- Eat regular meals
Not eating enough throughout the day sets the stage for nighttime binging. Flip this pattern and give yourself a fighting chance for success after sundown by eating regular meals and snacks throughout the day, planning and even preparing them ahead so you are not caught scrambling when you are busy. You don't have to go with three square meals; it can be two or three meals and a couple of snacks or several small meals. The idea is to find a pattern that works for you and strategically plan to achieve it daily.
- Pick a cutoff time
The dieting staffers, and many individuals I have worked with, have found it helpful to draw a line in the sand, picking a cutoff time to stop eating in the evening. About 8 or 9 p.m. seems to work for most people, but you can choose whatever time is best for you. Ideally, it should be about three hours before your bedtime, giving you enough time to digest your dinner but not so long that you are likely to get hungry again before going to sleep.
- Wait and re-evaluate
If you are craving food at night, instead of impulsively raiding the refrigerator, take a 15-minute pause. Check in with how you are feeling and ask yourself whether you are really hungry or whether, perhaps, there is another way to find satisfaction. A relaxing bath, brisk walk or cup of tea might do the trick if it's stress that is driving you to eat. In that 15-minute window, the craving might just pass, you might find yourself happily distracted by another activity, or you might ultimately decide to eat something after all. Regardless, waiting a bit and re-evaluating how you feel will allow for a more mindful decision.
- Plan an evening snack
If you tend to eat dinner early or your evening meal is on the light side and you regularly find yourself hungry at night, plan a small, healthy snack to eat between dinner and bedtime - some fruit and yogurt, a cup of soup or avocado toast, for example. The idea is to strategically snack to manage your hunger rather than let your appetite leave you vulnerable to randomly munching.
- Set some ground rules
It's practically a national pastime - eating out of a bag or carton while sitting on the sofa watching TV - but it's a scene that creates a perfect storm for mindless overeating. To break that unhealthy habit, set some new ground rules. When you choose to eat something, any time of day but especially at night, put a portion into a bowl or onto a plate and put the rest away. Sit at a table away from the television and fully enjoy your food. When you are done, you can return to your regularly scheduled programming, better off than before.
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Krieger is a registered dietitian, nutritionist and author who hosts public television's "Ellie's Real Good Food." She blogs and offers a weekly newsletter at elliekrieger.com. She also writes weekly Nourish recipes in The Washington Post's Food section.
Author Information:
Krieger is a registered dietitian, nutritionist and author who hosts public television's "Ellie's Real Good Food." She blogs and offers a weekly newsletter at www.elliekrieger.com.