because of other people). If it's not there, you can't eat it.
- Stock up on better snack foods. Baby carrots are a good example. I guarantee that you cannot eat enough baby carrots in one evening to ruin your weight loss. Also try things like 2% cottage cheese, water-packed tuna, etc.
- Delay your snacks. Instead of getting up and going to the kitchen the minute you think of it, make yourself wait ten minutes. Then stretch it out to 20 minutes. Make it a challenge. How long can you put off that snack?
- Drink more fluids. Sometimes a flavored tea or other beverage can satisfy urges without adding too many calories.
- Tape your favorite TV shows while you're at work, so you'll be able to watch them instead of sitting around bored.
- Clean! I know, pretty lame suggestion... But it keeps one busy, and it's harder to snack with a cleaning rag in hand.

Jay

I think you need to find something really engrossing for those nighttime hours. I mean, even if you weren't snacking, those are hours of your life you never get back , so make them valuable!

Jay you always have the best tips. *huggles*

I go back to work tonight So I'll be okay for the next five days. I agree that I need to get rid of all the snack food in the house. My down fall is the bag of large marshmallows that's called me all night long from the kitchen table. If they wern't there, then there wouldn't be a problem.
My second downfall is popcorn. Though popcorn isn't as bad as most snacks, I can down a whole bag by myself, no problem. The good thing is that's it's mostly plain/no butter popcorn.
Perhaps my DF and I should start a movie night. We used to have movie nights when we were back in college. Pick two or three movies to watch on our days off so we're not bored to death.
Sometimes I go to the gym. (my gym is open 24 hours) But it's in a sketchy part of town three buildings down from a bar 0.o so I don't really like to go unless a friend or two come with me, which most of the time they do because they are up that late sometimes.

But I think I just need to start keeping good snacks in the house, some with very little impact on my diet.

hmm...a lot of people find drinking beneficial in this case- have a cup of tea, or diet-soda, or water.

Or find something to do with your hands when you're bored. I used to do origami for a while, or I know people who knit, or other random things. Sometimes when I"m bored in front of the tv or whatever and can't work up the energy to do something else, I play solitaire. works well.

You have been given some excellent suggestions. Definitely trash your fat...LOL (That's an old expression from the 70s...) Meaning to get rid of all your junk food. Have you ever considered picking up a hobby? I have loads of hobbies. Mostly mine are related to redecorating my house and yard, but other things you could try is painting, scrap booking, model building...(it's fun!) My mom used to get one of those giant million piece puzzles when she was trying to lose weight. She'd work on those darn things all evening.

What great suggestions! I think my favorite, that I will try to implement starting today, is the cleaning when I feel the urge to snack! Who knows, my bathrooms may end up being the CLEANEST they've ever been on a daily basis soon!

Cleaning is a good idea. And heaven knows my house could use it. lol
Lori Bell- I do have a hobbie. I write. But right now I'm going though a muse strike and haven't been able to write much for the past 2 months. Sometimes I notice that I'll eat if I'm trying to write. The more of a struggle it is, the more I tend to munch.
I use to paint and draw and work puzzles. Perhaps I should get back into those hobbies.