[Kissbeth]

ok gals...
I am a 20 something, but this is my first time in this part of the forum! Does anyone else have this problem: You have a fantastic day as far as calories and exercise..... then the munchies hit (around 8 or 9 for me) and you feel the need to raid the fridge, or reach for whatever is available. I am extremely strict about *trying* not to eat after 7...... should I lighten up so it doesn't feel like such a temptation? Or does anyone have any better tips?

[jayohwhy]

In the cold weather, I have a morning and evening cup of tea that i sweeten with splenda as a "treat".

it helps keep hunger at bay while also getting in some much needed fluid

[redliss7]

I used to get this bad and it got to the point where I couldn't sleep without literally putting myself into a food coma. This was predominantly when I was at my high weight but I know what you're going through. Even though its hard the key is to distinguish between true hunger and cravings. I like to think starch cravings at night/high energy food cravings come at night because our bodies are tired and think that a glucose spike will remedy that until we can get some sleep. I'm no nutritionist though. I just like to think about this stuff. Haha.

[MusicalAstronaut]

I think not eating after 7 is a little hard, depending on how late you stay up. There's not really a magic time when you should stop eating; calories are calories. But if you really want to stop eating then, one tip I like is to brush your teeth. It's just a little bit harder to eat something when you've already brushed your teeth for the night!

[popspry]

I found when I incorporated healthy snacks (instead of only eating meals) I got the munchies a lot less. I've found ignoring my hunger doeesn't work for me.

[Daki]

I like Jayohwhy's tea idea. I do that (Except without the Splenda because I like mine plain) or drink water. If neither of those work after a little bit, I try to eat a veggie. We've gotten rid of all of my unhealthy snacks because I don't want the temptation, so I don't have much of a choice =)

I would lighten up a little bit about the after 7 thing. Though, I do have my own personal timestamp of 9PM to stop eating. Usually because I go to bed around 11 and I feel like it's pointless to eat something an hour before bed. But if you stop eating at 7 but don't go to bed for another 3-5 hours, I would think that it's very likely to get snack hungry between 7PM and bedtime.

[3CatsMeow]

I too try not to eat after a certain time, because I like to weigh myself first thing in the morning and if I eat really late it artificially puts my weight up. If I do feel the need to eat something, I try and have something with protein (vegetarian protein) in it so it helps me feel fuller and less likely to eat more

[toastedsmoke]

Personally my time stamp for stopping eating for the day is midnight. But this is because I'm a night owl and am often up till 3 am at least. I think quitting eating within 2-3 hrs of sleeping is about fair. 7pm might be a little too early to stop eating if you're not in bed by 9-10, it would be natural to get the munchies then. You can either start going to bed earlier or save a little room for 1 planned evening snack- a cup of tea or a serving of jello or pudding or a piece of fruit or something or you can white knuckle it. Try different options and see what works for you.

[RebaRamBam]

I try to stop eating by around 9. I usually save myself some points (I'm doing ww) to use between 8 and 9 so that I don't feel the need to eat again before bed. I also drink a lot of water to fill myself up in the evenings. If I were you I would try giving yourself an extra hour and see if that helps prevent some munchies. Good luck!

[unpretty]

im exactly the same as you. I'll be going great during the day, and then in the night time I suddenly have the urge to eat everything. In fact I just joined this forum because I just midnight-snacked on crackers and pretzels and pushed up my daily calorie intake to 1600, and so I realised I need some support because my motivation and willpower is slipping after a week of losing nothing. fml.