Binge Eating at Night

gooz71

Never ceases to amaze me how great the MFP community is! I believe I am getting enough calories here on MFP which is 1,500 a day. I also go to weight watchers and I almost think that is what has me stressed out because I need to cut way back on foods with a lot of sugar or carbs in them. Makes me feel like a "bad person" if I eat anything that isn't broccoli or brussel sprouts or grilled chicken. I do eat a lot of protein though.
However, I've been a night binge eater for MANY years. It's not because I am "hungry" as much as I think it's a comfort for me. The ironic thing is I binge because I'm depressed that I'm overweight and the binging makes me gain weight...and around and around I go. It seems that some of you have gotten over it though, so that gives me hope I can conquer it.

vivmom2014

gooz71 wrote: »

Never ceases to amaze me how great the MFP community is! I believe I am getting enough calories here on MFP which is 1,500 a day. I also go to weight watchers and I almost think that is what has me stressed out because I need to cut way back on foods with a lot of sugar or carbs in them. Makes me feel like a "bad person" if I eat anything that isn't broccoli or brussel sprouts or grilled chicken.
However, I've been a night binge eater for MANY years. The ironic thing is I binge because I'm depressed that I'm overweight and the binging makes me gain weight...and around and around I go. It seems that some of you have gotten over it though, so that gives me hope I can conquer it.

Barring medical conditions, you don't need to cut back on any foods - sugar & carbs included. What you may need to cut back on is portion size. But keep eating foods that you love. Losing weight does not have to be a miserable, punitive experience. In fact, when it is, it often backfires.

Kittyy1994

Simple. Go to bed when your husband does

Need2Exerc1se

I have no time to binge eat at night. I'm too busy eating my dinner.

jasmineruth

This is a struggle for me. Sometimes I plan a snack for late or eat half my dinner at dinner and half later. Planning ahead and being aware that I'm going to want food help. Making sure I have food on hand I'm fine to eat or I don't have food I don't think I should be eating helps to keep me on track.

Chaagy

Hey Gooz - not sure if I am like you, but I also used to love eating before bed. It was like having a second supper. I really didn't feel good without going to bed without being full. It was comforting for sure.

But I made a commitment to stop eating 3-4 hours before bed time. I needed to lose weight and control my blood sugar. That means no eating after 8pm for me, and I stick to it.

But it wasn't easy. When I first started, the hunger pangs were horrible. I remember going to bed empty and feeling really irritable, restless, frustrated. I would toss and turn, thinking about food. Thankfully, my wife would hear me tossing and turning, and ask what's wrong? And she listened as I told her I was hungry, and how I wanted a cheeseburger (my nemesis), and all the toppings. Just talking would help somewhat and somehow, I would fall asleep. And wake up the next day. Some nights are better, some nights were worse than others. I think making that commitment to not eat after 8pm helped. It was like a line I wouldn't cross. But it was definitely a hard habit to change.

After awhile, it's become easier. I don't think about it as much. Like most of my bad eating habits, I've found it is just a habit. Something I've grown to do, and comforts me. But changing, didn't kill me. I do still think about cheeseburgers. I do still feel the emptiness of my stomach before bed. But now, I've learned to live with it. And almost... just almost maybe... like it. The feeling is like a badge, one final statement before I go to bed, that I've done the right thing. It's almost becoming my new habit, and the thing that comforts me before I go to bed.

Chaagy
Cheeseburger Addict

gooz71

Chaagy wrote: »

Hey Gooz - not sure if I am like you, but I also used to love eating before bed. It was like having a second supper. I really didn't feel good without going to bed without being full. It was comforting for sure.

But I made a commitment to stop eating 3-4 hours before bed time. I needed to lose weight and control my blood sugar. That means no eating after 8pm for me, and I stick to it.

But it wasn't easy. When I first started, the hunger pangs were horrible. I remember going to bed empty and feeling really irritable, restless, frustrated. I would toss and turn, thinking about food. Thankfully, my wife would hear me tossing and turning, and ask what's wrong? And she listened as I told her I was hungry, and how I wanted a cheeseburger (my nemesis), and all the toppings. Just talking would help somewhat and somehow, I would fall asleep. And wake up the next day. Some nights are better, some nights were worse than others. I think making that commitment to not eat after 8pm helped. It was like a line I wouldn't cross. But it was definitely a hard habit to change.

After awhile, it's become easier. I don't think about it as much. Like most of my bad eating habits, I've found it is just a habit. Something I've grown to do, and comforts me. But changing, didn't kill me. I do still think about cheeseburgers. I do still feel the emptiness of my stomach before bed. But now, I've learned to live with it. And almost... just almost maybe... like it. The feeling is like a badge, one final statement before I go to bed, that I've done the right thing. It's almost becoming my new habit, and the thing that comforts me before I go to bed.

Chaagy
Cheeseburger Addict

THIS is awesome....thank you for sharing that. Exactly how I feel.

ASKyle

Kittyy1994 wrote: »

Simple. Go to bed when your husband does

Great idea! OP I know nothing about your relationship but this has promoted intimacy in mine.

Also, are you starving when you wake up in the morning? If not, don't force yourself to eat breakfast first thing. I wake up at 7 and usually don't eat until 10:30-11am. If you'd rather eat more of your daily calories in the evening, there is nothing wrong with that.

BarbieAS

Kittyy1994 wrote: »

Simple. Go to bed when your husband does

Well, that actually may not be simple at all. My husband and I keep very different sleeping schedules, dating back into childhood for both of us, obviously LONG before we met. He's naturally a morning person, and tends to fall asleep around 8:30-9pm, give or take, and he's up at 4:45am to hit the gym every day. I'm naturally a night owl, and left to my own devices (aka, without sleep aids) I might not get sleepy until 2 or 3am or later - even with appropriately timed melatonin and benadryl, blue light filters, no caffeine, no screens after a certain time, whole "bedtime routine," essential oils....you name it, I've tried it - even with all that, it's generally at least midnight before I get sleepy enough to go to bed and not go crazy. I'm quite certain that that it could be done, but to suggest it's "simple" to do is completely incorrect.

OP, I'm the same way. I wouldn't classify it as *binge* eating, per se, because I know that has a particular clinical definition, but night time overeating has always been my downfall. Everyone in the house is asleep, you don't want to be TOO active because you need to be quiet and because you don't want to keep yourself up even longer. For me, I'm probably working or playing on the internet or catching up on TV (or usually all 3) for a bit and then reading and trying to unwind for a bit...and boredom and loneliness and physical exhaustion (different from sleepiness) set in. I can have a perfect day all day and even leave 100-200 calories for a nighttime snack, and it's not like I'm ordering pizza at 10pm or something, but it's stuff like 2 or 3 pretzels, and then a slice of cheese, and then 2 or 3 more pretzels, and then a handful of grapes, and then a half serving of popcorn, and then a cookie or two, and then 10 Cheez-Its...suddenly I'm 300+ calories over for the day, and when you have a 500 calorie deficit, that basically eliminates any progress for the day. Sometimes it even gets worse from there, or if I didn't leave any/enough calories at the end of the day, then things get way out of control.

I'm still working on ways to combat it, but it helps to log as I go so that I can really see the impact of each and every thing I put into my mouth in real-time. Also, a cup of decaf coffee works well - you get the action of consuming something and a little flavor without a ton of calories, as long as you don't go crazy on creamers (tea is another great option, I just don't care for it personally). Keep your hands busy if you can - can you knit or crochet? I'm thinking of taking up needlepoint just for this reason. Also, turning off all the lights (I read on a backlit regular Kindle) helps me for some reason - I guess I don't like to eat in the dark . And I do try to get to bed as early as I can, which is still late by many people's standards, but the longer I stay up, the more time I have to mindlessly snack. You just have to find what your triggers are and find a way to combat them.