I often hear from friends and clients that they crave something sweet in the evening. I can relate, I do too! My personal favorite sweet treat in the evenings is 2 small Hershey’s Dark Chocolate with almonds.  I love the crunch.  It zaps my craving and makes me feel a little better knowing I am getting some antioxidants too.

Nighttime is a common time for people to mindlessly choose snacks that sabotage their efforts all throughout the day.  It is just too easy to take in extra calories without even realizing we’ve done it.

Indulge your craving, but in a smart, well thought out way.  Instead of denying your craving until you finally cave and overdo it on too many sweets find something you enjoy that satisfies your sweet tooth without overloading on too many calories. Enjoy it, without guilt, and move on.

Here are some ideas for you to try…

• Sugar-free pudding
• Frozen Real Fruit bar
• Individually wrapped frozen treat, like Skinny Cow - under 200 calories
• Individual Healthy Choice frozen Greek Yogurt
• A handful of frozen grapes
• 2 cinnamon graham crackers with a glass of skim milk
• Sugar-free jello
• Peel an apple, slice it, sprinkle with a Tbsp whole grain granola and  a little cinnamon. Microwave for a minute. Eat with a low-calorie vanilla yogurt.
• Cut up a few bananas, freeze them, and then put them in your blender…you’ve got ice cream! Add a little nut butter, chocolate chips, Nutella or even almond milk to switch up the flavor.
• A cup of decaf coffee or decaf tea

Whatever you choose make sure you are fully present and mindful while eating it.  Don’t eat it in front of the TV or while do something else.  Make it an event.  Put it on a plate and sit down and enjoy every bite.  Another suggestion that many people have success with is to brush your teeth to signal you are done eating for the night.

The key is to find what you like and have it on hand for those moments when you need a little sweet bite.  If you buy cakes, cookies, ice cream, and candy that you know you have a tendency to overindulge in you are setting yourself up for failure.  Don’t do it!  Rewiring your brain to choose a different, slightly healthier go-to sweet treat may take time, but is possible.  Just think, saving just 200 calories per day could add up to close to a 20 pound weight loss in a year.

Remember it is the little things that add up and help us lose weight effortlessly. Happy snacking!