One of my biggest downfalls is the night time snacks. I am doing my research and developing my plan...however I have noticed that one of the things I do is snack alot in the evening. any suggestions?

It is hard for me to keep snacks completely out of the house due to DH and his habits and wants...I tend to try to be on the healthier side when I do munch...but I feel like I am eating so much.

Thanks in advance!!!

Hi Vonarie welcome to the boards...

This is what I do... I have a DH and two teenagers... I make DH and the kids hide the goodies in the basement where I CANNOT find them... If I do find them he needs to find a new place . For me out of sight out of mind works very well... If I actually do eat after 6pm it's very light like yogurt or cottage cheese or a protein drink made with soy or I just have a hot tea or just hot water with a slice of lemon. To keep my mind off food I come here and post ... I take a hot bath, read, I don't knit but if I did I would ... Do something with your time and hands, change your routine away from food.... It's not easy at first but gets easier with time...

Hi, I empthatize! I have been buying snacks that I don't like...but others do! Devil Dogs (ick) for my husband and individually packaged snacks for my daughter, the are a little more expensive, but worth it. I am more inclined to eat out of an opened bag! I make my husband leave all chipys and chocolately thing in the garage. IF he wants them so badly he can eat them out there!

I have a snack problem when the kids are driving me crazy.

I am a midnight muncher myself. For some reason, the tummy kicks in after dark, when the kids are sleeping. I do not hide the 'real' goodies as my children enjoy them. I buy myself snack foods So that I know, if i am real hungry or the crave is too much to handle, I have something. Last night I snacked on fat free cocoa puffs cereal. I had 1 and 1/2 cup of dry cereal, kinda like popcorn, well maybe not. Sometimes i suck on fireballs or have a cup of fat free hot chocolate. Either way, it sure beats diving into the bowl of christmas chocolates.

thanks for the tips...I am going to try to do better. It is just so hard. I guess snacking isn't so bad as long as you aren't doing all the sweets and fats.

thanks for the support!!

I struggle in the evenings, too. I don't normally get home from work until after 8 PM (even later tonight, I haven't left yet), which means eat a late dinner. I know I'm not hungry afterwards, but sometimes I crave sweets or carbs (cereal and popcorn especially). I've been reading Geneen Roth's Feeding the Hungry Heart, and trying to remember my deep-breathing exercises. And trying to teach myself to knit, without much success. Maybe I'll try needlepoint or something....I find if I distract myself long enough, it goes away.

Evening snacking is a problem for me, too. I think it is boredom more than anything else. Unfortunately I haven't found a good solution to this yet!

I keep a HUGE bowl of clean ready to eat fresh veggies in the refrigerator...usually celery, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, bell pepper, and cucumber. I use them all week to cook with, but at night if I feel the urge to munch I just grab a handful.

This is a big problem for me but it's even worse on nights like tonight when I'm alone because my husband is night shift (its now 1am here in oz - I'm having abit of an insomnia problem) I still haven't came up with a solution yet either and I better do it before tomrrow night or I'll completely empty the pantry

I find that after i work out, i want to eat. Last night i consumed a bowl of cream of wheat sweetened with splenda. it sufficed. I lost 4 pounds...i am doing something right, snacking on sweet things, but low in fat and in moderation of course
snacking is not terrible. I am a bordom eater too, if i am bored, i will play piano or go to bed early

Chubbles -- I am the other way around, in that when I exercise I am not hungry, or if I am I usually aim to eat something healthy because I don't want to undo what the exercise has done ...

I am the queen of late night snacks...HELP!!!

I've always been somewhat of a night owl and so night time snacking is an obstacle that I've always had. I've found that what really works for me is starting my meals a little later in the day. So, instead of breakfast at 6:30 as soon as I get up I may wait until 9:30 or so, whereas I used to eat lunch at 11:00 now it is more like 2:00. We still have dinner around 5:30 or 6:00 which means I'm not absolutely famished and eat much lighter than I used to. And, when it is all said and done, a light dinner and not so much snacking during the day means that I have a reasonable amount of calories still available to consume when I enjoy them the most...at night, after the kids are asleep, and I can relax and actually enjoy a little quiet time AND my favorite snack.

Some of the things I like to do when I get the munchies are to brush my teeth (who wants to dirty up a tingly, clean, fresh mouth after that?), give myself a manicure (you can't eat with wet nails), fill up on some bottled water or some decaf coffee. Try and see what works for you.