OK this dress for success has had a side effect. It has really brought into focus the fact that I need to lose some weight. My clothes don’t fit!

My biggest problem is at night. When everything is quiet and I am down here reading, studying or writing, I get hungry. I mean really hungry. I want to munch. And of course when I go to the fridge what do I find? Nothing good I tell ya!

Some studies have shown that healthy and overweight individuals tend to eat the same number of calories during the day.  At night, however, overweight individuals tend to eat a lot more calories.  Eating at night is just easier to do; we feel less inhibited because we tend to be alone.  We are also less busy than other times of day.  If you want to lose weight, you need to find ways to curb late night hunger.  Here are a few suggestions.

Do something else.  Unless you’re starving, you probably eat at night because you’re bored.  If you feel the need to snack, try doing something else to occupy your mind.  Go for a walk or read a book; you’ll soon forget that you were ever hungry

Eat more calories during the day.  Even if you’re trying to cut calories, eating too little during the day will make you more likely to binge at night.  Eating 1500 calories during the day and being satisfied at night is better than eating 1300 calories during the day and munching down on a 500 calorie snack at night.  Try to eat the bulk of your calories earlier in the day and have a light dinner and maybe a fruit for an evening snack.

Go to bed.  If you get the urge to eat shortly before you go to bed, just go to bed early.  Not only will this keep you from snacking; people who get enough sleep at night tend to eat less calories during the day.

Eat at a table.  No matter what you eat during the day, treat all eating events like meals.  We tend to eat while we’re doing other things like watching TV or sitting at the computer.  Eat all your food sitting at your kitchen or dining room table and don’t distract yourself.  You’ll likely eat less.

Snack healthy.  If you must snack late at night, think about what you eat.  Instead of grabbing a bag of chips, get out some carrots or yogurt.  Go for high fiber and protein which take longer to digest and keep you feeling full longer.  It’s also important to eat portioned snacks.  This way you probably won’t eat several portions at a time.

These are just a few tips to get you started.  Just remember if you make a decision to eat less at night and stick to it you will see results.