Night snacking

Does anyone else find night time snackingis the worst? Ive always snacked a lot at night and now 7 months out since surgery the habit has returned. Does anyone else have this problem? What have you done to change your habits? 

I know exactly what you mean! I'm still preop but I have realized while on my liquid diet what a nighttime snacker I am. It is a habit that I am trying to break.  Right now I will just try to do something to keep busy, school work, riding my bike. Anything to take my mind off it. If that doesn't work I will let myself have a half a protein shake. We'll see what happens after surgery.

Good luck. I hope you find something that works.

I have the same habit.. not easy to stop it.. maybe try postponing the snack, like wait 10 minutes and maybe eat a bit and then wait 10 minutes again.. by then you'll probably feel sleepy again :D

Do something which means I can't eat. Like have a bath - you can eat in the bath but only if you take foid in with you in the first place!! 

Yes!!!!! I noticed that habit creep back. I was staying up until midnight - 1am. So I decided to go to bed earlier. That gives me less hours to have food on the brain.

I made a list months ago of things I could do in case this situation occurred. I wrote down things like exercise, read a book, sing a song, make a phone call. If I do those things I can get food off my mind for a moment. I need to pull out that list.

Can you shift your meal times so that you start eating dinner during the times you're feeling snacky?  For example, I tend to eat my meals at 10-12, 2-3, and then 8pm. 

I've had the habit of night eating since I can remember.  What I've done is to plan my food for the day to include a snack during that time.  I eat dinner later in the evening and then eat my planned snack in the night time.  Sometimes, I don't eat the snack because I'm still full from dinner.  That's what works for me.  

Below are a couple of articles regarding night time eating.  The 60 ways article has a list of things to do instead of emotionally eat. From that article, you could take that list and add/delete the items to make it your own list.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/articles/60-ways-avoid-emotional- eating

http://www.obesityhelp.com/articles/are-you-a-nighttime-eate r

Thank you for the list Cathy! 

I made peace with my natural inclinations to eat, I don't eat during the day and eat starting at dinner and two snacks at night. Why keep fighting what you want to do naturally.  Just make sure these calories as well as all the calories you eat are accounted for and the night snacks are purposeful to your health.

I was never a night snacker pre-op but found myself becoming one after surgery - weird!  Rather than eliminate the behavior I plan for it in my day.  My night-time/after-dinner/before bed snack is a part of my food plan.   I make sure it fits into my daily calorie/protein/carb goal.  Then I don't have to feel guilty about it!