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Does anyone have any tips for curbing late night eating?

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Does anyone have any tips for curbing late night eating?

Old 11-15-12, 09:11 AM
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Does anyone have any tips for curbing late night eating?

Well Title says it all.

But let me add some disclaimers just because I know how much people love to spout their knowledge (Not written in proper prose for the grammar conscious, want to nip that one in the bud):

1. Yes Calories in vs. Calories out, thank you, know it, subscribe to it, live by it, no need to preach to me.
2. "Hungry?, Hungry to Win?" Sadly doesn't give me the mental boost.
3. Yes Water, lots of it, thank you
4. No Junk, thank you.
5. Ride lots? Yep 15-20 hour a week.
6. Cross training? Yes it is called cyclocross, dumbells? Been there done that.

If anyone has a strategy for preventing dinner from become an endless munch fest (Make salad, eat salad, find yourself browsing for food 10 minutes later), please let me know.
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Old 11-15-12, 09:51 AM
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- Finish dinner
- Wash the dishes, clean the kitchen, put away all the leftovers etc.
- Tidy the house
- Get busy doing something active ... go for a ride, clean out the storage closet, go for a walk, vacuum the house, work on a hobby or project, or whatever.
- Make a cup of tea ... black, no sugar, no milk
- Sit down, relax, and sip tea.

When you're busy and not bored, chances are you won't think about eating. And for me, the tea usually seems to fill the gap.

A couple other things I've done is to brush my teeth after dinner with a very minty toothpaste, chew mint gum, or to limit myself to one chocolate mint cookie in the evening when I've sat down to drink the tea.

I lost 13 lbs in 13 weeks last year changing lunch to just veggies and cutting out the evening snacking.

Last edited by Machka; 11-15-12 at 09:59 AM.
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Old 11-15-12, 10:24 AM
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Turning off the late-night cookie monster is something only you can do for yourself. That said, Machka's suggestion about tea helps. (Some.) Other ideas include:

- Turn off the kitchen light. Don't turn it back on until morning.
- Healthy snacks. Low-fat or air-popped popcorn (with tea to make you feel full), or celery, etc.
- When you think you're hungry, go to bed (early).
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Old 11-15-12, 10:45 AM
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Something that has helped me is chia seeds, yep the same seeds they use on those stupid chia pet things that they sell. These seeds adsorb a lot of water swell up and seem to fill you up and satisfy hunger longer. I usually put 2 teaspoons in a yogurt or sugar free pudding cup. They help with irregularity too BTW.

Beyond that it's a head game, you are head hungry rather than physically hungry, if that's the case then the tips previously mentioned, get busy and stay busy to get your mind off food. It takes a good long time to train yourself and break the bad habit of grazing little bits of food that really add on the calories.
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Old 11-15-12, 11:13 AM
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I find that going to bed earlier helps. If I get tired, I get munchie.
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Old 11-15-12, 01:14 PM
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Yes. No carbs. 15g of flavored whey protein in a few ounces of water. That should shut it down. If you try that and it's not quite enough, eat 1 oz. of good cheese, then the whey protein. That always works for me. Not only that, but you supposedly get a HGH response from the whey with no carbs. During the day, I eat a high carb and veggie diet, BTW. But that doesn't work for me before bed.
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Old 11-15-12, 06:59 PM
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Are you trying to lose weight or maintain it? If you're training 15-20 hrs/week you need to eat a lot. Chris Horner says you just have to get used to getting up from the table hungry.
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Old 11-16-12, 02:20 PM
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Make salad, eat salad, look for food 10 minutes later? That sounds like your dinner is not big enough in the first place. You mention the Calories and stuff, it would be helpful if you could give a high level break down of what you eat on a typical day and how many calories each meal has.
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Old 11-16-12, 02:39 PM
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I like the idea of a little whey protein drink. I do try to minimize liquids after dinner though, as I am getting to the age where I'm up a couple of times a night as it is. (Cue Middle Aged Man theme song here.)
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Old 11-16-12, 04:10 PM
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Whey protein for me too.

But are you really eating enough and do you really need to lose weight? 15-20 hours a week is a lot. When I do that for a while the problem is more getting enough food than it is avoiding food.
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Old 11-16-12, 04:22 PM
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I practice a low carb diet and since starting this, the late night munchies are not what they used to be and I wake up with more energy.

What you are eating for dinner may have a lot to do with this... too light a dinner may result in you looking for more food later on to fill that gap.
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Old 11-16-12, 06:48 PM
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I'm not convinced that what you're eating for dinner is the main cause or cure. To me, it sounds like you have too large a calorie deficit before dinner. Try eating more throughout the day and eating less, more often.

Also - hate to say it, but there's no magic bullet. A little self-control goes a long way.
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Old 11-16-12, 09:08 PM
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Are you eating because you're hungry or because you're bored?

If you're hungry, try adding some lean protein to your dinner. If you're bored, find something to distract you.
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Old 11-16-12, 10:03 PM
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Brush your teeth after dinner. If you get the urge to eat. Brush them again.
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Old 11-16-12, 10:11 PM
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Install TV in your bedroom and jump into bed after dinner. Once you're lying down you won't want to get up and make a snack.
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Old 11-18-12, 06:21 PM
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Don't keep any food around that's easy to make into something to eat.
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Old 11-18-12, 08:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Sixty Fiver
I practice a low carb diet and since starting this, the late night munchies are not what they used to be and I wake up with more energy.

What you are eating for dinner may have a lot to do with this... too light a dinner may result in you looking for more food later on to fill that gap.
Eat low carb, and high fat. You will enter ketosis after about a week, and you will seldom be hungry. After about 2 weeks you will have all your strength and energy back, and you will find that you will not huff and puff despite high exertion. If you don't have a HR monitor, you will need one because you will not be able to rely on your breathing to tell you when you are overexerting. You will loose a lot of weight if you exercise, and your cholesterol will drop.
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Old 11-18-12, 08:48 PM
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Eat more fat. Chill with the attitude.
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Old 11-18-12, 09:12 PM
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From what I've been reading "late night eating = bad" is really just a myth; as long as you eat reasonably and healthily, it doesn't matter. I've been falling in the patter of having a small, hot bowl of oatmeal / yogurt / fruit right before bad and I'm still losing weight!

Originally Posted by Machka
- Finish dinner
- Wash the dishes, clean the kitchen, put away all the leftovers etc.
- Tidy the house
- Get busy doing something active ... go for a ride, clean out the storage closet, go for a walk, vacuum the house, work on a hobby or project, or whatever.
- Make a cup of tea ... black, no sugar, no milk
- Sit down, relax, and sip tea.

When you're busy and not bored, chances are you won't think about eating. And for me, the tea usually seems to fill the gap.
all good tips, altho I disagree about milk. For me, a tablespoon of milk in coffee/tea or some half&half actually fills me up much more (cause you know, fat). Plain tea, on the other hand, can make me hungrier since it gets my tastebuds and stomach juices going.
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Old 11-18-12, 09:36 PM
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Raw carrots can help satisfy cravings and fill up the hole. Low cal and fiber.
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Old 12-02-12, 08:14 PM
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Does anyone have any tips for curbing late night eating?

Wow it took me a while to look back at this thread. Good suggestions, I will probably take a few here and a few there. Thanks everyone, some of these I have not tried. The thing that strikes me the most is that I probably DO come into dinner with a far too large calorie deficit (On the range of 2k calories or up).
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Old 12-03-12, 01:37 AM
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So what are you saying, that you need like 3000 Calories per day and that you only eat 1000 Calories before dinner?
There might be something wrong with your Calorie estimation, but if it is correct, then it looks like you are starving yourself until dinner, then eat a light meal and are asking for tips on how to suppress your appetite?
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Old 12-03-12, 03:45 AM
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Originally Posted by dnuzzomueller
Well Title says it all.

But let me add some disclaimers just because I know how much people love to spout their knowledge (Not written in proper prose for the grammar conscious, want to nip that one in the bud):

1. Yes Calories in vs. Calories out, thank you, know it, subscribe to it, live by it, no need to preach to me.
2. "Hungry?, Hungry to Win?" Sadly doesn't give me the mental boost.
3. Yes Water, lots of it, thank you
4. No Junk, thank you.
5. Ride lots? Yep 15-20 hour a week.
6. Cross training? Yes it is called cyclocross, dumbells? Been there done that.

If anyone has a strategy for preventing dinner from become an endless munch fest (Make salad, eat salad, find yourself browsing for food 10 minutes later), please let me know.
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Old 12-04-12, 12:35 PM
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1 or 2 avocados. Guaranteed!
If it's not enough wheat bran
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Old 12-04-12, 01:00 PM
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A glass of water and a small handful of carrots or celery works for me.
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