Nighttime Snacking Help
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
A while back, I did one of my many posts on emotional eating... which can lead to nighttime eating. YES, I am known to look like the pic above during this hormone filled stage of my life.... which makes my work on avoiding the urge to eat even harder!
I also have had way too many PMS years & now with the change of life, I tend to be like this which really tests my eating habits!
Oh, my poor husband!!!! I say thank god for exercise to help me work off the hormone craziness & keeps me from taking it out on my husband all the time!!!
Anyway, the last time I posted about emotional eating, many of you mentioned that it is that nighttime eating that ruins all your hard work during the day. So, anytime I run into an article about nighttime snacking, I read it!
I was looking for a specific article today & saw this article from Oxygen Women's magazine, Stop Overeating After Dark. If you go to my linked post, I tell you a couple things I do for myself for emotional eating which I also use for nighttime eating.
As for nighttime eating, I am one to PLAN for the day so I have already planned for a healthier snack in the evening. I usually like my organic animal crackers (cookies) from Costco BUT the thing I do here is I count them out, put them on a plate and LEAVE the full container in the kitchen!!! My husband always teases me by yelling out "Are you counting your cookies again?"!!! OF COURSE I AM!!! My recommendation is that whatever you are snacking on, take the single serving with you & leave any bag, box or jar of the remainder BEHIND in the kitchen! Once I am done, I always brush, floss & mouthwash for the night so I am not tempted to eat again & then have to go thru the whole teeth process again.
Another thing that helps me is that my mini meals keep me fueled throughout the day so I am not as hungry later in the eve. Now, I know that it is more a mental thing about nighttime eating then the actual hunger so the KEY HERE IS TO CHANGE THE MINDSET & YOUR HABITS!
Read this good article & see if it helps you... I thought there were some great points & ideas!
Night Falls, So Does Your Diet
All of life’s components converge at night – family and home responsibilities, stress from the day, after-work workouts, time constraints and lagging energy. “These factors can wear away your control and cause overeating,” says Sandra Haber, PhD, a New York City psychologist who specializes in the treatment of emotional overeating. “We’re tired at night and our usual defenses and modes of coping are not with us. We’re in a more child-like, impulsive state.” We’re often looking for something to take the edge off a hard day. Emotions can run high and so can perceived hunger.
“When I get home after work, I have problems,” says Diana Dyba, a teacher from Indiana. “I know that I eat badly to relieve stress and to gain some instant energy which I need to take on the workload waiting for me at my other job – homemaker.” Dyba’s weaknesses – chips, peanut butter and chocolate – derail her between four and six p.m.; right before dinner. Plus, when her husband works nights she has little energy for sidestepping snacks and preparing a healthy dinner for one.
Eat Right By Day
A common mistake dieters make is skimping on food early in the day. “Skipping breakfast and having a light lunch sets the stage for deprivation. It builds a caloric deficit that will leave your body wanting to make up for the calories at night,” says Page Love, RD, LD and education coordinator at The Renfrew Center, a women’s eating disorder treatment center. But it’s not just eating regularly that’s important; it’s what you eat that counts.
“A lot of women who are dieting cut out carbs during the day – that’s cutting out their energy foods,” says Love. And a lack of energy is one of the key factors contributing to late night binging. “We need to work on our macronutrient distribution,” says Love. “People are not getting adequate protein, fat and carbohydrates during the day.”
Five Tips For Combating Nighttime Nibbling
Sandra Haber, PhD, offers these tips for staying in control of eating when the sun sets:
• Instead of fighting food, try substituting "better" foods. Replace chips with pretzels, ice cream with fruit, candy with Cheerios and plain cereals. Fill up with hot soup and plain popcorn. From Jody: As you saw in my comments, I do substitute healthier versions of foods that satisfy my nighttime eating cravings. There are lots of healthier "ice cream" options out there now! Even low or non fat Greek yogurt with some fresh fruit or cinnamon or honey to sweeten the taste is an option.
• Divide your dinner into two sections and eat one section at dinnertime and one later in the evening. From Jody: I actually do this but eat the two portions separated earlier & then less hungry later!!!
• Keep your hands busy so they don’t get into mischief. Polish your nails or take up a new hobby. From Jody: I like this polish your nails one! Had not thought about that for the evening but have used it during the day!
• Begin a journal and use the evening time to write a few pages about your feelings. From Jody: I know people that swear by this!
• Dramatically change your routine: Try a hot bath with a glass of wine and some music instead of watching TV. From Jody: Again, change your habits & mindset. Oh, 1 glass of wine.. not 3+++!
OR, how about flavored water or something else that is fairly healthy that soothes you.
Understand What’s Eating You
“If you keep trying to control your food intake, but cannot do it, your emotions may be playing a role,” says Dr. Haber. If you find yourself binging on snack foods or fast foods, eating a large amount of food quickly and/or eating secretly, you’re an emotional eater. “Delay overeating for a few minutes and ask yourself ‘what am I feeling?’ Use this as an exercise to understand yourself, not just to stop overeating.”
A while back, I did one of my many posts on emotional eating... which can lead to nighttime eating. YES, I am known to look like the pic above during this hormone filled stage of my life.... which makes my work on avoiding the urge to eat even harder!
I also have had way too many PMS years & now with the change of life, I tend to be like this which really tests my eating habits!
Oh, my poor husband!!!! I say thank god for exercise to help me work off the hormone craziness & keeps me from taking it out on my husband all the time!!!
Anyway, the last time I posted about emotional eating, many of you mentioned that it is that nighttime eating that ruins all your hard work during the day. So, anytime I run into an article about nighttime snacking, I read it!I was looking for a specific article today & saw this article from Oxygen Women's magazine, Stop Overeating After Dark. If you go to my linked post, I tell you a couple things I do for myself for emotional eating which I also use for nighttime eating.
As for nighttime eating, I am one to PLAN for the day so I have already planned for a healthier snack in the evening. I usually like my organic animal crackers (cookies) from Costco BUT the thing I do here is I count them out, put them on a plate and LEAVE the full container in the kitchen!!! My husband always teases me by yelling out "Are you counting your cookies again?"!!! OF COURSE I AM!!! My recommendation is that whatever you are snacking on, take the single serving with you & leave any bag, box or jar of the remainder BEHIND in the kitchen! Once I am done, I always brush, floss & mouthwash for the night so I am not tempted to eat again & then have to go thru the whole teeth process again.
Another thing that helps me is that my mini meals keep me fueled throughout the day so I am not as hungry later in the eve. Now, I know that it is more a mental thing about nighttime eating then the actual hunger so the KEY HERE IS TO CHANGE THE MINDSET & YOUR HABITS!
Read this good article & see if it helps you... I thought there were some great points & ideas!
Night Falls, So Does Your Diet
All of life’s components converge at night – family and home responsibilities, stress from the day, after-work workouts, time constraints and lagging energy. “These factors can wear away your control and cause overeating,” says Sandra Haber, PhD, a New York City psychologist who specializes in the treatment of emotional overeating. “We’re tired at night and our usual defenses and modes of coping are not with us. We’re in a more child-like, impulsive state.” We’re often looking for something to take the edge off a hard day. Emotions can run high and so can perceived hunger.
“When I get home after work, I have problems,” says Diana Dyba, a teacher from Indiana. “I know that I eat badly to relieve stress and to gain some instant energy which I need to take on the workload waiting for me at my other job – homemaker.” Dyba’s weaknesses – chips, peanut butter and chocolate – derail her between four and six p.m.; right before dinner. Plus, when her husband works nights she has little energy for sidestepping snacks and preparing a healthy dinner for one.
Eat Right By Day
A common mistake dieters make is skimping on food early in the day. “Skipping breakfast and having a light lunch sets the stage for deprivation. It builds a caloric deficit that will leave your body wanting to make up for the calories at night,” says Page Love, RD, LD and education coordinator at The Renfrew Center, a women’s eating disorder treatment center. But it’s not just eating regularly that’s important; it’s what you eat that counts.
“A lot of women who are dieting cut out carbs during the day – that’s cutting out their energy foods,” says Love. And a lack of energy is one of the key factors contributing to late night binging. “We need to work on our macronutrient distribution,” says Love. “People are not getting adequate protein, fat and carbohydrates during the day.”
Five Tips For Combating Nighttime Nibbling
Sandra Haber, PhD, offers these tips for staying in control of eating when the sun sets:
• Instead of fighting food, try substituting "better" foods. Replace chips with pretzels, ice cream with fruit, candy with Cheerios and plain cereals. Fill up with hot soup and plain popcorn. From Jody: As you saw in my comments, I do substitute healthier versions of foods that satisfy my nighttime eating cravings. There are lots of healthier "ice cream" options out there now! Even low or non fat Greek yogurt with some fresh fruit or cinnamon or honey to sweeten the taste is an option.
• Divide your dinner into two sections and eat one section at dinnertime and one later in the evening. From Jody: I actually do this but eat the two portions separated earlier & then less hungry later!!!
• Keep your hands busy so they don’t get into mischief. Polish your nails or take up a new hobby. From Jody: I like this polish your nails one! Had not thought about that for the evening but have used it during the day!
• Begin a journal and use the evening time to write a few pages about your feelings. From Jody: I know people that swear by this!
• Dramatically change your routine: Try a hot bath with a glass of wine and some music instead of watching TV. From Jody: Again, change your habits & mindset. Oh, 1 glass of wine.. not 3+++!
OR, how about flavored water or something else that is fairly healthy that soothes you.
Understand What’s Eating You
“If you keep trying to control your food intake, but cannot do it, your emotions may be playing a role,” says Dr. Haber. If you find yourself binging on snack foods or fast foods, eating a large amount of food quickly and/or eating secretly, you’re an emotional eater. “Delay overeating for a few minutes and ask yourself ‘what am I feeling?’ Use this as an exercise to understand yourself, not just to stop overeating.”
From Jody: This is what I do & is outlined in my emotional eating post. Click on the link above.
Has any of this help you at all. Want to add your thoughts/suggestions? Go at it!
Has any of this help you at all. Want to add your thoughts/suggestions? Go at it!
That "divide you dinner" thing is a very good idea. Now if I can only stop eating the leftovers off of everyone's plate.....
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Man, if I'm going to wreck my diet with sugar it WILL be at night. I am so good during the day but nighttime snacking is my achille's heel. I've found though that the better my breakfast (lots of complete proteins), the less I feel like snacking later on. Sugared cereal or toast and jam? Ice cream all the way come nighttime. Now if I could just remember that, lol!
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Great suggestions!
Some nights I allow myself dessert, and overall that works fine. But my trouble comes when it starts to feel like an entitlement rather than a treat. But it's usually self-correcting--if I'm overdoing it eventually I actually WANT to cut down on gratuitous treats.
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Man, night time snacking is my #1 downfall. I always crave something sweet late at night. I usually make sure there is fruit around at all times just so I don't grab the bag of cookies or ice cream. On occasion (far and few between) I do eat something more on the sugary sweet side, but am getting better about the right kinds of sweets I eat! These are some really great suggestions - Thanks!
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I do the air popped popcorn at night. Also like you, I plan ahead so it's no big deal.
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Jody - this is a great post! Some things I did as I was losing my weight were try drinking hot drinks, chewing gum and keeping busy.
I ended up taking up scrapbooking and knitting, both of which I still enjoy today!
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These are great tips. This is the thing I struggle with the most, so I try different things to see what works to control it. When something fails I try to have a backup plan to keep me on track. Thanks for the great tips!
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Jody, that is so me! I am terrible at night time snacking. My mind will say 'you've been so good all day, why not have a treat'! I know I am undoing the good. But at night, it seems so much harder.
I enlist help from my hubbie when I know I am feeling weak. I'll tell him I dont want to snack, so please help and stop me if I'm tempted.
I loved this post, it was so true for me!
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So glad this was a help to you all. I know that this nighttime eating is tough stuff & especially if we are stressed.
Diane, love that you picked up hobbies that you still enjoy.. great suggestions!
Dr. J... air popped popcorn.. GREAT!
I also forgot to mention my flavored water at night. Keeps my mouth busy
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Bah, night-time snacking is an enemy of mine. How do I deal? It's a flip of the coin. Workin' on it.
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