You eat healthy and stay on top of your nutrition like the good dieter you are.

But the thing is, that only lasts until about 8 p.m.

By then, your willpower is on “E” like a car running on fumes. 

Every single night without fail, your diet alter ego comes out craving some late-night sweets.

And now you find yourself stuck in a cycle of:

• Promising yourself tonight’s the night you finally put a stop to it
• Binging anyway
• Constantly being mad at yourself for not being able to get your sweet tooth at night under control 

You know your behavior isn’t a recipe for weight loss success at all. 

But up to this point, you just haven’t been able to stop.

I say up to this point because things don’t have to be that way for you anymore once you get done reading this article. 

You’re going to learn about 5 strategies that will make curbing a late-night sweet tooth an all-too-distant memory 👋🏾

How to stop craving sweets at night (ONCE AND FOR ALL)

Tip #1 for curbing a late-night sweet tooth – Eat more protein earlier in the day.

Obviously, if you’re intermittent fasting this won’t come at the typical breakfast time. 

You just want to make sure to eat it at your first meal and get plenty early on in your eating schedule.

Why protein specifically though?

For one, it’s super filling.

You actually reduce hunger hormones and increase hormones that make you feel full by eating protein.

Feeling full and satisfied = less snacking and giving into those late-night sweets cravings.

Two, not only does protein make you less hungry but it also speeds up your metabolism. 

Yep, you read that right.

The simple act of eating foods high in protein like chicken breast, turkey breast, and egg whites enables you to burn more calories than any other type of food.

Three…

Without protein, you’ll build and retain muscle once pigs fly and it rains Mountain Dew (so, NEVER 😉).

The benefits of having muscle are two-fold:

1. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest, and the more fat you lose.

2. It’s what changes your body composition (I.e. gets you that toned, fitter-looking, and more defined physique you’re after).

On the other side of the fence, no muscle = a softer, pudgier, and not-so-defined skinny fat body. 

I don’t want that for you and I know you definitely don’t want that for yourself!  

2. Up your fiber intake

Eat more fiber, don’t be constipated…

I think we all know that. 

But it’s also a real game changer if you want to stop craving sweets at night.

Just like protein, fiber keeps you fuller for longer.

Also, the health benefits of eating more fiber are nothing short of out of this world.  

Here are some stats for you:

• You lower your risk of heart disease by 9% for every 7 grams of fiber you eat
• You lower your risk of breast cancer by 5% for every 10 grams of fiber you eat
• Regularly eating enough fiber reduces your all-cause mortality risk (chances of dying from virtually anything) by 19%

Men and women, you want to aim for at least 35 grams and 25 grams per day respectively. 

3. Meet your late-night sweet cravings in the middle

It may not be your cravings that are the issue. 

HOW MUCH you feel you need to eat to satisfy your sweet tooth at night is the real problem.  

The solution? 

Still have whatever snack it is you want, just have it in moderation.

And then add a healthy snack in there to keep you more full.

Instead of a whole sleeve of Oreos, have a few and then a protein shake.

Rather than an entire bag of chips, pour yourself out a serving size and supplement with some reduced-fat popcorn.

Instead of the whole pint of ice cream, scoop some out and have some fruit on the side to go with it.

See how it doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing?

That’s where you get into trouble, not just with curbing a late-night sweet tooth but with a lot of different health and fitness-related things.

You think you have to be perfect and if you can’t be, it’s just not worth doing.

But as I’ve mentioned multiple times before in other articles, you don’t get results from being perfect (which is an unreasonable expectation, by the way).

You get results by being consistent.

4. Sprinkle in some of your favorites in moderation throughout the day

This kind of plays off of the one above but let me ask you this…

Do you restrict yourself during the day to only eating “healthy” things?  

If so, that could be why curbing a late-night sweet tooth is so frustratingly hard for you. 

You think to yourself…

I have to eat healthy at breakfast.

I have to eat healthy at lunch.

I have to eat healthy at dinner.

Then night time comes and all the cravings you resisted and fought so hard not to give into during the day just come flooding in all at once.

And now you have this insatiable itch for something sweet you just can’t ever seem to scratch. 

But you can avoid all that and stop craving sweets at night by sprinkling in some of your favorites throughout the day.

You might experience something similar when it comes to weekend binging.

You deprive yourself so much during the week that by the time the weekend rolls around you feel this urge to just let loose and go crazy. 

You go into it planning to have your weekly “cheat meal” but it always just ends up turning into a full-fledged “cheat weekend.” 

The same rules apply.

Don’t restrict yourself so much during the week and actually incorporate those “fun foods” you enjoy. 

5. Prioritize your Z’s and stay hydrated

Not getting enough sleep has a huge impact on your ability to maintain your calorie deficit. 

As sleep goes down, your hunger and cravings go up. 

Why?

Your body produces more cortisol when you don’t get enough sleep, which is a stress hormone that makes you hungrier. 

Not only that but lack of sleep means you won’t have as much energy.

Not having energy means a dip in how you perform during your workouts.

If workout performance takes a nosedive, then so does your progress. 

Lack of sleep really can have a substantial negative domino effect. 

As for hydration, thirst can Halloween mask itself as hunger.

So if you want to stop craving sweets at night, simply make sure you’re staying hydrated throughout the day. 

How to not snack at night FAQs

How do you stop sugar cravings at night?

You now have a few different strategies to use for curbing a late-night-sweet tooth but you may be wondering about stopping sugar cravings at night specifically.

And to that, I’ll say this…

The truth is you’re not strictly just craving sugar.

You’d be pounding back spoonfuls of straight sugar right to the dome if that were truly the case.

But you’re not…

Know why? 

Because it’s more than just the sugar you’re craving.

It’s the combination of everything those sweets are made of that has you salivating.

Companies are smart and they spend a ton of moolah to find the right combination of ingredients to get you hooked and always coming back for more.

If you really think about it, it doesn’t matter whether it’s food, Netflix, social media, or your favorite sports team.

They want you, as a consumer, to come back time and time again and spend your hard-earned money or time on whatever it is they have to offer.