How do you stop yourself eating at night??

[Nabooh]

Trying to do intermittent fasting. But really just want to stop eating in the evening in general because I just gravitate to snacks and shite plus it often gives me a belly ache (have gastro issues)

I was supposed to not eat anything after 7pm but I've just had a babybel and now to to raid everything 😭

The trick is to get in a routine which you don't break. If you eat at a certain time each day your body releases the hormones then to make you hungry and expect food. I eat all my food before 6pm and am now never hungry after. When my weight dropped too low I introduced an evening snack and within days of this my body was again craving food in the evenings. A few days of stopping this and the cravings stopped.

You also need to ensure you fill up on all your nutrients earlier in the day. Lots of fibre and healthy fats and protein throughout the day will also mean your body is not craving anything in the evenings. If you have had high blood sugar in the day it is harder to manage evening cravings so minimise processed carbs and only eat sweet things at the end of a meal.

Up the carbs a little in the evening

Sorry meant up the carbs at last evening meal.. so that keeps me full for longer especially if they are slow release carbs

Unsweetened, unsalted nuts. Quite crunchy but not terribly moreish.

Have a low-fat protein snack before cleaning your teeth. Protein keeps us fuller for longer.

Eat a larger supper, then I don't feel the need for a snack. Plus, by the time I finish, I'm so tired, I want my bed.

Are you sure you aren't just eating because you are bored?

A babybel isn’t the worst choice so I think you should be kind to yourself and maybe see it as a step in the right direction.

What’s your fasting window? Don’t try and go too extreme too soon.

Is the snacking unconscious (eg passing fridge, reach in and eat before you think) or hunger, or compulsion?

It’s very hard to change our habits and we evolved to gorge on abundance. You can’t expect to overcome millennia of evolution with mythical willpower! But there are things that can help.

chewing sugar free gum can give your mouth something to do - it’s not ideal if you have gut issues because of the sweeteners but it can be a stop gap.

thinking differently about hunger and what it means - in ancient times, it was the body’s way of getting you up to go hunting. You might track your prey for a day and half before eating again and be no worse off for it. But we feel like we have to eat or we might faint which is actually quite unlikely.

Also we have a second phase of digestion which is very important but we interpret tummy rumbles as “better eat” and disrupt the cycle. I find that stopping and thinking about it can help a lot. If I don’t it’s like I’m operating on auto pilot in survival mode, but if I make a decision I find the urgency fades.

Drinking helps too - water not booze 😉 thirst and hunger signals can get mixed up.

And sometimes I need something else but I’ve learned over the years to eat instead of tuning in to my body properly.

It’s ok to take it slowly, or shorten the fasting window. It’s also important to be in harmony with your cycle - fasting before a period isn’t advised. Try not to be unkind to yourself - change takes time.

Just willpower until it's habit.

I don't eat 6pm - 8am. If we go out for dinner then sometimes we do but in the house I just don't.

I was just about to suggest this, I have to eat quite late due to my routine, dinner time is around 830 and I probably have breakfast around 8ish or 730 if I can manage it, doesnt look like I will manage it that early this morning but never mind!

But what do you mean by 'large meal', your dinner doesnt have to be your biggest or heaviest meal, have something more substantial at lunch, then dinner could be something light like veggies and protein in some form but just a bit later

I’d be weeing several times through the night if I had lots of hot drinks in the evening. I tend to drink most of my liquid intake during the day and tail off around 8pm otherwise I’m up and down like a yo-yo.

5:30-6pm is quite early for dinner if you are planning to have nothing else until the next morning. Could you all eat a bit later? Or could you have half your dinner at 5:30 and the other half just before 7pm?

We eat about 7-7:30pm (even when we had babies/toddlers) and then usually I'm busy until 10pm so doesn't really occur to me to eat more (I also have gastro issues so wouldn't feel great either if I did). I always have a herbal tea before bed though and sometimes I also have one around 8 ish while doing bedtime.

Are you hungry or just fancying a snack?

Eat enough calories and well balanced meals in the day and don't buy snacks. If there's nothing in you can't eat it. Tea with a spot of honey in could help too?

I have 3 small snacks, they are purchased daily and I eat them about 6.30pm - thats my lot

What would be a typical snack, @MikeRafone ?

Decaff tea and sheer will power for the first few days to be honest. Once I've been doing it a week it becomes much much easier

More protein at dinner

Mint tea

Clean your teeth at 6 pm and shut the kitchen door. That's what works for me anyway.

I use a kettle upstairs to make a herbal tea if I want one.

I eat more in the mornings. Really eat quite a bit, breakfast, then snack on things like fruit and nuts and have a good lunch too.

If the prospect of stomach pain doesn't stop you, I can't think what else will!

If you're not hungry, then it's a question of willpower. If you are determined not to be 'a fat fuck' - your words, not mine - then you'll need to find the determination not to eat.

Start HRT!

I have to take my tablet 2 hours after eating so I now don't snack on the sofa after 8 👍🏻

Think I may have cracked it

I have a tupperware full of pre chopped raw veg that DD and her mates didn’t eat at their playdate. I’m hoovering them. Ok, it’s still eating but it’s good for me! May try to prep some crudite for the evenings as a regular thing.

If you are weak willed, I think you have too eliminate temptation We always used to have crisps in the house, but now I only buy them as a treat. Same with crackers - no cheese and crackers now. Have done this for a few years now - other weaknesses but evenings OK now.

I drink sparkling water all evening with some wine allowed at weekends. Sometimes, I weaken and grab a bag of cashews, but I try and avoid all food after dinner. It's much easier once you get used to it, obviously, but not having it in the house was the way I cracked it.

The problem is that there are a LOT of foods I will happily eat when I have the evening munchies and willpower is low. I would have to eliminate from the house not only the obvious temptations like crisps and crackers but also all cheese, nuts, ham/salami, bread, children’s snacks, cereal…