evening eating when going to bed really late

[kirstenj]

I'm having some trouble my eating schedule.  I have been on a late sleeping schedule since my kids have been home from school this summer.  I typically sleep from 12 ish until 10 or so.  Here's a typical day:

 

11:30  2 eggs, fruit, sweet potato hash browns (cooked in clarified butter)

3:30  lots of cut veggies with homemade dip (olive oil based)

7ish  chicken breast, carrots, snap peas, curry sauce (cooked in coconut oil)

 

By 9 or 10, I'm a little hungry and wanting a snack.  

 

Just looking at the schedule now in black and white I can see that I'm not really eating 3 meals a day.  I think if I ate more in the afternoon, I wouldn't be hungry for dinner until much later.  That would solve the problem, but would be weird for my family.

 

I'm also trying hard to break the habit of having dessert every night and the related habit of eating a snack while reading in bed at night.  I'm doing great with the first one, and I'm on my way with the second.  I've decided if I do have a snack in the evening I'm not going to eat it upstairs in bed.

 

Any thoughts?  Is this pattern of 2 meals and 2 snacks really bad?  Thanks in advance.

[jmcbn]

You're not eating enough.

Your first meal should be eaten within an hour of wakening, and needs more protein - when eggs are your only source in a meal you should be eating as many whole eggs as you can hold in one hand, which is 3-4 for most people. Swap the fruit for more veg (aim for 1-3 cups with 3 being optimum) and add an additional fat source, which should see you through to 4-5hrs later - around say 2:30pm

Your meal 2 is missing protein completely - add 1-2 palm sized pieces along side your veg & mayo and this should see you through to say 7pm.

Your meal 3 sounds much better (although I'm guessing it still probably needs more veg & quite possibly an additional fat), but I'm guessing that if you increase the volume at meal one and meal two you won't be quite so 'snacky' later on in the evening.

You will have much better results if you can stick to the three meals and avoid snacking - allow your digestive system time to rest & leave long enough between meals for your body to start burning up those fat stores... 

[CaGirl]

I think its a habit for you too.. once you break the cycle you'll feel better and realize you're no longer hungry…

[fallingstar24]

My meal schedule is all over the place, too, since I work nightshift. I'd say if you are feeling snacky at night, make a rule about what that snack can be- say a little protein and veggies, with a cup of tea. Or something similar, so you can figure out if it's habit, or if you need to tweak your meal schedule. That being said, you have 4 hours between your Meal 1 and Snack, and then another 4 hours until Meal 2. That seems like a long time to me. If you could shift your M1 to earlier after you wake up, then eat an actual meal around 2, you should still be hungry enough at 7 to eat with the family. 

[ladyshanny]

Just looking at the schedule now in black and white I can see that I'm not really eating 3 meals a day.  I think if I ate more in the afternoon, I wouldn't be hungry for dinner until much later.  That would solve the problem, but would be weird for my family.

Coming to this a few days late, but just wondering how you are doing.  In calculating your meal timing, if you can eat your breakfast at 10-1030 (important recommendation of eating within 60 minutes of waking) you could reasonably have a proper lunch at 2-3 and that would put you right on the mark for your 7-ish dinner time. And if you eat proper full meals that match the template, there is absolutely no reason you should be hungry after dinner.  And if you are not hungry after dinner, those cravings/habits of snacking in bed are much easier to deal with!

[Noelle]

I eat a template dinner around 5:00, and if I'm up after 9:30, I'm definitely starting to feel hungry. When that happens, I take my Natural Calm and get in bed.

I was a BIG-time evening snacker before Whole30. I would count the minutes until my children were in bed so I could eat again. I thought eating at night would be my hardest habit to break, but it was actually one of the easiest. I made sure that I: 1. ate enough during the day; 2. forced myself to slow down during dinner; and 3. went to bed when I started to feel hungry. It took about a week before my brain got the "I don't eat after dinner" message.

Every now and then, I'll (unintentionally) undereat, and then I really need something right before bed. In that case, I eat something small and plain (a hard boiled egg or a little piece of chicken) to take the edge off, and I make sure to eat it at the table.

The most important thing is to eat enough during the day—especially at breakfast! The good news about going to bed a little hungry is that I am READY for Meal 1 within an hour of waking, and it's my biggest meal by far. A big breakfast means no playing "nutritional catch-up" over the course of the day, fewer cravings, and no need/fewer urges to snack.

[Celestial]

I eat a template dinner around 5:00, and if I'm up after 9:30, I'm definitely starting to feel hungry. When that happens, I take my Natural Calm and get in bed.

I was a BIG-time evening snacker before Whole30. I would count the minutes until my children were in bed so I could eat again. I thought eating at night would be my hardest habit to break, but it was actually one of the easiest. I made sure that I: 1. ate enough during the day; 2. forced myself to slow down during dinner; and 3. went to bed when I started to feel hungry. It took about a week before my brain got the "I don't eat after dinner" message.

Every now and then, I'll (unintentionally) undereat, and then I really need something right before bed. In that case, I eat something small and plain (a hard boiled egg or a little piece of chicken) to take the edge off, and I make sure to eat it at the table.

The most important thing is to eat enough during the day—especially at breakfast! The good news about going to bed a little hungry is that I am READY for Meal 1 within an hour of waking, and it's my biggest meal by far. A big breakfast means no playing "nutritional catch-up" over the course of the day, fewer cravings, and no need/fewer urges to snack.

What is a "template" dinner? Is that following one of the recipes? Or just guidlines? Or a page in the book I've not seen yet? thanks! And I am really encouraged by your insight as to ending night eating! awesome!!

[ShannonM816]

What is a "template" dinner? Is that following one of the recipes? Or just guidlines? Or a page in the book I've not seen yet? thanks! And I am really encouraged by your insight as to ending night eating! awesome!!

 

The meal template is the basic plan of how you should try to form all of your meals. 

[SpinSpin]

All your meals should follow the template meal -- 1-2 palm sized pieces of protein (thickness, length, width of your palm), 1-3 cups of vegg--1 cup bare min, 2 is ok, 3 is the best -- I shoot for 4 cups per meal, and 1-2 of your thumbsized amounts of fat. Fats can also be 2 handfuls of olives, a 1/4-1/2 cup coconut milk, 1/2 to a whole avocado, a closed fists worth of nuts. Building your meals around these amounts will help satisfy you for 4-5 hours. If you are working out hard, you can add a small pre workout meal -- protein and fat -- could be as simple as a single hard boiled egg, and a post work out meal -- protein and a starchy veg, no fat -- as simple as a few bites of plain chicken breast and plain sweet potato. 

[Hannlib]

I eat a template dinner around 5:00, and if I'm up after 9:30, I'm definitely starting to feel hungry. When that happens, I take my Natural Calm and get in bed.

I was a BIG-time evening snacker before Whole30. I would count the minutes until my children were in bed so I could eat again. I thought eating at night would be my hardest habit to break, but it was actually one of the easiest. I made sure that I: 1. ate enough during the day; 2. forced myself to slow down during dinner; and 3. went to bed when I started to feel hungry. It took about a week before my brain got the "I don't eat after dinner" message.

Every now and then, I'll (unintentionally) undereat, and then I really need something right before bed. In that case, I eat something small and plain (a hard boiled egg or a little piece of chicken) to take the edge off, and I make sure to eat it at the table.

The most important thing is to eat enough during the day—especially at breakfast! The good news about going to bed a little hungry is that I am READY for Meal 1 within an hour of waking, and it's my biggest meal by far. A big breakfast means no playing "nutritional catch-up" over the course of the day, fewer cravings, and no need/fewer urges to snack.

Absolutely yes to all of this, this is my experience exactly

[Celestial]

Hi Team! Thanks for all your help! I love this community! I know about the template just wondering, I guess what your personal was, it sounded like you might have a "formula" or go to that you ate every night! No worries! This is all new for me, especially eating fewer times a day and not after dinner.