How To Minimize The Midnight Munchies

A growling stomach late at night is no fun.  It’s nearly impossible to get to sleep, or stay asleep, when we’re hungry.  We trudge to the fridge and grab the easiest, and often the least healthy, snack we can find to satisfy our cravings.  If this happens to you night after night, it can get old very quickly, and you may be ruining your diet in the process.  Is there any possible way to avoid these cravings and stick to a healthier plan’  Here are 4 ways!

1. Regular Eating Schedule — This is extremely important if you want to break the cycle of late night snacking.  Plan out your meals ahead of time and make the most of the meals you eat will make a huge difference.  Also eat ever 2 – 3 hours. Most importantly, don’t skip meals.  I know we all get busy, but not eating sets us up to want to eat anything that’s not nailed down.  Start with breakfast, eat within 30 minutes of waking up. Eating breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day for several reasons.  With a good healthy breakfast, we kick-start our body into the optimum metabolism.  As the day wears on, schedule a light snack, then lunch, then another snack, then dinner, then another light snack.  Keep with this schedule and your body will recognize the fact that you will continue to feed it so there is no need to dig into that leftover pie at midnight.  A good post dinner snack would be a protein and a veggie. You want to say away from the carbs that late at night.
2. Exercise — Getting yourself on an exercise routine will eliminate the urge to eat at odd times of the day.  Exercise not only burns calories and helps you maintain a healthy lifestyle, but it also will help improve your metabolism.  A slow metabolism can fool your body into thinking it needs more food.  When you’re exercising regularly, you are burning fat, building muscle, and letting your body know it has everything it needs so you won’t constantly feel hungry. If you are feeling hungry when you workout, take an inventory around what you are eating.
3. Hydrate Yourself — Dehydration is often mistaken for hunger.  If you are craving food, pour yourself a big glass of water, sip it until it’s gone, and then wait.  Your brain will get the signal that you are operating at the proper hydration and that you are full at the same time.  You can also try sipping herbal tea, especially if the cravings hit late at night.  Many have properties that sooth and help you sleep.  This will make it easier to move past the cravings. I’m a sucker for mint tea. I have a mug every night before I go to bed. It helps me chill out and keeps the cravings low.
4. Commit — It will be completely up to you to break the cycle and make a change if you want to stop eating late at night.  Discipline is necessary in order to make a change in any habit that we form.  Stop buying junk food, start planning your meals ahead of time, eat every 3 to 4 hours, and be sure to make the most of the meals you do eat.  Don’t starve yourself.  That will set you up to eat more. Get yourself on a routine and journal your progress.  Do whatever works to get the ball rolling and form healthier eating habits.

I hope these help you, but if you need more click the link at the top of my webpage. I write an in depth report about cravings. Give yourself time to change your routine.  Don’t beat yourself up. Habits are hard to break, don’t beat yourself up. Some folks can jump into the deep end while others need to wade into change, which one are you’ Do your research and plan healthy snacks ahead of time. That way, if you do wake up late at night at least you know you won’t be reaching for the junk food.