No snacking after dinner! Who's in??

[summerisacoming]

I'm not very good with diets and I really don't want to try one then have it fail. So this is my plan:

As soon I have finished dinner, I'm going to brush my teeth and make sure I don't eat anything else that evening. Simple.

Ok, it's not the most imaginative of plans, but here's why I think it will make a huge difference:

1. My worst snacking is in the evening
2. Eating chocolate in the evening makes me stay up late (caffeine) so I'm tired for work the next morning
3. Am I right in thinking that eating right before bed makes you store more fat?

I am 5'8'' and since having kids I now weigh around 12 stone (size 12/14). I want to be a size 10 again!

I'm going to start small and do this for 1 week, starting today. If all goes well, then I'll aim for a month, then two months (should be a well-formed habit by then), then drop sugar.

If you're in, let's report back every evening right before we go to bed to confirm that we didn't eat anything after dinner.

So who's with me?? Come on!😁

Day 38

I cheated a bit tonight. There were two biscuits left in a pack, and after I put the kids to bed I went straight for them (justifying it by thinking it allowed me to chuck the packet - that old chestnut!). I think my mistake was to not immediately do my teeth - I might start doing mine when the kid do theirs. Although they can be little monkeys at that time, so I normally need to be like a drill sergeant. Pleased I feel bad about it though.

@TooManyNameChanges12 I'd love to say it's a breeze now, but as you just read I definitely still have wobbles. I think the thing that has got much easier is that I don't mind feeling hungry now. It's no longer an alarming feeling to me.

Just thinking about how much money I have saved and, well, it's probably about £45. So not loads, but I've just booked myself a massage which is the same amount 💆. I reckon when I give up sugar, the savings will be much more.

@GallstoneGertie I hadn't thought about this before, but on quite a few mornings I haven't wanted to eat loads (like I expect to) - sometimes just one weetabix or half a banana. Almost like my body is trying to extend the fasting time. I still think a lot about what @Beginningless said a while ago, that our digestive systems need to rest, without us constantly grazing.

@abbs1 Not to worry, straight back on it! I don't have any great tips for the evening apart from to find a good series to get into (although, I also find that quite tricky sometimes because I associate watching TV with snacking). A couple of times, I've gone for an evening walk - in fact, it was to buy milk from the shop but I took a meandering route - and I really enjoyed it. I like my walks to have an aim, so I might start intentionally leaving things out of the weekly shop 😁.

@Beaverbridge That's fab, well done!

Things I'm going to try this week:

1. Brush teeth with kids
2. Two evening walks per week

I love crisp bread.

I can't have sweet stuff at home either. I have no will power especially not in the night when I'm tired. I hate to admit it but sometimes I even eat the kids chocolates and other treats. DD doesn't like chocolate anyway so she doesn't mind / doesn't notice but I feel guilty and replace it just to eat the replacement myself again.

It's easier for me to go abstinent and for the past month I've been not having anything with added sugar. So much easier.

It's funny with the intermittent fasting. I have dinner with the kids latest by 7 and I thought that I'd be absolutely ravenous by morning if I don't eat a second dinner at night but the last few days I've been fine. I guess I don't actually need to eat so often. When I'm working I usually eat a late breakfast sometime after 10am so at the moment I'd be doing 16-8 intermittent fasting.

However, I take medication that suppresses my appetite (as a side effect) during the day but till recently it meant that my hunger just got shifted to the evening when the meds wear off and I still took in the same amount of calories (or even more). I've just had my dose increased so maybe that's suppressing my appetite into the night now as well. I don't take the meds on the weekend so hopefully I'll won't cave then.

Day 3

I had an orange just now but considering that I really wanted to eat lots of bread with cheese I think it's still a win.

Op I can so relate to the finishing a pack just so it's out of the house. Open packs of anything are even harder to resist. Love the walk idea!!

I feel I’ve been a bit off the wagon the last week or so, I haven’t really been evening snacking but I have been having later evening meals and they’ve been often v unhealthy! Normally I eat with the kids at 5.30/6 but dinners have been more like 7/8. My tummy has definitely not felt like it is getting flatter in the way I was the previous weeks. Also I’ve eaten breakfast more often, so more calories overall I guess. We were away and just holidays mean we are out of routine. But definitely feel the no snacks is a solid habit.

It’s interesting the snack of choice chat, I do like a sweet thing but it’s rarely what I crave of an evening after a hard day, I want salt! Salted nuts, crisps, cheese and crackers etc would all be my choice. I mainly don’t buy them but currently have wotsits in for the kids and they are quite hard for me to resist. Doing it though so there’s a win. Well done everyone 💪🏼

Day 39

The last two nights, I've been for evening walks, and I've really loved them. I listened to music, so had a bit of a spring in my step. Dh asked if I could pick up some chocolate biscuits. That would have been a huge temptation for me (he normally doesn't eat sweet things), but I got out of it by saying I wasn't passing any shops 💪. Not really a long term solution though! Hopefully I'll get better at saying, "No, thanks," when someone snacks around me.

@TooManyNameChanges12 Day 3! Well done!

@Beginningless That's really good that you managed it even while on holiday (I'm not sure I would). So that's definitely a win in my book, regardless of what your meals are like.

21 days until no sugar! 🙌

No evening snacking on holiday is impressive and welcome back to the wagon!!

Day 4.0

We went out for dinner super late and in spite of being off sugar I had dd's ice cream that she didn't want. My excuse is that I didn't want to waste it. It's a stupid excuse because I suppose my health should be more precious than that but I'm not upset because it doesn't break my no sugar rule (except for the kids' leftovers) and therefore won't push me off the wagon. (It's difficult to explain but once I break my rules it gets very very difficult to go back to them and I can't eat healthily without rules. I know I've got issues with eating but I think this no sugar (mostly) and no evening snacking is working all right for me as I'm not too worried then by what or how much I eat during the day. )

Now the next thing to sort out is my sleeping and excessive browsing. If I could get more sleep and browse less (not that the two aren't related) I wouldn't be so tired all the time and would have more time for myself.

@summerisacoming just curious: what are you going to do in 21 days when your challenge is over?

Day 40

I was so tempted to snack tonight - it's been a looong day. But how I managed to talk myself out of it was by thinking it wouldn't just be one snack tonight; it would be breaking the rule, which would inevitably lead to a future of evening snacking. And that felt a bit daunting!

@TooManyNameChanges12 I'm also a night owl and find it very difficult to go to bed. I've set my wifi to turn off at midnight which mostly works really well although if I'm determined to stay up, I'll then just switch to hotspotting from my phone.
Ah, so in 20 days the plan is to go sugar-free! ✨As well as not snacking in the evenings. I'm really excited about it. I remember doing it a while ago, and it was like a reset: it made me realise how grossly processed and excessive my snacking was. Obviously, that feeling has well and truely faded 😄. I just don't want to be thinking about snacking all the time, and I think until I come off sugar completely it will always be a huge draw (I've accepted I'm a sugar addict). And I want to lose more weight (last time it worked a treat).

Are you onboard? 20 days to decide, but I think it's good to have a countdown to something this big.

@Beginningless We must be snacking opposites! I can probably count on one hand how many packets of crisps I've bought in the last five years. Often an open packet will remain uneaten for so long (months) I'll eventually just chuck them. A pack of biscuits, on the other hand, rarely lasts more than a day. Likewise crackers - I don't get the appeal at all.

I wonder what it is that makes someone have a sweet or salty tooth? I suspect it's probably genetic, although thinking about it none of my immediate family have a sweet tooth.

Day 28, and it's been a stressful week. I've stuck to my kitchen window, but struggled with daytime grazing. Still sugarless, so that's good.

A few days ago I had an earlier breakfast because I was angry and frightened at my emotions, and eating always used to calm me. It kinda did this time too, but I also knew at the time it was a stupid decision, and I've wobbled a bit since then. I still stuck with kitchen closing time, though 😀

Getting back on track yesterday and today by tidying fridge and planning delivery order. I'm definitely going with IF, and staying clear of sugar. Also avoiding UPFs whenever possible. I still enjoy sourdough bread, ryvita, wraps, etc. I want to move to a prediabetic eating plan asap, but without wasting what's already in the freezer.

Day 41

I had a late dinner, so I'm much more full than I normally am at this time of night, which has made it really easy.

@GallstoneGertie Sounds like you're doing great - sugarless, avoiding UPFs and IF. Well done! The closer I get to Day 61, the easier this seems. I'm sure when I start going sugar-free, I'll look back on these days and think it was a doddle.

Day 6

Just wrote a big post but lost it with my butter fingers but anyway day 6.

It's really great to hear you're all still here and figuring things out that work/don't work for you.

Ok confession time. So I put a pound on last week. Then I went on to have a shocking week!! Snacking, sugary snacks at that, crisps (my down fall) 2 bags a time. But this group makes me accountable and I would have avoided the scales this morning if it wasn't for that and guess what MAINTAIN!!

The only thing I can put that down to is despite a shocking week I did not eat anything after 6/7pm. And by this stage that was just automatic. I had no inclination to. My plan now is to get back to working on no snacks between meals, and I reckon that's achievable 😬

Day 42

I am so knackered tonight, I honestly can't even be bothered to contemplate having snacks. So just checking in, but it's going to be an early night for me.

Also, my confession (and why I am going to find going sugar-free so difficult): I had an entire pack of chocolate biscuits to myself today between lunch and dinner. It's my coping mechanism for the school holidays 😬

@Badatmostthings Brilliant that you maintained! I also think if I could just stop snacking between meals, that would automatically mean I've gone sugar-free. But this morning I didn't eat between breakfast (8am) and lunch (12) and I was ravenous! Not sure I could sustain that longterm, but I guess people do and get used to it. One day!

So glad for this group! Definitely wanted to snack again but I keep reminding myself and to be accountable and it's working! I blitzed the house tonight and now craving a Nutella crossaint but I'm going to go to bed instead.

@summerisacoming I've been avoiding bread as much as I can and it's definitely curbed my cravings. I'm finding I'm not crashing near as much. I have 2 scrambled eggs with a banana and 2 tbsp of Greek yogurt for breakfast around 730-8am and its keeping me going until lunch around 1230pm or so. I'm trying to have better lunches so I don't crash in the afternoon. If I do I've been trying to have an apple with peanut butter to keep me going until tea.
My kids 3 and 1 are bottomless pits so constantly feeding them and I keep finding myself eating leftovers so I'm trying to stop doing that and give them less and they can ask for more.

I've lost a tiny bit over the last month but haven't gained yay! And definitely so much less bloated and my favourite jeans are fitting a lot better.

Bring on the no sugar! I need this challenge. 😂🙈

Day 43

I went out for dinner tonight and ate so much that I still feel stuffed. I should have just asked for a doggy bag (or left some of it) but I was determined to finish my meal, despite being overly full. Anyway, at least I have no desire to snack now.

@abbs1 I'm also trying to cut down on bread. Weirdly, I don't really like it, I just eat it because it goes so well with so many foods. I would find it really strange eating just scrambled egg on its own, but I guess you've got used to it? Sometimes I'll just have half a slice though.
Great that you're psyching yourself up for no sugar! 17 days to go...✨

Day 7

Today was hard. Had a shitty day and an even shittier night and the future looks shitty as well. When the kids were still winding each other up at close to 10pm I told myself that not only was I going to eat once the little chimps were finally asleep but I'd also scoff down the box of Thornton's that I've been saving as a present for someone. And I'm supposed to be off sugar.

Well, I am still off sugar. The chocolates are still safe. I've got two more days till I've fulfilled my side of the contract that I made with the universe (no added sugar in exchange for ds being fine after a particularly nasty fall from height a couple of months ago) and though I don't believe in the universe as a trading entity I am superstitious enough to not mess with it when the stakes are so high.

I did consider having some bread and cheese but for the first time in my life probably I wasn't so keen on it. It just didn't seem worth the effort and I didn't feel like eating, which is another first for me. I still think it might be the meds killing my appetite but I didn't take them on the weekend and still didn't snack in the evening. So must be the power of this thread. :-)

@summerisacoming I'll join your no sugar challenge but I need to find something else to challenge myself as I'm already off sugar (and I've got plenty of deals I need to make with the universe to keep me off sugar for a while). I'm thinking I might do exercise. Just a ten minute exercise video would be better than now.

@abbs1 I find that sprinkling a tablespoon or two of either ground flax seeds (if you don't mind the dust like taste) or chia seeds on my breakfast really keeps me satiated for quite a long time. And you get fibre and omega 3s as a bonus. Just remember to drink lots of water so you don't get constipation with the extra fibre.

Sorry for ranting so much. In feeling very grunpy

I'm feeling very grumpy though actually I want to rant and vent much more. I'm absolutely parched but too lazy to get myself water. Maybe that should be my challenge. Drinking enough water. I feel so dehydrated I'm sure all my organs are shriveling up.

What did you have? I always feel the same if I go out I've got to eat everything even if I'm full.

I've always had scrambled egg on it's own or with a side of marmite toast so just cut out having toast. I find having yogurt and banana as well its OK.

I made some chocolate Courgette muffins with my little boy this morning while my daughter was napping and trying to not eat any. They look delicious 😋

Try not to worry too much. I had some awful days last week and did terrible with evening snacks and sugar.

Definitely try to drink more water. I'm not very good with that and have to keep reminding myself to drink. Also a little exercise may help. I've found it such a release of endorphins and has made me feel so much better.

Oh I'd never thought of flax seeds. I'm not a fan of Chia seeds but will see if I can get some flax seeds. Thankyou

Today's weigh in. Minus 1 pound. Overall 1 stone 2 pounds. Another 2 pounds loss will take me into another stone bracket. Just had a packet of French fries though. Also there is a pack of Freddos in the kitchen for granddaughter coming tomo. I keep thinking about them. Must go to bed!!.

Day 44

It's very strange that the last couple of nights I have felt so full going to bed. I'd love to think it's because I'm so used to this now, but I think it might be because I'm eating more than I used to during the day (knowing I have a cut-off at dinner time). Today, I had a 100g bar of chocolate (it might be slightly less than that due to shrinkflation) while the kids napped, as a kind of reward I guess. I'm so sick of this gorge-guilt cycle though 🙁

Hopefully I'll be able to channel this feeling into determination to see me through Days 61-71, which I expect will be the hardest!

@TooManyNameChanges12 Ooh, I like that idea of channelling parental worry into something constructive. I think all parents know that sick feeling that something awful has happened to your child, but I tend to make ridiculous promises (e.g. I'll never take my eyes off them again, if they can just be ok).
10mins fitness videos sound like a good idea. I can only exercise routinely first thing in the morning, as there's less time to talk myself out of it 😅

@abbs1 I had pasta, which is filling enough, without have a massive portion. I've read a trick is to immediately divide it into what you want to eat and what you want to leave, so I'll try to remember that next time. I've had to stop baking cakes/cookies with my kids, because I cannot resist eating 90% of whatever it is. I think part of me thinks it's ok because I made it, despite knowing exactly how much butter and suggar I added!

@Beaverbridge Great progress! Hope you get to bed - you don't need those Freddos! 💪

Day 8

Had a few spoons of peanut butter and a cup of juice but I'm still counting it as a win. It's nothing compared to what I used to binge every night. I'm not eating much in the day either but that's the meds. This side effect will wear off soon enough and when my appetite returns I want to be out of the habit of night snacking.

I wish I could drink more water. I don't know why I can't. Why I don't. I'm so parched and I can feel my brain shrivelling up in dehydration. I'm so stressed I'm low level panicking almost constantly now. Maybe it's the medication but actually I think I've got plenty to be stressed about. I just don't have enough time in the day. I think I need another intervention to get off my phone and stop procrastinating but that's another thread.

Day 9

Today wasn't too bad. I had a few crisps. I made cake and licked out the cake batter bowl. But that is ok. In fact, it's mandatory. The universe is very clear on that. You mustn't waste the precious delight that is left over cake batter. The kids were already sleeping and I don't think dh understands this particular delight (the troglodyte) so I had to step up.

Not eating (kind of) after dinner is becoming easy. Well, I'm off my meds again this weekend so let's see how it goes.

I was thinking about what @summerisacoming was saying about going sugar free. Oh just remembered that today my no sugar deal with the universe has actually come to an end so I was anyway allowed to have cake batter. Oh well... I do realise I sound like an idiot with my streams of consciousness blabbering. But it's 1:22 and I'm waiting for my laptop to boot and feeling super sorry for myself that I still have so much work to do. More than I can finish this weekend anyway. I'm totally screwed really and it's my fault. Don't dwell on that now.

Anyway, I was thinking about what would be a good thing to give up seeing that I'm already sugar free (going to continue that. I need a lot of luck from the universe in the near future anyway) and the thing that is causing me the most harm at the moment is my endless browsing on my phone. Lots of it is random so not easy to block but Mumsnet is the single biggest offender at the moment. So I'm going to give that up (except for this thread and maybe a quick look in at night).

So day 0 of no mumsnet.

How is everyone doing? Hope you guys are fine and had a peaceful and pleasant evening.

Day 45 (two days ago)

This wasn't great. An old friend I haven't seen for ages came round with a lovely box of chocolates, and I didn't know how to play it at all. I genuinely didin't want to eat any, but I felt like if I didn't, not only would that be ungrateful, but it would be really awkward for her if she did want to eat some (she'd be thinking I was being judgemental, which I wouldn't have been!). Maybe I'm massively overly thinking it. Anyway I ended up eating about five.

I am overthinking it, because I have friends who I have bought chocolates for in the past, and when they've shared them out they only ate a couple. I realised they are just not chocolate people. They savoured one or two but then just left the rest. I didn't take offense at all (and enjoyed eating them myself 😁).

Day 46 (yesterday)

I happened to listen to a podcast talking about fasting, and I found it so inspiring. I was very busy today, so just decided to skip breakfast (was also feeling guilty for previous night) and eventually didn't eat until 2pm, which was a 16 hour fast 🤗. Weirdly, I found it pretty easy to do. There was no thinking about whether I should eat something healthy or something sweet (the constant battle in my brain), it was just a simple "no" to everything. I then went out for dinner quite late and shared a dessert, but still managed to not snack that evening.

I'm going to attempt a fast again today! I'll check in again tonight. Can't believe how quickly Day 61 is creeping up on us...

@TooManyNameChanges12
The licking of the batter from the bowl is no longer a joy I get to enjoy since my kids always get in there before I get a chance. But night-baking might be a way around that!

Agree about the addictiveness of MN. I'm not even sure I use it the right way: I find it a faff to navigate to a particular page so I end up just constantly clicking on the 'Trending' threads, which are all pretty random. Do other people do this? But, weirdly, this daily thread has actually massively cut down how much I go on it - maybe because it's like a daily allowance that I don't want to exceed? Yesterday, I managed to not come on it at all. Not sure what the answer is, but phone addictiveness is a massive problem for most people so hopefully they'll be some tech solutions along in the near future (or it will just continue getting more addictive, because that's what leads to profit).