midnight snacking

[tara]

Hi everyone! This is my first post so be nice

I've been battling with my weight my whole adult life and I've lost the weight and it comes back again and I've tried pills and meal plans and programs and so I've learned a lot of tips along the way.

One of the tips I see a lot is that you shouldn't snack at night. The problem is, I find that I wake up in the night and am very hungry. Is there no exception to this rule? I lose sleep when I'm that hungry. Are there any allowable foods at all?

Thanks for your help!

[tankini]

Welcome Tara!

Do not eat after dinner time! (I would say 7ish pm) There are lots of folks on here that will say it doesn't matter when you eat, just as long as you burn off more then you take in, but for me, if I go to bed a little hungry, and wake up hungry, I am losing weight. If you wake up in the middle of the night and MUST eat something, eat half an apple. Just slice it up small and then drink a big glass of water.

[tara]

Thanks Tankini! I'll give that a try. I guess it's just a matter of training myself to not be in the habit of eating in around bedtime. I don't mind being a little bit hungry, but when I don't eat after dinnertime, I wake up absolutely starving and then I can't get back to sleep. Maybe the apple slice and water will do the trick. Hopefully the water won't have me waking up again in the night

[suzie]

I used to watch this British show called "you are what you eat" with Dr. Gillian McKeith, who helped overweight people to take on a healthier lifestyle so they could lose the weight in a healthy natural way. She always said that you REALLY shouldn't midnight snack, but if you absolutely, absolutely have to, then eat celery sticks. They fill the hole, they're mostly water, and there's something in there that makes you feel sleepy, too.

Good call on the water, though, Tankini. You don't get a lower-calorie filler-upper!

[steve_ross]

There are lots of folks on here that will say it doesn't matter when you eat, just as long as you burn off more then you take in,

I am assuming you mean me and whilst yes, you are correct that as long as you are creating a calorie deficit it does not matter when during the day you eat, at this point I could not imagine going to bed with a full stomach or getting up to eat during the night. If getting up at night to eat is a real problem for you, maybe try some over the counter sleeping pills for a while to make sure you sleep right through the night? Or I agree with the others, if you have to just eat celery or a carrot...

[tara]

That seems to be the right option for me. I really can't seem to stop feeling hungry when i wake up at night and if i don't eat i can't get back to sleep and my whole day is wasted, then i'm more prone to snacking! The funny thing is, celery sticks really don't appeal very much in the middle of the night, so while i have been eating them to fill the void, i don't have a problem with overindulging haha Thanks!