Does anyone experience these night time demons? I am eating what I call "squeaky clean" and this is something new; but seems to be working quite well. Healthy is good! I am eating 4 small meals a day 3 of them being breakfast, lunch dinner and then one small snack (that consists of usually whole whole wheat crackers, fruit or yogurt). The problem is that at 11pm I am dying of hunger...! And I mean real hunger. I usually fall asleep anywhere inbetween 12:30 and 3am. And I wake around 10ish. I have breakfast cereal (high fiber/portion controlled) with milk and a fruit of some sorts then I usually have another piece of fruit around 2 and then eat lunch at 3 or so and then eat dinner at 7:30 and that is all for the day. I eat 3 fruits, 3 veggies, 2 fats ( butter, EVOL or Mayo) Lean meat, all complex non glycemic foods and three dairy products and water about or close to a galloon a day! How could I be hungery? I don't count calories or fat; I just wing because I feel that this CLEAN thing is a better idea. I have lost 4 pounds in the first week alone so obviously it is working. I work out about 4 times a week about a half each time.
Is it because of a bad habit that I have had for years of eating at night? I now read, do puzzles, watch TV whatever I can to NOT eat... and still my tummy is rubbling like it is as empty as a Survivor Island Camp Ground?? I don't get it? Will this go away?
Any ideas? Maybe I should change up the menu times? I don't want to eat anywhere near my bedtime. I want my last meal to be dinner? AND I tried today to eat more at dinner to hold me over? Well that ain't working either....I can't eat alot I have never been someone who ate too much I just made really poor choices too often...if that makes sense?
I like your idea of Clean eating as opposed to counting calories or fat or carbs. But I would suggest eating if you are hungry. Listen to your body; it knows what it needs. Have something small, some cheese or nuts or raisins, whatever works for you. However, if you really don't want to eat anything, try drinking a glass of water, or some skim milk. I think as long as you don't wait until you're ready to go to sleep before you eat, you should be fine as long as it's not a big meal.
I would say eating some raw carrots or spinach... or take a cup of water, juice a lemon, add some red pepper, and a spoon of syrup and drink it. The lemon juice will work to clean your body and shrink your stomache. The syrup is for flavor and also for calories (because its part of a detoxing system where you do it for 10 days or 3 days drinking the mix 8-10 times a day and the syrup is for caloric energy). It won't kill you to eat a small something. Try juicing some carrots and an apple. It has less calories then eating the same and is more nutrious. Don't be afraid to eat what is good for you such as spinache, broccoli, carrots, etc.
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I agree, eat something if your hungry, and your are loosing weight so I don't think having a late snack will hurt. I like to eat a pickle sometimes for a snack, it fills me up just fine or a scoop of apple sauce, or cottage cheeze, but no need to suffer.
I would suggest you take another look at the calories-- you may not be getting enough. If you're eating less than 1200 - 1400 calories a day and exercising a lot, you are probably netting out at 900 - 1200 calories per day. If it's on the low side, it's no wonder you're hungry-- that's not enough food to repair tissue, so you may lose muscle as well as water and fat.
At "starvation" levels, the body starts to consume muscle while sparing fat as much as possible and making you almost violently hungry-- it's a survival mechanism. It also tends to lead to binging, when you just can't stand being hungry anymore.
So I'd say write down everything you eat for a few days and/or use fitday.com. That way you can fine-tune your eating so you are not experiencing this level of hunger. That's what I'm doing, it has worked well, and I'm getting 1400 - 1500 calories per day, sometimes a lot more, depending on how much exercise I'm doing. Good Luck.
Eating late at night is a bad habit to break, especially if your body's used to it. Bear in mind that what you eat later in the evening doesn't get worked off.
I had the same problem, so I started taking evening walks. Do you live in an area where you can go for a quick, brisk walk late at night? (I only ask because some neighbourhoods aren't safe to walk in at night.) Any exercise tends to kill my appetite, so whenever I get the extreme munchies I'll either go for a walk around the block or drink a couple of glasses of iced water with lemon juice. Drinking lots of water kills your appetite, too.
Motivated Queen--You are not the only person with this problem. I have dealt with this for 19 years, since I did my first serious adult weight loss program. If I go to bed hungry, I cannot sleep! Over the years I have gone from extremes of literally being up all night because I wouldn't give in and eat something to eating way more than I should out of frustration, which finally put me to sleep (drugged is a more appropriate concept, I think). I've tried eating various low calorie foods which fill my stomach, and I've tried eating protein snacks (during a short period I was on Atkins) before bed. But I still don't sleep well. The only thing that helps me is having whole wheat bread or a high fiber cereal, with whole wheat bread bringing the best sleep. I've concluded that for me, there must be some physical basis for it. I've had problems with depression and OCD over the years, and I've taken Prozac for about 7 years. I know that both of these medical conditions have a biological basis in serotonin--a chemical in the brain that helps with mood and feeling good--and that complex carbohydrates such as whole grains help to stimulate the production of serotonin in the brain. I guess what I am trying to say (I tend to babble on) is since you are working a food program that you seem to be tailoring to what works for you, look at the need/desire for an evening snack as a serious part of that plan. If you don't sleep well, your ability to follow your food plan during the day will be seriously compromised, as well as will your ability to be a productive person. Good luck. P.S. I like the balance you are working with in your daily plan. I have found that straight low carb is just too strict for me. I am not satisfied at all, and like I said, I had trouble sleeping. I've been trying for a balance of lean protein/complex carbohydrate--which keeps me from getting hungry, plus lots of veggies. I am not sure yet where the fruit and dairy belong. I have found that high glycemic foods simply make me more hungry, so I am trying to get away from them. The hard part for me is that weight loss is so slow for me that I get discouraged, no matter what plan I use. Last summer I lost 13 pounds over 2 months on Atkins, but it was really hard for me to follow. I also have a possible allergy to eggs, which automatically eliminates them as a protein source for me. Anyway, thanks for sharing what you eat. It gave me some ideas as to what might work for me, now that I am struggling.
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Thanks for the response! I was on the low carb thing for what seemed like years and don't get me wrong...low carb works and one can really take off some serious weight very quickly! However, like anything if you lose the dedication ( like I did out of boredom and want for carbs) the weight comes right back and usually with interest, and again with any program that you are on. Weightloss slow is a better idea, it is said that there is better chance that the weight will stay off..or longer. I am not too sure that is all that true. For me the weight came back just the same at and with the same vengence on a low carb or a low fat diet?
Late night eating is something that I guess doesn't go away really. It is always there..and I am always hungry. I don't sleep all that bad no matter what I eat. Although, I slept like a baby on Atkins..and I felt better than I had felt in years too. Not just the weight loss...I mean that almost high that I got with the extreme restriction of the carbs. Every morning I felt thinner. I just wish that I could stay on it and stick with it past the Induction stage. I stuck to it once for three months straight ( I look back now and I don't know how!) and I lost 46 pounds!
Well I am rambling here too....Thanks for the input.
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Hi Motivated Queen,
I'm like you. Dinner around 6pm and I go to bed sometime after 1am usually... Around 10:30 - 11pm I am looking for something. I'm sure you can tell the difference between late night munchies (bad stuff) and true hunger.
I think part of it is a late night habit but then again it's 7 hours between dinner and bedtime. If I can't resist, I try to have something small that's protein based - skim cheese stick, cottage cheese or a bit of peanut butter with a few apple slices or a piece of fruit.
If you're hungry, try having a small evening snack - just make sure it's small and healthy. Good luck with the rest of your weight loss!
Night Time Demons!
I am eating 4 small meals a day 3 of them being breakfast, lunch dinner and then one small snack (that consists of usually whole whole wheat crackers, fruit or yogurt). The problem is that at 11pm I am dying of hunger...! And I mean real hunger. 
I usually fall asleep anywhere inbetween 12:30 and 3am. And I wake around 10ish. I have breakfast cereal (high fiber/portion controlled) with milk and a fruit of some sorts then I usually have another piece of fruit around 2 and then eat lunch at 3 or so and then eat dinner at 7:30 and that is all for the day. I eat 3 fruits, 3 veggies, 2 fats ( butter, EVOL or Mayo) Lean meat, all complex non glycemic foods and three dairy products and water about or close to a galloon a day! How could I be hungery? I don't count calories or fat; I just wing because I feel that this CLEAN thing is a better idea. I have lost 4 pounds in the first week alone so obviously it is working. I work out about 4 times a week about a half each time. 
and still my tummy is rubbling like it is as empty as a Survivor Island Camp Ground?? 
