Late Night Snackoholism (Read 926 times)

 

One recipe I like is one I got from a member of my running club. it's a raw brownie (really tastes like one):

 

5 to 10 dates chopped up (there are two kinds of dates, one has 17gr carbs per date, one has 5 - go with the 5)

Couple scoops of almonds chopped up or almond meal - maybe a 1/2 to 3/4 cup

1-2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Touch of honey or agave

2 scoops of whey protein powder (this makes it not qualify as food. It's only "food")

 

Combine ingredients in a bowl and add enough cold water to blend and get the consistency you like. Let it set in the fridge a bit. I get 4 servings, each about 300 kcal and loaded with protein and good fats and moderate in carbs.

 all righty, I tried this but used 2T of unsweetened applesauce instead of the protein powder and no water. It was like thick brownie batter. It tasted pretty good. My kids actually liked it.

Here's what I used:

65g medjool dates, chopped 

50g raw almonds, ground 

2T unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4T agave 

2T unsweetened applesauce

whole thing came to be about 150g I think. According to my calculations (well Lose It iPhone app)

560 cal

26g fat (1.7g sat fat)

0 cholesterol

1.2mg sodium

77.3g carb (14.3g fiber, 52g sugar)

13.7g protein

I ate about 1/4 of it and that was satisfying enough. Thank you, EGH3, for the recipe!

Hi.  My name is Josh and I'm a late night snackoholic.

It started when I was very young when my parents would let my sister and I have a nighty night snack, but recently I've found that once 8:00 rolls around, and I should be chilling out sans food, I just want to eat every snack in the cupboard.

I've taken the first step and admitted that I have a problem, the problem is bigger than me and I need help.

Anyone else been there?

Almost every night.   When I've won that will power battle much of the time, I've lost weight (and I'm not as hungry the next morning).  The other 20 years, I'm fat. 

I too, grew up in a house where a chocolate sundae right before bed was the norm.

It's a struggle.  Reading threads like this helps.

Of course, there were still some nights when I would eat the chocolate and then some popcorn and then have a beer..and maybe some crackers or chips.  Yeah, I'm going to have to put the snacking on my weekly goals list.

Hi all,

I just happened on this thread because of the catchy subject title and the fact that I had been doing research just yesterday on nutirition and eating habits.

Here's what I found and what I'll be adhering to over the next few weeks.

First off, if you are hungry (and I am presuming you are also exercising regularly, given the location of this forum) then you are either not fuelling your body enough or not fuelling it properly.

Second, if you are not gaining weight (or bodyfat) then there really is no problem. so snack away. Let your weght be your guide.

Having said that, for most of us, the lapse of time between supper and breakfast is the longest of the day, so it's normal that we get hungry somewhere in between.  If you don't want to snack (for whatever reason that is), make sure that you are eating primarily proteins and complex carbs at supper.  These take longer to break down and your system will not crash as is often the case with refined carbs (of high Glycemic Index) foods.  Your body uses this as rapid energy and then wants to reload so you feel hungry much quicker.

Another thing you might want to do is get used to drinking more water.  We sometimes confuse thirst for hunger, so rather than reaching for that bag of Doritos, pour yourself a glass of water instead.

At the end of the day, you really have to discern whether it's a real need to refuel or just a habit - ie. physiological or psychological.  If you determine that it is indeed just a habit, which it probably is, then you can try behaviour modification techniques to try to change that, like visual cues, emotional and motivational triggers, etc.

Here are a few tricks I've used:

• get rid of your high GI snacks (I actually have to do this regularly because they have a way of creeping back into our household) - and getting rid of does not mean binging on a whole bag of Oreos, by the way...I often bring stuff to the office and leave it in the coffee room for anyone to have, those Holloween candies and that leftover birthday cake disappear in no time flat!
• put a note on your pantry door reminding you of your objective (weight loss, PR, BQ, whatever) this may make you think twice before reaching for that Twinkie.
• keep a bottle of water with you at all times between supper and bedtime
• make the snacks hard to access, or just to inconvenient to get at.  I keep my ice cream in the chest freezer in the basement under a bunch of other stuff - Ice cream is my favourite dessert and if it's in the freezer in the kitchen, the tub is gone within a few days...

I hope this helps and please let me know if these work for you or if you've tried others yourself.

Cheers,

Patch

I hear you and I'm much further down the dark path than you are.  I am extremely self disciplined but have a ton of trouble with this.  Currently I have eliminated any snack once I have dessert from dinner on weeknights - it would just be a gatorade after my run.  Weekends are a different story.

It is not uncommon for me to down a pint of Ben & Jerry's, two types of tastycakes, and a bag of chex mix in a single Friday night, along with either several beers or a couple bottles of southern style iced tea.

The guy at the counter at the 7-11 once looked at my purchases, leaned forward, and asked me who was "hooking you up with stuff." 

My record calorie binge was 2,240 calories, all after 8PM on a Friday.

As I run more miles I feel hungrier and am more tempted.