finding the nights impossible

progressnotperfection44

i have been on this calorie counting for only a week,
i have BED and ive managed to put on a stone at uni (in a month) - ridiculous yes.
i need to lose two stone to be where i want to be, but i REALLY struggle at night.

i exercise alot, strength train+ cardio and i do great in the day, but at night i have such intense cravings and i dont get to sleep normally til around three-

i have resisted for the past week besides saturday night where i had three choc bars and a pack of biscuits (not a terrible binge for me) but tonight im just so sick of having these stupid urges, its making me really depressed and i cant concentrate on anything else whilst im experiencing them-

im so angry, i know its a habit and i have to persist but it really freaking sucks, ya know?

any advice/encouragement/tips would be hugely appreciated, im so bloody sick of these urges ruining my diet and messing with my head.

tulips_and_tea

BED is common and lots of people battle it. There are many threads on these boards about it and how others have conquered it. It's changing a habit, which isn't easy, but it is possible. Find something else to do at night every time a craving hits. You'll have good nights and bad but just keep working on it. Get a glass of water, go out for a walk or call someone. And definitely establish a new bed time routine so that you can get to sleep MUCH earlier!

jgnatca

I had to look up that acronym.

Are you part of a therapy group or anything?

You might get some insight from Duhigg's book on Habits. Because of our makeup it is dastardly hard to stop a habit. But you can divert an old habit in a positive direction.

You can put your thinking cap on and consider what craving the binge is satisfying. Are there other ways you can satisfy that inner crave? Can you divert the triggers?

Another idea is to allow these feelings to pass over you in waves, observing and identifying but not trying to control them. This is a Buddhist idea and can help with compulsive thoughts. http://discovermagazine.com/2013/nov/14-defense-free-will

FatSwatter

Don't be discouraged especially since you are new to this! Trust me, I'm sure all of us have experienced the same thing you are mentioning here.

I had a terrible time at night myself but one thing that's helped is to slowly ween myself off eating so much refined sugar. I'm not talking about natural sugar in fruits although some will argue to do that too, I'm more talking about the sugar found in candies and other processed foods. I've read many studies about how how addicting sugar, fat, and salt can be if mixed in just the right way making you crave even more (links below).

When I switched out some of these foods for more natural foods, I noticed a huge change in my appetite. I didn't crave as much in the evening as I did. However, this didn't happen overnight. You gotta find what works for you through a bit of experimenting.

Here are some things to consider:

• Maybe you aren't eating enough and your body needs the food?
• Perhaps you have too long of a gap between your last meal of the day and when you go to bed causing you to feel hungry again. Try eating a little later (some say before 7 is a good rule of thumb although for me, I try and eat 2 hours before I go to bed - again, find what works for you!)
• Drinking enough water? While this may not work for everyone, I swear when I drink less water I eat more junk food. I don't know why but there's something about it for me. I used to hate water so do whatever you need to do to make it enjoyable if you are like me. I found cold water to be more palatable personally.
• Counting calories accurately? Many of us may think we are inputting calories correctly but in actuality they may be way off for a number of reasons: MFP database input errors, not measuring with a food scale, over or under estimating based on "guessing", or going out to eat too much (this makes it really hard especially if the restaurant doesn't post the nutrition information).

No matter what happens, be honest with yourself. This is a journey that is not expected to be easy, but at the end you will look back and say it's all worth it! I never thought I'd be typing this out to you, a stranger, about weight loss advice but after losing almost 42 pounds and just recently hitting ONEderland for the first time in over a decade, one key piece of advice I can share with newcomers and old-timers alike is to have patience. You need patience because otherwise it's way too easy to give up.

Good luck my friend! I wish you all the best on your journey.

Here are a couple of links about sugar, fat, and salt:
Our Obsession With Sugar, Fat, and Salt
How Food Giants Hooked Us

SueInAz

Are you being overly restrictive with what you're eating during the day? Are you good with allowing yourself just one piece of candy or other treat and building that into your daily diet? Many people find that if they allow themselves small treats every day they avoid the urges and cravings that can lead to binges.