In my last post we explored some possible “whys” for your night-time snacking. Now, here are some steps you can take right away to help curb your night-time snacking:

• Eat a balanced breakfast. Because our bodies store late-night eating as fat, snacking before bedtime might prevent you from being hungry when you wake up. This might cause you to skip breakfast, which could throw you off for the whole day. It’s a snacker’s vicious cycle! To prevent this, be sure to begin your day with a balanced breakfast of protein, fiber and healthy fats. For example, eggs with veggies sautéed in olive oil or ghee will help regulate your blood sugar until it’s time for lunch. No one breakfast works for everyone, so find your own groove.

• Don’t have it in the house. So there you are, right after dinner, looking in the pantry or fridge. What are you looking for? If you can’t find the snacks you crave, you can’t eat them. The decision not to have unhealthy snacks in the house is made in the supermarket. Next time you’re grocery shopping, resist the temptation to bring home the unhealthy treats that sabotage your health and weight-loss goals. If it’s not in your house, it’s not in your mouth.

• Crowd out the unhealthy snacks with better options. It’s unrealistic to think we’ll never want a snack – the key is to choose the best options for snacking.

• Make sleep a priority. Studies show that when we’re tired, we’re 25% hungrier. The hormone ghrelin. Your body produces more of it when you’re tired, and ghrelin is the hormone that tells your body that you’re hungry. If you tend to stay up too late, you could be adding a double-whammy to your night-time cravings.