How do I stop overeating in the evenings?

[LotsOfShoes]

I have a pretty healthy diet. I grew up on loads of fruits and veggies and still eat like that. I eat a good breakfast (eggs or porridge), salad for lunch, something relatively healthy for dinner (always plenty of veg), I snack on fruit/nuts. But come 8-9pm....that's where my problem is. I start eating something and can't stop...a tub of ben & jerry, a whole pack of pringles, haribos, anything I can find. If I can't find anything, I'll run down and buy something (we have a supermarket downstairs). I get really desperate to get something to eat (even though I just had plenty of dinner - portions at dinner are pretty big and enought to satisfy DH, this isn't a hinger issue). I also drink about 1.5l of water a day, it's not thirst.
When I was younger, it wasn't a big problem. But it's all really catching up with me. I can no longer fit in any of my trousers and most skirts. How do I stop? Help!!!!

[LotsOfShoes]

Oops that was a lot longer than I had intended.

[SaggyNaggy]

What time frame do you have?

What jumps out to me, and I'm no expert, is that you have breakfast, then lunch, then dinner and you snack. Sounds loike you're training yourself to consume something every hour or so and then come after dinner there's a larger gap and you get hungry. Does that make sense? Probably not.

[heyday1]

Drink your water in the evening instead of during the day

Go out for a couple of evenings to break the habit

Munch on carrot and celery sticks instead

Put one of your tight trousers and skirts on when you feel tempted to binge and then think is it really worth it?

[LotsOfShoes]

It does make sense actually. Sometimes I do see myself eating out of boredom. I should say, I also have a pretty stressful job and I work late a lot now. So when I get home early, I don't necessarily know what to do with myself...sounds really sad

[IDoAllMyOwnStunts]

Brushing my teeth sometimes help me stop snacking in the evening. Or sometimes my snacking is satisfied with a Diet Coke instead. Not ideal but better than a pack of biscuits

[AStreetcarNamedBob]

Brush your teeth after dinner. You really won't want to eat then

[LotsOfShoes]

I like those suggestions, heyday, thank you! I do have to cut my water intake after 7 though. Otherwise I wake up to go to the bathroom at night, every night (it's really annoying, my small bladder is a separate issue).

[IDoAllMyOwnStunts]

Oh and go for a walk/jog round the block if you can get out - that also stops the habit.

[LotsOfShoes]

Brushing my teeth! Ooh, that's a good one as well. Thanks everyone!

[LotsOfShoes]

SaggyNaggy do you think it would be worth cutting down on the snacking? Your point about me always eating is kind of true and makes a lot of sense.

[Cguk81]

Brushing teeth works for me too. And if you feel a bit hungry or snacky try just having a cup of tea and see if that quells your Cravings. It's hard when you have a shop so close...I have to drive or walk a really steep hill to get to our closest shop and that's a bit of a turn off but if mine was just downstairs I would struggle to resist too.

[SaggyNaggy]

It might be worth rebalancing your intake. Try to leave a few hours between consuming. I know if I have breakfast, I'm hungry by 11, so I snack and then have liunch and before I know it I've had 4 little bites by 3. If I skip breakfast, have only lunch and no snacks then I can go till 8pm before main.

[yumyumpoppycat]

I have a similar problem, I love watching tv by myself late at night and muching on toast and tea, ben and Jerrys etc. I consitently do well on diets when I cut out ALL evening eating ater having dinner early on in the evening. Despite knowing how well this works for me I have fallen back into the habit in the past and regained lost weight but hopefully I wont go back to it this time. What helps me is eating nothing at all and treating it like a fast, so food is off limits, cups of tea help and if really needed then sugar free chewing gum. It is hard but I try to look forward to breakfast after a few days I usually get used to it so its similar to low carb or cutting sugar in that respect where the first days are trickiest.

[yumyumpoppycat]

Going to bed earlier helps too she says at gone 11pm

[IrritableBitchSyndrome]

I was about to post with the exact same question then saw this thread! Except we don't live above a shop. Watching replies with interest.

[RunningLulu]

I've accepted that I binge in the evening & so have removed all of my favourite binge items. I now binge on celery, carrot sticks, or lettuce.

[tigerdick]

A cut off time works for me. So no eating anything after 19:00 (or whatever fits into your schedule).

[celeste83]

I have lots of ice lollies. It takes my urge to binge eat.

[oldlaundbooth]

What about a low cal hot chocolate, or a small pot of Greek yogurt, a treat but under 100 cals?

Or, log your cals in MFP, and if you have leftover calories, then you can have a treat?

Or, say to yourself the only thing you can eat is a hard boiled egg, or carrot sticks. So even if you eat it it's no big deal.

Loads of water. Go to bed earlier!

[SesameSparkle]

You could try painting your nails in the evening. Keeps your hands busy, you can do it in front of the telly, and after you've finished you can't snack for risk of smudges. It might sound random but it does work.

[TaIkinPeace]

another vote for brush your teeth with a REALLY minty toothpaste right after each meal
and eat nothing till the next one

[Mummyshortlegz]

I just keep putting it off. I'll get a snack in half an hour.. Then ten minutes.. Then another 15 then bed. Just keep going not eating. More protein at dinner and ban yourself from the shop. Add up how much you spend in a year down there.

[NattyTile]

Do something which keeps your hands busy. Cross stitch, knitting, ironing, colouring in, whatever takes your fancy.

[madein1995]

A cup of tea works for me sometimes, because I take sugar its something sweet but for next to nothing calories. If I'm hungry and its not just boredom I'll have a banana or something. If I'm properly hungry then I will have say 2 tuc biscuits, a slice of toast, a bag of mini cheddars etc. If I eat Chocolate in the evening (other than after tea as a dessert which is about 2 times a week) it'll be a kit Kat or maltesers or something not too calorific. I never go to bed hungry though, life is for the living and I'd be miserable of I did that

[GreatPointIAgreeWithYouTotally]

You have said you don't know what to do in the evening and end up eating. Sounds like you need some other options to choose from. Make a list of alternatives and put it on the kitchen door.

In fact close the kitchen door and put a 'café closed' sign on it after dinner

Suggestions

Long bath with a good book and go to bed early

Phone a friend

Good film and cup of tea

Go for a run/walk with other people (maybe a friend who is walking a dog anyway would welcome some company one night a week

Iron and watch shit tv

Craft/hobby/painting

I take hot milk to bed with me-it feels like comfort food but knocks me out like a light.