Why Am I Craving Sweets At Night?

Ariane, 

here’s yesterday’s food diary. I was eating clean until the evening.  Then I was just so hungry and craving sweets that I had a Weight Watcher ice cream bar and some grapes in my salad.  I have been hungry and craving things like potato chips. Although I have refrained from that, I still want it here and there.

Please let me know your feedback and if I’m on the right track to a fat burning diet.

Thanks, Deborah

Breakfast: Jay Robb Whey Protein Shake – 1 scoop with water

Lunch: 6 oz cooked shrimp with tuscan vegetable medley, 1 box

Dinner: Grilled, skinless chicken breast, 4 oz, with honey mustard dressing, 1 tbsp chopped walnuts
Dessert: 100 grams grapes, 1 Weight Watchers ice cream bar

Deborah, 

the reason you’re caving in in the evenings is because you didn’t eat enough. Not enough breakfast and not enough good carbs to balance your blood sugar. 

You start your day with a shake, which doesn’t have any carbs, so your blood sugar is still low by the time lunch rolls around. A shake is a good snack, but for breakfast you need something that stabilizes your blood sugar after an overnight fast. Either add some carbs (cup of Greek yogurt) or eat 3 eggs or 6 egg-whites with veggies (omelette, egg sandwich, fritatta). The shake would be ideal between breakfast and lunch.



Another big contributor to your hunger is that you barely eat veggies. A few for lunch and none for dinner. Not surprisingly your blood sugar isn’t balanced and you’re hungry for sweets. You have to make sure to eat your fiber or you’ll stay hungry. Even though it’s Weight Watchers, that ice cream isn’t good. It’s loaded with ingredients that don’t fill you up. You shouldn’t even have that in your freezer. Please set yourself up for success and get rid of that junk in your house, so when a craving strikes, it’s not readily accessible. 



Look at your food intake this way. I’ve estimated your nutrients:
Breakfast: 25g protein. 0 carbs
Lunch: 34g protein, 14g carbs
Dinner: 24g protein, 4g carbs
Dessert: 3g protein, 33g carbs

Totals: 86g protein, 51g carbs

Based on your lean mass (muscle) and body fat percentage, you need about 100 grams of protein per day and at least 100-120g of carbs per day. Can you see why you are hungry? You’re not eating enough all day and the majority of your carbs are eaten in the evening in the form of sugar. The lack of good carbs during the day catches up with you at night because your body is lacking nutrients. Your sugar cravings are a sign of low blood sugar and low carb and protein intake. 

You’re getting the right idea, but let’s get you to the next level where you see the difference in your body. 
The key take-aways for you are

·      eat 5 meals a day (add 2 snacks)

·      each meal contains protein about the size and thickness of your palm.  

·      Eat as many veggies as you can to feel full and balance your blood sugar.

·      Stay away from artificial foods, which don’t satiate or signal your body that you ate something sweet. They only increase cravings.