Weight-Loss How to stop night time eating

Weight-Loss
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bahamamama

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I started my program last week and about 4 days in (using portion control 4 meals per day and one snack - last meal at 7 p.m.) I had lost 2 pounds (i was weighing everyday). Anywhoo, a celebration of sorts went off in my mind and I started eating after seven, even when I knew i shouldnt. End result, by the end of the week I was only down .8 lbs.

Sometimes it feels like I'm intentionally sabotaging my weight loss efforts - how can I get over this, stop the nighttime eating and allow myself to lose?

And, please dont say - drink a glass of water!
 
Why stop eating at 7? If you find you have snack cravings or want to eat something, then rearrange your food plan to accommodate that.

I like to have a snack at night so I make sure to allow 150 calories or so to have some popcorn or some apple slices and cheese or something to help satisfy that snacky urge.

Fighting yourself only makes it worse - make your diet accommodate your needs, not the othe way around ... :)
 
You can always just go to bed at 7pm. . . I agree with Kara--just plan around it. If you like to eat at night, just eat less during the day and shift your calories to evening. During the day, I almost have to remind myself to eat since I'm usually so occupied at work that I don't even think about food. Then when I get home and relax, I tend to want to eat. So, when I was trying to lose weight, I just made sure I had enough calories left over at the end of the workday to accommodate my late evening eating.
 
i say just eat at night. it's calories per day that matter. ignore that don't eat after 7pm bs you hear. long as your calories per day are where they are supposed to be, then eat whenever you want.
 
Here's my rule: If I blow it, and eat a lot after 7pm, then I skip breakkie, and eat only a moderate lunch the next day.... Kind of like a punishment, but in a good way!

Of course, I'll drink green tea all in between ... so please no flames. It seems to work :)
 
If I blow it, and eat a lot after 7pm, then I skip breakkie, and eat only a moderate lunch the next day.
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That seems a really unhealthy attitude about food to me. Punishing yourself the next day is not something I'd recommend for anyone, nor is skipping meals a good idea. Usually when we skip meals, we wind up overeating at the next meal or later in the day.

There's no reason to set any kind of arbitrary time to quit eating. If you find evening eating is an issue, then plan for it - have healthy snacks available and allow yourself some extra calories for your snack.
 
Thanks for all the advice. I think I will abandon the arbitrary eating time because its playing with my mind. I probably do get hungry because I've set that time! I can control my eating in the day, so limiting daytime calories for a little splurge at night sounds quite reasonable!
 
don't weigh every day!

I agree with the others: I know I'll eat more at night so I leave some calorie wiggle room.
But weighing every day is the road to frustration!
Your weight will fluctuate, especially over the course of your cycle, and day to day is no indication over overall weight loss. I struggled with this, because I would starve myself all week, only to have my weight go up! Then I realized that my weight also fluctuates with my cycle, so that even if I've lost, water weight will report a gain.
Compare your weight on a given week to your weight from that week of the previous month. That will be a good indication of your progress.
 
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. When you feel the urge to eat late at night, try sucking a hard candy. Most hard candy have only a few calories and they give you the satisfaction of snacking.Keep busy at night. Nighttime binges are often the result of boredom. Pick up a hobby or exercise during the hours leading up to bedtime. I hope this helps you. :)
 
My new secret weapon is to boil a bunch of like.. broccoli and coliflower and carrots.. filling veggies like that in some bouillon (to make it .. idunno.. more.. food-taste-like and less.. veggie-taste-like ;) and add that to my calorie list at the beginning of the day, but then not eat it. Then I have already accounted for it and i don't have to "save" calories throughout the day because they are already used (if that makes sense) and come late night cravings I promise you that a pound of fiber rich veggies will make you feel plenty full :) and its like.. 25-30 calories for 100g average... for those veggies so I mean.. you can eat till you puke and still not use that many calories :)
 
I just changed my eating cycle. I used to eat no breakfast and barely ate lunch until about a month and a half ago. Dinner was my main meal along with junk snacks as late as 10-11pm. My goal was to stop eating after 8pm since I was having all my calories at night. I am now eating a light breakfast, a morning snack, I have lunch every day and a dinner full of steamed veggies - as Clever-Plant recommends. It works! It took awhile for my body to adjust but now I don't have any late night cravings anymore. I just changed my body's "time zone" for eating.

Maybe you're just not having enough to eat in those early meals in the day or you need a more filling dinner.

I admit I gained weight the first week or two because my body didn't adjust right away. I kept having nighttime snacks and eating a couple of new meals in the morning as well. But it was worth it because now for the first time in my life I am having regular meals and my cravings for bad nighttime snacks have miraculously disappeared almost 100%.
 
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