Does anyone have any suggestions on what I could do about snacking before bed? I know it's not good but I can't seem to break the habit. Here's my daily schedule: I work from 8am-5pm, go home at 5pm and fix supper (I have to cook as soon as I get home so that my food will be settled before I exercise), I go to the gym around 7:30pm and workout for 60-80 mins, after I go home and shower and rest for a minute I'm about to starve. I think it's all in my head because I used to snack at bedtime before I went on a diet. I broke myself for a while and have since started back up. I couldn't even sleep Saturday night because I tried to go without snacking and I laid awake half the night. I don't fill satisfied unless it's cookies or ice cream. Any suggestions? Maybe take a banana to the gym with me and eat it on the way home? Anyone else with this problem?

crystal-

It sounds to me lke you need that snack after working out and depleting your body. Maybe try to make it something healthy like an apple or banana.

Nikki

I don't think it's necessarily bad to snack before bed. Your body doesn't care when you eat the calories. If you do snack and count calories, just leave room for it with your daily allotment. Nikki might be on to something -- it may be good for you after a workout, but you probably do want to make it something healthy...

I am not sure if this is great advice or not, but maybe you could wait to eat your meal until after you exercise. If you are cooking for others just save yourself some for when you come home.

I am a horrible one to give advice on this since eating after 8 is my only dieting issue. I go all day just fine but after the kids are in bed I eat and eat and eat.

Try to save some of your calories for your post workout meal. No matter what time it is, the pwo meal is important.

I try to have a balanced lunch type 'snack' in the evening. It doesn't always work, but most often it does. The key is planning so you have the proper foods available. The craving for cookies and ice cream is probably a craving for energy, not taste.

A big part of dieting is re-educating your brain, so that you don't feel satisfied until you've had a balanced healthy meal.

The comment by beforeim35 to save part of your dinner for post workout is a good one. When I used to work out in the evening, I used to have a snack before, then have my dinner when I got home.

If I ate dinner at 5 and then nothing else, I'd be starving before bed too!! Definitely if you are hungry, eat a snack before bed. This isn't a "problem" I don't think, it's reasonable that you would be hungry in this situation. Just plan for a healthy 200 calorie post work out snack.

My favorite after dinner snacks:

Whole wheat torilla, smeared with peanut butter, heated then wrapped around a banana

Baked apple with blueberries and walnuts

It is best to have a snack after exercise consisting of both carbs and protein. The protein will help your muscles recover. Here is an interesting article about the timing of eating and exercising http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/HQ/00594.html

Perhaps you could eat half of your dinner before exercising and half afterwards (within two hours of exercising). Or, you could save some calories for a balanced snack.

I agree with that there is probably a good reason to add in another meal to your day (I designate both snacks and meals as meals, since each are planned parts of my dietary regime). I usually eat a minimum of 6 times a day, starting at about 5:40 am and going until about 8:30 pm. It really helps to keep hunger under control and makes it really easy to wait for the next meal since I know the wait is never going to be that long.

( Besides, studies have shown that the more "meals" a culture recognizes in each day, the lighter the general populous.)

I have a problem with eating late at night too, especially after my exercise. I have found that a piece of fruit will help me. Usually cantalope, watermelon or fresh pineapple chunks.

I'm with Jen - I only eat 'meals', even though I have 5 - 6 meals per day. All are about the same number of calories and they all have some protein and carbs, whether fruit or veggies or whole grains. Snacks just sound to me like ... snack food, which I usually associate with junky food.

Your post work-out meal is probably your most important meal of the day (regardless of what time you eat it) and the one you definitely don't want to skip! Your muscles are depleted and you need to refuel with protein and good carbs. I'm always starving when I walk in the door from the gym and make sure that I've got something prepared and ready to grab. If anyone got between me and the frig, I'd probably chew right through them.

Studies show that when you eat doesn't matter - it's the total calories consumed in a day that counts. So plan your day so that you can have a good, healthy post-work out meal when you get home and you'll feel better and get better results from your workouts.

I had saw on Oprah once that she didn't eat anything or even have water after about 7PM (if I remember correctly). I tried this and couldn't do it. If I am hungry , I am going to need to eat something. I agree that there is no difference in what time you eat food and that saving a healthy meal for later is the best way to go. Ignoring hunger is the best way to end up binge eating.

Count me in with the 5-6 meal folks. I could never go from 5 pm until bedtime, with a workout and no food.

Your post workout meal is important. Stop thinking about it as a snack, and look at it as refueling your body with the healthy nutrients it needs to recover from a hard workout. A carb and lean protein are perfect. Cottage cheese with apple chunks, cinnamon and splenda...tortilla and chicken breast...protein pudding...a home made protein muffin....There are lots of choices that are healthy, low calorie and will help your body rather than sabotage your efforts.

Mel

You guys have really helped me out today. I see this thing in a whole new light. Now I know why I'm about to starve every night. I always thought that you weren't supposed to eat after 7pm because it would stay on you as fat. I'm going to try everyone's ideas starting tonight. Thanks!!!

And thank YOU! Because you posted your original question, I learned something too!! Let us know how it goes.

I love this place.

I find if I eat late a night I see a difference in the scale the next morning, say I eat my last meal at 6 the next morning the scale would be lower then if I ate my last meal at 8 or 9. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU GAINED WEIGHT! Just remember that, it just means your body still has the food in you! That is usually the case with me anyway.