How to cope with late night cravings

[Anonymous]

Every night I say I won’t snack and every night I succumb. The second the kids are sleeping and I’m able to rest, it’s like my brain is wired to think relaxing equals a snack. It is such an intense and powerful feeling and I am struggling to push past it. I suspect if u could stop it for even a week, it would diminish significantly.

Anyone else deal with this or something like it? Any strategies that work for pushing past it without losing your mind?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

If you have to give into it give in with air popped popcorn and a tea. Or decaf coffee and a rice Krispy treat (100 calories). Or an apple and a string cheese.

Keep it under 200 calories.

[Anonymous]

Brush and floss your teeth and watch TV in bed.

[Anonymous]

I had horrible sugar cravings for years. Got some blood work done and found out that I had multiple vitamin deficiencies. After supplementing they went away completely.

[Anonymous]

Do you have an overweight or obese BMI? If not, you may just be physically hungry and unable to recognize it.

[Anonymous]

Take sleeping pills and program yourself to fall asleep sooner in the evening. Your body will shift after about 2 weeks and you won't feel hungry at night anymore. The sleeping pills are just to ease you into the new schedule.

[Anonymous]

I had this to and have pretty much beat it. Give in slightly- hot chocolate or tic tacs if you have a sweet tooth, saltine crackers if you like savory, glass of red wine. I found getting in to a good show or reading a really good book gets your mind off of it.
It WILL get better with time but you will have stronger cravings at certain times of the month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Take sleeping pills and program yourself to fall asleep sooner in the evening. Your body will shift after about 2 weeks and you won't feel hungry at night anymore. The sleeping pills are just to ease you into the new schedule.

Yes, deprive yourself of your relaxation/alone time at the end of the day - I'm sure you don't receive any benefits from that.

I eat a snack every night. I have regained zero pounds of a 40 pound weight loss after 3 years. Maybe just plan for it instead of beating yourself up over it. Everyone's appetite is different and you are allowed to eat when you're hungry.

[Anonymous]

Try Intermittent Fasting. Stop eating at 7pm. IF isn't skipping meals, it's just getting your calories in during a specific window so your body burns fat after 12 hours of fasting. I stop eating at 7pm and don't eat again until 10am the next day. I find that I'm not hungry at night (or the morning for that matter), and I end up going to bed earlier which is a bonus. We all need more sleep anyway. Being more rested, you feel better and make better food choices the next day. It's all tied together. Good luck OP!

[Anonymous]

Don’t buy snacks. Or, only buy snacks for the kids that you don’t like. Sit down with water, and only have that.

[Anonymous]

Eat enough during the day and eat a small amount of the food you typically crave, earlier in the day. This is what works.

[Anonymous]

Create a new ritual- maybe a cup of decaf tea?

[Anonymous]

Many times people think they’re hungry when they’re just dehydrated. Drink a talk glass of water and see if that helps before grabbing something high in protein and low in sugar.

[Anonymous]

I used to equate reading with having a crunchy snack. Very hard habit to break. Now if I have the urge, I make a cup of tea or cut up an apple. Air popped popcorn is also great.

[Anonymous]

OP here—these are all great suggestions. It’s definitely not legit hunger because it doesn’t go away after eating. It’s like at some point I just stop because I have to but I never actually want to or feel satisfied. And it’s not there in the morning or other times of the day. I also typically eat a bigger dinner. I’m not overweight but as I’ve aged I find these things make a bigger difference in maintaining my weight and how I feel. I used to be able to get away with it but I can’t anymore and it’s so hard to break the habit.

I think the idea of having something well defined and limiting it is key. I just can’t get over how intense my cravings have become in my 40s… more than ever.