Trying to Lose a Couple Pounds - Can't Sleep When Hungry!

Have you tried a cup of tea and some "digestive biscuits" they are fiber rich therefore filling. you may get a lot of mileage out of that.

I always eat something before bed, even now that I'm doing Weight Watchers to lose the last of the baby weight. My personal favorite for a healthy snack is a small handful of raw almonds. If I'm craving sweets/chocolate, Trader Joe's has some dark chocolate covered almonds that cover all the bases :)

You need a higher protein/high fiber snack before bed. A nutritionist once recommended to me to have apple slices and a spoonful of peanut butter before bed. Really helps regulate your blood sugar throughout the night so you sleep better and wake up not raging hungry.

I have lap-band and I can only consume about 1300 calories a day. So I know a thing or two about hunger, lol! I have the same problem. If I have that hunger feeling in my tummy, I can NOT sleep. My husband says I'm such an infant... lol

What I do is drink a few swallows of milk. Or, I will eat some yogurt- yogurt is pretty low in calories. That takes the hunger feeling away.

I also sometimes drink a protein shake after dinner/before bed, and you will be surprised at how satiated that makes you feel. When I'm ravenous, a protein shake will make me feel normal!

On the weekends when I stay up later, I eat dinner later so I don't feel so compelled to snack at night.

Good luck with your weight loss!

Save some of your dinnertime "calories" and have a high-protein snack right before bed. I know others have mentioned this but I'm seeing recommendations for bedtime snacks like rice cakes and Cheerios but they aren't high protein and that's what you need; protein will last longer, "burn" more slowly and make you feel fuller longer to get through the night. One boiled egg; a piece of cheese (not too lowfat! That will not be filling enough or last long enough to really stave off hunger), a handful of nuts, low-sugar yogurt; but not starches. Whatever you do, please don't snack in the middle of the night when the kids wake you but be sure to get that small but protein-packed snack before you go to sleep yourself.

If you are really hungry through the night, then you are not eating enough during the day. Going too low-calorie can mean your body is reacting by holding onto your body fat rather than burning it; your body says, "I'm not getting enough so I'd better hang onto my stored fat." So it's important to eat enough of the right things, rather than to cut out too much in total.

I agree with the posts about adding more protein and fiber to your eating habits. It really does help with hunger and weight loss.

I'm totally the same way. I don't really have a lot of advice except to maybe have a small dessert or something after dinner and see if that helps. I know that is the opposite of what you're trying to do so I guess that is really unhelpful advice! ;) When I was really trying hard to loose weight I would buy a few different sugar free snacks and that seemed to help and didn't add on too many calories. We liked pudding, popsicles, angel food cake, etc. I think it was mostly a mind game for me to actually eat something and then I felt like I could go on b/c I had my snack. Anyway, I feel your pain, I hope you find something that works!

.

I have a bowl of Cheerios before bed...yum!

I would try snaking on healthy items like carrot/celery sticks.

A big bowl of Special K before bed :-) they come in So Many yummy flavors now too ! Good Luck....

A couple of suggestions-
First, I would focus on eating meals and snacks that are more filling (fiber-rich). I have tried doing calorie-counting diets where I eat a lot of the portioned-out "weight watchers" meals that you get in the freezer, and I DO lose weight doing that, but am usually hungry a lot of the time because they are mostly pasta meals with a little bit of veggies and sauce. When I started eating only whole, unprocessed foods (mostly giant salads with very light dressing, soups, fruit and veggies, some brown rice, yams, quinoa) I was always FULL, sometimes too full to even eat another bite. My portion sizes were quite large but when I counted the calories it was about the same as what I was eating before but was keeping me full much longer. I also had much more energy.
The other thing I would focus on is getting better sleep. I am like you- a light sleeper, prone to insomnia, and also a midnight snacker. However, I have found that when I cut out refined sugar and caffeine from my diet, I sleep quite soundly. This is easier said than done as I have a huge sweet tooth and I love my coffee, but I am on day 4 now of not having either and I have slept 4 nights in a row! I tried this back in January and lost 10 lbs and felt great, but beware it is easy to slip back into old habits which is why I am trying again. Also, if you are having trouble sleeping, avoid the computer, phone or anything with the LCD lights as they will make it even harder to fall asleep. I promise once you are getting adequate sleep, you will have a lot more strength to resist those snacking temptations. Good luck

Well, if you're hungry at night then whatever dietary plan you're on isn't working for you. Readjust to have a healthy snack in the evening. It is okay to snack after dinner as long as it's only a snack. Try a piece of string cheese, popcorn or something higher in protein or fiber. You are setting yourself up for failure by denying your body that snack it so clearly needs.

When I feel that way I do eat a little something before bed. Even if it is a Wasa Cracker and Laughing Cow Cheese - this is less than 100 calories, but very satisfying and then I won't be tossing and turning in bed when hunger strikes. I also can't sleep if I am hungry.

Good luck!

How about a piece of fruit before bed? The fiber in the fruit will keep you full and it will be calories that are good for you.

You didn't mention exercise. You definitely need to schedule regular exercise into your day and that generally helps with being able to fall and stay asleep. Just make sure you don't exercise too close to bedtime, which will keep you wired.

well, you should not be hungry on a diet or food style change as I like to call it. I get hungry at night too, I make sure to drink water, and have a good protien/good carbs for last meal. Bonus, Skinny Cow has wonderful Ice Cream desserts that if I really feel the need I can have w/out a ton of guilt. I do find that liquids, calorie/fat/sugar free liquids are important.

A lot of times I will eat a cheese stick. Works for my kids too. Don't know the calorie content in that but I know I definately sleep better.

I've noticed that having a cup of tea (decaf of course) before bed is helpful. I get the herbal teas that have a little flavor so I feel like I am having a treat and I feel fuller.

Try a drink of water at night and eat more fiber at dinner.

Lots of good suggestions! If you are trying to get out of not eating at night, it could take up to 2 weeks for your body to get used to this...I have tried because I have been an evening snacker my whole life (I'm fortunate in that I am not overweight) and I mentioned to my doctor years ago that I wake up at night and HAVE to eat a handful of crackers or a granola bar because I feel sick if I don't...he said it was my body's way of telling me I needed a few carbs and to eat if I felt like I needed to (if I was feeling sick) said it could possibly just be low blood sugar, so eat! As long as you are not horking down a full meal, it's ok! Healthy cereal or fruit is a great idea! I love cereal before bed (but usually still wake up needing a few crackers in the night!) Good luck...just eat healthy and move as much as you can and you'll be just fine!!!

Strict diets don't always help lose weight (and tone).Eating healthier, smaller portions while working out and weight lifting helps get you in shape. Strict diets often backfire b/c the dieter will lose it and gorge from the hunger, so be sure you are eating about 5 small meals a day to help with this.

So, it's okay to get a small snack... one that is low in calories, higher in protein/fiber and not too many carbs, b/c those will burn off fast. I would say string cheese, yogurt, handful of trail mix, glass of milk, banana, hard boiled egg, salted avocado, handful of brocolli, peanut butter on celery, peanut butter on apple slices, slimfast shake...