How to Stop Snacking at Night
Have you ever felt like you can’t stop eating after dinner? I have! But I’ve learned a few tricks for how to stop snacking at night and I’m excited to share them with you! Whether you’re trying to lose weight or you just want to enjoy better sleep, these tips will help!
Don’t Set Rules About When to Eat
Sometimes I snack, sometimes I don’t. I stopped trying to set rules about when to eat. Similarly, I stopped freaking out so much about every single thing I was eating. This means I now eat dinners I really enjoy rather than just trying to eat the healthiest thing I can think of. Dinners that really satisfy me keep me satisfied all night. I don’t feel like I missed out on anything, and I’m honestly not hungry. do I still eat frozen yogurt after dinner? Of course. But it’s now more of a once-a-week kind of thing, rather than an every-single-day kind of thing.
Stay Busy with Other Hobbies
Late-night snacking was a much bigger challenge when I lived alone. I never wanted to admit that boredom was a cause of snacking, but let’s be real. Ice cream is more tempting when you’re parked on the couch alone with Netflix. While Alex and I still like to enjoy a Netflix episode or two at night, I don’t immediately reach for a snack. It’s easy to get in the habit of grabbing a snack anytime you watch TV, read a book, etc. so just breaking out of that routine made it easier to be sure I wasn’t snacking out of boredom.
Eat More During the Day
I no longer “save calories” for the nighttime, because I’ve realized that I’m hungry earlier in the day. Instead of trying to wait to eat dinner until the last possible moment, I’ve realized that my body usually gets hungry around 6pm, and that’s just fine. I may feel like an old lady, but hey, it works. I eat dinner earlier, which means I get to eat when I come home from work… which also means I don’t raid the pantry when I get home from work. I know dinner is close, so I can usually hold off on lots of snacks. Just another perk of eating when your body tells you to!
Go to Bed Earlier
I’m not saying you should call it a night at 8pm to avoid the pantry, but I’ve been going to bed earlier (maybe not actually sleeping earlier, but at least getting myself into bed at a reasonable hour) and having to put my slippers on and walk all the way down the hall can be enough to stop me from reaching in for another handful of pretzels. Going to bed earlier also means I’m able to wake up earlier, which I’ve really started loving. Those hours in the morning are when I get most of my blogging stuff done, and it just feels so peaceful and quiet in the morning. And hitting the sheets earlier means less midnight temptation from the fridge!
Those are a few of the things that helped me stop snacking at night! These little “strategies” might not be for everyone, but hopefully one or two might help you tame the snacking-beast. I’ve also found I sleep a lot better if I don’t eat right before bed, so that’s just another perk!
Are you a nighttime snacker?
I’m guilty of feeling as though I”m starving in the daytime while I’m at work and I”m not sure if it’s because I’m truly hungry or just being a fat a## (bored), either way I try to bring yogurt and apples, bananas and oranges because otherwise I”m grabbing for cookies! Yes it does help to have your significant other (and a son in my case) keep you busy so you don’t think as much about food as you otherwise would on your own – although, If I’m alone I just want to nap. Which reminds me: its nap time. Have a great weekend Liz! -Iva
It’s always good to have healthy snacks on hand! And I think people are the best snack-distractions 🙂
Night time snacking is a huge thing I’m trying to work on, but not just night time snacking but waking up in the middle of the night to go snack. It’s the worst and I haven’t figured out how to stop doing it. Hopefully I’ll figure something out.
It’s a tough habit to break! Hopefully you find some strategies that work for you 🙂
I totally eat dinner early and it makes a huge difference for me. I try to always eat when hungry and if truly hungry, I go for meals instead of snacks. I also find that being with others at night helps to avoid the extra random snacking. I always eat dessert but there are plenty of nights I have dessert after dessert. I just make sure I am eating extra because I am hungry not just because I am bored or feel like munching. And I totally agree that eating more during the day for the most part limits those later at night cravings.
I can’t believe how look it took me to realize that I’m more of an early-dinner person!
Sometimes I eat dinner at 5 pm! Haha. But I’ve found eating a bigger snack in the afternoon and eating around 6 pm or 6:30 pm usually wards off any evening snacks. I’ve never been a big evening snacker anyways – but if I’m hungry I definitely will eat!
Distracting yourself is always a good idea! I usually do a little pilates, yoga, and meditation at night (and of course catch up on TV).
i think eating a satisfying dinner is a big one for me.
i stopped snacking around the time i met my current husband — all these things sort of came together — i wanted to cook nicer dinners because we were sharing (when it was just me.. yeah.. anything healthy would do.. plain and quick), and then afterward we’re busying enjoying being together 🙂
Hah! I hear you! I totally thought I was going to fall into one of those “oh no, all we do is sit around and eat” stages of my life, but dating Alex has had the opposite effect!
Great ideas! I’ve actually never been a night-time snacker. Once dinner’s over I clean the whole kitchen and shut off the lights, so I guess it kind of sends the signal that the kitchen is now closed for the day. I do most of my snacking earlier in the day too.
I’m actually not too bad with nighttime snacking, but I do need to be better about not “saving” calories for the evenings. Sometimes I’ll be starving and way overdo it at dinner!
I oftentimes find that the nights I’m snacking a lot it’s because I didn’t eat enough that day, so I just try to let it go and make smarter choices!
Love these ideas. I am definitely getting better at night-time snacking; namely eating more during the day (not “saving calories”) and I often always have a mug of tea after dinner. Sometimes I am just thirsty! Funny, I was actually working on a post like this too 🙂
Ohhh I can’t wait to read your post!