Okay, so here's the deal:

I dropped a good amount of weight last summer through working out and eating right, but I've gained it all back by eating the wrong foods too much, not working out, and eating late throughout this whole semester.....because I'm currently studying abroad in Europe. I've gotten back on track with eating right and making use of our gym (if you could even call it a gym, its really a workout closet)....but the hardest thing to change is the late night eating.

We eat dinner at 6pm, and then I'm up until past midnight doing work, so I get hungry again. I crave sweets like chocolate or salty foods like peanut butter, but I know thats not good. I hear even fruit late at night is a poor choice, since its so high in (natural) sugar.

Any suggestions?? Thanks!!

well, staying up late in general is bad for you, but i find the times of eating guides suspect. in american culture, you'll hear that eating after 6 or 8 or something is bad for you, but plenty of other cultures have meal times after 9pm...

the sweets aren't such a good idea, but i'll eat peanut butter on toast to boost up my Tryptophan when i'm having a hard time sleeping. and drink a glass of milk. and this stuff was while i was losing a pound or two a week.

you can eat tons of spinach and its ilk without getting a lot of calories or sugar, though. mainly i'd just work with your schedule. humans just aren't designed to be awake when it's dark outside. you'll end up with symptoms like great north depression and stuff.

troy

You still hear aphorisms like "Nothing after 10pm." being thrown around, but what really counts is your daily calorie intake -- not really when you eat.

If you have to have a late night meal, you can find out what to do to compensate for that if you track your intake using something like TheDailyPlate.com.

Otherwise, anything with fat (peanut butter, nuts) and plenty of water can curb cravings better than your average food. I can make a whole grain spinach sandwich with hummus that makes a pretty good low-cal, high volume snack -- you can always research others.