10 Tips for Avoiding Late-Night Eating

Trying to lose a few pounds? Then you've surely heard the wise advice to stop eating at least a few hours before bedtime. Unfortunately, those evening hours are prime time for temptations, cravings, and mindless munching. To be successful in your weight-loss efforts, you've got to resist!

Now, I'm not a doctor, a nutritionist, a trainer, or a psychologist. I'm just a gal trying my best to lose 30 pounds and make it to bedtime each night without ordering pizza or making brownies. Here are my "been there done that" tips and tricks to avoid late-night binge eating.

1. Eat Sensibly in the Daytime

Figure out how much you should be eating each day. If necessary, consult your doctor or nutritionist. Eat balanced meals throughout the day with the appropriate amount of calories, fat, protein, carbs, and fiber. If you skip meals or cut calories too drastically, then it will be no mystery why you're hungry at night.

2. Brush Your Teeth or Chew Minty Gum

Ever eat a chocolate chip cookie or a platter of nachos right after brushing your teeth? Yuck! When your mouth feels fresh and clean, you will be less likely to reach for the chips.

3. Sip sparkling or flavored water

Sometimes I want to eat when my body really just needs hydration. My favorite diet drink is chilled Perrier or S. Pellegrino in a wine glass with a slice of lime. I've also been enjoying lo-cal flavored waters spiked with vitamins. (Just be careful about drinking too many dangerous artificial sweeteners . . . keep them to a minimum.) You'll feel as though you're sipping a nice wine, but without the calories or metabolism-slowing alcohol.

4. Exercise

Go out for a nice walk, do some yoga, or lift weights. If your exercise session is intense, you will need a post-workout snack. Make sure it's healthy and nutrient-dense. Try yogurt, a handful of nuts, or a piece of fruit.

5. Eat a Small, High-Protein Snack

If you must eat, avoid carbs! You want to eat your carbs earlier in the day so that your body has a chance to burn them off. Don't completely deprive yourself, either. Love cookies? Eat one after lunch--not at night. When I'm really hungry at night, I'll take a piece of low-sodium turkey, smother it in spicy mustard or horseradish sauce, and wrap it up in a romaine lettuce leaf. It's almost like eating a sandwich, but the calories are minimal. If you have the munchies, try raw carrots or apple slices. You'll get a satisfying crunch, but negative calories. Woo-hoo!

6. Turn Off the TV

There's nothing like a pizza or fast food commercial to send you straight to the fridge. Besides the temptations flying at you through the small screen, there's also the danger of mindlessly eating an entire package of Oreos as you watch your favorite show. Just turn it off. If you must watch TV, exercise at the same time.

7. Write in a Journal

When I reach for a snack, 9 times out of 10 it's because I'm bored or worried or stressed . . . not because I'm hungry. Pick up a pen and paper to write about how you feel, both physically and emotionally.

8. Look at Before-After Photos

I'm a sucker for a dramatic "Before and After" transformation. Check out the official website of NBC's weight loss reality show, The Biggest Loser. Seeing how real people dropped 100 pounds is incredibly motivating. Better yet, look at your own "Before" picture. Post it to the refrigerator or kitchen cabinets. I have one particularly unflattering photo that is practically guaranteed to make me lose my appetite.

9. Enjoy Your "Hungry" Feeling

Bob Greene, Oprah's celebrity trainer, says that the hungry feeling before bed is actually your body dipping into it's fat stores. Keep telling yourself, "This feeling is my body burning fat."

10. Think About World Hunger

The other week, I did my first ever 24-hour fast. I joined thousands of other Christians in a day of prayer and fasting for the world food crisis. Every time I felt that I needed to eat, I just focused on what it's like for millions of people who literally have nothing to eat. Real hunger is something I have never known. It's humbling. Consider donating money you'd otherwise spend on junk food to a relief organization.

I hope these ten tips to avoid nighttime binge eating help you to resist the urge to splurge. And if all else fails, just go to bed.