I think you are right with working nights and craving carbs.

- Get rid of the junk food then it won't be available at midnight.

- Have pre-made healthy snacks ready to go for midnight.

- Try drinking a glass of water or a cup of tea before the snack. If still hungry snack away...on something healthy.

I symphatise completely here!

I used to work night shifts at a bar... would get home at like 3am and my first thought would be to go straight to the fridge!

Actually its half the reason I gave the job up... that and I hated it but thats besides the point. haha

My saving grace was Chocolate flavoured rice cakes.

If you are dieting Avoiding Midnight Snacks

12:30 A.M. You look at the clock and decide to head to the fridge for a little snack. Satisfied, you return to bed until morning. Sound familiar? If so, then you're one of millions who are guilty of this simple indulgence.

Midnight snacking can be a problem but it's not a problem that can't be fixed. It's all about changing your behavior patterns. You can teach yourself not to raid the kitchen in the middle of the night; it might take a while and you'll have to be persistent, but you can do it.

This longing for food in the wee hours of the night may be brought on by hunger, not habit. If hunger is your problem, you may not be eating enough during the day. Either you're eating too few meals during the day or you're not eating enough calories to sustain your body through the night.

You might want to try to eat more during the day instead of eating three regular meals. This way your stomach feels fuller and you are getting sufficient calories to get you through the night without having to get up and raid the fridge.

The best way to have a restful sleep is to eat a bed time snack that is loaded in carbs, instead of eating a huge meal at dinner time. When you eat a large meal at bed time, this slows down your digestion and the appropriate calories aren't getting into your system to keep your hunger pangs at bay.

Allison
Diet and Fitness Enthusiast
Visit My Personal Site AllisonDunstan

quit buying junk food and buy healthy like carrots, celery, fruits, etc..

haha straight to the point and no mincing of the words there.

Every night before bed I used to feel I needed to sneak in a snack of some sort. It is subsided over the last few months but still hits me every now and then. I found some awesome 90 calorie granola type bars that have been a life saver. They taste great, come in blueberry or strawberry. They are real chewy and awesome. They satisfy my junk food craving at a fraction of the calories.

I'm having a horrible time w/ this right now b/c I wake up around 2 in the afternoon, then i'm up all night til around 7am. And the fast and easy thigs to eat are the worst ones.

Id love to hear some ideas on not so bad for you snacks...

(I don't like yogurt or bananas)

Let me think...

I eat granola, mixed nuts, cheddar quakes (rice cakes--70 calories per serving), any kind of fruit, carrots, cottage cheese, protein shake (90 calories, 15 g protein), Special K bars, just to name a few.

Most grocery stores and Wal-Mart sell the 100 calorie bags of snacks...cookies, chips, chex mix, pretzels, pretty much anything.

My Mom frequently eats those small cups of pudding and Jell-O, which would be a good snack if you like them, however, I don't.

Just a few ideas...

for snacks I like:
air pop popcorn
handful of nuts (not just peanuts but all kinds)
all fruits
all veggies
when I have a carb craving one slice of whole grain bread with cashew or almond butter
glass of soy milk
whole wheat crackers and hummus (some great hummus recipes online)

hmm snacking, I love it XD

I keep:
-light chocolate pudding (creme things, not cake).. 100 kcal a pop
-breakfast cereal chocolate biscuits 200 kcal for 4 and I feel FULL, have those for lunch actually!
-light carrot cakes, 70 kcal a pop with icing on top XD
-bananas

k I have a sweet tooth .. *ashamed*

Thanks for the ideas

ohh I love love snacking

I eat dehydrated nopal with chili powder,which is cactus. I know it doesn't sound yummy but it is an amazing vegetable and snack. Nopal cactus has recently been recommended in a vast array of metabolic, cardiovascular and digestive disorders/ and it has a lot of fiber so yeah! yum>Nopal’s fiber content is sufficient to effectively promote satiety when eaten before a meal and thus reduces hunger and caloric consumption!

I also like edamame with a little sea salt.

jicama, cucumber and carrots with lemon and chili
oranges cut in two with chili. we basically add chili to everything but we used to eat a lot of healthy snacks in Mexico.. unfortunately we traded it for junk food. oh well

Hey Mike,

Good question about healthy snack alternatives. When your blood sugar is low and you need some energy, you want a snack that doesn't spike your blood sugar, otherwise you'll just be tired again in a few hours....think about what happens when you eat a candy bar!

I've had a lot of success with xylitol products, b/c it's a natural sweetener that is satisfying, but doesn't send my blood sugar skyrocketing!

~Tim