Is after dinner snacking sabotaging your weight loss efforts?

If you find yourself needing something sweet after dinner or are still hungry after dinner this can be a sign that you may not be getting enough nutrition throughout the day.

Night time snacking can sabotage your weight loss efforts as when you eat chocolate, ice cream or biscuits before bed you have unused sugar floating around in your blood stream and when it's not utilised the body will store it as fat.

Eating late at night can also cause sleep disturbances, especially if you've eating something sugary, as sugar has a stimulating effect.

Not to mention causing you to feel tired the next morning as your digestive system has been up late working to breakdown and absorb what was eaten vs in restoration mode with the rest of the body which helps you feel alert and refreshed.

I've seen a lot of clients who used to snack after dinner (it's very common) and there are 3 things I always recommend to help with reducing and eliminating the need for night snacking.

1.Increase your intake of protein

Start by having a serve of protein with breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and lastly with dinner. Sources of protein include: eggs, protein powder, tinned tuna, beans/lentils, nuts & seeds, lean meat/poultry etc...

2. Increase your veggie intake

Ideally you want to be having 5 serves of veggies/salad per day which helps infuse the body with the required amount of nutrients to function optimally. Aim to have a serve of veggies with breakfast or with a snack and two serves with lunch and again with dinner.

3. Introduce a new nighttime routine that serves you better

When we increase our protein and veggie intake this typically curbs the need for night time snacking. However, sometimes we are just in the habit of having something after dinner so start creating a new routine that serves you better i.e. brush your teeth straight after dinner or have a cup of herbal tea.

Give these 3 things a go this week, start small (what ever is manageable for you) and build up from there.

You'll be surprised at how a few simple changes can make a big difference.