Definitely water. Try 1 ltr of water with 1/2 a lemon squeezed into it.

Seems like a lot, but the munchies themselves could be because you are thirsty.

I am constantly hungry, and I eat constantly. I snack in between my snacks. But I know that I don't need to, that my body is designed to go longer periods without solid food. Water is of course a continual necessity. So, when it's late at night, I do not let myself eat. To be honest, it doesn't always work, but it is a process of mind over body. The battle is won in the mind. BTW, I heard recently that the reason you get hungry after eat chinese food is that MSG stimulates the pancreas thus producing an insulin surge which gives the body the sensation of being hungry when it is still digesting the food you just ate. Knowing is half the battle... the other half is deciding. :)

Sure you don't let yourself eat, mr robulus. I happen to share that popcorn bowl with you on a regular basis. :)

1. Eat a dinner with protein so you don't carb-crash (but don't overdo the portions).

2. Go to bed earlier! Who wouldn't get hungry staying up for hours after dinner?

3. If you must stay up, have a small, healthy snack BEFORE you get starving hungry. Put it in a little bowl instead of taking the chip bag to bed with you.

4. Try a small bowl of healthy cereal with skim milk. Touch of carbs, touch of natural sugar (in the milk); liquid in your belly to help you feel full.

Now if I could just take my own advice...!

I always eat a protein bar or something high protein if I eat anything at all late at night. Cheese, lunch meat, peanut butter, etc - seems to satisfy me best. I did read somewhere that we should eat a piece of fruit at bedtime - something to do w/our metabolism working better when you do this right before going to bed, but I'm just not much of a fruit person anytime other than in the morning with my breakfast.

My hubby and I drink a cup of herbal tea to try to head off the munchies. If that doesn't work, I get a yogurt or a spoonful of peanut butter. But last night was BAD. I was so hungry! I got a bowlful of Cheerios with skim milk and a handful of raisins. YUM!

I think there's no one answer to this predicament, and someone else may have better answers than I. However, here are some of my thoughts:

• My father usually has a small bowl of popcorn (or tortilla chips and salsa) before bedtime to control his munchies. That used to work pretty well for me, until I couldn't have corn anymore. If you do decide to have a small amount of nibblies, make sure you pay attention to what you're eating--don't just grab a handful and munch as you read or work on the computer. Your brain gets too distracted by the other tasks to let you know that you've eaten enough (another good reason to put a small amount in a bowl).

• Try to break the routines that make you hungry. For example, sitting at the computer all night long gives me the munchies. I'm trying to break up the time I spend there with other things--laundry, sewing, taking a tubbie, etc. so that I don't get the craving quite as badly.

• Keep a big mug of water nearby. Drink it often. I've read in several places that sodas, even the diet sodas, cause your blood sugar to do weird things, making you feel a lot hungrier than you really are.

• My DH usually makes me a "steamer"--hot low-fat milk with sugar-free vanilla syrup--an hour or so before bedtime, and that works fairly well for me. Not sure if protein in the tummy is a good thing before sleeping, but there's got to be something to the old wives' tale of hot milk making you sleepy, right?

  -If it's after 11-11:30ish when you get the munchies, go to bed instead.

Hope one of these helps you a bit!

Try a roll in the hay instead? Calorie free goodness, right! And if you are too tired to do that, then you should be going to bed anyway.