Do you raid the fridge or pantry in the evening, after supper?
Are you looking for something to munch on as you wind down for the evening, or maybe to reward yourself for another day done?
If you do and if you are, you’ve likely got yourself a nice little evening eating habit that you use to help you relax and feel good.
However, this habit isn’t without consequences.
When you put food (energy) into your body, and then just sit around and go to bed, that energy doesn’t get used: It gets stored.
It can easily take up residence on your belly, or hips, or thighs, or other fat hot spots.
And, although I know that no one wants that, I also know it’s hard for a lot of you to break the evening snacking habit.
But it’s far from impossible.
Yes YOU CAN do it.
You CAN give up the evening snacks for good.
I’ve done it (I was an evening snacker until just a few years ago), and so have countless others.
And here are 4 solid ideas for getting it done:
1. Eat when you’re hungry
Learning the power of eating only when your hungry can really help here.
When you notice yourself going for the fridge/pantry at 9pm, STOP.
Ask yourself, “Am I really hungry?”
If the answer is NO, then don’t eat.
If the answer is YES, can you sit through hunger until bedtime?
(Going to bed hungry won’t kill you, I promise.)
Or if the answer is YES, and you really, truly need to eat because you didn’t eat enough during the day, or you worked out after supper, then take a small, healthy protein-based snack.
And if you’re consistently hungry at night, consider adjusting your food intake during the day so you can go from supper to breakfast without food.
(For more about the benefits and how-to of eating only when you’re hungry, check out my blog post “Getting Hungry”)
2. Interrupt your routine
Most of the time we snack at night because it’s linked to another activity (like watching TV.)
Maybe whenever you head down to the basement to switch on NETFLIX, that’s your trigger to grab a bowl of popcorn, or chips, or grapes, or cheese, or a glass of wine on the way.
So, one way to interrupt that trigger is to just STOP and THINK before you grab the food or drink.
Just like in checking in with your hunger, stopping will allow you to become conscious of what you’re doing, and give you the opportunity to make a different choice.
And another thing you can try, is grab something else instead of food.
Try grabbing a ball of yarn and a couple of knitting needles, or a coloring book and markers, or a needle and thread to sew on that button that’s missing on your favorite pants.
Pick a simple, repetitive activity that will keep your hands busy and your mind off food.
And finally, interrupt your trigger and do something completely different, to replace your nightly ritual.
Try getting out for a walk, listening to podcast, taking a bubble bath, or reading a book.
Do something that will relax you, and feel good at the same time.
If you’re really looking to stop the habit, changing the trigger completely is probably most effective.
3. Leave the snacks at the store
We’re predictable creatures of habit.
As such, we have our go-to snacks.
So, if you want to stop snacking, STOP BUYING your go-to snack foods.
It can be as simple as that.
Success can come when you make it difficult to get your regular evening food fix.
Because if you need to make a special trip to the store just to get it, you’ll probably just go without.
4. Head to bed
Finally, if all else fails, go to bed.
You may be surfing or watching TV at night at the expense of valuable sleep.
So, if you cut out the activities that are linked to snacking, and just head to bed, you could kill two birds with one stone.
And if you think you’re not getting enough sleep, have a look at my recent blog post, “How’s Your Sleep,” for bedtime routine ideas that can help.
Do you want to cut out evening snacking?
Share why – or why not – in the comments below.
And if you’ve got any tips that worked for you, I would love to hear about them!
As I mentioned I stopped my evening snacking several years ago.
My snack of choice was half a peanut butter sandwich (on white bread).
At the time, I thought I would never be able to last until morning without eating before bed.
But now I’m in tune with my hunger, and I know that being a little hungry isn’t a bad thing.
Keep moving forward my friend,
Debbie
P.S. If you’re looking to change your habits, lose weight or belly fat, or just understand how you can get control of your eating without dieting, then coaching could be for you.
Check out my 6-Week Coaching Program… it could be exactly what you need to feel your best.