Many people find themselves eating late at night, even when they aren’t hungry. Nighttime eating can cause you to eat more calories than you need and lead to weight gain. Here are 4 things you can do to stop eating late in the evening or at night.

1. Distract yourself

Most cravings last about 10 minutes so, if you can distract yourself for that amount of time, you can avoid giving in. When you notice a nighttime craving, do some squats and lunges, give yourself a manicure, take the dog for a walk, make a phone call, or do a chore, like ironing. Before you know it, you’re in the middle of something, and your night craving has passed.

2.Use a Routine

Structured eating and sleeping times – google image

If you’re overeating because you aren’t eating enough during the day, then getting yourself into a routine can help. Structured eating and sleeping times will help you spread your food intake over the day so that you’re less hungry at night.

Getting good sleep is very important when it comes to managing your food intake and weight. Lack of sleep and short sleep duration have been linked to higher calorie intakes and poor-quality diets. Over a long period of time, poor sleep can increase your risk of obesity and related diseases.

Having set times for eating and sleeping can help you separate the two activities, especially if you are prone to waking in the night to eat.

3. Make sure you have protein and fiber at dinner

Make sure you have protein and fiber at dinner – google image

The key is to make sure you have a dinner that fills you up, without being heavy in fat and calories. Fiber will keep you feeling full, so eat a dinner that includes high-fiber foods like whole grains or beans. You should also have some protein, since it has the staying power to keep your hunger at bay.

If you find that a fiber- and protein-filled dinner still leaves you feeling hungry a few hours later, try eating a healthy and satisfying evening snack like low-fat yogurt with fruit or whole-grain cereal with milk.

4.De-Stress

Anxiety and stress are two of the most common reasons why people eat when they aren’t hungry. However, using food to curb your emotions is a bad idea.

If you notice that you eat when you are anxious or stressed, try to find another way to let go of negative emotions and relax.

Research has shown that relaxation techniques can help manage eating disorders such as nighttime eating syndrome and binge eating.

Relaxation techniques you may find useful include breathing exercises, meditation, hot baths, yoga, gentle exercise or stretching.

Source: healthline, run-for-good

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