It's Not Going to Kill You to Go To Bed Hungry

I encourage all my clients to go about their weight loss/weight maintenance goals in a no-pressure type of way.

There's no need to cut out desserts. There's no need to cut out any types of foods - rice, potatoes, whatever.

The key is simply portion control.

Having said that, there's one thing everyone who wants to lose, or maintain, weight, has got to realize, and that's that sometimes you have to go to bed hungry.

Not starving - there's no need to go to bed feeling ravenous - eat a few carrots or even an apple to take the edge off. But don't eat a whole bowl of icecream and then go to sleep. Desserts should be eaten at least 3 hours before you go to bed. And even then, remember, when you're trying to lose weight, don't eat a whole bowl of ice cream, eat half of one.

If you don't have the willpower to eat only half a bowl of icecream at a time - then you'll have to quit icecream cold-turkey. Don't bring it into the house. When you get an urge for ice cream, drink some water and read a book or something - do some kind of activity - until the craving passes.

You must take the long term view. Don't get frustrated or angry because you're only losing 1 or 2 pounds a week even though you go to bed hungry every night. Given sufficient time, your appetite will shrink along with your waistline, and you'll be able to go to bed without feeling hungry.

Because as I've posted before - it is those late night hours that are the defeat of a lot of people. If you can't get to sleep, you get up and get something to eat while you read a book or watch TV. Switch eating for drinking - water! or decaff coffee or tea.

It's one thing to eat at night if you're going to be active - if you have an evening job rather than a day job, but try not to eat a big meal just before you go to bed. That packs on the pounds.