Beat late-night food cravings!

Learn how to stop weight loss sabotage by ending your nighttime hunger...

Many people who have no trouble eating a good, healthy diet during the day are overcome with cravings for sweet and/or fatty foods at night. This is a very common dieting problem and a major cause of weight loss sabotage. The food you eat late at night has more of an effect on your weight than food you eat at any other time of day because, basically, you don't have time to burn off the calories before you go to sleep.

A recent study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that overweight people tend to eat most of their calories later in the day than people with a healthy weight. Obviously, one of the keys to eating "right" is to eat most of your calories earlier in the day and to stop eating several hours before you go to bed.

Here are a few tips to help you beat nighttime cravings (AND get more energy during the day):

Stop eating 2-3 hours before you go to bed. More than that and you'll get too hungry - and you'll be much more likely to give in to your cravings. Less than that and you won't have enough time to burn the calories before you go to sleep. One exception: if you're trying to add muscle mass it's ok to eat some protein or drink a high-protein, low/no carb shake up to an hour before going to sleep.

Break up your nighttime routine by limiting mindless activity (like watching TV). One of the reasons many people get cravings late at night is because they're just plain bored. They consciously or subconsciously turn to food to give their brains something to do. Play a game, read a book, talk to you spouse/kids - anything that at least partially engages the brain will keep it too busy to think about food.

Eat a BIG breakfast. Skipping breakfast is one of the biggest causes of food cravings throughout the day - even late at night! And eating less in the evening will ensure that you're very hungry in the morning, so it should be easier to eat a nice big healthy meal.

Eat several moderate-sized meals throughout the day. This may be the real "secret" to ending food cravings. Eating a small, healthy meal or snack every 2 or 3 hours is a technique used by most fitness pros - because it works! By "grazing" like this throughout the day you won't get hungry and your metabolism and energy levels will stay elevated all day long. Also, your willpower will stay intact because you're not starving yourself.

Focus on high-fiber foods at night. A healthy dinner should consist mainly of lean proteins and fibrous carbs like veggies, fruits, and salads. The fiber will keep you feeling full longer and reduce any cravings you may get before bedtime.

If you must eat something late at night, at least make it relatively healthy and keep the portion size very small. Low-fat string cheese or cottage cheese are good options. Low or no-sugar yogurt is another.

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