Hi everyone, my name's Deanna and I am new to the forum.

I have been dieting and exercising for about a month and a half now, and have already lost 30 pounds. I am really excited about the new direction I am taking with my healthier lifestyle.

However, I do have one weakness....I get incredibly hungry at night. During the day, I eat regularly and have an average appetite, but for some reason, after around 5 p.m., I basically want to eat my entire house, LOL! I start craving junk food like chocolate and chips, and I find it almost impossible to resist the urge to eat a huge quantity of whatever I find in the cupboard.

I know it's not very healthy to eat after about 7 p.m., and I don't want to cave and eat bad foods late at night. So, what are some tips to keep me from caving and eating junk during the late afternoon and night?

I've noticed that a Spicy V-8 or regular tomato juice with some pepper sauce mixed in curbs the appetite well if you like spicy things.

I suggest that you get rid of any really bad foods in your cupboards if you can (like the chips and chocolate). Easier to avoid temptation when it's not staring you in the face.

Are you eating enough (and frequently enough) throughout the day to make sure you're not starving at dinner? How much water are you drinking? Drinking at least 8 cups of water a day is a HUGE appetite supressant...

If you crave something salty, a large mug or two of hot vegetable/chicken/beef broth might help sate your hunger too without adding too many extra calories.

I know while I am at work, I am busy, and only have the food I brought. When I am home, their is lots of food, and maybe I get board sometimes.

Lately knowing I am not allowed over my calories limit is working for me.

Do you think that you are actually hungry?? Alot of times people think they are hungry when they are actually thirsty or bored.

I'd start with making sure you have a good breakfast! Also, make sure your eating enough protein during the day.

If you think you might just be bored, try keeping your hands busy..find a craft you like, or read a book. Sometimes I'll get a piece of sugar free gum and a tall glass of water, it often does the trick

Really? You know this how? I'm going to take a guess it's from something you read on the internet, right?

That's a myth. There is no reason for it to be unhealthy for you to eat at night. The only reason that people say you should not eat at night is exactly what you described - a lot of people get the munchies at night and mindlessly eat extra calories. So someone decided that a good "rule" would be "don't eat after X time".

But the truth is that as long as you're eating the right amount of calories, you can eat them whenever.

So if you are really hungry at night, then make sure you've saved some calories for evening snacking. Just make sure your snacks are healthy. I am also an evenin snacker, so I make sure I have around 150-200 calories a night saved up. When I get the munchies at night I try to eat things like popcorn, an apple and some cheese, yogurt (if I'm lookin for something sweet), etc.

If you plan an evening snack, you're less likely to feel deprived or frustrated by not being able to eat, and therefore less likely to throw your diet plan out the window.

I have been doing pretty good about not eating past my last meal of the day... but a few days here and there ive been pretty hungry later.

What I have been doing is taking a beef or chicken bouillon cube(I know it probably has high salt content) and just make a spicy soup out of it with that, onions and some spinach. I add chili flake and maybe a little bit of smoked paprika for spicyness and flavor. Something about the smoked paprika gives it a slightly buttery/oily flavor that makes me think im eating high calorie food.

I totally agree with KaraCooks - I think total calories in vs. total calories out is what determines weight loss, and not so much when you eat them. If you save some of your daily calories for later in the evening, then you're just lengthening your eating hours, not exceeding your calorie limit.

Thanks for all of the tips/information, guys! It really helps.

I am horrible at this. I love to snack at night. Latley I have been drinking a glass of water every time the urge hits. Seems to help me. That and an occasional 100calorie bag of popcorn ; )

30 pounds in a month and a half - what's your secret? I have been at this for 3 weeks and have lost 4 pounds. I stick strictly to my eating plan and exercise daily - either 1 hour of cardio or weight training with my trainer.

some snacks that i use....because I am a night binger...it can get out of control if i am not careful

of course lite popcorn

yogurt (i get the small lite and fits by dannon, they come in a 6 pack and are
smaller than regular size, then I put some strawberries or chop an apple very small and mix in...)

a peice of fruit by itself (i usually want more substance....)

Kashi makes some multigrain crackers that are pretty good and high in fiber, sometimes I will dip them in salsa...or I will get baked lays tortilla chips..you get like 15 chips a serving, and dip in salsa...

and a big glass of water with lemon, or if you absolutely must, a diet soda..(diet 7up is very satisfying to me)

When I had problems controlling my night binges, I'd exercise. If I had time to eat, I had time to exercise!

Don't know if this will work for you, but give it a shot...

I try (and succeed about 99% of the time) in completing my eating for the day somewhere in the 6:30-7:00 PM timeframe... I don't eat for 3 hours prior to bedtime. As soon as I finish for the day, I take care of all the dental hygiene stuff... brush, floss, and rinse. My mouth is nice and clean. Don't wanna put anything else in my mouth except water, because I'll have to go through all the dental hygiene stuff again.

Hope this helps!

I am really bad about this. My technique: After 7'oclock, no food. If I get hungry at night, I guzzle a tall glass of water, go to my room, put on some music & force myself to sleep --- Avoid even looking at the kitchen at all costs. Its extreme, but its working for me

I had a terrible time with snacking after my meals. You mentioned you are really hungry around 5pm. Is this before or after you eat your dinner? Even now, I get pretty ravenous after I get home from work. If I usually wait for about an hour or two to make dinner and I used to snack like crazy on all sorts of carby stuff.

If this is pre-dinner hunger then try eating a small snack (100 calories or less) that contains protein, such as a yogurt cup, a stick of cheese or a small handful of almonds. Protein helps to curb hunger.

If this is post-dinner hunger, like others have described above, then try to make sure your dinner contains a protein, such as chicken or fish, and some fiber (like that found in spinach, broccoli, whole grains, etc). Fiber helps to fill you up and protein helps to curb hunger later into the evening because it takes longer to digest. Usually, if I am really hungry after dinner it is because it was void of these two things.

Also, if you've had your protein and fiber and you're still starving a couple hours after dinner don't torture yourself - have a snack, but just keep it low-cal. There's some great suggestions above - lite popcorn, a fruit, yogurt. I also like beef jerky, apple sauce and rice cakes. Keep these types of snacks on hand instead of chocolate and other junk food so it's not a temptation.