Hi guys. I'm new here. I was always thin until after I stopped breastfeeding my daughter. I even lost the baby weight fast. I think I was so used to eating bigger portions from being pregnant and breastfeeding that I just ballooned up when I stopped breastfeeding because I never adjusted how much I ate.

So here I am, 50 pounds heavier than I've ever been (aside from being pregnant). I've been this weight for a year now and it's so depressing. There's no excuse, really.

I've tried South Beach and Weight Watchers but neither worked for me. Low carbs isn't my cup of tea and weight watchers was too complicated as far as figuring out points, etc. So I'm back to basics - counting calories.

Anyway, one of the biggest problems I have is night eating. I always do well throughout the day and then about 2 hours after dinner, I'm starving. Then I eat a bunch of crap and the cycle continues. I was hoping to share my meal plan and get some feedback if you don't mind, as far as keeping my body fueled and not getting so hungry at night.

I'm a stay-at-home mom, so I get some "exercise" throughout the day, and will be starting Just Dance with Julianne as soon as my DVD arrives. Plan on doing that 4 days a week.

So anyway, here it is. Do you think this will help stave off late-night hunger? Any other ideas?

Breakfast - Quaker Oats Weight Control Oatmeal (high fiber, low sugar)
Lunch - Lean Cuisine Meals
Dinner - Protein (chicken or beans) and veggies
Snack - A few Triscuits and a few pieces of Kraft 2% cubed cheese

Hi there. I have a couple of ideas for you to consider or discard as you see fit. Do you actually find Lean Cuisine meals satisfying? I can't say I do. The volume is small and they have an artificial aftertaste. Any chance you could prepare your own lunches, such as tuna salad or veggie/cheese wraps? I'd also suggest you have a small snack between lunch and dinner (maybe a Greek yogurt cup?), because that's the biggest time interval and if you're hungry at dinner you're liable to overeat.

HTH Freelance

Good point! I'll make some tuna or have hard boiled eggs. Thanks for the advice!

What's your daily calorie goal? For me, I found when my goal was too low I'd eat pretty well throughout the day (calorie-wise) but I was never completely satisfied and a couple hours after dinner I'd be starving, I'd binge and the whole day would be ruined. This has always ended up leaving me discouraged and I quit.

I currently upped my calories a bit. I'm eating between 1500-1700 a day. Much healthier than the 1200 I've tried doing in the past. I eat 3 pretty large meals, B=~400 cal and L/D=~500-600. My lunch and dinner always include a ton of veggies, protein (usually chicken) and a carb (usually brown rice). I started doing this Nov. 1st and I can count on one hand the number of times I've felt the urge to snack after dinner.

I'd recommend playing around with the number of calories you're eating to get to a point where you are satisfied at night. Good Luck!!!

hmm...good point. I've been trying to do 1200, so maybe increasing that will help. Thanks for the advice. I'll give it a go!

Like you, I tend to eat alot at night, and even through eating full scheduled meals and snacks, I still found that I would be craving food at night, regardless if I'm at home bored, or out on the run....

So I adjusted my calories during the day to where I eat a majority of them in the evening. I don't overeat anymore, and I'm just not hungry before the afternoon/evening, only eating a little snack until then...

This is far from typical and not what everyone recommends , but it works for me...

So the only thing I can add to whats been said is prehaps adjust the timing on the amount of calories your eating. And I agree with maybe increasing your calories...1200 is the bare minium and alot of people have trouble eating that, especially if they are active, and excerising

I went to bed early a lot of the time! For me, a lot of my bad habits regarding food needed to be broken slowly. It takes a while to get into a new routine! So I just put myself to bed early for awhile, since it was already a bit overwhelming just getting used to counting calories and keeping a food journal. I didn't see why I should test my willpower right off the bat!