how to avoid eating before bed time?

Amy wrote:

I wish to reduce weight by eating less before bed time.
We have dinner around 6pm. But by 10pm I am getting hungry before going to
bed at 12. What can I do to avoid eating?

It's worth noting that six hours is a perfectly acceptable time for you
to get hungry again. Heck, four hours is also reasonable. All it means
is that your metabolism is working as expected. If you eat dinner at
6pm, go to bed hungry at midnight, and then not eat again until 6 or 7
in the morning, your metabolism may be suffering just a bit for the long
delay.

I'd suggest eating later. Maybe have a small meal at 6 with your family
(or whatever it is you do that has you eating at that time), and then
another small meal about 9 or 9:30. That way you're still not eating
within three hours of your midnight bedtime (which is the limit most
people favor), but you're not going 18+ hours between meals such that
your metabolism slows down, either.

But really, it's not surprising that the six hours makes you hungry
again. I'd worry if it *didn't*.

-Tay

I'm able to stick to one package. It's a lot easier for me than counting
out cookies or crackers from a larger tempting box.

"Doug Lerner" wrote in message
...
Those are really good. But talk about "trigger foods"!

I brought a carton of them home from my trip to the U.S. The problem
is I
found myself on some days opening up pack after pack of them, eating
500
calories at a sitting instead of 100 calories!

So I'm not buying any more for now.

doug



On 10/25/05 10:38 AM, in article ,
"ahmward" wrote:

Occasionally I will save points for
an after dinner snack such as the 100 calorie Nabisco cookie pack
with a
glass of skim milk.

On Mon, 24 Oct 2005 21:19:19 GMT, "Amy"
wrote:

I wish to reduce weight by eating less before bed time.
We have dinner around 6pm. But by 10pm I am getting hungry before going to
bed at 12. What can I do to avoid eating?


I'd recommend eating something at around 10. I don't think there's
any magic about not eating after dinner, except that some people lack
self-discipline if they eat while sitting around watching TV or
whatever. One of the best choices for an evening snack is some kind
of lowfat or fat free dairy item, like yogurt or cottage cheese. The
tryptophan in dairy is known to help induce sleep. And -- assuming
you don't have a problem with lactose -- these are easy to digest.

Chris
262/130s/130s
started dieting July 2002, maintaining since June 2004

Willow wrote:

If you're hungry then you should eat..

if you've got the munchies (as in eating for any other reason than hunger)
find something to keep busy..

If it's hunger though it won't help..

Try WW zero point soups, or munch on zero point vegetables.

--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

I sometimes eat 1 cup of sunflower seeds which satisifies perfectly my
hunger.

Thank you. Understood.

I am trying to understand what is hungry and how to control food intake.

In the morning, if I skip breakfast with a glass of orange juice, by noon, I
feel hungry with grouting stomach, and also my entire body feel lack
of energy and even light headed.

However at night, if I have dinner at 6pm with family, I feel grouting
stomach by 11pm. I wish to avoid the grouting stomach that keep me up.

"Tayra" wrote in message
...
Amy wrote:

I'd suggest eating later. Maybe have a small meal at 6 with your family
(or whatever it is you do that has you eating at that time), and then
another small meal about 9 or 9:30. That way you're still not eating
within three hours of your midnight bedtime (which is the limit most
people favor), but you're not going 18+ hours between meals such that
your metabolism slows down, either.

But really, it's not surprising that the six hours makes you hungry
again. I'd worry if it *didn't*.

-Tay

Amy wrote:

Thank you. Understood.

I am trying to understand what is hungry and how to control food intake.

In the morning, if I skip breakfast with a glass of orange juice, by noon, I
feel hungry with grouting stomach, and also my entire body feel lack
of energy and even light headed.

However at night, if I have dinner at 6pm with family, I feel grouting
stomach by 11pm. I wish to avoid the grouting stomach that keep me up.

Watch WHAT you eat as well as how and when... Avoid greasy or heavy
things too close to bedtime. I usually have my evening meal between six
and seven, and rarely go to bed before midnight, so I know this can be
worked into the day.

Breakfast should be unhurried, nutritious, and as much as you can take.
My stomach wakes up about 2 hours after the rest of me, so I often
just have tea on waking, and breakfast is something like porridge or a
banana sandwich at nine - but I have the advantage of working at home!
When I was teaching in school, I used to get there before 8 every
morning, and eat a leisurely cereal and banana breakfast while doing
such things as photocopying the worksheets for the day, or organizing
books, booking the TV for later in the week, and writing up kid's marks
in the register. If I skipped breakfast, I ended up gobbling biscuits
(cookies to you) and chocolate at break time...

If you go for a family dinner in the evening, lunch needs to be not too
heavy and not too stodgy... I like a sandwich and salad, or a large
bowl of low or zero point soup with some fresh bread. I usually follow
this with yoghurt and an apple.

Dinner at six should be well balanced, but if you are likely to be
hungry later, have smaller portions, saving points for later. A main
course followed by fruit is usually a good option.

A later supper is fine if planned for: avoid greasy, hard to digest
things. Fruit and milk based things like a mug of hot chocolate are
fine, but you may need to avoid cheese. I also indulge in more zero
point soups at this time! Eat it about two hours before bed.

If you get the mad munchies after this, just have a cup of tea and
ignore them! Go to bed and read a good book - you'll soon forget the
munchy attack! I tend to get attacks of the munchies late in the
day If I've been very active, so I use up a few bonus points earned
swimming or walking at this point, or nibble on raw carrots, chopped
apples, or zero point soups.
--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

On Mon, 24 Oct 2005 21:19:19 GMT, "Amy"
wrote:

I wish to reduce weight by eating less before bed time.
We have dinner around 6pm. But by 10pm I am getting hungry before going to
bed at 12. What can I do to avoid eating?

OK, this is my top secret, so please keep it to yourself g, but here
is the answer:

I would (and do) minimize starchy carbs (especially bread and sweet
treats) during the day and early evening... there is good indication
that consuming these types of carbs can create a 'craving' for more.

Later in the evening (during a late dinner, and especially before bed)
is when you should eat the majority of your carbs and sweets (ie.
whole wheat bagel, whole wheat sourdough, dark chocolate, orange
juice, cake, sugary cereal).

That way you avoid the cravings, still get your carbs, enjoy a _small_
treat, but don't over-indulge (unless you are a midnight snacker...
but I'm way too tired to get out of bed in the middle of the night...
especially after eating all those carbs!)

Although the popular school of thought is to avoid eating, and
especially avoid eating carbs in the evening, I don't buy into it (and
it has been my experience that it's better for me to eat high protein
during the day, and high carb in the evening). I would suggest Sidney
McDonald's sp 'The Circadian Prescription' as a reference for eating
this way, and the science behind it (maximize your melatonin
production, etc.)

So... I would say the solution isn't to avoid eating, but to avoid
*over* eating, by eating the right foods at the right time.

You may be sceptical, but I'd urge you to give a try for 3 days and
see for yourself.

You're welcome :-)

Plan a snack at 12pm. Eat it then straight away brush your teeth and go to
bed.

A snack at 9pm might be a good idea too as long as you think you can hold it
at that and not trigger an overeating episode.

It ain't easy and you'll probably stumble often, but if you get it right
most of the time it may become habit forming.

I actually tried to not have a bedtime snack, it was a disaster for me, I
ended up waking up with my hands in the refrigerator eating, started the
bedtime snack and haven't done that since, it really scared me, Lee
Beverly wrote in message
...

"Amy" wrote in message
t...
I wish to reduce weight by eating less before bed time.
We have dinner around 6pm. But by 10pm I am getting hungry before going
to
bed at 12. What can I do to avoid eating?


If you can't move your dinner to a later time how about saving a little of
the calories normally consumed at dinner for a later snack. I often plan
for a late night snack before going to bed. Going to bed hungry is no
fung

Beverly