Middle of the night munchies... stop the bear from coming out of hibernation

[PrimalRob]

Every time I start eating clean I have middle of the night munchies which drive me to wake-up at 1am hungry as a bear emerging from hibernation. I have had this problem for quite a while.

This metaphorical bear wants to shove anything he can get his hands into his mouth.... I have cleaned up the mid-night munchies by having some precooked meat and raw almonds at the ready. However, I would rather not wake and chow at all but I can't get pass it.

I am a CrossFitter driven to the Whole 30 by the performance gains of those around me. My lifting and Metcon performance is intermediate (i.e. 3:36 Fran) I definitely more of a "strength-guy", than like your smaller met-cony pull-up guy. Meaning I much rather see a barbell or kettlebells pop out of the hopper than rings dips and muscle-ups. I think the Whole 30 can help.

I used to use Casein (boo.. hisss) to great effect. Is there anything else anyone would suggest to get around this? Any pre-bed meals? I want to "get my Whole-30 on" (rather than my "Half-15") but I would like to have a game plan to address this first. Any suggestions?

[jeepifer]

I'd eat something before bedtime -- it sounds like an insulin drop during the night, compelling you to wake up and raise your blood sugar. Maybe a hard boiled egg or two? Good fats, and protein. You could also have a little starch with it, but go easy so you don't spike your blood sugar that way.

[Tom Denham]

If you are waking up hungry at 1 AM, you may not be eating enough during the day. A big supper is not enough to satisfy through the night in my experience. You basically need to eat a solid, substantial meal three times per day and maybe four times. I usually plan to finish my last meal 2 hours before going to bed.

When it comes to the meals, remember the meal template - protein as big as the palm of your hand. If you are waking up hungry, make it 2 servings of protein as big as your palm. Be sure you are getting a good dose of fat with each meal. I try to eat at least one if not two avocados per day. And oddly enough, I find eating a sweet potato every day, whether I am training hard or not, helps me sleep better.

[Robin Strathdee]

A) 3:36 is NOT an intermediate Fran. 5:00 is an intermediate Fran

2) Make sure you eat pre and post wod. Especially on crazy metcon days. I think we all love the bar more than the burpees, but proper fueling can really help your energy and endurance.