eating late at night

[rob_n]

i had the gastric bypass on apr. 26, 2013 and have lost 102 #.  my goal is to lose another 45 # by end of summer. my big problem is eating at night, and by night i mean as late as 2 in the a.m.   i'd appreciate anyones' help or hints on how to break this bad habit (besides going to bed earlier).

thanks.

[bsarge]

I'm not sure what your eating schedule is like normally. I've only known a couple of people that have had gastric bypass and they tend to eat small meals throughout the day. The only thing I could suggest is the one thing you don't want..lol Maybe changing your sleeping schedule. Especially if it would help in the long run.

It makes me tired just imagining being up at that time..lol

[badminton]

Distract yourself - if you can re-focus on something else (maybe start checking your steps? logging in to the fitbit community? read? play some music and dance? do yoga or tai chi?  ), and tell yourself no, it helps. It sounds like maybe you are going into the kitchen just before bed... i do that too sometimes.. avoid the snack area. Avoid whatever has trained your brain to associate food with _________  (fill in the blank). It might be snacks with tv, or a book or ..... And for a while your brain will keep badgering you, like a 2 year old in a toy store.  If you have already lost that much weight, you have already experienced that sensation of need. Use some of the strategies that have worked for you during the day. 

[Heybales]

If going to bed earlier isn't an option, then adjust the normal eating schedule so your last meal or snack is closer so you don't get hungry by 2 am.

And if it seems like you don't have enough calories to add something, lighten up on other meals, and confirm the last one is good mix of protein and fat eaten first followed by carbs.

No need getting a spike and big dip in blood sugar making you feel hungrier than you really are.

[CardiacBeat]

You could try a light snack. For instance I do sugar free jello for my late night dessert! It's not much but it's a little bit a sweet to satisfy me 🙂 ...

[KristenAnne]

Over night you could be dehydrating and your are mixing up hunger and thirst. Try drinking some ice cold water... Keep a glass or bottle by the bed so you don't even have to go into the kitchen.

If that doesn't work try eating fruit with high water content such as watermelon or cantaloupe.

[Caity]

When I am hungry late at night I usually drink a big glass of water and then set an amount of time I have to wait, usually half an hour or so, if I’m still hungry when that time is up I can have one small plain snack.  That way if it’s just thirst or a craving it will go away but if I’m truly hungry usually a few crackers or something similar will fix it.  I try to stay from sweets or savory snacks as this seems more like a reward at the end of the day and is something you look forward to rather than try to avoid.

[mangogirl205]

Hi, I too am guilty...lol..I have a bad habit of eating around 1-3am. But I found several things that I can eat that does not 1.spike my glucose and 2.NO fat/sugar free & low calories.So I don't feel bad about snacking.

I eat Activia fat free low calorie greek yogurt(Vanilla flavored) or Jell-O pudding/jello snack packs that are sugar free low carb and have like 60 calories or less! They have all kinds of flavors. I get both at my local Shoppers grocery store or Shoprite. The jell-o/pudding snack packs cost $5.00 for (4) 4 packs that's 16 packs all togeather..pretty cheap. And the Activia is $0.99 each,but sometimes goes on sale for $0.84. The good thing is they are all  pre-measured and are grab and go...so easy and it really does satisfy me. Lastly, I also like stick cheese aka string cheese...you can nibble on one of those they come in orginal or skim milk...taste really good and also come in single packages too. They are $2.69 and my pack comes with 12 sticks. So yup, that's what I usually snack on IF I HAVE to have something lol. Hope that helps.