Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight knows the struggle that one faces when it comes to late night snacking. It’s easy to stay busy during the day, but it seems like once the sky darkens and much of the family goes to bed, snacks come to the forefront of your mind. Even if you go to bed, you might very well find yourself laying awake, daydreaming about the chocolate cake left over from the birthday party. What you do with these cravings can be the “make or break” point of your diet success. Here are some tried and true diet tips to help you get past this hurdle:
- Don’t leave the cake on the counter. It sounds simple, but we often overlook the simple things. Throw the cake in the garbage. If you think you’ll still find yourself tempted, bury that cake down deep. Pour some salt on it while you are at it. Destroy it so that you aren’t tempted to munch on a snack that could undo all of your hard work in two minutes.
- Pop extra cupcakes, cookies or cake slices in the freezer. If you want a snack, you’ll be forced to wait until it defrosts – and very often you’ll find the craving has departed in the meantime.
- Jump on the treadmill and turn on a movie.
- Do 50 crunches, push ups or squats. Then do 50 more.
- Drink a tall glass of water. Often we confuse hunger with thirst. Make it flavored water or sparkling water with sliced fruit for a treat.
Still need to snack? Sometimes you just can’t be strong another minute and that snack is going to happen, no matter what. Try these choices instead:
- Keep single serving baggies of nuts on hand. If you find yourself craving chocolate, make those nuts chocolate dusted almonds. Sold in 100 calorie packs in both dark chocolate and cinnamon brown sugar, this snack defeats your cravings and adds both protein and fiber.
- Freeze yogurt tubes. Choose a yogurt that contains no HFCS. A frozen tube takes a while to eat and satisfies any ice cream craving. Another option – make your own yogurt popsicles.
- Create a snack platter of prepared fruits. Sliced strawberries, grapes, fresh pineapple chunks, and melon wedges all keep in the refrigerator and are easy to grab.
- Measure out one serving of cereal – Special K even has a chocolate version – and eat it in a coffee mug with a splash of fat free or soy milk.
- Don’t overlook a labor intensive fruit like an orange or clementine. They take a while to peel, which will help you slow down.
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