Does anyone have a similar problem? I am totally an evening person, I do my best work, etc in the evening and feel more alert during the evening. That is also when I am the hungriest. My husband swears that one of the reasons I am having trouble losing is that I eat after 8 PM. However, I just feel like I'm going nuts sometimes if I don't snack at around 10 or later. Its 1 oclock in the morning now and I am dying to raid the fridge.


Often, I will wake up at around 2 in the morning and raid the refrigerator and I'm usually half asleep. It is like I have no will power at all, except during the day. During the day I am fine. No problems and no cravings. Does anyone have any advice on what I could do to stop these midnight feedings. When I get up and eat at night even though I eat "legal" things I am less in control of portions..I just totally pig out on whatever it is...like cheese or low carb peanut butter..things that are fine as long as you stick to the portions...sigh... but it seems like I don't do that. Help !!!

I use to do the same thing. I haven't since starting Atkins my cravings disaapeared.

I thought maybe a soothing cup a tea, a big bottle of water would help fill you up or maybe a big bowl of SF jello.

Last ditch effort brush your teeth. Once I brush my teeth I usually don't want to mess with that nice clean feeling.

Good Luck!!!

Hi Lynda Gayle,

I'm a midnight munchie'r, too, but I don't think it's slowed my weight loss. Could you post a typical day's menu, so that we can see what you're eating? There are several possibilities. Are you eating a lot of "franken" foods? Are your calories too low? Nuts can slow you down, etc.

jude

Ok...what is a "franken" food? I assume it is something that is freightening to your diet, like Frankenstein...Well, let me give you a list of the typical foods I eat during the day:

meat - I'll be honest, I eat way too much red meat. I enjoy hamburger. Right now I have some phili steak on the george forman grill. I'm only putting a slice of cheese on it.

I also eat vegetables. I try to have a salad each day with ranch dressing. I also try to stick with green beans for my other vegetable. I am pretty sure that my calorie intake is sufficient..if anything it is over.

What really seems to hurt me is the late night cravings. Like I said, I don't crave during the day...it is just at night. What really has hurt me is that I learned to get low carb peanut butter and there is some pineapple flavored cream cheese that I love. Both have around 4 carbs for 2 tbs..my only problem is that I can't stop at 2 tbs when I grab them in the night.

Now I know what you are thinking. I know it is only carb addiction and i need to stop buying these things if they derail my diet success. The only problem is that if I don't keep them, I'll end up eatting something worse for me with higher carbs in the middle of the night. When I get up craving like that I just can't go back to sleep at all..I'm up the rest of the night just dying to get in the fridge.

PS. I tried the herbal teas and the jello..it just doesn't satisfy me at all...it seems like it makes it worse. I did try that approach though.

Are there any supplements out there that would help with late night cravings, but that wouldn't keep me up all night?

I know you don't really want to hear this... but get rid of the things you are snacking on. Replace it with some hard boiled eggs, or meat and cream cheese rollups... or some roasted chicken legs. Keep them in the fridge and eat of them when you are hungry.

I think you are getting carb creep from the overindulgences in the things you like... and are setting off the cravings. It happens. I can personally attest that if your hunger starts going up... if you go back to eating REALLY clean (as in reinducting for a few weeks) - you will turn off those hunger and craving problems - or at least simmer then down. Sounds to me like you need to at least choose protein/fat combos for your midnight snacks and stay away from the items that are exposing you to major carb creep.

Yes, I think the meat idea is good...and maybe some fat. What about some chopped veggies and ranch dip? Or the salami and cheese rolls?

I can't stand the thought of pork rinds, but some people swear by them...maybe them and some spinach dip. I guess it's just getting a different activity other than eating at that hour that will eventually change the habit for you...but that's the hard part, I know.

What about a really creamy drink, like hot cocoa or something? Maybe that will fill you but keep you from eating?

Well, really...the only problem with the veggies is that I would be getting about the same amount of carbs possibly, especially using Ranch dip..however the calorie count my be lower. Possibly it is the calories that are hurting me. I'm gonna lay off of of it all for awhile and re-start induction. I've also started walking on the treadmill again...that was my resolution...to actually walk 30 minutes 4 times a week. I can start losing again. I know it. I have faith.

Good outlook!! I know that part of my long spell of not losing was because I was eating WAY too much...I figured that everything legal was basically unlimited, but you know as well as I do...that's not quite true !!

Good luck on induction...that tends to clean up a lot of this kind of stuff!

Hello! I was a HUGE night time binger too. But since learning to not eat anything after 6pm I have really begun to lose! In fact if anyone saw Oprah today her trainer was on there and he said that he recommends that everyone stop eating 3 hours prior to going to bed. When you feel that feeling of hunger your body is dipping into stored fat at night. Since I eat plenty during the day it really excites me now when I get that little twinge of.. "I think I want a little something." Because it means my body is working to burn fat. I was one who'd stay up late and totally binge.. then go to bed. Even the first couple weeks on Atkins I was still binging.. on low carb.. not thinking.. HEY.. this is still over eating. I don't know if that will help at all,but I'm seriously benefitting from cutting my night time eating. Take care and Good LUCK to you!

In the original protein power book it says something about night time munchies being a symptom of ulcers or gastritis problems. On pgs. 150-151 it says that you wake up not feeling stomach pain, but feeling hungry. You eat a large quantity of food and it soothes your tummy. They claim the diet will make this problem go away. But they say to make sure your midnight munchies are low-carb.

Hi Lynda,

I'm a night owl myself. I would stay up till 2 or 3 everynight if my hubby didn't keep bugging me to come to bed.

I loved to snack at night and when I would go to bed around 12 or 1 I would wake up several times during the night hungry. I also am half asleep and would open the fridge and eat a few squares of cookie dough or whatever was in the cupboard that I could just pop in my mouth without cooking. Made my tummy feel better.

After about 2 weeks on Atkins, I rarely ate anything if I woke up. Now if I wake up, I normally go out to the garage and have a cig (not recommended) and a drink of my diet pepsi and crawl back in bed. Sometimes I don't get up at all and sometimes I get up twice a night. Last night I did have a couple of bites of sf jello because it was too early to get up for breakfast. Also water helps me too. If I wait a few minutes and think about what I am doing, I usually can hold off eating till morning. If you take medication, this can be a side effect also. I know it is for me.

I am also trying not to eat past 10pm hoping this will help with my weight loss. I did catch the last half of Oprah today and her trainer said not to eat the last 3 hours before you go to bed. Made sense to me so I thought I would give that a try too.

If you do need to eat, I would eat veggies and low cal foods rather that high fat late at night.

That's just my opinion.