Hard to kick that late night binge of snacks?

A couple of healthy snacks can be a good thing during the day but not at night. Daytime healthy snacks can give you a metabolism boost so you burn calories. They give you an energy lift and a very small healthy snack is not bad.   Also it helps you spread out your calories so you don’t overeat at any one meal.

However, late-night snacking is one of the worse habits overweight people have.  After you get into late night snacking it's very hard to stop.  When you eat just before bed, you don’t get the same metabolic boost or the benefit as you do during the waking hours.  One reason most people don't realize is that towards the end of the day and a few  after dinner, your body begins to slow down preparing for sleep. This slowdown in your metabolic rate overrides any metabolic energy you would have received during the daytime hours from eating.

Once you hit the pillow, you don't burn that many calories. Our bodies only burn enough calories to keep you alive. The calories burned is the amount you need to keep your heart beating and other necessary functions.

If you want to lose weight, you can't get into the habit of eating late at night. To have a successful  weight loss program, you must stop eating at least two hours before bed if your average bed time is 10:00 p.m., preferable three hours before going to sleep unless you have a medical condition that would require you to consume some food.  If you stop your calorie intake after dinner, that is the best!

Here are some strategies that may help you achieve this goal:

First and foremost, try to stick to meals for the majority of your calorie intake. If you're a late-night eater, have a carbohydrate, such as crackers or a slice of bread before bedtime to cut down on cravings. Keep a few orange slices or grapes and a glass of water or flavored water by your bed to quiet the hunger pangs. Also remember when you get into the habit of healthier eating, your body will get used to your new lifestyle. You'll even find that your cravings for those heavy snacks will diminish. Take a long relaxing bath to reduce your cravings. Your body will substitute other pleasures than with thoughts of food. Again, brush your teeth! Gargle with mouthwash. Try all other means to avoid putting food in your mouth. Take out a book or a magazine!  OR.......Yes, have sex!  Watch that late night movie, of course, without the snacks.

If you use food as a reward, you lifestyle will not change and your dependence upon food will still prevail. You have to establish a new reward system. Reward yourself with a non-edible reward. Enjoy a new hobby such as scrapbooking, crafts, gardening, miniature railroads, whatever you have an interest in.

BE SURE TO MONITOR everything that you eat! That means everything - including what you taste if you cook. If you monitor what you eat, you will always know what you are consuming and your calorie intake. You'll know what you have to adjust at the end of the day. If you found that you consumed 200 calories more than your daily goal of calorie intake, then get on the treadmill, burn it up! You CAN do it!

You might claim that you only consumed 1000 calories a day, but what about the soda calories? For two cans, add 300 calories or more, plus the calories from tasting while cooking. That could be well up to 500 more calories! So be sure you COUNT everything! You'll get right back on track by realizing what you really are consuming! Once you see that this method really works, you'll want to keep on working on your goal.

Some experts say only weigh yourself once a week at the same time. But we all know that your weight fluctuates constantly. If you only weigh yourself once a week, it could get discouraging. By weighing yourself on a day to day basis, you’ll be able to keep on track by looking at the overall trend.