Why Do I Eat So Much At Night?

You stick to your diet all day and eat healthy well-balanced meals. Then the evening comes and you find yourself making repeated trips to the refrigerator or pantry to eat food that you don't really need. Sound familiar? If it does, you're not alone. Nighttime calories are a struggle for many dieters who find that they continue eating after dinner. If you're serious about losing weight, use these tips to stop eating so much at night.

You're normal if you like to snack and graze after eating dinner. But if you are trying to lose weight, the calories you consume from snacks in the evening could easily undo a day's worth of smart food choices. So the first step to eating less is to find out why you eat when you don't need to.

For most of us, the reason we overeat is related to the fact that we are less busy at night and we are near food. We like to relax and enjoy more leisurely activities and food is a common source of comfort. Without the distraction of work or other daytime activities, it's easy to grab for snacks that are nearby. If you can find other ways to unwind, then you'll be likely to eat less at night. You can also use these strategies to curb nighttime eating.

How to Stop Eating After Dinner

The best way to curb your nighttime eating behavior for good is to use short term strategies to break the habit. If you can replace snacking with a healthier habit, then you won't feel the urge to overeat in the evening.

Use one of these tips (or all three) to change your night-time snack habit.

Move away from the food. You're more likely to eat too much at night if you are always around food. So after dinner, move away from the kitchen. This might mean that you postpone clean-up tasks so that you aren't tempted to eat leftovers. Or better yet, delegate the job to someone in your house who isn't on a diet.

Another great way to get away from food is to go for a walk after dinner. I walk the dog after dinner. I get in extra activity to burn more calories. At the same time, I'm breaking the habit of snacking after dinner. But the real plus for me is I can sleep better. I'm not stuffed full and the walking has made me little tired. Even if your walk is just 15-20 minutes long, physical activity helps to break up the eating momentum. It also gives your body a chance to feel the sensation of fullness so the urge to eat is less strong. After I got use to walking at night, I stretched out my walk to 45 minutes.

Use a "meal-ender" to curb your appetite. Some dieters use mint-flavored gum to diminish the desire to eat after dinner. Most of us don't like the taste of food when we have a mint flavor in our mouths. Brushing your teeth after dinner provides this same benefit - along with a dental bonus. That's true but I still like mint flavored gum when ever I have a craving to eat something.

You can also use MealEnders to stop eating so much. These small candies reset your taste buds so that you don't feel the urge to eat. MealEnders contain no stimulants and are regulated as a food product so they have to follow strict guidelines of the Food and Drug Administration, unlike many diet and weight loss supplements.

Be a smart television watcher. Most of us eat too much at night when we snack mindlessly in front of the television. Some researchers even believe that certain action shows make us eat too much food. Regardless of your show preference, however, you can create healthy eating habits in front of the television to eat less and lose weight.

One way to eat less is to keep my hands active. I do simple chores while I watch TV. Sometimes I read while I watch TV, my brother taught me that. And sometimes I stay on the internet at night and that keep my hands busy.

Remember, snacking isn't bad for your diet. But eating when you're not hungry is never a good plan. Learn to eat a healthy (not hardy) dinner and then create habits to stop eating  at night. You'll reach your goal weight faster and keep your weight off for good. Most diet gurus will tell you not to eat the 3 hours before bed. There's a good reason for that. Late night food won't have time to be properly digested and will end up being stored as fat.
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