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  #1   ^
Old Wed, Mar-07-18, 12:55
Mr T Mr T is offline
New Member
Posts: 10
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 220/211.0/185 Male 5'7"
BF:
Progress: 26%
Default Snacking at night

First post in a few years and for some weird reason my work computer will not allow me to use the 'search' function so here goes:

We did LCHF last year and I lost almost 50 lbs but fell off the wagon about 6 months ago so recently started back. All day long I'm fine with my choices at work and evening dinner with my wife so no issues there. What I'm really struggling with is snacking at night.

While we are not following an actual plan, we are definitely keeping carbs under 40g per day but not counting macros, and I have lost 10lbs in the first 2 weeks. I am proud of that and it keeps me honest until about 8pm when sitting in front of the television I start wondering what's in the pantry.

In the past it was nothing to put away a litre and half of ice cream per night, followed with some potato chips and possibly cookies. Although we don't have any of that bad stuff in the house I tend to overdo it with LC snacks that we do have. Specifically, almonds and homemade desserts.

My wife will make a week's worth of these little 'fat bombs', or 'homemade LC cheesecake' and I would have almost four or five of them in a night, leaving me without any for the other days of the week. When they're gone I resort to HUGE spoonfuls of natural peanut butter.

I completely understand that I am sabotaging my efforts but I almost feel panicky if I don't have anything to snack on. Please tell me I'm not alone and if possible how to overcome this.
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  #2   ^
Old Wed, Mar-07-18, 13:36
khrussva's Avatar
khrussva khrussva is offline
Say NO to Diabetes!
Posts: 8,671
 
Plan: My own - < 30 net carbs
Stats: 440/228/210 Male 5' 11"
BF:Energy Unleashed
Progress: 92%
Location: Central Virginia - USA
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It sounds like you have many of the same issues as I do - even over-doing the same allowable OP foods as I did. IMO - you are doing the most important thing. You are sticking to OP foods. Keep doing that no matter what. I had (and sometimes still have) a problem with snacking. I didn't worry about it for several months. For me it was most important to stick to the right foods. In time, though, the weight loss slowed and I realized that my habit of snacking was likely a major reason why. It was a tough habit to overcome. Munching in front of the TV was my norm for decades. Being hungry all the time was, too. Every time I went into the kitchen I wanted to pop something in my mouth. So when eating LC, was it hunger or was it habit? I concluded that it was more habit than hunger and I wanted to break that habit. I had some weight to lose. Here is what I did...

I had to put certain OP foods like peanut butter, roasted almonds, LC sweetened things, etc. into time-out for a while. If I was going to snack it was going to be something zero carb or less tasty -- things like raw almonds. pork rinds, cold chicken thighs, or raw veggies. The point was to avoid foods that pushed those 'more, more, more' buttons in my brain. My head was expecting a goodie. I gave it food instead.

I cut out between meal snacks from breakfast to lunch and lunch to dinner. At work I have a no snacks rule, no matter what shows up in the break room. That one was fairly easy to do. It is easier when rules are black and white like that. I will admit, though, that I found this a little tougher to accomplish on the weekend.

In the evenings I set a cut-off time. No snacking after 9pm. Then I dialed it back to 8pm. Eventually it was no snacking after dinner. One thing that helped me was to eat my dinner and then immediately go out for a walk. I'd walk at least 30 minutes. By the time I got back satiety had set in and I was less likely to want to snack.

It was important to me to spread my carbs out across my meals. If I ate a VLC breakfast and lunch I could have the bulk of my carbs for dinner, right? Well, that wasn't the best idea. Too many carbs in one meal gave me the munchies. I started this WOE with net carbs < 30, but soon realized that I should keep carbs < 15 net for any given meal.

Finally, I found that intermittent fasting was quite beneficial in getting me used to the idea that I don't need to be constantly eating. Even a 12 our fast, not eating from dinner until breakfast is beneficial. Making a point not to eat during that time makes snacking off-limits. Later I added 18 hour IFs once or twice a week. No food from dinner one day until lunch the next. Eventually I worked up to a 23 hour fast from one dinner to the next. It was not as hard to do as I thought it would be. I'd get a little hungry at my normal meal time, then the hunger would go away. I only did a few of those longer IFs and I did them well into my WOE (11 months in). It was a big deal for me. I don't think that I'd missed a meal in 20 years. My brain needed a little reeducation. I still do IFs from time to time.

Getting a handle on stacking didn't happen overnight. It happened in fits and starts. I've had some relapses, too. Make a plan and just keep working at it. See if you can get to where you only eat at mealtime. IMO, longer breaks without eating does a body good.
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  #3   ^
Old Wed, Mar-07-18, 17:49
mike_d's Avatar
mike_d mike_d is offline
Grease is the word!
Posts: 8,475
 
Plan: PSMF/IF
Stats: 236/181/180 Male 72 inches
BF:disappearing!
Progress: 98%
Location: Alamo city, Texas
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Green olives, whole dill pickles, beef jerky -- satisfying and high in salt. Or have a hot drink like tea or bullion. Avoid cheese or nuts
Getting adequate protein during the day helps a great deal. I aim for 88 grams/day or about the amount in 4 chicken drumsticks or 4 cans of tuna. If short and still hungry I sometimes have a protein shake (30g) made with water and 50% cream. Never a shake by itself though.
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  #4   ^
Old Wed, Mar-07-18, 18:52
Ms Arielle's Avatar
Ms Arielle Ms Arielle is online now
Senior Member
Posts: 19,177
 
Plan: atkins, carnivore 2023
Stats: 200/211/163 Female 5'8"
BF:
Progress: -30%
Location: Massachusetts
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I stopped making the individual cheesecakes because I too would eat 3-5 iin an evening.

Maybe try some thing not so scrumptious. Celery with cream cheese?

Reach for a full 8 oz water, and chug that down first. You maybe thirsty. If hungry after that, then eat.

Pork rinds. Crunchy. All protein. Maybe a high fat dip. ( cream cheese, mayo and dill weed)

Eat more at dinner.

My tastebuds tolerate 100% cacao chocolate. NO sugar. Slightly bitter. ghirardelli. 1 sq. 3 carbs, 8 g fat.

Lots of fat at each snack and meal is important to fire up the fat burning engine.

Yesterday I hit my mark of no evening munchies--only aobut 14 days back on p lan.

Eventually the evening munching will drop off, so have something to fill that time that is fun!

Last edited by Ms Arielle : Wed, Mar-07-18 at 18:58.
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  #5   ^
Old Thu, Mar-08-18, 19:13
Kristine's Avatar
Kristine Kristine is offline
Forum Moderator
Posts: 25,581
 
Plan: Primal/P:E
Stats: 171/146/150 Female 5'7"
BF:
Progress: 119%
Location: Southern Ontario, Canada
Default

Mr T, I can relate. As a teenager, my drug of choice was the carefully-planned TV shows + junk food. I went cold-turkey off it when I moved out to go to school, couldn't afford cable, and was too busy studying anyway.

If you dare, consider giving up TV. There's something about that passive state that's just bad for us impulsive snackers. If you don't want to give it up completely, at least give up channel-surfing and set limits. If there isn't something on that you know you want to see, keep it turned off and do something else. If you're watching on demand, maybe watch while you're eating dinner? Or a time when eating at the same time doesn't work?

The "doing something else" for me is usually sitting here in front of the computer. I don't want to gunk it up, so I'm not going to snack while I'm doing it. Plus, it's hard to eat and type at the same time. Ditto with using my iPad. I'll play games, read (Kindle app), or whatever. Not conducive to eating at the same time.

DH and I have one remaining TV-ish indulgence and it's sports. When I'm watching (half-watching) a game, I like to knit. There are enough ads/time-outs/whistles/pitching changes/etc. Take up knitting, or something else you can do with your hands while you watch.

I totally agree with Ken that sticking with LC snacking is still better than going off plan. After a while, my brain started to make the connection that there's no buzz to be had off LC snacks... at least the ones I had. And without that chemical reward, it just started to become less appealing. "Hey, there are almonds and you could eat them!!" "Yeah, but then you have to pick them out of your teeth, and they don't even taste that great."

Congrats on your success so far... you're on the right track.
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