How to Overcome Late Night Cravings

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How to overcome late night cravings, the topic of the day. For days.

But, ohhh the cravings though! The need for a yummy snack at ten PM and then . . . the disappointment the next morning when you step on the scale.

And the vow that last night was the last night.

Again.

 

Why on earth do you keep going around and around, and around . . . ?

Because, emotional eating and stress eating are all about weakness, not logic or strength.

So let’s figure out how to build the foundation to a strong fortress of saying no.

I CAN TELL YOU HOW TO OVERCOME LATE NIGHT CRAVINGS BUT YOU HAVE TO DO IT YOURSELF.

RECOGNIZE YOUR EMOTIONS 

Once you understand that late night cravings really are just emotions nagging at you, not true hunger, recognizing this is step one.

Emotional eating is using food to make yourself feel better. You are eating to placate emotional needs rather than to satisfy actual real hunger.

Emotional hunger can’t be filled with food. It feels good to eat in the moment, but the feelings that triggered your need to feed your face are still there. The worst part is, you make yourself feel even worse later, because you now feel guilty. It’s a vicious, vicious cycle that only you can stop.

There is a difference in using food occasionally as a reward, or to celebrate. That isn’t bad.  When my kids get good grades, sometimes I take them out for vegan ice cream or a rare treat as a reward.

When eating becomes an emotional coping mechanism this is when it is a problem.

Once you recognize that you are eating simply to cope with stress, you can then take step two.

I recommend talking with your doctor and finding a good counselor to help sort out your emotions, if you are unable to do it alone.

DIG DEEP AND DEAL WITH IT

Journaling is somewhat of an old fashioned hobby I suppose. I used to keep a diary when I was younger. Now, with voice text and even with typing, slowing down with a pen and paper gets a little annoying. Buuuutttt . . .

When you slow down, it forces you to process what you are thinking, and in the process of slowing down, you can really start to assess your feelings and figure out the why behind what you are doing.

It also takes up time you would otherwise be eating.

Face your emotions, sort them out, decide what you want to do with them, and confront them.

Once you have done this, you can go about doing other things to fill the void.

A nutrition coach can also help. A nutrition coach is someone that can hold you accountable, as well as help you start new, healthy habits.

MAYBE IT’S NOT EMOTIONS

There are also cravings that can be linked to bad food choices, food sensitivities and lifestyle habits.

“Some foods promote indefinite cravings. Unfulfilled longings or unrest cause cravings.” Agatha M. Thrash, M.D. Preventive Medicine

Doctor Agatha M. Thrash also goes on to say that, “Many individuals who are sensitive to various foods taken even in small quantities get their cravings aroused.

“Sugar is a very common offender in this regard. One innocent appearing teaspoonful can do much damage in the sensitive person.

“Milk and all dairy products represent a common source of cravings.

“Salty foods irritate the stomach lining and produce thirst. Much of the mechanism of cravings is related to unrecognized thirst, causing the individual to try to satisfy his thirst by indulging his craving. If the thirst is eliminated, the craving can be handled with much greater ease.”

Full article here. 

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OVERCOME LATE NIGHT CRAVINGS WITH TEA

Now, I realize this sounds a bit trite and boring.

At night when I want something to snack on, and when I am trying to break a habit of grabbing something to nibble on during a show or while doing something before bed, I make tea.

When you fill the void with something it makes it easier to overcome the craving.

The options for flavors are endless when it comes to tea. Which makes it so fun!

Just be sure your tea is white or red, not black or green. Black and green tea have caffeine in them and aren’t good for late nights.

Rooibos is a South African red tea, and it is full of antioxidants and naturally a bit sweet.

Chamomile tea is also a bit sweet and floral, and a great calming, night time tea.

Sleepytime tea is another great evening tea!

Explore herbal, white and red teas and share with me in the comments below. Tell me what your fave herbal tea is!

When you’re making tea at night, leave out the sugar and milk. Learn to appreciate the pure flavor of the herb. Your waist will thank you later and your guilt will be set free.

For other options, read my article “Five Ways to Yummy-Up Your Water”.

WHAT BETTER WAY TO OVERCOME LATE NIGHT CRAVINGS THAN TO READ A GOOD BOOK!

Nope. Snacking during reading can’t be a thing anymore . . . but make you some tea and find a book that draws you in sooo deeply that you can’t even think about food.

Escape from your stress, drown your emotions in far, far away, and allow yourself to fall asleep dreaming in another world.

I would recommend a list of books here, but I write more than read, so I am going to let you list a few for me below in the comments! 🙂

If you prefer to write, like I do, it keeps your hands too busy to eat, and it works as well as reading for those who love to write.

OVERCOME LATE NIGHT CRAVINGS WITH CHORES

I doubt there is a person in the world who does not have a tub that could use a scrub, a carpet that couldn’t use a vacuum or some laundry that needs to be folded or ironed.

Evenings are great times to get some small house chores done and curb the appetite at the same time.

Plus, you’re getting yourself off the couch, burning a few calories, and let’s face it, you can get your heart rate up if you’re vacuuming stairs, and also, who doesn’t love a clean house when you go to fix a bowl of granola at breakfast time? Clean dishes anyone?

OVERCOME LATE NIGHT CRAVINGS WITH BREAKFAST

If you’re truly in it for the long haul, ready to lose weight, gain self control, eat healthy and feel amazing. . .

Begin with breakfast.

With the right foods, you will notice less cravings. 

Typical breakfast foods aren’t actually good for you. (Bacon, grits, white biscuits, donuts, pastries, etc.)

Breakfast needs to be filled with unrefined foods and should equal to a third to a half of your food and take for the entire day.

This results in a sense of well being, which will help with emotional eating!

 

A good breakfast filled with unrefined, low to no added sugar, and complex carbs, also equals better work performance. This “feeds” your emotions positively by fulfilling the need to feel accomplished.

When I say no added sugar I mean it literally. For example, grapefruit, don’t add sugar to it! Cereal, don’t add honey, sugar or any other sweetener. Add banana or fruit if you want more sweetener. Dried fruit is another way to add sweetness without adding extra sugar.

When your morning starts with a fantastic breakfast, you have less desire to over eat later on in the day and less need to eat between your meals. Which of course leads to better weight control, which results in less emotional eating as well.

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OVERCOME LATE NIGHT CRAVINGS WITH SLEEP

It’s evening or night time. Go to bed.

As I have mentioned before when talking about weight management and losing weight/belly fat, eating at night adds fuel to your “car” just as you’re about to “park it in the garage.”

These are bad habits that put weight on fast.

I’ve used this scenario before, and I’ll use it again. When you’re about to go on vacation, you pull the car out of the garage and before you leave, what do you do?

You take it to the gas station and fill it up! ALL the way to the top.

Why? Because you don’t want to have to stop any time soon! It is a waste of time. You don’t drive it to the gas station, put $5.00 of gas in, then carry on down the road and do this your entire trip.

Imagine doing this, then arrive at your destination, purely exhausted. Then filing up and parking your car at the hotel.

What kind of logic is this!?

This is what most people do to their bodies. They start off in a hurry, grab a cup of coffee and maybe a pastry or a granola bar and go to work. An hour later, you’re starving but it’s not lunch time. So what do you do? You eat a snack.

This happens all day long until dinner. Then you consume the majority of your calories (or over half of what you should have your entire day) right before bed.

On top of consuming a too big dinner, an hour or two later, late night cravings set in.

This is a very bad habit that adds so much weight to your waist for no good reason.

No matter how much you want to just sit and snack, if it is too tempting, and you know that you’re tired, just go to bed. A good night of sleep on an empty stomach is the best night of sleep you’ll ever have. 

 

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MORE RESEROUCES

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