10 Tips to Avoid Late Night Snacking

It’s Friday and that means tonight is movie night!

Whenever I stay up late, I always get the snackies. And by snackies, I mean, I want to eat carbs, and lots of them.  If you are looking for ways to cut out or avoid late night snacking, here’s a few tips:

1. Eat enough during the day, and make it high quality.  It will help stave off hunger.
2. Avoid “white foods” {i.e. sugar and flour}.  They don’t do much for your body nutritionally speaking {though, your taste buds will probably tell a different story}, and they cause insulin spikes that make you feel hungry right after eating.
3. Distract yourself with a hobby.  Whenever the snacking mood strikes, lure yourself away from the pantry or fridge with something else you love to do {looks like I will have the BEST planned garden ever}.
4. Brush your teeth.  {This one is my favorite–I don’t know why, but I never want to take the two minutes to re-brush my teeth, so I avoid eating.}
5. Have a glass of water instead.  Sometimes thirst is mistaken for hunger.   {If only water tasted like cookies.}
6. Go to bed.  Crazy idea, I know, but sometimes, the best thing is to just go to bed hungry {or at least, thinking you are} with the promise of a tasty breakfast running through your dreams.
7. Watch for triggers in your nightly routine that make you want a snack.  Maybe it’s when you sit down to watch T.V. or when you sit down at the computer?  Try to change the triggers or make a conscious effort to resist the snacking urge when the triggers are involved.
8. Exercise.  It will distract you, help you sleep better, and act as a natural appetite suppressant.
9. Embrace the snack.  Instead of letting the desire to snack sneak up on you, embrace it.  Plan for it each night and choose a healthy option, like a piece of fruit or some yogurt with granola.
10. Call a friend.  Sometimes snacking isn’t the result of hunger at all, but boredom.

How about you, how do you avoid late night snacking?

~Mavis