10 Tips For Curbing Late-Night Eating
- Eat dinner later. This may not work for everyone. If you have a set schedule, or family that requires you eat earlier, skip to the next tip. Have a snack at 5 p.m. A salad dressed with a teaspoon of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and sprinkled with a teaspoon each of sunflower seeds and chopped walnuts will give you protein, fat and healthy carbs, enough to tide you over until at least 7 or 8 p.m.
- Take two items from dinner to eat two to three hours later. This works for people who have to eat earlier, but get hungry after dinner. If you're following your eDiets meal plan, you'll easily find items that can be delayed for an evening snack, such as a serving of fruit and a cup of milk; a salad and a yogurt. If it suits your lifestyle, you can even eat half of your entrée for dinner, and the rest for a snack. You're sticking to your plan, just eating a different meal pattern.
- Plan for a sweet snack if you have a sweet tooth. Sugar free gelatin with non-fat whipped topping is a great strategy for snacking. Virtually calorie-free, it satisfies your sweet desires without impacting your waistline.
- Eliminate problem foods. For me, this was crackers and pretzels. It took me a few years before I could have these items in my house safely. I had used crunchy foods for years to help deal with the stress of working full time while going to school. Get them out of the house and replace them with "free" foods like crunchy vegetables and nonfat yogurt and fruit, for a quick fruit smoothie.
- Substitutes. Popcorn is perfect for a crunchy snack with little calories. I have an air-popper for popcorn... what a great appliance! I dislike microwave popcorn because of the trans fat. It has too many preservatives. Air-popping is just the corn, thank you very much. Only 25 calories per cup; enjoy!
- Portion out snacks. If you're into buying economically (I am!) get the larger size pretzel packages (much cheaper) and portion into baggies. Portion control is the secret of weight maintenance. All foods can fit into a healthy diet, but only in the portion size that makes sense for your goals. For example, one ounce of pretzels has about 120 calories: the same amount of fried chips has over 200 calories. If you're sitting in front of the TV, and finishing up a big bag of chips, you can add 200-300 calories to your daily intake, which could add up to 30 pounds of added fat per year!
- Soothe: Make it warm to promote sleep. My favorite bedtime snack is a cup of sugar-free hot chocolate. It has only about 50-60 calories, it's sweet, soothing, and I buy the calcium-fortified variety, so it's nutritious too. If you dislike artificial sweeteners, buy the regular for only 80-90 calories.
- Eat breakfast for a snack: a serving of cereal (low sugar/low fat, of course) such as shredded wheat or bran flakes has fiber and with a 1/2 cup of nonfat milk or soy milk is a perfect evening snack. Sweeten with 1 teaspoons of sugar (16 calories) or artificial sweetener if you choose.
- Think about your day before you reach for that snack. Have you eaten everything on your meal plan for the day? Are you still hungry? If so, strategize your day. Were there any meals where you were full before you finished all the items? For example, at breakfast, were you satisfied with cereal and fruit, but you finished your yogurt even though you were full? If so, save your yogurt for your evening snack.
- Write in your journal. Record your feelings before the meal, while you're eating, and after each meal for just two days. You may not even remember what it is to be full, or hungry, and this exercise can serve to remind you.
Taken off of E-Diets [http://www.ediets.com/news/article.cfm/cmi_1148659/cid_33]