I haven't decided on what kind of diet I wanna do (I hate that 4 letter word) right now I'm just trying to watch my portions and eat more veggies and fruits and cut out some of the fat. I can do well all day, I have done well the last couple days except for late evening snacking (an hour or so before bed). Here's and example of what I had today

Breakfast: oatmeal
morning snack: apple
Lunch: small mashed potatoes, corn, and 2 pieces salisbury steak (I took off as much gravy as possible)
afternoon snack: grapes
Dinner: 1 slice of pizza, not the greatest, but only had 1 piece


Ok, did ok up to that point. After that I had

1 100 calorie bag of popcorn, tasted funny so I HAD to melt butter on it.
2 more pieces of pizza and a glass of soda

How do I get away from the late night snacking. The 100 calorie bag of popcorn wouldn't have been bad if that was it and I didn't do the butter, how do I get past that kind of stuff, any advise???

Well i can tell you that I struggle with that nighttime stuff too. I do find though that usually I have the hardest time controlling it if I havent eaten enough during the day, or if I havent had enough protein during the day. From the looks of it your calories might be on the low side, I'd try and figure that out for sure.

For me, once I get hungry its hard to put it out. Try chewing some sugarfree gum at night too and have a planned snack. Another tip is to drink enough water to stay hydrated so your body isnt feeling hungry when its really thirsty.

The last thing is to just say...nope after dinner the kitchen is CLOSED! Thats a harder one to do, takes alot of committment to yourself and your goals. Just ask yourself with each thing....is eating this more important than meeting my goals?

Good luck!

Many people (including Oprah) seem to have success by simply creating a cutoff time (say 8:00 or 9:00) beyond which they will not eat. Creating a "rule" seems to instill some sense of discipline.

Late night eating is really not a good habit but if you need to wean yourself off of it you might try making a big platter of veggies (cucumbers, peppers) with low fat dip, and a pot of tea....it really does make you full!

In general, I do better with washing the dinner plates and saying goodbye to the kitchen and food until the next morning.

One thing, since I never allowed my kids to eat in front of the TV (the number one most fattening habit IMO!) that helps me to not do it either, if I want to eat it has to be on the table and paying attention to the food.

Thanks guys. I'll try the cutoff time. The thing is I'm not snacking late cause I'm hungry. I'm bored. I am more active during the day and its easy to eat better, I'm too busy to stop and constantly snack. THANKS as always its nice to get advice from people who've been there.

That probably wasn't enough dinner? Also, what about going to bed earlier? Start a hobby, I used to latchhook rugs when I was quitting smoking - kept my hands busy and I didn't want to get the piece dirty, so I didn't eat either! The herbal tea really helps me, especially the apple spice that tastes like a snack. And fixing it keeps me busy. A good book? Those are my best suggestions off the top of my head!
Kim

Its kinda weird to read that people don't think I'm eating enough???? I set my cut off at 8pm. I do have a sweet tooth sometimes after meals, so I got some of those hershey's mini's and put them in the freezer. I had 2 and was totally satisfied, hopefully that will help steer me away from bowls of ice cream and stack of cookies.

I have the same problem. I get up about 2 in the morning to let the dogs out and will grab something out of the "candy" pantry----dang, it is starting to add up!

My first impression is that you are not eating enough during the day and you certaintly are not getting enough fiber which will help keep you full.

What type of plan are you following? Are you counting calories? Are you trying to meet certain nutritional targets?

This is a repeat of a comment I gave in another thread:

Not eating after a certain time is basically an old rule. I often don't even have dinner until after 8pm and dessert closer to 10pm.

What is important is that you spread your calories evenly througout the day and it is more important to start your day with breakfast but there is no official rule about when you should stop eating.

Generally if you are not hungry in the morning this is a sign that you are eating too much late at night.

Lori

I have to agree that you're not eating enough and definitely not getting enough fibre or protein. I don't have a specific cut-off time, but I do try to limit eating after 7pm. I also know that water plays a huge roll in how "hungry" I feel. Most times a glass of water will put to rest any cravings that I'm having.

I find that the biggest triumph in overcoming late snacking is my promise to myself that I'm changing my lifestyle and that putting that snack in my mouth (I'm the only one that really controls that, not anyone else in the family) is not going to get me or keep me on the right path.

Cheers,
Tamara

Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels...

I think you may be eating enough calories, but you are choosing very calorie rich foods. 2 pieces of Salisbury steak seems like a lot, not to mention corn and potatoes are simple starches and usually laden with butter. I would try to spread my food throughout the day a bit better and try to add in more veggies and whole grains for fiber. If you tweaked what you eat you would be able to eat a larger volume of food for the same amount of calories.

i know this is an older post, but here is what I can say...

I have the same night time snacking trouble...I have found that I eat when I am BORED...I dont have "hobbies" so to speak...so I work on cleaning house, or playing in the bedroom with my 3 year old...something that takes me OUT of the kitchen area, and away from any source of food.

We do not allow anyone (DH and I included) to eat away from the kitchen/dining room table. It is extremely rare that I even allow popcorn in either living room or family room...just a bad habit to start....

I hope this helps and sorry if i come out as confusing but I too am a fellow snacker. I snack bw breakfast and lunch so heres a suggestion:

If it's hard for you to stop snacking you should have a small dinner so that way you can fit in some snacks. Try substituting healthier things for snacks such as fruit, a bowl of cereal, or tea. That way when you do snack you don't do as much damage.

sounds like your diet is loaded with carbs (not good ones...but, refined carbs!) No matter what eating plan you are on...but you should definately increase your intake of protein and fiber, and decrease the amount of refined carbs. If you ate the same amount of food, let's say, in a salad or a larger portion of veggies...your body would feel more satisfied. Generally, cravings are produced by high carb diets because your body (in essence) is fueled by "sugar" which doesn't burn as long and is quickly depleated...leaving you "wanting more". I follow my own version of Atkins in which I've cut out all the refined carbs and replaced them with high fiber carbs (salads, veggies, lean meats, fruit, and sugar free chocolates, splenda, etc.)...I eat whenever I'm hungry, but I never feel starved or ravinous..cuz when your eating low carb...you just don't get that hungry (the diet in itself is a natural appetite suppressant). Just a thought...if you are struggling on your way of eating...you might want to find another plan...one you can "live" with for the rest of your life. NO ONE CAN EXISTS FEELING CONSTANTLY DEPRIVED for the long haul. Joyce