Nighttime food cravings! Ugh!

[lpw]

Hi,

Can anyone recommend a good nighttime appetite suppressant? I have no trouble keeping to a diet during the day, but as the evening wears on my cravings get progressively harder to control. By midnight, I am so ravenous that I can't sleep! ECA stacks are no help because while the stimulants curb the hunger, they keep me awake. Are there other appetite suppressants that don't contain stimulants? I haven't given in, but I'm hungry and tired. Please help!

thank you

 

[Honey Roasted]

Try taking more glutamine, especially if you are craving carbs.

Also try pyruvate as a supplement because (I think) your brain prefers it as an energy source over glucose.

You can also try taking just Ephedrine without the C and A.

And I hope you're getting enough protein, fat, and good stuff like salad in the evenings.

Are you taking a varied protein drink with flax oil before bedtime? Or something like good cheese or lean meat?

Oh yeah, and lots and lots of water...

 

[lpw]

Wow. Thanks for all of the great suggestions.

I didn't know that glutamine and pyruvate help curb carb cravings! I will definitely up the dosage.

I thought ephedrine alone could cause jitteriness, too, but maybe it won't be too bad without the caffeine. I seem to be very sensitive to stimulants though, so I think I will only resort to that if all else fails.

I think I'm getting enough protien and veggies-- I try to eat lots of fish and greens in the evening, but I usually keep the fats low. Here's what my typical day looks like:

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/honey, glass of milk
Mid-morning snack: 2 oz raisins and 2 oz almonds
Lunch: Chicken breast, rice, green salad
Afternoon snack: soy beans (edamame) or cottage cheese
Post-Workout: protien shake (protien powder + milk)
Dinner: Tuna, green veggies, apple
I usually eat my last meal around 8PM.

If you think I need to up the fat in the evening, maybe I can add a little cheese at dinner. (I certainly won't complain if I can eat a bit more fat )

Thanks again for your help.

 

[Honey Roasted]

Yeah, I would get more fat. Nuts would be good and filling.

IMO, milk is evil, but if you like it, go ahead and stick with it. (I know aspartame is bad for me, but I can't resist Diet Coke!)

Have you tried flax seed oil before? (not capsule-form)

Unless you are seriously trying to cut down or are avoiding carbs, I would replace the dinner apple with something more filling like a potato and maybe add something else in to slow down digestion further.

As a general rule, you shouldn't be taking caffeine after approximately your pre-workout, but you can try having some tea with lots of water with your dinner to curb your appetite. Hopefully, the relatively low amount of caffeine won't affect you too much.

That reminds me, how soon are you eating before your workout? If it's not at least a good snack within 30min-2hr beforehand, you are probably "starving" yourself by working out. Personally, I have a protein/water drink and some long-lasting carbs within 1 hour before my workout.

 

[joey10j]

I've always used these with success.

1 tbsp of Flasseed oil

or

1 huge spoon of natural peanut butter

or

2 slices of msg free turkey wrapped with some fat free cottage cheese

or

a tiny tub of ben &jerry's ice cream j/k

either of the three will hold you off until the morning time, but my philosophy is, don't ever go to bed hungry cause when i wake up i feel like my muscles are flat and i shrunk. like goin into a catabolic state kinda. u know. hope that helped.

 

[Par Deus]

5-HTP

 

[lpw]

Thanks for the help everyone. Since everyone seems to be recommending flax seed oil, I guess I'll have to give it a try... although I think it tastes yucky.


Honey Roasted,
I love milk! Is it really that bad for you? I'm not trying to get into contest shape, just to get to the point where at least the outline of my abs are showing. I think I'm about 210, 15% bf now, so I'm hoping that will happen at about 10%... I eat 1/2c of soybeans or cottage cheese about 30 minutes before my workouts. I read that cottage cheese is a good pre-workout food because it has some good carbs and slow-digesting casein protien which stays in your system for a while. I have the protien powder immediately after the workout.

joey10j,
That tub of ben & jerry's is how I got into this mess in the first place!

 

[nclifter6feet6]

if your having problem with night time cravings i suggest first and foremost more water during the day and more water at night.

and on top of that fry some eggs in olive oil when it gets late, they tend to make me very full. i wouldnt do the nuts or peanutbutter becuause you can easily eat a shitload of those, when i start eating nuts i cant stop they seem to have just enuf carbs in nuts to make me eat them non stop it also has fat and well peanuts just taste too damn good anyways so i would totally cut them out.

 

[gmanlax7]

fat free cottage cheese is great for right before lights out

 

[rez]

if your having problem with night time cravings i suggest first and foremost more water during the day and more water at night.

and on top of that fry some eggs in olive oil when it gets late, they tend to make me very full. i wouldnt do the nuts or peanutbutter becuause you can easily eat a shitload of those, when i start eating nuts i cant stop they seem to have just enuf carbs in nuts to make me eat them non stop it also has fat and well peanuts just taste too damn good anyways so i would totally cut them out.

thats a lot of fat before bed...isnt that counterproductive when cutting?

 

[Creatureofnight]

All depends what diet and macro ratios your following. If your keto-ing or even just on low carbs, thats an ideal meal before bed.

Personally i think eggs and red meat are on of the best meals right before bed (if your not taking in or little carbs w/ this meal). Your getting great protein from the beef and eggs along w/ the benefits from the fat in eggs regarding Test levels and the fat from beef (slow digesting protein) along w/ eggs should get you through the nightime fast w/ out your body feasting on its own muscle.

 

[rez]

All depends what diet and macro ratios your following. If your keto-ing or even just on low carbs, thats an ideal meal before bed.

Personally i think eggs and red meat are on of the best meals right before bed (if your not taking in or little carbs w/ this meal). Your getting great protein from the beef and eggs along w/ the benefits from the fat in eggs regarding Test levels and the fat from beef (slow digesting protein) along w/ eggs should get you through the nightime fast w/ out your body feasting on its own muscle.

would it still be appropriate if you werent weight training?

 

[NY Muscle]

Try a little 1inch by 1inch piece of cheddar cheese before bed.

 

[Creatureofnight]

Rez- I dont quite understand your question. If you mean "would the eggs and meat be appropriate on rest days", my answer is def. yes. Cals might be lower on rest days when cutting but if your following a certain diet when cutting i dont see why you would change it on rest days

(Of course unless you are eating more carbs on workout days and not as much on rest days.)

 

[rez]

Rez- I dont quite understand your question. If you mean "would the eggs and meat be appropriate on rest days", my answer is def. yes. Cals might be lower on rest days when cutting but if your following a certain diet when cutting i dont see why you would change it on rest days

(Of course unless you are eating more carbs on workout days and not as much on rest days.)

i dont eat any complex carbs..all from veg and v small qty of fruit. Also little amount found in foods like cottage cheese..