One of the things I have the most trouble with is the desire to eat big meals late at night. I come home from work at 11pm just famished and before I catch hold of myself, I've stuffed myself with something that would have been better eaten as a lunch or breakfast, and will just sit in my stomach for hours while I 'sleep it off.'

No more. I have discovered the trick.

I watch "How Clean is Your House" on BBCA as soon as I get home. I follow that with "You Are What You Eat," and maybe "Dirty Jobs," if I'm really struggling with it. If you can watch these shows and eat something at the same time, you've got a stronger stomach than I do.

Anybody else do this? I soooooo recommend it. Since I started DVR-ing and watching these shows at night, I've completely stopped overindulging before bed, other than a beer or cup of unsweetened tea.

Another trick is to tally up everything you've eaten all day and calculate the calories. If I've consumed more than 1,500 cal or so, I find it easier to forgo (or adjust for something healthier) what I wanted to eat at the end of the day. My sister and I email each other our food journal every night before bed so we'll have some accountability. This has completely eliminated my weekend binge-eating, a habit I've had for years, in just a few short weeks.

What are some tricks you guys/gals use?

I need some good tricks myself... thanks for sharing!

I count my calories before eating So I choose differently if needed.
Another thing I do Is look at calories on the back of everything I buy at the store now Leaving alot of temptations on the shelves at the grocery.
As far as cookies/ect I got kids so I just always say maybe tommorrow I can fit some in and even though I usually never do it seems to work.

They say that if you crave sweets, put a dab of hot sauce in your tongue and it's supposed to help the craving .. I've never tried it though.

-- first, I have a great big mug of hot tea or a mocha-coffee (coffee with a tsp of cocoa powder in it).
-- second, I have a good snack available to quench my hunger mid-evening like turkey pepperettes (2 x 50 cals = 100); or a cube of cheese; with whole wheat soda crackers (6) or an apple.
-- finding something to do helps the most; like doing crosswords, puzzles, reading, journaling, knitting, crocheting, quilting, and so forth. Reading makes me so tired that I fall asleep ... and you can't eat when you are asleep, right?

This is a fantastic idea, I might have to try it!

I don't do this often enough, but always having a plate of mixed fresh raw veggies prepped for dipping, and a cup of lowfat yogurt dip spiced up really hot (garlic, chili, curry, cumin), is the best way for me to fill up without consuming many calories. But I prefer to nibble on spicy foods, not sweets. You can use salsa as a dip too.

I learned this trick on a healthy cooking show, and she also suggested putting the tray of veggies out while prepping meals, so you aren't quite so starving when you finally sit down to eat.

I don't count non-starchy veggies, so I can also toss up a nice big salad and use salsa for dressing and stuff myself on that. Or I can have a big bowl of spicy miracle cabbage/veggie soup.

I have been hooked on the Biggest Loser for the past 3 seasons. I try to take a few tidbits from it...... and one that really works for me is when I want something sweet or something from McD's drive thru--- I pop in a piece of Extra Gum, the Polar Ice or Pepermint. It seems to help me.

OH YEAH, love the gum trick and I use whitening gum, too, so it's even more helpful. I would never spit out a piece of whitening gum until I had chewed the life out of it, so I'm not at all tempted to spit it out to eat something else. Thanks for mentioning that one, Ladyrider!

Altoids!

Great thread! I don't have much of a problem with eating at night but my friend, who just started kinda/sorta trying to lose weight says that's probably her number obstacle with losing weight. I'm going to send these to her!

Keeping cut up fruit salad or an already made green salad in the fridge helps if I want a low cal snack.

If I don't want to eat but want SOMETHING, I go with herbal tea (a whole pot, why not!) or chicken or veggie broth.

if I know it's just boredom, sometimes brushing my teeth works since I know I'll have to do it again if I eat and I am too lazy for that. Or getting in bed away from the kitchen.... or taking a shower or doing other self care types of things. Distraction!

Hmmm, maybe I'll try showering and brushing my teeth as soon as I walk in the door from work. That would release tension and help me wind down at night. Thanks, BlueSky!

I really appreciate everybody sharing their tricks/ideas. I'm going to need them as I anticipate a plateau any minute now (and my workout buddy is talking about moving out of state in a couple months).

I've recently become addicted to the little lunch sized cups of apple sauce, only 100 calories and a serving of fruit!

Also morning star corn dogs, with a bit of ketchup only 165 calories! Awesome late night snack.

All great ideas!