5 Tips To Navigate Nighttime Snacking
We’ve all been there - sitting on the couch, enjoying our favorite show - when out of nowhere, the late-night munchies hit. It seems that no matter what you do, there is no avoiding them! Though the occasional late night snack can absolutely fit into a healthy and calorie controlled diet, they can also be a source of significant calories depending on how often we eat them and how much we end up eating! If you feel that late night snacks are hindering your progress, here are my top 5 tips to navigate night time snacking!
#1) Eat More Throughout The Day
Stick with me on this one because this is the absolute, most important factor to control late night snacking. Let me put it simply: if you do not eat enough throughout the day, you WILL snack at night. In order to completely avoid late night snacking or be in control of how much you end up eating after hours, you first need to start with feeding yourself enough throughout the day. Think about it this way - if you skipped breakfast, had a protein bar for lunch between meetings, and a salad without any protein on it for dinner - why are you surprised that you are still hungry an hour after eating your less than satisfying dinner? You may view late night snacking as a “bad thing” when in reality it is likely just your body telling you that it has actually not had enough fuel throughout the day. Late night snacking is not a bad thing, it is an opportunity for your body to get the calories that it needs to survive. So step one to curbing those late night snack cravings is to feed yourself enough food throughout the day.
#2) Delay Don’t Deny
The more we deny the snack, the more we will think about it and the more we will want it! However, you don't need to eat it the minute your body craves it. Promise yourself if you still want that snack in an hour, then you can have it. Often times the desire goes away! However, if an hour comes and goes and you are still thinking about that particular snack then get up, get the snack in a controlled portion (DO NOT EAT OUT OF THE CONTAINER), and go sit in a separate room to eat the snack. No food should be 100% off limits and allowing yourself to have those snacks every once in a while will actually help you navigate that desire in the future.
#3) Form New Night-Time Habits
Sometimes we crave certain things simply by association. For example, have you ever noticed that you crave a glass of wine every time you cook? Do you want a salty snack every time you sit on the couch? If you notice those associations, let’s try forming new night time habits to help curb those cravings! If you associate a salty snack with the couch, then let's limit your time on the couch. Take a long bath. Play a game. Read a book in bed. This will break that habit we unknowingly have formed in ourself and will remove the associated desire for a snack that often comes with it.
#4) Focus on Your “Why”
Did you know that your body experiences two different types of hunger? Sometimes our stomach tells us we are hungry (aka physical hunger) but other times those hunger cues may actually be coming from your mind (aka emotional hunger)! To figure out where your hunger is coming from, stop and ask yourself “why am I feeling hungry?” Remember, the first step to limiting late night snacking is to ensure that you are eating enough throughout the day in the first place. If you stop and ask yourself why you are feeling hungry at night and look back on a day that consisted of skipped meals, then you are likely feeling physical hunger and should give your body something to eat! On the other hand, if you stop and ask yourself why you are feeling hungry at night and look back on a really well filled day that that provided appropriate calories then let’s think about where else that hunger may be coming from. Could this be emotional hunger? Are you eating because you are truly hungry or are you eating because you are bored or stressed? If bored, how else can you fill your time? If stressed, what else helps you unwind? Sometimes food is not the only option to fill those cravings.
#5) If Needed, Close The Kitchen.
This is my last resort to limit late night snacking. Always try steps 1- 4 first as those do not set your food off limits. One snack at night will not keep you from making progress. If you try steps 1-4 and find that you still always want to snack at night, then mentally closing your kitchen may be helpful for you! Just like a restaurant, close your kitchen after a well balanced dinner and then open it up for a well balanced breakfast in the morning again.
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Hey! I’m Lauren
I’m a registered dietitian and my goal is to give you tips and tricks to make healthy eating fun, easy, and even delicious!