I can deal with the exercise, I can deal with picking healthier choices. 3 meals a day and 3 snacks throughout the day.
What I can't deal with?
NIGHTTIME SNACKING.
I'm a HUGE nighttime snacker. So I need some really FILLING foods to hold me over. Any ideas? I'm brainstorming, but all I can come up with are unhealthy things like peanutbutter toast.
Filling foods that WW tells me:
barley
bulgur
cornmeal
couscous(whole wheat)
pasta, (w.w.)
popcorn, 94% FF
Quinoa
starchy veggies
brown rice
wild rice
veggies
veggies not containing non filling foods
100% bran
cream of rice
cream of wheat
grits
oatmeal
puffed wheat
shredded wheat
other whole grain stuffs
canadian style bacon
dried beans
lean meat
chicken w/o skin
eggs
fish
fat free milk
fat free cheese
fat free cheese products (cottage cheese, ricotta, etc)
diary shakes
soy milk
pudding
yogurt, ff, plain
soups made with filling foods without noodles like borsch or broth
Now, my one friend had a real problem with nighttime snacking and she would cut the kitchen time off 3 hours before she went to bed. I've used this technique when I can't stay out of the fridge.
Guac is GOOD. Avocados, tomatoes, garlic, mmmm! Just keep in mind avocados are calories dense (good fats!) and make smart choices about what you eat with your guac.
I found that changing my nighttime routine helped a lot with night noshing. I eat dinner, drink a huge glass of water, and have a calcium chew. That has turned into my signal that I am done for the night. Make sure you are eating enough during the day. Sometimes it comes down to changing habits.
I find that I need a snack at night, so I budget my calories to include it. I like things like popcorn for fillingness...lots of volume for a small number of calories. I pop mine on the stove in a whirly-pop.
I never did cut out my night time snack. I am a night time snacker! I just decided to embrace it instead of cut it out. I just keep it in my calorie count for the day. I lost 100lbs even with the night time snack. Sometimes it is even less than 1 hour before I go to bed that I eat it. If it is a real struggle for you to not have it, you may just try to include it. Just another point of view. Good luck either way! Jelly
i wouldn't recommed cutting it either! i used to think you couldn't eat at night because you didn't burn it off as well.. not true! now since i have found out that your body burns cals the same way no matter what time of day i just allot the cals for it and snack away!
and guac is crazy good for you! i but the kind that come in 100 cals packs so i don't have to make it myself OR worry about portion control! sooo good with half of a red bell pepper sliced.
I agree with midwife- sometimes it's about changing your routine. I don't think nighttime snacks are inherently bad, but I've noticed I'm personally more successful when I avoid them. What's been helping is working out at night. I know that before I leave for the gym I've just had dinner and that's my cutoff point. When I come home I find that I'm not physically hungry post workout and then I just have to pass the time until I go to bed Sticking to my routine of coming home from the gym, doing my strength training and cruising 3FC keeps me busy until bedtime.
I decided to cut the night-time snacks today and right now I'm /starving/. I even allowed myself a 100-cal bag of popcorn and a single square of chocolate after dinner, and I've already consumed 1750 calories today so I shouldn't feel as empty as I do. My meals were full of hunger-squashing fiber and protein--I had home-made lentil soup and lean chicken with artichokes for dinner--so it's probably a mental thing I have to get over. I've been chugging water like crazy to keep my tummy quiet, so I don't expect to sleep uninterrupted tonight....
Maybe I'll try junebug's approach and exercise at night instead of first thing in the morning; I've also noticed I'm not as hungry after I work out.
Maybe I'll try junebug's approach and exercise at night instead of first thing in the morning; I've also noticed I'm not as hungry after I work out.
Oh man, morning workouts have their advantages (getting it out of the way, more energy throughout the day, etc...), but I find myself really fighting my appetite later in the day. I started going a little later in the evening because it was so packed after the new year and I found that the benefit is that I can ride out the appetite suppressing effect until bedtime.
I'm an evening snacker, and the problem for me is LIMITS. A planned snack is one thing--repeat mode is another! Some strategies I've used:
- Decide in advance what the snack will be and put it in your calorie counter. This helps me to stay on plan.
- Put off the snack. If it's only been a hour since dinner, wait another half hour or hour and then reconsider. You don't want to eat right before bed, but it's hard when you've already eaten the snack and there are hours to go.
- Drink water or plain seltzer with perhaps some lemon or lime. Sometimes it's thirst.
- If you are still wanting to eat, focus on (and have on hand) foods that will do the least damage. For example, I have to stay away from nuts in the evening or there is no stopping. Last night when I couldn't stand it any more, I had a mini-box of raisins, and took awhile to eat them, chewing well. 45 calories, but better than what happens with nuts.
I also snack at night, and budget at least 100 calories for something to eat before I go to bed.
Pop corn is a favourite, but I've also gotten into eating rice cakes. I eat two of the large rice cakes, each with a tablespoon of dill pickle Philli dip for a total of about 125 cal. Delicious!
You could more or less sign my name to JayEll's post as well - only I haven't been as disciplined lately. Deciding on one snack, budgeting it into my calories and sticking to it has helped me in the past. These days I don't plan as much and usually end up 50-150 cal over my budget. (On the other hand I've stopped adding bonus calories for exercise, so it usually evens out.)
In addition to seltzer water, I also recommend hot mint tea or other herbal tea, especially relaxing evening mixes - gives you a full stomach, something to sip on and prepares for a good night's sleep.
Having something else to to with your hands might help, too. I practiced my devanagari script for some time, now I'm thinking about a crafts project. Sometimes I go to bed early and read - no food allowed in the bed room!
EDIT: Sometimes, psychological reinforcement helps - I tell myself that I don't need energy from calories in the evening, that it's time to power down the machine and give it some rest. And sometimes I just go to bed thinking that breakfast is only a few hours of sleep away...
Like many of the others said, I just plan for a nighttime snack. I like popcorn, cheese sticks, or a bowl of those frozen cherries (with no added sugar)-those are really good and filling! Sometimes, I might choose a Kashi TLC cereal bar, as they're very filling also.
The Big Problem.
