You settle the kids down, Netflix goes on, and out comes the tub of Ben and Jerries and other late night snacks. And before you know it, all that good work that you’ve put in during the day has gone out the window along with your daily calorie deficit! 

1. What causes your evening snacking? 

One of the main ways to avoid evening snacking is to identify what causes it in the first place. If you can figure out the root cause of your late night snacking urges then finding the solution becomes a lot easier. 

A few reasons as to why you might be inclined to snack during the evening could be down to: 

- Your calorie deficit being too low 

- Your food choices during the day not being as filling as they could be 

- Your exercise programme could be a little too excessive and leaving you incredibly hungry 

Now, the good news for you is that a variety of solutions are out there to solve these problems, but they all start with you being honest with yourself. 

So, ask yourself some questions... 

- Am I pushing calories too low in the hope of making faster progress? 

- Do my food choices during the day consist of calorie dense options which aren’t satisfying my hunger? 

- Is my training programme too extreme and leaving me ravenous? 

Once you’ve started to answer these questions honestly, you can start to correct the problem. 

2. Is there a routine? 

Next, try and decipher if your late night snacking follows a routine. 

More often than not, it’s likely that your late night snacking will follow a similar pattern. 

Maybe after a long day at work you go straight for the kitchen. You raid the snack drawer for cookies, chocolate or whatever is easiest to get your hands on. Then dinner follows a few hours later, which you inhale as fast as possible whilst watching television. And then having not registered what you’ve eaten the mind drifts back to what might be left in the fridge. 

Sound familiar? 

If this sounds like you, fear not as it happens to many people. The important thing to do is to recognise these patterns and then disrupt them.

So try mixing up your routine and if certain foods trigger you to eat more and more, try putting them out of sight or only buy them when you really want them. 

3. Plan and have structure 

Our third tip is to plan and bring some structure to your meals. 

Planning your meals and potentially preparing them in advance will help you to make better food choices. 

Instead of picking up vending machine snacks in a rush, try to plan nutritious, filling meals that will help to keep hunger at bay. 

When planning these meals, choose high protein and fibre meals and snacks which will help to keep you feeling full throughout the day and night. 

4. Be mindful 

Finally, when it comes to late night snacking, be more mindful. 

We talk a lot about mindset when it comes to exercise and it’s equally important when it comes to nutrition. So, when you feel the drive to indulge in some night snacking, stop and question your actions... 

Are you really hungry? Or are you simply eating out of boredom? 

More often than not it’s the latter, and if you find that this is the case try and do something that will occupy your mind to avoid raiding the fridge. 

The urge to snack and never stop is a common problem for anyone looking to lose body fat. But try not to lose hope, apply these 4 tips and you can avoid late night snacking taking your diet off track!