Starving at night - help!!!!

[Tinkobell]

I'm a bit overweight. Not really bad but want to take action. Started HRT 2 weeks ago which hasn't helped the weight. Walk dog energetically twice a day. 5ft 2 inches, 11stone.
DH is uber skinny and works out every day v hard. Eats tonnes and never gains an ounce. His portions are twice the size of mine plus he and teen son need a hefty supper on top about 10pm. That's the problem. The sight and sound of them munching at night makes me starving. I want to switch off but I can't. I eat celery and cottage cheese to bulk me but if I'm disturbed in the night by DH going the loo or anything then my tummy wakes up and I cannot sleep at all if I'm hungry. I feel the issue is a kind of mental / diet thing. Any advice on fixing this issue from others who might have experienced would be great thanks. Diet overall is v good and balanced. Don't drink alcohol or eat red meat.

Dunno. I’ve just had a ham butty. Would you like one?

I am temped to eat a mince pie at the moment .... I wish all this Christmas food would hurry up and be used up!

@corny and @jolie tah for that fellow night munchers. Just stuffed another celery head down the hatch. A mince pie would nail it, but I'm strong! Well not really. Just starving and pissed off . Had this problem for years. Anxiety doesn't help.

Usually when I'm feeling like that I make porridge (with water) and add salt when it's ready... Minimum effort, fills me up without giving me indigestion, and is pretty low when calories are considered... Although I do know people who put sugar and sweet things in porridge... 🤢🤢🤮

When times get tough I comfort eat. Not loads but enough. Boobs start hurting and me knees knackered, get piles too....only a few pounds too heavy kicks off a load of issues so I have to try and keep the weight down.

I know it may sound the opposite of what you are thinking but maybe you aren't eating enough throughout the day? Or aren't eating enough protein to fill you up?
You can go online and find calorie calculators and by putting in your weight and height etc. it will work out what you should be eating on a daily basis and then use an app like MyFitnessPal to track your food?
Might be worth trying for a couple of weeks.
Quite often this can lead to more energy which means more able to exercise. Just make sure you don't eat too many empty calories (sugar) but from what you have said it sounds like you have a healthy diet
Hope it helps X

Same here...I'm starving now, I know it's because I don't get enough protein so I need to address that.

If you are waking in the morning ravenous, then it means you didn’t eat enough the day before.

Have a boiled egg - low calorie, high protein and filling 👍

Yesterday I had a cheese sandwich (no mayo or anything), 1 egg and a lentil curry with rice. Now I'm ravenous again but it's not meal time.

Warm milk helps - I find the natural sugar in the milk replicates the need for a biscuit

Join them in working out hard. Lifting weights is the only way I can maintain my donut addiction without becoming a portly.

I am now eating some shortbread ... yum!

Exercise control. Just eat in a controlled period. Outside of that no matter how much you want to eat resist. So say you start eating bin morning at 8 am you finish eating for the whole day at 8 pm. Nothing after. Just exercise self control. I'm actually being generous as the usual is a 10 hour eating period so if you start at 8 you finish at 6.

A lot of hunger pangs will pass (if you have actually eaten enough that day). I find if I have a cup of tea or a glass of water then delay deciding if I will eat something, in a little while I stop feeling hungry. Even when I have had that really sicky need to eat feeling.

I had this when I started losing weight. Thought I'd be like it forever and caved a few times, but now I just don't get hungry at that time anymore. I think your body just adjusts.

Can't you just ignore it?

I wouldn't dream of eating if I woke up at night (which I often do). It will pass on its own after a bit.

Drink lots of water when they eat supper. Should stop you feeling hungry.

Low carb paleo diet stops the cravings. It takes a while for this to kick in.

I'd go to bed earlier if you are tempted to join them in their supper.

Check your carb intake, if you are eating enough then hunger pangs are usually the result of sugar crashes, not actual need for food.

Also recommend strength training. Especially for menopausal women.

I follow the Keto diet under medical supervision but since I started I have not been hungry in the slightest and sometimes have to remind myself to eat every day. I used to be 18st and never stopped eating so this was a massive change! So another one who would recommend reviewing your carb intake.

Sounds stupid but brush your teeth early? I have a bit of a mental block about eating after that. However, I snack all day at work so I am not a great role model.

Oat cakes and marmite? Ritz biscuits with cream cheese? Ryvitas and peanut butter?

These are my snacks at night.

I also have porridge, with coconut milk and cinnamon before bed. No sugar!

Last night I had a piece of bread and butter.
My teenagers are avid snickers at night which like you, is difficult to be around!

snickers = Snackers

Try a handful of raw almonds.

To feel full longer, you need healthy fats, fibre and protein. What do you eat at night?