Eating Late at Night

If your body needs 1,800 calories to maintain a healthy body weight and you ate only 900 calories by the time it was 9 p.m., you could in reality eat another 900 before bedtime. The problem is the longer it gets until dinnertime, the hungrier you get, and for most people the chances they will over eat increases. So what ends up happening is excess calories are consumed. For example: you've waited so long to eat that by the time you do, you can't stop.

But what should you do if you eat a well-balanced dinner at a reasonable hour and you are still hungry before bedtime? First it is good practice to try to figure out if you are really hungry. Ask yourself, "Am I hungry? Am I angry? Am I lonely? Or Am I tired?" Many times eating at night have nothing to do with actual hunger. Once you identify what is really going on, you might be able to prevent late-night munchies.

Now if you really are hungry, I usually suggest a late-night snack of around 100 calories or less. For example: a piece of fruit or cup of berries, three cups of air-popped popcorn, a sugar-free Popsicle, a single serving of low-fat pudding, a glass of nonfat milk, raw veggies, or a six-ounce container of nonfat fruit-flavored yogurt.

Eating earlier will help you to sleep better. Going to bed on a full stomach for many people is a detriment and interferes with a good night sleep. Usually, if you don't sleep well, there is an increased chance that in the morning when you are exhausted you will make poor breakfast decisions. But the best solution of all is to go to bed earlier to keep you from eating late at night. Remember you can't eat when you are sleeping. http://ihealthy.info