If so, you're not alone. Having cravings in the evening or during the night are quite common and can be easily overcome. Here are three ways to stop your late night snacking fast!
1. Eat more during the day
The first step is to eat more during the day. One of the reasons why you may be feeling hungry at night is simply because your body needs more food. If so, feed it!
However, you are far better off feeding your body during the day when you have an opportunity to burn off the calories rather than at night as your metabolism slows down preparing your body for sleep. In order to lose weight you need to create a calorie or energy deficit. This means you burn up more energy each day than you take in from food. However, if the deficit is too severe, extreme hunger results.
Sometimes you may find that if you sleep in on a Sunday morning and have your breakfast late (i.e. when you would normally have your mid-morning meal), by the evening you may still be hungry even though you have had a substantial dinner. This an example of not consuming enough calories during the day compared to what your body requires.
If you find that this is happening to you, an easy way to overcome it is to simply eat half a punnet of strawberries after dinner. This can help to curb your appetite without eating excess calories because strawberries are a low-density carbohydrate.
2. Consciously change your evening habits
Humans are easily conditioned creatures. If we repeatedly perform an action in the same way, our brain remembers this and encourages us to repeat the action again in the future.
For example, remember back to when you were at school. Each day after school when you arrived home and walked through the front door, where was the first place you went? If you said the fridge or the pantry you are like most people!
Now, think about this: did you go there because you were hungry or simply because you had done that same action many times before? It is highly likely that you were conditioned to go to the fridge or the pantry because your brain had linked the two activities together.
In the same way, if you repeatedly sit on the couch after dinner to watch TV and eat snacks, you will likely create a 'conditioned response'. Then, in the future, whenever you sit on the couch in the evening to watch TV you will start to crave snacks!
You must be consciously aware of this and then change the habit. Perhaps choose to drink a glass of water instead or grab the half punnet of juicy strawberries and munch on those instead. Better still, get off the couch and go and do something! Perhaps take the dog for a walk; I'm sure they would appreciate it! If you notice that your reason for late night snacking is because it is a conditioned response, then you can take the steps to easily overcome it.
3. Take glucose disposal agents in the evening
If your largest meal of the day is your dinner then it is quite common to find that you feel hungry before bed. The reason for this is because a large meal causes a greater insulin response in the body.
Since insulin's primary function is to store nutrients in the body, a few hours after eating the meal your blood glucose is likely to drop significantly resulting in cravings for food or sugar.
By taking glucose disposal agents with or after dinner your body doesn't need to secrete as much insulin because glucose disposal agents assist in disposing of glucose from the blood stream as well as assisting insulin in its function. This means it is easier for your blood glucose to stay stable and for you to avoid cravings.
These three strategies are guaranteed to stop your late night snacking immediately. Try them yourself and prepare to be amazed at how effective they are.
Copyright (c) 2009 Stephen Smith
The term bulimia means excessive or abnormal desire for food which is better described as ox-hunger. Bulimia Nervosa disorder has the character of repeating occurrence of binge eating which develops the person with lack of sense for having no control on eating behavior and encourages self-induced vomiting and intake of laxatives and drugs to get rid of this eating habit. This eating disorder is usually of three main types; Bulimia Nervosa, Anorexia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder. It involves long lasting and obsessive eating pattern in the person suffering from this eating disorder. From the past 20 - 30 years, the number of people suffering from this disease is enormously increasing at a faster pace.
Anorexia nervosa is a disorder which compels people to starve themselves in an obsession of becoming thin. This disorder mainly affects teenage girls but men are no longer remaining exceptional in this case.
Bulimia nervosa, abbreviated to bulimia generally, is a disorder where an individual goes through the binge-eating session, followed by their worsening health. They often develop self-induced vomiting feeling of guilt for having eaten much. People suffering from bulimia nervosa tend to develop bulimia symptoms like this. They usually scare and suffer from an artificial preoccupation of gaining weight in their own body. People who suffer from this disorder greedily consume food in a huge quantity in an attempt to get rid of their stress and in another to deal with their anxiety feeling.
People having binge eating disorder intake high caloric foods in a frequent manner but this does not induced themselves for vomiting unlike people with bulimia nervosa sufferers. Studies and research have reported that binge eating disorders are likely to run in different generations of the family, so it is obviously a case having genetic links.
This is a psychological disorder that mostly affects women and very occasionally, it affects men. Bulimia nervosa affects every individual physically as well as with the underlying cause in relation with the reaction of being overweight, self image issues, self consciousness and lack of food control. Therefore, bulimia treatment is a significant thing for every person suffering from this psychological disorder, although the complete treatment is bit difficult. Because the sufferer never admits to the problems they are suffering from and develop tendency to hide this eating habit. Getting embarrass is another issue they have but this disease can prove to be extremely hazardous effect to their physical health. If the immediate bulimia treatment is not given to the person, he/she may begin to have problems such as electrolyte imbalance, esophageal tears, cardiac problems, gastrointestinal disorders, stomach disorders and dental problems. In the later stage of the disease it is become difficult for the person to normal functioning and the person become more prone to illnesses and colds. They may also develop more bruising on the surface of skin and may intend to have more broken bones from a simple fall. if anybody would find with this disorder and bulimia symptoms, approach him to obtain bulimia treatment for this as soon as possible.
There are many options of treatments a person suffering from bulimia nervosa can adopt. It includes medications, psychological treatment and support treatments for in patient and out patient, and dental treatments with compulsive exercising. While going through a treatment, person strictly needs put away him/herself from overeating and night eating habits. If any body is suffering from bulimia nervosa, it is important for you to support them in any way otherwise, treatment alone will not going to help them with their problem in any case.
Both Stephen Smith & Alexx are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Stephen Smith has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, Health and Computers and The Internet. Stephen Smith is the part-owner of Body Concepts, an Australian supplement company, and Focus On, a health and lifestyle magazine. Stephen has been involved in the health and fitness industry for over 18 years and has a science degree from UWA. His websit. Stephen Smith's top article generates over 14800 views. to your Favourites.
Alexx has sinced written about articles on various topics from Lose Weight, Heart Conditions and Fitness. . Alexx's top article generates over 1300 views. to your Favourites.