Today, I’m going to answer the question, “Why do I get late night cravings?”

It’s one of the biggest challenges people have, when trying to lose weight – cravings at night.

If you would prefer we have a video version of all of this information you can scroll to the bottom of this article to watch the video.

Why Do You Get Late Night Cravings?

Answer, for lots of different reasons.

The most important thing is that you identify why YOU are getting late night cravings.

Today, we’re going to go over some of the most common causes of cravings at night.

But, the thing is, no matter what the reason. Why you’re getting cravings, you need to actually stop and identify what the root cause is.

Most people never do this, and instead they simply blame a lack of willpower, or a lack of motivation, when this isn’t the case.  

I can guarantee you that your late-night cravings are not a result of a lack of willpower.  It’s one of the biggest misunderstandings that prevents people from getting where they want to go with their weight loss goals.

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Late Night Cravings Causes #1

First, one of the most frequent causes of late night cravings- boredom.

A lot of times, people want something to look forward to at the end of the night.

They’ve had a tough stressful day, and they want something to be excited about.  Something to have while they’re watching TV, or whether spending time with their partner, or spending time alone.

So, when you eat a lot of the foods that people typically get cravings for late at night things like: chips, or sugar, or treats, you get a hit of serotonin which helps to make you feel good.

This hit of serotonin is part of why it helps to deal with the stress of the day or feeling bored late at night.

Should You Go Cold Turkey to Stop Late Night Cravings?

So, what happens when you try to go cold turkey?  

When you completely take out any of these foods that you get cravings for, physiologically this can create some problems because you’re not getting that hit of serotonin.

A good idea is to slowly start decreasing the amount you have, as well as maybe start integrating in healthier foods that might also give you some serotonin release.

Or you can find other activities or things that stimulate a serotonin release.

What if You Go Cold Turkey, but you’re Still Get Late Night Cravings?

All right, if you go cold turkey and take all of these foods out that you’re craving and you’re still getting cravings after two or three weeks.  

Then, there’s a good chance that it’s mental emotional related.

This is one of the most frequent things people see, when they’re dieting.

They cut out all their favourite foods, and then they’re still getting these cravings.

And the cravings are getting stronger and stronger and stronger as the days or weeks go by.

This is a big red flag that there’s mental emotional factors related to your late night cravings.

Late Night Cravings Cause #2

What we suggest is, you stop, get out a piece of paper and a pen, and actually write down what were emotions you’re feeling throughout the entire day leading up to feeling the cravings.

Also, identify what are the things you’re feeling right now? This isn’t a short-term quick fix. This is a long-term solution, to helping you manage late night cravings.

So, it’s important to understand what emotions you’re feeling that are triggering the behaviour.  

What is causing you to want to eat food in order to help you feel better or avoid feeling those negative feelings.

Important to note, good, bad, okay, are not feelings.

Often when we first get coaching clients to do this, they’ll start listing words like this down on their piece of paper.

You want to get to actual feelings – so happy, excited, nervous, sad, depressed, angry, upset, etc.

A good strategy to make sure you’re getting to the root of this is to actually look at the word you’ve written down and ask yourself, “Is this a feeling?”

If it’s not, you want to try to get to the core emotion.  If you’re feeling good, why are you feeling good? Or if you’re feeling bad, or stressed, what are the things that are causing you to feel that?

What are the emotions underneath that? Peel the layers of the onion back.

Late Night Cravings Cause #3

Another common reason people get cravings at night. They didn’t eat enough food for supper.

Oftentimes, when people are trying to lose weight, they think they have to have these little itty-bitty meals, and they’re not getting enough nutritious food into their body to keep them satisfied long enough.

Or, another common problem that goes along with this.

At supper people will often lack a balance in their meals.  

Typically, it’s really heavy in carbohydrates, or really heavy in fat, or didn’t have enough protein, or not enough fruits and vegetables to give you that fiber.

However, sometimes when people are focused on trying to lose weight they cut out all carbs or all fats which leaves them getting late night cravings for food.

At supper, focus on making sure you’re getting a good serving of lean protein, fruits, vegetables, and a little bit of healthy fats. This is going to help you to steer clear of getting cravings late at night.

Wrap Up for Late Night Cravings

There you have 3 of the most common reasons people are getting late night cravings.

I can’t stress it enough. It’s not a lack of willpower. It’s not a lack of motivation.

There is something happening during the day that’s triggering and causing you to get cravings late at night.

If you want to be successful, you need to identify what this trigger is, and have a strategy that revolves around that trigger.

It can be tricky, figuring this out.

However, once you do figure it out, it makes your life a lot easier.

And it’s the key to getting results that last long-term.