Does anyone snack in the evening

[Frankbutchersfangs]

I generally do. But recently snacking has got worse in that I will have one slice of cake and then want some chocolate afterwards. Sometimes I have snarfed a large bar of chocolate, 6 x foxes chocolaty biscuits and a large slice of cheesecake. I eat healthy in the day (porridge, nuts, fruit etc) but after dinner, it's like the sweet monster comes out - have put on a couple of stone since beginning of year.

Just wondering if anyone else has a pudding in the evening? On talking to my friends they say that if there dinner is a large enough portion then you shouldn't need a snack at night.

I do if I start. I can go ages without snacking at night and then one night I'll do it and that'll be me for a couple of weeks. I don't need anything, I'm not hungry.

Yup but thats partly because we eat at 6:30 (so toddler can eat with us) and in bed past 12 - usually sharing pack of crisps with DH, apple (occasionally a giant ass ice cream).

Yes me. I eat really healthy throughout the day but snack on chocolate/biscuits/crisps every evening.
I’m not overweight and I feel so stressed with Covid and family issues I’m not prepared to give up now.

No, I never snack between meals, or in the evenings. Its a bad habit to sit watching tv or whatever in the evenings, eating junk food, before going to bed.

Yes, it's a bad habit and I need to stop. Problem is we have tea at toddler o clock - 5pm.

Yes and I hate it. I am obese and have binge eating disorder which is ruining my life. On days that I don’t eat after dinner and only have a coffee for breakfast the next day, I feel amazing by lunchtime and make much better choices! If only I could do that every day!

I do, but all savoury stuff - nuts, crisps, crackers...it's just boredom and habit.

It's savoury stuff for me. So we just don't have crisps etc in the house. We both like cheese and crackers as a snack so we only buy that in for Christmas and holidays. Otherwise it's just boring old cheddar.

Going shopping on Tuesday (dh day off) for the Christmas stuff. I can't wait!!

@Sparkai

For me a lot of it is routine. So if I have a few days of "treats" then I crave more and more. The hardest part is breaking the cycle for a week or so, then I can go back to not wanting to snack.

Is your tea late enough?

Hi Sparkai, Yes dinner is at 6.30 - 7.00. Sometimes I am actually hungry later on or could it be my sugar addicted brain telling me I am??

Once or twice a week (with wine, max 2 glasses) maybe some crisps, like 30-50g amount. Without kids in the house, I don't buy biscuits or chocolates.

Normally have a cup of tea, but nothing with it. Although we do have a box of mine pies currently, so I'll probably be eating 3 of those over the next week with my evening cuppa.

OP would you try some fruit or veg sticks instead of all that processed sugar? I know it's not easy

@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme

Of course you don't need snacks after dinner. That doesn't mean evening snacking is unusual - I'd bet at least half the adult population do it.

We used to snack loads in the evening after the children went to bed. I'm pretty sure its a big part of the reason I became obese. It's cozy and indulgent and can be sociable but it's pretty much always unnecessary, as almost all snacking is.

I can't let myself snack on a regular basis having lost weight as I'd definitely end up back where I started. I have had Christmas sweet foods after dinner with the family a few times recently and I'm always hungrier the next day because of the blood sugar spikes and crashes, its very easy to get into a vicious cycle of thinking you (generic you) need a snack because of messed up blood sugar levels actually caused eating too much snack food.

Its tempting and enjoyable at the time but such a bad idea. I think everyone knows that really.

This is very true! I notice that on mornings when I do not indulge the night before, I am actually less hungry the next morning lol

Bloody hell oP

Why do you have all that chocolate in the house if you want to lose weight???

No, I don’t.

If ever peckish, cereal

Yes snacking drives snacking in my case!

Always. Love some cheese and crackers with a drink of wine or port.

I try not to. We eat dinner very early, though (between 5 and 6.30). Surprisingly, I rarely get hungry before bedtime. If I do, I try to keep it to fruit etc. I lost a lot of weight years ago and I try hard to maintain it around a few small fluctuations.

@viques

I also read somewhere that the sugar spike after eating lasts longer in the evening, so your body is having to work harder to deal with that, i think our bodies are designed not to eat at night, for most of human history people have gone to bed when it gets dark, it is only in the last couple of hundred years that this has changed.

Wow this is really interesting, thank you

I'm terrible for snacking in general but rarely in the evenings actually, I just don't fancy anything later. Usually just a cup of tea around 8pm and then just water.

@Happy1982ish

Bloody hell oP

Why do you have all that chocolate in the house if you want to lose weight???

No, I don’t.

If ever peckish, cereal

Husband has a sweet tooth and can get away with it - he's 6'2" and only weighs 12 stone!!

Right, you're answers have giving me the guilty push I need. I am doing this to myself, no-one is doing it to me - I am going to have to exercise some willpower I think.

@Frankbutchersfangs

Right, you're answers have giving me the guilty push I need. I am doing this to myself, no-one is doing it to me - I am going to have to exercise some willpower I think.

As someone who's always conscious of maintaining a loss, I'm afraid I have to say that while I don't believe in diets per se, there is really no getting around the fact that willpower is involved. You cannot eat anything you want, when you want and as much as you want.

Gets easier the longer you do it, though. More habitual.

Not anymore, I go to HIIT sessions at 6am and if I've eaten rubbish the night before I really struggle to train. I don't keep any snacks in the house or they will get eaten!

Yes and same as you, my snacking has got worse over time. What started off as a few skittles after dinner, is now a few skittles, a couple of biscuits and maybe a kitkat as well. I have zero will power most of the time and don’t live alone so can’t do anything drastic like clear out the cupboards of everything but lettuce.

Good luck!

When I'm stressed out I have a llife long urge to "self medicate" with food and have actually discovered that forcing myself to take a raw carrots helps. Actually its 90% about blocking other things out by the physical action of eating I think. Carrots are actually slightly sweet and chewing them raw meets the psychological need.

Otherwise though it is the willpower just to say no.

I have done (look at my user name!🤣) but I realised I was 100% doing it out of habit and/or boredom so I have consciously stopped. If I’m really hungry, I have a bit of toast but I’m trying to stop even that.

No, I'd soon be obese if I snacked like that at night. I do 16/8 (eat during an 8 hour window each day, fast for 16 hours) so I don't eat or drink any thing (apart from water or green tea) after 6pm. I don't mean to sound smug, I'm not but this works for me. I genuinely feel full and satisfied at bedtime and never hungry. 16/8 has saved me after years of yoyo dieting.