Tips to Stop Late Night Eating

The American Diet is turned upside down - especially for those trying to lose unwanted fat. Eating most of your calories in the evening makes them difficult to burn off and it usually means your eating is shifted. Most people looking to lose fat will skip breakfast, have a salad for lunch and then wind up clawing at the cabinets until they go to bed. The calories eaten late at night are typically not the most nutritious ones. Late night eating is a habit that can be changed and when it does, you will notice the excess weight begin to fall off. Eating late at night effects your sleep, detoxification, hormones, energy and more. Here are some tips to eat healthful throughout the day and cut out eating past 7 PM.

Late Night Eating - 9 Tips to Stop Night Time Snacking


Late night eating is a terrible problem for most dieters. Many people maintain good diets during the day only to blow it late at night. Below are 9 tips to curb late night eating.
Be sure to eat 3 good meals during the day with 1 or 2 between meal snacks. Most people try to eat too few calories during the day only to binge late at night. A good insurance policy is to eat most of your calories before 6 PM.

When you feel the urge to eat late at night, try drinking 2 or more cups of water. You can also make a cup of herbal tea sweeten with honey or artificial sugar. Hot liquids have a soothing effect on emotions and appetite.

Remind yourself that it's normal to feel hungry late at night due to habitually eating late. Breaking this habit is like learning to quit smoking. Remind yourself of your goal to lose 20 or 30 pounds and the key to losing this weight is to STOP late night eating.

Much of late night eating after dinner can be avoided by hiding the junk food. Put foods that you're prone to eat late at night out of sight. Better yet, don't buy junk food at all, though this may not be possible if you have kids.

Suck on hard candy. Most hard candy have only a few calories and they give you the satisfaction of snacking.

Keep a written copy of your diet plan in view, which will keep your goal of losing weight firmly fixed in your mind. The temptation to snack late at night will not be as great if you don't give into the urge for several weeks.

Some people have great success by simply brushing their teeth late at night. This method has been known to curb late night eating for many people.

The most vulnerable time for eating late is 1 hour after dinner right up to bedtime. Keep your life interesting by working on a favorite hobby and NOT watching TV. The ads on TV can subconsciously trigger the impulse to eat. Boredom is your biggest danger to late night eating.
Psyche yourself for the battle. You know that you will feel tempted to snack late at night. It's an artificial feeling that will go away when you go to bed. The next morning, you probably won't be hungry .... eat breakfast anyway .... it's the most important meal of the day.

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Article # 2 from Web MD

Are You a Midnight Muncher?



Break the late-night eating habit

By Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, LD WebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Expert Column
Does the refrigerator call your name after dark? Chances are, you satisfied your hunger at dinner, so these late-night munchies are not about being hungry. Instead, they're a result of habit, boredom, stress, or fatigue after a long, hard day. No matter what the cause, eating at night usually leads to overeating, and can wreak havoc on your weight-loss diet.

For many people, late-night eating is just a habit -- it's quiet at night, no one is around to see you eat, and it's a peaceful time to enjoy your favorite foods. Unfortunately, this habit has got to go if you are going to lose weight permanently. If you eat more calories at times of day when you're not expending much energy, you're likely to gain weight.

Breaking Free of Late-Night Eating

But keep in mind that it's not necessarily the time you eat that leads to weight gain, but the type of foods you tend to eat late at night. Favorite foods for after-dark munching include ice cream, potato chips, chocolate, desserts -- you get the picture. Your body does not process food differently after dark, but nighttime tends to be the most sedentary time of the day, when your calorie needs are minimal. The bottom line: Eating after dinner tends to pack on the pounds.
So what's a dieter to do? The ideal solution is to eat three square meals a day and avoid all between-meal eating. Because that is not so easy to do, here are 10 tips to help you get over midnight munching:

Resolve not to eat late in the day or after dinner.
Distract yourself -- take the dog for a walk, curl up with a good book, or relax in a hot bath.
Satisfy your cravings with a low calorie alternative like herbal tea, a handful of veggies, or a piece of fruit.
Increase the fiber in your diet, especially at dinner. Try adding beans or whole grains to keep you feeling full.
Increase the protein in your dinner. Recent research suggests that protein has the greatest staying power to keep hunger at bay.
Limit all eating to the kitchen or dining room, and always eat while sitting down at the table. This helps curb "eating amnesia," that mindless munching in front of the television.
Eat slowly and savor the taste of your food. Give yourself 15 to 20 minutes for your brain to get the signal that you have had enough.
Start your day with breakfast. People who skip breakfast are more likely to snack impulsively on calorie-laden foods.
Let your journal be your friend. Use your diet journal to help you track your meals and keep you on target with your eating plan.
Drink plenty of water. Not only will it help you stay hydrated, it will give you something to do with your hands and mouth.

Here's one more important consideration: Make sure you have not cut your calorie intake so low that you are starving at night. You may need to bump up your daytime calories a bit to stave off late-night hunger. But before you create a new eating plan, make sure that your urge to eat at night is really hunger -- not boredom or just habit.

The most successful dieters eat three meals a day and resist the temptation to snack between meals and after dinner. Oprah Winfrey's diet guru, Bob Greene, advises clients not to eat at all after 8 p.m., as a technique to limit total calories.

So if you're plagued by midnight munchies, do your best to get yourself into a regular meal routine. Keep it simple, and remember that your main goal is to get into the habit of not eating after dinner.

Originally published Sept. 12, 2003. Medically updated Sept. 1, 2004.