13:37:45 Episode 188, Late Night Snacking, How to Curb the Habit Without Feeling Deprived.
13:37:52 Hey there! Welcome back to Concierge Weight Loss Podcast. I'm Kara Hackleman, and if you find yourself reaching for snacks after the kids are in bed.
13:38:00 When the house is finally quiet, or just because it's your moment to breathe, you are not alone.
13:38:06 Today, we are talking about late-night snacking, why it happens. What it really means, and what to do about it.
13:38:14 About it without making yourself feel restricted or punished. Let me start with something personal. My late night snacking used to be epic.
13:38:23 Everyone has gone to bed. Everyone. My husband, my son, everybody.
13:38:27 And I'm talking, uh, a salt and sugar combo that is on repeat. A whole bag of chips.
13:38:34 And a giant bowl of ice cream, or maybe we'll add in a whole sleeve of cookies or two, followed by an entire family-sized bag of beef jerky to be finished off with handfuls of candy.
13:38:44 It wasn't because I was hungry. I had already eaten dinner, and let's be honest, that is enough food.
13:38:51 In that late-night snack to fuel me for days. But. Once the house was quiet and it was finally my time to relax.
13:39:00 I wanted to reward, a treat, something for me. I felt like I deserved it.
13:39:05 I'd earned it, right? And in the moment, the food felt good. It was comforting. It was like a hug or a pat on the back.
13:39:12 But after, I felt bloated and frustrated and disappointed, I felt guilty and ashamed.
13:39:19 Ashamed, that cycle of nighttime eating was such a hard habit to break, and it wasn't until I got really honest about what I was trying to get from the food.
13:39:29 That anything changed. So, let's dig into what late night eating really is.
13:39:35 About. For a lot of my clients, that nighttime window is the only time they have to themselves.
13:39:40 After the kids are down, the emails are done, orā¦. The dishes are done, or after all the mental tabs are closed for the day.
13:39:48 They're not snacking because they're starving. They're snacking because it's a moment to feel good.
13:39:54 Sometimes it's a way to relax. Sometimes, it's about boredom, or it's about being unappreciated, because food, it doesn't judge or complain, it just gives. Food just keeps giving.
13:40:06 Gives to my hips, it gives to everywhere, right? Some clients even shared that the food made them feel seen, like it was celebrating them, like, kind of like I felt.
13:40:17 Celebrating them in a way no one else was. One woman told me at night the only person telling me I did a good job today was the bag of M&Ms. They were shiny and colorful, and.
13:40:28 They were so happy to see her every night, right? She said she deserved it, like it was her reward for everything she'd done for the day. Everything she'd done for everybody else.
13:40:39 And here's the kicker. When food becomes your only form of comfort, it stops comforting.
13:40:44 It's no longer comforting. Because, after that taste is gone, you're left with all the same feelings. Plus.
13:40:52 Now, let's add on some guilt. And it doesn't start.
13:40:57 With a craving. Not always. Sometimes, it starts with a routine. The show turns on, the couch gets cozy.
13:41:04 Or whatever it is. You find yourself in the pantry, or with your hand in a bowl of something, you're on autopilot before you even realize it.
13:41:12 Other times, it's the transition moments. That trigger eating. Many of my clients find themselves eating when they leave work and switch into mom mode. It's like they're gearing up for that second shift at home.
13:41:25 The snacking becomes a buffer, fuel for the mental load, the chaos, and the emotional labor.
13:41:32 They're not eating because they're hungry. They're eating to prepare for the mental and physical energy it takes to do it all.
13:41:40 Then there's the mindless bites. You're making dinner, you nibble the whole time, or you eat the last few bites off of your kid's plate instead of tossing it out, orā¦.
13:41:49 Maybe you find yourself eating a few fries from your partner's plate while chatting at the table. It feels small, but it adds up.
13:41:55 Because it's not coming from hunger, it's not even coming from intention. It's mindless.
13:42:01 So what do we do? First, we acknowledge that the craving is not bad. It's just a signal. Talked about this.
13:42:07 A couple weeks ago, it's just a signal. Your brain is trying to meet a need.
13:42:12 Maybe for pleasure, reward, connection, maybe it's for rest, maybe it's for food, but it's trying to give you a signal.
13:42:20 Let's pause here for a second. What would happen if instead of reaching for food immediately.
13:42:25 You gave yourself just a few moments. Maybe a minute to check in.
13:42:30 Not to punish or distract, just to ask, what do I actually need right now?
13:42:35 Do I need food? Do I need something else? Am I hungry, or am I just wanting it? Does it just sound good? Is it just here and available?
13:42:44 Can I enjoy this later when I'm actually hungry? Delaying isn't the same as denying.
13:42:52 Delaying gives you the power back, gives you the opportunity for choice.
13:42:56 Most of my clients find that if they wait. Maybe 10 minutes. Give yourself that moment to check in, right? Ask yourself those questions, and then if you're like.
13:43:05 I'm not actually hungry. Give yourself 10 minutes. The urge usually passes or softens, and when they do.
13:43:13 Choose to eat, it's from intention, not impulse. It reminds me of something I learned personally. Most of my cravings were triggered by just wanting it.
13:43:24 But what led me to give in to the craving was FOMO.
13:43:29 I didn't want to be uncomfortable. I didn't want to sit with that little tug of, I want it.
13:43:34 That was too much discomfort. I wasn't willing to experience. And then I⦠I kind of could start shifting away from that. I'll talk about that.
13:43:43 But here's what happened when I started practicing delay. I found out that 10 minutes of discomfort, it was worth it.
13:43:49 Because that moment of not giving in, that was where the confidence started building.
13:43:54 It compounded into something bigger, like real progress, and pride in my choices.
13:44:00 And I remind my clients all the time, those cravings will start to feel like hearing about a vacation.
13:44:07 Have you heard a friend, like, tell you all about their vacation?
13:44:10 And you're like, ugh! I wanna go there, butā¦.
13:44:14 You still want the food? Let me go back and forth here.
13:44:19 It's like the vacation. I want the vacation. I want to go, but I'm not booking the flight right now.
13:44:26 The food the same. You still want it, you still think it sounds good, but you don't feel the urgent need to act right that second. You get to decide when and how you enjoy food.
13:44:36 That's what real freedom looks like. So let me tell you about a client.
13:44:40 I love these little client stories. I hope they hear them and think, that's me.
13:44:45 Okay, every night after dinner, once her kids were asleep, she'd sit down.
13:44:49 And it was part of her routine to eat. It felt good.
13:44:53 But she wasn't losing weight, and she didn't feel in control.
13:44:57 We didn't start by taking the food away right away. We started by exploring why it was⦠whyā¦.
13:45:04 Like, what was behind it? Why she was eating. What she discovered? That moment was the only time that was just hers.
13:45:12 Nobody needed her for anything. Nobody was asking for anything. There was nothing left to do. There was no to-do list.
13:45:19 Just silence and sugar. That was her go-to. Silence and sugar.
13:45:25 So instead of trying to willpower her way to just stop eating, she created a new routine.
13:45:31 She was all about the routine, so it was so cute. She poured a cup of tea, she loved this tea.
13:45:36 Um, and had a whole selection of very good teas. Sometimes she lit a candle, or she turned on a show that she looked forward to. She would decide the night before what show she was gonna watch the next night.
13:45:48 It gave herself some time. Some kindness, um, some me time, with less sugar and more intention.
13:45:57 Some nights, she still wanted the treats. But more often, she didn't.
13:46:01 When she did have some, she enjoyed it more, because it wasn't tangled up in guilt, and that autopilot habit that she used to have.
13:46:09 Um, someone else, they added a new phrase to their nighttime wind down. Instead of grabbing a snack, she started saying out loud.
13:46:16 You did a good job today! And so she would sing it to herself, you did a good job.
13:46:21 You did enough, and now this is your time to relax.
13:46:25 And so, that tiny shift gave her the appreciation she was looking for without needing the snack.
13:46:30 To say it for her, orā¦. For her spouse or someone else to tell her.
13:46:35 She realized she was deserving of the rest, but not necessarily.
13:46:40 Having to have it be the treat. So, one of my favorite examples? A client who created a wind-down tray.
13:46:48 I think it was, like, on their, umā¦. Coffee table. It was this wind-down tray. She filled it with a cozy blanket, her favorite soft blanket, a journal, a favorite ink pen.
13:47:00 Um, I can't remember what the pen looked like, but something fuzzy on the end of it. Her, like, her book that she'd been reading.
13:47:06 And, like, whatever, uh, she was drinking that night. That tray became her nighttime ritual, and with it, she had less desires to snack.
13:47:14 Everything she thought she needed was on that. Trey, and she provided it for herself ahead of time.
13:47:21 So she wasn't looking to go get something out of the pantry or the kitchen. She was just looked at her tray and knew that was already everything that she had decided that she was going to need for the night.
13:47:32 Another scheduled a 10-minute dance party every evening. She turned on her favorite playlist, got her body moving, reminding herself that she was worth celebrating.
13:47:43 That physical outlet gave her the endorphin hit she was trying to get from food.
13:47:49 And I can't do that. The dance party one, I loved that she did it, and she had great music for it, but I⦠that's not my thing. I can do it every once in a while, but I feel silly. I don't know, y'all just tell me what you think.
13:48:01 Another one, she started a 7-day challenge of rewarding herself. This was fun.
13:48:06 She came up with 7 different things, um, that were other than food. So, like, one of them was curling up in bed with her favorite book.
13:48:15 Uh, one night, it was giving herself, like, a full body stretch out. I don't remember if it was yoga or just some kind of stretching.
13:48:21 Um, and then a soak in the tub. Um, another was, uh, just lighting a fancy candle, or she said one night was on the schedule, the reward for herself was nothing.
13:48:32 Absolutely nothing. She said she started to look forward to that moment, even more than she used to look forward to.
13:48:40 To the snacking and the mindless, endless TV watching. So, you don't need to copy any of these ideas exactly, but what I want you to hear is that it's not just about removing the food, it's about replacing the need the food was meeting.
13:48:56 You get to be creative here. Here's the thing. This isn't just about food.
13:49:00 It's what food represents. So, for a lot of women, that late night snack is a reward. It's a release, orā¦.
13:49:07 A signal that the day is over, a break from giving to everyone else. A transition from one role to the next.
13:49:15 And there's nothing wrong with wanting that. But if you gave yourself the reward without the overeating.
13:49:21 What if you created a wind-down routine that actually filled your cup?
13:49:26 Let me give you a few more practical ways to do that.
13:49:29 Create a new comfort ritual. Maybe it includes a favorite blanket, or cozy lighting. I love dimmer switches.
13:49:38 A show you love, a bath, or journaling, 10 minutes of stretching, maybe, some of these things from the other people.
13:49:44 Or maybe you indulge in going to bed. Pre-going to bed early as an indulgence, just like sleeping in.
13:49:52 Uh, you can decide in advance if you want a snack.
13:49:56 You can decide that ahead of time. It can be part of a new ritual for you.
13:50:00 If you want a snack, portion it out. Eat it at the table, enjoy it with presents.
13:50:06 And my blessing! I want to tell you, I absolutely give you my blessing to eat.
13:50:10 When you're being present, and you actually know you want it, plan it ahead of time.
13:50:16 Okay, delay the snack. Maybe you didn't plan in advance. Tell yourself, I can have it in 10 minutes if I still want it. Most of the time, that urgency passes.
13:50:26 Uh, pair the food with another reward. So maybe instead of just eating a bunch, you have a small little piece of chocolate, and you pair it with a warm drink.
13:50:35 While watching your favorite show. That would be intention, not impulse.
13:50:40 So, add in appreciation. Write yourself a note. You did a good job, or you did enough today. You did above and beyond. Whatever it is you want to hear.
13:50:50 Uh, you can transition with intention. So, when you get home from work or switch roles, give yourself 5 minutes of quiet music. Some people don't even get out of the car right away. They know as soon as they get in the house, everybody needs them again.
13:51:03 And so they'll just sit in the car, 5 minutes. Maybe park down the road so you don't have kids coming out to the car.
13:51:09 I've done that before. I've let⦠I've sat in the vehicle outside, just listening to the rest of a song, and my husband will come out and look in the window at me, soā¦.
13:51:17 On the road, and then come in. Or journal before diving into the next job. Sometimes just taking your shoes off, or changing into comfy clothes helps.
13:51:27 That transition. I always think of, uh, Mr. Rogers when he'd switch out of his.
13:51:32 His, uh, cardigan and his shoes before coming in or out of the make-believe world, soā¦.
13:51:39 Plan something to look forward to. A walk, a podcast. A call with a friend, or something that says, this moment is all mine. It's very indulgent, and I love it. It's just for me.
13:51:50 Because often, what we want isn't the cookie. It's actually the comfort. So, you can comfort yourself in so many other ways.
13:51:58 Here's my challenge to you. Tonight, when the craving hits. Ask yourself, what do I actually need right now? What do I really want?
13:52:06 Is it this food, or is it something else? Wait 10 minutes, that's it. You're not failing, you're learning, 10 minutes.
13:52:13 This is how change starts. Not by giving things up, but by giving yourself more of what you really need, what you really.
13:52:23 Actually want. And if you want help figuring this out. How to do that in your real life.
13:52:29 I've got two ways to support you. Watch the free webinar, CoachingCara.com forward slash sign up. I'll show you how weight loss gets simpler.
13:52:37 When we stop trying to fix everything with food. Or, book a free personalized call.
13:52:43 Coachingcara.com forward slash free call. We'll talk through your habits, your triggers, and what support.
13:52:49 Would look like for you. You don't need more willpower, you need better tools.
13:52:55 And you are 100% capable of all of this. You can have all the weight loss you want.
13:53:01 See you next week