Hi everyone-

I was wondering if anyone had any tips for eating at night. I am able to stick with it and maintain myself during the day. I eat healthy and healthy snacks, it's great! When I get home, it all disappears though. I lose all motivation, feel like I will never see a change and start eating. And eating. And eating.

Does anyone have any great tips on how to combat this? It's my biggest problem and it seems like if I even find projects to do, I still end up snacking!

Thanks for the help!

I know a lot of people officially cut of eating at a certain time but that has never worked for me. I've always been an after hours snacker and always will be. Especially now that I have children, it is the only time I have to sit down and quietly enjoy what I eat. So, I too, had to find a way not to let the last snack turn into a full blown binge. First of all, I make sure I have a certain number of calories left at the end of the day. Second, I never eat my snack while I'm in the kitchen. I measure it and take it to another room so that I'm less tempted to graze. Finally, if I have to, I just go on to bed. If it is still early I may drag out my usual teeth brushing, face, washing routine but I still hit the sack. After all, I can't eat if I'm sleeping!

I agree with lucky... build an evening snack into your eating patterns. Include some protein and make it into an actual mini-meal. Structure is the key. If you know you have that snack, you won't have to binge all evening.

Amen to what Lucky and Futuresurferchick said. If it's you ... build it in.

BTW ... I stopped to look at this thread because I had a horrible carb slide last night! I guess the lesson in that is ... it happens. Learn how to work it in and learn to how to get past the odd slip up. We'll help you!

It might sound silly and/or girly, but paint your fingernails! It can take some time out of your prime eating hours, and (at least I do) you hate to touch stuff while they're still gooey! Plus, even if you try to eat something, your hands stink for awhile after you do it! Hahahahaha. Knitting is another good one, keeps your hands busy and out of the chips

Keep healthy, low cal things to snack on. I like to munch on carrots and radishes. Like others have said, plan your calories to allow a light meal at the end of the day. I personally like to indulge in a big bowl of veggie soup. Night time snacking doesn't have to mean reaching for a bag of chips or ice cream!

Thanks for all the ideas, the more the better. You've all done really well so far so you're giving me hope! Thanks so much!

I've often struggled with this as well...a couple things have helped me. First, I got rid of many "healthy" snacks I had lying around the house. Got rid of 100 calorie snack packs, got rid of granola bars. I keep some of those things at work with me sometimes (where I can control it better) but not at home, or I'll eat 5-6 "low calorie" snacks at a time. Also, no cookies, no crackers, no ice cream, nothing. Veggies are a good thing to have around, but my kitchen is so bare of quick "snacks" that even when I feel like binging and having a late night snack I often just pace back and forth between the fridge and cupboard until I discover there's really nothing to eat that I wouldn't have to make, and then my lazy self goes back to what I was doing.

Eating protein late at night probably helps too, as long as it's not too much of an easy packaged food that you could overdo it on. I also work out in the evenings, and find that afterwards I'm so focused on feeling good and healthy (and I think exercise mildly suppresses my appetite as well) that I don't feel like having an unhealthy snack. Of course, none of this cuts it ALL the time, you just have to account for and accept that you'll never be 100% perfect in your eating habits. Just own up to it, and keep trying to get better. Aim for that magical 99.9% good eating, it is how you eat over time that matters more than one particular binge. Good luck Erika, I am sure you will do great!

Don't keep anything high calorie around to snack on. I do enjoy having a bath, or alternatively I go upstairs and watch tv up there, and set the burglar alarm downstairs so I'd have to unset it to get to the kitchen. The sound of the alarm going off as I go downstairs is usually enough to remind me not to do it!

Plan a pre-emptive strike! I have this problem, too, and I've found that eating small meals throughout the day helps me not crave stuff at night. I used to find that I'd get really hungry in the afternoon and I'd go into "plotting" mode, just plotting up what goodies I could buy on the way home. If I eat healthy snacks throughout the day, I'm reasonably hungry by dinner and then afterwards I don't feel like anything else.

The suggestions about taking a bath and painting your nails are also great, too. Treat yourself right!

Ann

I'm the same - I find it really easy to be good all day, but by 7pm... it gets tough!

One trick I use is to leave my dessert from dinner, and save it for the evening. Also, on the diet I'm on you can have a 100 cal treat a day AND an alcoholic drink or combine the 2 and don't bother with the drink... so I always save that 200 cal for the evening, when I'm watching telly. Which means I've got a dessert AND 200 cal left for after 7pm, if I work it that way!

My other tip is - can you knit?!? I've found I forget all about snacking anyway if I'm knitting - it's just so hypnotic!

Ah and here's another one.... I often do my exercise when the kids are in bed at night, because it might just be me, but... I never feel like eating after I've done half an hour on the exercise bike, or a DVD!