Do you raid the kitchen after dinner?

Ask yourself – how much do you eat or drink every day AFTER DINNER?

I personally really struggle with this one.

I have had dinner.  I am full.  I am not hungry at all.  AND YET……I am getting up from the couch and going into the kitchen for a snack.  It might be a bowl of yoghurt.  Some blueberries.  Some nuts.  It might be a biscuit – just one.  It might be some chocolate.  For some people it might be half a bottle of wine.

I have tried all sorts of things to stop this bad habit.  Protein rich dinner.  Clean teeth after dinner.  Sip on herbal tea after dinner.  Make the kitchen out of bounds after dinner.  Sometimes I succeed but many times I don’t.

I guess the best thing we can do is just to be aware that this might be a problem.  It might be the reason why you are not able to maintain your healthy weight even though you are being quite careful the rest of the time.  It might be the reason you are not hungry for breakfast.  It might mean a bad night’s sleep depending on the snack. It might all add up over time to a few extra kilos. It might be the main reason you are not able to lose weight.

There is nothing “wrong” with eating at night. What we do know however is that this is a problem time for many people as they have already eaten enough food during the day and their energy requirements have been met. So it is not a matter of not eating at night – it is just a matter of taking account of what you have eaten over the course of the day. It is very easy to go “off track” after dinner when you are relaxing at the end of your day.

Part of “paying attention” is just being aware of potential problem areas.  THEN IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A CHANGE YOU KNOW WHAT TO FOCUS ON. Maybe the extra little bits and pieces you eat after dinner every day are not consistent with your goals.