Monday Man-Day: Late Night Grub
Today’s Monday Man-Day is actually a reader request. Last week my guy friend sent me this:
Your wish is my command, sir.
I admit to being a big late night snacker most nights, but I think what he’s getting at is more of the “it’s 3 am and I’m coming home from a bar and taco bell sounds SOOO good right now” situation. We’ve all been there. I mean how could you pass this up?
Yum?
Surprisingly, I never once ate Taco Bell after a night out. I rode along numerous times as we paid cab drivers a little extra to drive through before taking us home, but I never ordered anything. Taco Bell just grosses me out. Maybe it’s the concern that only 35% of their beef is actually meat…
That doesn’t mean I get do my share of drunken eating though! A favorite spot at Notre Dame was Vesuvio’s, a hole in the wall pizza spot that has now been shut down due to sanitation concerns. Awesome. Although I’m not surprised given that this place was just a closet-sized room where drunk kids sat down the ripping carpet to eat their grease-infused slice of pizza off of a paper plate.
I also did my fair share of pantry rummaging once back at home. Chips and salsa? Mac n cheese? Leftover dinner? It’s all delicious when you’ve just finished a 5 hour Long Island induced dance marathon at one of South Bend’s classiest establishments.
The floor of our favorite bar at 3am. Sick nasty.
I actually went through phases of late night eating. There were periods where I just decided ahead of time that I was absolutely not going to eat when I got home at all. I don’t know how I resisted, but I would just go straight to my room and get in bed. But then there were the more care-free periods where pizza and snacks were just another expected part of my night out.
I think we can all agree that drunken eating isn’t necessarily good for your weight. It’s often said that drinking isn’t the problem, it’s losing your inhibitions and eating tons of greasy food that causes your pants to get a little tight. I actually find that not only do I wind up eating that night, but my stomach gets all out of whack and I am super snacky the next day too. Definitely not good if you’re trying to be careful about what you eat! This reader’s request just proves that guys worry about this stuff too.
Here are my tips for avoiding the late night snack attacks:
- Have a snack in mind: It’s not surprising to be hungry after a night out. It’s usually been hours since you last ate! But instead of grabbing fast food, have something at home ready for you. You can make a quick cheese quesadilla, English muffin pizza, or a grab a granola bar that will be much better than anything you can buy at 3am. I always keep a Luna Bar with me because I know I’m going to want it.
- Don’t drink so much! This might not be the easiest answer, but the less intoxicated you are, the less likely you are to make regrettable food choices. This is one of the (many) reasons I don’t often go really crazy on the weekends. If I stick to just a couple of drinks I can still loosen up and have fun, but I don’t get terrible hangovers and am still in control of what I’m doing.
- Accept it and prepare: Some people just really enjoy the ritual of going out for the night and ending it with a middle-of-the-night feast. If you don’t want to stop doing it, just prepare for it. Eat very healthy that day (but make sure to still eat enough!!) and tack on a few minutes to your work out. There’s no problem with eating some great greasy pizza every once in a while so don’t beat yourself up!
Are you a big late-night eater? What was your meal of choice?
Any other tips on how to avoid the drunk eating?
Fitting It All In 
Hahaa I loved this post! I can completely relate to the “pantry rummaging” when I get back to my room at school. Sometimes like you, I have this crazy control where I brush my teeth or shower and then get right into bed. Other times though, it’s a completely different story! I ALWAYS go right for the cereal when I get back and shove it into my mouth (no utensils of course) as fast as possible! Then move on to any candy that is in my room, granola bars (weird one?) and anything else sweet.
I like your suggestions, maintaining the fact that you are going to have ONE snack when you return might help and then get right to bed 🙂
I have never ate at TacoBell either, even in a drunken stupor. I was always more of a fan of Mcdonalds after drinking… Great post as always
cheers
Your 35% of Taco bell meat link is broken. And I wanted to read the article!!!
At Valpo, Jimmy John’s was our late-night, drunken meal of choice. It may have had something to do with the fact that it was only a block off of campus, so it didn’t require driving 🙂
I think the only real way to avoid drunk eating is to drink ’til you pass out…then you don’t have to worry about food! (I’m really not a drunk; I swear!! hehe)
Ahh yes, ,in my heavier drinking days we used to go to this burrito joint and get breakfast burritos (mind you not a small burrito but a Chipotle size one). Yikes! lol I eventually stopped ordering my own and ended up satisfied with a couple of bites of my boyfriends!
Oh man. My best friend NEVER drunk eats. She just tells herself she’s not going to, and she doesn’t! My problem is that once I start eating, I can’t stop. Like I’ll literally eat people’s scraps. It’s kinda gross. Staying in control when I drink is probably what’s helped me the most- not only do I feel like less of a drunken idiot when I think about the night’s events, but it also helps me to tone down the drunchies a bit. Though I’ll admit that even after one beer I’m usually craving food!
How do I avoid drunk eating? I DON’T and NEVER WILL drink 😉 personal decision
haha LOVED this post! such uncharterred territory in the blog world 🙂 i used to be ALL about the tb nachos bell grande when i was younger but then one time my best friends bf threw up taco bell and there was a live worm swimming in his throw up since then i haven’t touched tb with a 10ft pole haha
Two words: Papa John’s.
I definitely go through phases of late-night eating…but i’ve found that eating late at night gives me terrible stomach aches the next morning! During college, my post-bar meal of choice ranged from Taco Bell to pizza to IHOP pancakes! Now, if i need to snack, i try to stick with carrots and peanut butter, or a fruit salad.
I was a big late-night eater in college! I have since toned it down, but there are definitely still those times when I get home and I definitely want the basic staples – mac and cheese, pizza, etc. I agree with you about having a snack in mind for when you come home. It’s important to remember that even though you may plan it out, something it’s inevitable that you are going to cave…and that’s okay! Sometimes it just tastes too good! Haha! 🙂
good post. 🙂 When I used to drink, I never ate because alcohol makes me nauseous, so the very thought of eating was awful! I don’t drink anymore but whenever my friends and I go out, one of my friends has her fridge full of snacks for when they get home from the bars. She even keeps hummus, vegetables, and diet coke in there for me. 😛
Someone I know told me that many places like Taco Bell, McDonald’s, etc. use TVP as a filler for their meat. I’m not sure if it’s exactly TVP but I thought that was interesting (and it made sense from a financial standpoint).
i didn’t drink much and still don’t, but there were a few nights of 3am burrito runs where the potatoes were actually french fries. hahaha! I never gave it much thought because I would eat half of whatever I got, go home, drink a ton of water and sleep. Then the next morning I’d run away my hangover (if there was one, because I usually drank enough water) and was fine after that! so no tips from me but I like the ones you suggested!
haha great post. I used to be a big pizza eater with my friends after a night of partying. Thankfully those party days are few and far between… so that’s how I avoid it 🙂
oh no after a nightout i just stick to a snack! i realize i willbe up soon anyways for breakfast- ahah!
Ohh drunken eating..love it! At U of I we had so many delicious choices but being in the grown up world we gave resorted to ordering papa johns at 1 am..def not good of you are on a diet but since Im not its okay! I find eating at nught does wonders for my hangovers
strangely enough, fast foods never seem to apppeal to me…even when im drunk. I like to demolish the entire pretzel bag hahah
I used to be a big late night eater, thats why I had gained so much weight my first 2 years of college but now I stay away from Taco Bell (my fav fast food) and if I do eat late at night I make sure to eat something healthy
I do the same thing as you actually! I always pack a Luna bar in my purse for a night out and then I munch on it during the drive/cab ride home. Hits the spot every time! 🙂