Snacking at night often destroys how well we ate during the day. Most of us can pat ourselves on the back for eating healthy up until 6 pm. For some of us, eating at night might be a handful of chips an hour after dinner. However, it might be eating another dinner and then moving on to whatever else we can in the fridge or pantry. Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?
Why Snacking at Night Is A Big Deal
Now let me be clear. There is nothing wrong if you occasionally eat a snack at night because you feel hungry after missing a meal in the day. However, eating at night is a big deal because it is one of the unhealthy eating habits that prevent you from achieving your weight goal. Many people snack at night because of stress and boredom. Not surprisingly, research shows that we tend to snack in the afternoon and evening when stressed. Snacking at night can also dull your appetite for breakfast and cause you to skip meals during the day. Skipping meals during the day leads to hunger at night and, thus, night-time eating.
Now, let’s be honest. Snacking at night often has less to do with hunger and craving than it does with being part of an ingrained nightly habit or routine. And for many of us, this habit developed in college. Living in the dorms, watching late-night talk shows, and studying late at night set many of us on a four-year path to unhealthy eating. And if you worked while going to graduate school, then the struggle became even more real.
Regardless of the reason, here are several strategies to stop eating late at night.
Snacking at Night – One: Identify the Cause
It’s essential to identify the cause of your late-night eating. Snacking at night can be caused by:
- Tiredness
- Sadness
- Boredom
- Anger
- Frustration
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
On the other hand, certain situations can cause it:
- Studying/working late at night
- Watching TV late at night
- Hanging out with friends
- Not going to bed early enough
The bottom line is that you can find a solution once you identify the cause.
Snacking at Night – Two: Break Unhealthy Associations
Once you identify the cause of your late-night eating, you can find a solution. Snacking at night is often triggered by routines and associations. Do you eat at a specific time of night? Is there a usual spot on the sofa where you snack? Do you eat while watching a particular TV show? Is there a specific food that you crave at night?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you have unhealthy associations that are causing your late-night snacking. Many people multitask by snacking while working on the computer or watching TV. A systematic literature review of 24 studies found that eliminating distractions while eating results in eating less food, leading to losing weight and keeping it off.
So, if you’re serious about losing weight, you need to break these associations. And that means eating your snacks or meals away from the TV or computer.
Snacking at Night – Three: Stop Skipping Meals
Skipping meals during the day is one of the main reasons for feeling hungry at night. If you’re trying to lose weight, then skipping breakfast or lunch is a lousy diet strategy. And the reason for this is that skipping meals slows your metabolism, making your body less efficient at burning calories. If you’re hungry at night because you missed a meal, eat something light. Examples include:
- Bowl of soup
- Protein shake
- Greek yogurt
- Half of a sandwich
- Toast with peanut butter
- A handful of nuts and a piece of fruit
- A small bowl of cereal with milk
Snacking at Night – Four: Switch to Healthier Snacks
OK. I know many of you will not stop snacking at night. However, can we make a deal and have you choose healthier snacks? And, can you reduce the number of times that you eat unhealthy snacks at night? For example, you can choose frozen grapes or yogurt instead of ice cream. Or, you can limit your night-time snacking to Saturday nights.
Snacking at Night – Five: Eat Healthier Meals and Enough Calories During the Day
I recommend eating three complete meals a day plus two small healthy snacks. Your meals should include adequate amounts of macronutrients—carbohydrates (including fiber), protein, and fat. So, A low-fat, low-sugar high-protein shake for breakfast won’t cut it. Neither will two eggs and six slices of bacon. A balance of all three nutrients is essential for satiety, energy, and stable blood sugar.
A general rule of thumb is that a complete meal should keep you full and satisfied for about three hours. And depending on your activity level and lifestyle, a small snack between meals should keep you satisfied.
Snacking at Night – Six: Focus on Serving Size and Portion Control
When you’re snacking at night, portion control may be the last thing on your mind. You may be an all-or-nothing thinker. And by that, I mean that rather than eating two cookies, you eat six or even the whole bag. However, you can win a small battle by understanding the difference between a serving and a portion.
A serving is the amount of food recommended for a particular food group. The food label shows the serving size as well as the number of servings in the package. On the other hand, a portion is how much you choose to eat at any one time, which may be more or less than a recommended serving. Two slices of deep-dish pizza for a late-night snack is a portion. And did you know that a pint of ice cream has four servings? However, when you eat the whole container, that’s a portion.
So, focus on the serving size and eat smaller portions when you’re snacking at night.
Snacking at Night – Seven: Don’t Eat from Packages
We are all guilty of occasionally eating directly from the package. In my role as a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN), this is one of the things that most night-time snackers do. They grab a large bag of chips or a pint of ice cream and head to the couch. And they don’t stop eating until it’s all gone. And sadly, some admit to eating while standing in front of the fridge or pantry. So, if you must snack, focus on portion control and use a plate or bowl.
Eight: Distract Yourself
When you get the urge to snack at night, find a way to distract yourself for 15 minutes to see if your craving subsides. Two things that work for me are brushing my teeth or gargling with mouthwash. Nothing will taste right after that. Leave the kitchen and do things like:
- Taking a shower or bath
- Cleaning out your purse, backpack, or tote
- Doing some sit-ups or other light exercise
- Walk around the house
- Deep breathing
- Playing a video game
- Writing in your journal
- Drinking a cup of tea
Nine: Ignore or Talk Back to the Voices in Your Head
Be bold and ignore or talk back to the voices in your head telling you to eat. You’ve gotten pretty good at ignoring phone calls or text messages from certain people. So, ignore the voices and roll your eyes. Pretend that the voice is like that unruly child in the supermarket throwing a tantrum in the candy aisle. Shake your head and keep moving. Or you can talk back to the voices if they get louder. Say, “Whatever.” Or, you have my permission to cuss at it.
Ten: Go to Bed
Yes, I said it. Go to bed. Staying up late at night gives you more time to eat. Spray some lavender on your pillow, turn on the sleep sounds, and treat yourself to a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow is another day.
Now, It’s Your Turn
Well, I hope you now have more confidence to stop snacking at night. It’s often an enjoyable habit that causes guilt the next day. Furthermore, snacking at night often leads to eating too many calories and eventually, weight gain. If you’re serious about losing weight, then curb your late-night snacking.
However, if you’re willing to admit that you’re night-time eating is a symptom of something more serious, see a therapist and seek emotional support. I think you will enjoy the blog post on 9 unhealthy eating habits that are keeping you fat, 9 types of stress eaters, and 13 affirmations for weight loss.
- On a scale from 1-5, how would you rate your night-time snacking?
- Which two of these tips can you use right now?
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