How to stop binge eating at night time?

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Replies

  • mrsfeuer
    mrsfeuer Posts: 69 Member
    I have the same issue of eating ridiculously at night and it's definitely linked to the days that I don't drink a lot of water. Make sure you're drinking lots and lots of water - it helps a lot!!!!
  • Kimmerz020202
    Kimmerz020202 Posts: 18 Member
    I love sweets too so I don't buy them if possible. I read on one of the message boards to log in your indulgence before you eat it to help you see what damage it will do to your eating plan. I did that this week when craving Reese's peanut butter cups and it helped me stay away from them. Also I found ThinAddictives cranberry-almond biscotti which are only 100 calories for 3 of them. Really help when I'm craving sweets. Good luck!
  • TomTomato
    TomTomato Posts: 223
    This is my #1 problem! I am a night person and that is when I start looking for snacks. I can identify with many here who search for the ice cream or the chips and that this is the only time I really feel relaxed. I wish I could just go to bed instead, but this is what I consider "my time". So I either need to find other things to keep me busy or give up that time for sleep, which I could use more of.
  • annemcharles
    annemcharles Posts: 194 Member
    You are not alone! If I know that I am not hungry and just snacking because I feel like it, I make a cup of tea. It makes me slow down and enjoy the tea. My personal favorite tea is Aveda Reconfortant tea. It has a licorice flavor and gives me that feeling of having something sweet for no calories! This brand is a little pricey - but still cheaper than a candy bar (which I wouldn't hesitate to spend $$$ on).
  • lunapetu0311
    lunapetu0311 Posts: 96
    I am right there with you!!! I eat perfect all day but it's those few hours after dinner and before bed that kill me. I don't know why this happens - I too just want to eat, eat, eat during these hours -- and I too want the sweets. What I've been doing is eater lighter during the day and saving about 200-300 calories for these night time cravings. It makes it easier to have extra calories left over on the days that I exercise. So last night I ate 4 Starburst and 1/2 cup of ice cream....then pretzels. Ugh! But thankfully I did have the calories left to eat them.

    Anyways, I don't know how to control these cravings either but all I can say is 1) don't have trigger foods around (cookies) and 2) try to save some calories for these evening cravings so you aren't going well over your calorie goals.

    Good luck! It could also have to do with "that time of month"?
  • MickeyCastello
    MickeyCastello Posts: 269
    Don't fight it, accommodate it. Have you considered saving some of your calories for late night snacking? I save 200 - 300 calories and have an apple and maybe an orange or a banana.
  • lunapetu0311
    lunapetu0311 Posts: 96

    Also, have a late, big dinner. You might go hungry before, but I am better at being hungry for an hour or two than I am at not binging after dinner.

    That is a really good point! I do find that I don't have the night time cravings as much when I eat a big dinner later in the evening.
  • bjg2993
    bjg2993 Posts: 107
    What time do you eat your evening meal? And perhaps its an idea to eat smaller meals (e.g have soup with some bread for lunch, filling and tasty) or only one in the day so you can have more in the evening.

    I generally eat breakfast around midday as I'm rarely up early, then not until 6pm at least and that usually stops me from being hungry at night.
  • Cobb_66
    Cobb_66 Posts: 65 Member
    I drink tea!! This sounds silly but it actually works wonders for me. I feel like after I hit 8 o'clock something inside me just switches on an intense sweet tooth. I started drinking loose leaf tea that has naturally sweet flavours to it. It isn't a replacement for the real thing, but I find the mix of having something subtly sweet as well as something to do with my hands / something to drink (instead of eat) works for me. I prefer loose leaf because they tend to have more fun flavours and you can resteep when you're done so you can keep drinking it over a long period of time.
    After a while, it's become a habit and I prefer my nightime cup to my binging on cookies.
  • SillyC2
    SillyC2 Posts: 275 Member
    I drink tea!!

    Me too!
  • skinnylove00
    skinnylove00 Posts: 662 Member
    1) stop having caffeine, so you dont wake up in the middle of the night. switch your coffee for green tea, then eventually green tea to just herbal teas.

    2) keep a big water bottle next to your bed, so when you wake up in the middle of the night, TRAIN yourself to finish that water bottle right away before getting up out of bed. you'll feel like you've "binged" when you've just had water, and you'll be able to go to sleep satisfied.

    3) its okay to eat something light before going to bed. if youre a "wait 3 hours after dinner to go to bed" type of person, it can really perpetuate your binge eating habits. have a couple egg whites, or an apple, or a tbsp of pb can keep you from getting hungry. cmon, 100 cals of a nighttime snack is SO much better than 1000 cals of a nighttime binge.

    4) set up a good routine, training yourself to realize "its time for bed, time to stop eating." whether that be drinking licorice tea, swearing off the internet, writing a journal entry, stretching, or a combination of both, itll help your mind stop thinking "FOOD>FOOD>FOOD" and start wiring yourself to go to bed. it comes with constant training but soon you wont even have to worry about nighttime binges.

    coming from a person who used to wake up at 3am every night last year to eat 1000 cals of granola/trail mix/nuts. so far this 2014 i've only "midnight eaten" once, and that is a tremendous achievement for me. the above steps are what helped me get through it!!!
  • RunMyOregonBunsOff
    RunMyOregonBunsOff Posts: 862 Member
    I didn't read everybody's comments so I don't know what I am repeating if anything.

    First save room for a small evening snack and plan a head what you are going to eat. After your snack go brush your teeth right away. Don't stay up too late and peanut butter is supposed to be able to slow digestion some so if you have that in your snack it can help you to not wake up hungry.

    Good luck!
  • KaylaBushman
    KaylaBushman Posts: 69
    I allow myself ice cream every night for this very reason. I buy the small little pre portion cups that are for kids (110 calories per cup) lol then I put a glob of pb2 chocolate (reconstituted with water) on top and go and enjoy it.

    Knowing I get ice cream every night if I want makes it so I don't binge anymore, and ironically enough, I bought a pack of 10 individually packaged cups a week ago and have only had ice cream 2 days this week.

    Knowing I can have it has been the HUGE key to not binging. The Moment I tell myself I cant have it is when I want to eat my entire weight in ice cream.
  • Flab2Fab27
    Flab2Fab27 Posts: 461 Member
    Start measuring & logging everything you eat and drink so you can see what may be going wrong. If you're binging at night you may not be getting enough fuel during the day.

    Also may be TOM cravings.
  • dlkingsbury
    dlkingsbury Posts: 90 Member
    i gave up snacking after 9pm for lent. it's easier to have that 100% no, i cannot have anything than to have the possibility of having anything. i usually don't have dinner till 8 anyway, so i have that and then i'm done for the night. if i'm hungry, i'll have a class of water or two.
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
    In, for answers. I read this book, but I don't think it gave me alot of answers.

    Compulsive Overeating and How to Stop It By David Kessler, MD
  • kagevf
    kagevf Posts: 509 Member
    to overcome my binge eating at night.
    i have a big late meal around 8-9pm. i eat most of my carbs , protein and desserts.
    worked well for me for 3 years.
    i eat my breakfast around 10-11 mostly close to noon so its usually a brunch, hehe.
  • emmylouise25
    emmylouise25 Posts: 6
    I have a MAJOR sweet tooth, especially in the evening so I usually try to watch a really engaging TV show or movie with a drink of water/cup of tea next to me. Once or twice a week I will keep 200 or so calories aside for a nice evening treat (I have to allow myself to do it every once and awhile or I really will binge)
  • Eric_DeCastro
    Eric_DeCastro Posts: 767 Member
    I find if I'm doing something I won't eat. just sitting watching TV is the perfect scenario for bored eating. so I either sleep early because i want to run in the morning or I work on a hobby that I have. find a hobby that you love and you will forget about eating because late night binge isn't because you are hungry, it's because you are bored.
  • toovodz
    toovodz Posts: 50 Member
    I have really bad middle of the night binges every week before TOM. I wake up and HAVE to eat and it's always carbs and Jaffa cakes/biscuits ands anything sugary. I'm half asleep and no matter how focused I am I just can't stop myself. So...I've found that if ai am prepared and have the snack ready by my bedside I'm not as bad. I've swapped Jaffa cakes and chocolate or buttered bread for figs and dried plums (figs) and it's working. Less calories, healthier choices but still feeding the binge! Add me if you like lol :)
  • tenathequeena
    tenathequeena Posts: 49
    Drink LOTS AND LOTS of WATER!!

    Use Mio or any other time of flavor system if it helps

    Binge eat raw broccoli
    Sometimes water doesn't cut it. And when you want cookies or cake or brownies, you are not going to binge on raw broccoli. Be compassionate, not ridiculous.
  • Eric_DeCastro
    Eric_DeCastro Posts: 767 Member
    when my stomach growls at me I start pounding water until it stops. then I keep going pee but that is ok. I just keep doing that until it's my normal eating time.
  • MizTerry
    MizTerry Posts: 3,763 Member
    Sex. Works every time.
  • Kissybiz
    Kissybiz Posts: 361 Member
    I'm a recovering snack-a-holic. I used to drive home from work just thinking about what kind of snack I would have when I got home, snack, have dinner, and snack again while watching TV. Sometimes, like you, I'd bake cookies or cake or even thaw chicken and make homemade chicken fingers. It was emotional eating on steroids. This lead me to gain the 65 lbs I'd lost the year before.

    Now I'm sticking to my macros but I always leave calories for a snack at night. I make sure it has a combination of carbs/protein/fats.. like almonds (I like the cocoa dusted ones for my sweet tooth), or a bowl of Kashi high fiber/protein cereal with almond milk. If I don't have a lot of calories left, I'll fix a glass of almond milk and/or go to bed. You can snack, just leave room for it. If not, resist temptation. you'll be proud of yourself for pushing through the cravings.
  • Eric_DeCastro
    Eric_DeCastro Posts: 767 Member
    nice.:flowerforyou:
  • Eric_DeCastro
    Eric_DeCastro Posts: 767 Member
    Sex. Works every time.
    I meant it for this post. nice.:flowerforyou:
  • heatherreid4
    heatherreid4 Posts: 1
    I was doing this too and found this article by Dr Amanda Salis quite helpful
    http://bodymatters.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Physiological-responses-to-dieting-3.pdf
    She talks of recognising this as your body's famine reaction and learning how to trigger your 'fat brake'
    Very helpful!!!
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    Eat light during the day, and make your night time binge dinner. Problem solved.

    That's not sarcasm or being flip. It is exactly what I did to solve the problem. My body likes to eat at night, so that's when I feed it.

    This is how I solve it also.
    Some people prefer eating later in the day, others prefer meals evenly spread out throughout the day and some prefer most of their food before 6pm. Just find what works best for you.
  • susank135
    susank135 Posts: 13 Member
    You need to start by filling in your food diary. Every meal, every day, everything you eat (not quick cals, but actually look up the foods) and log the exercise too. From what you've logged so far, it looks like you're surviving on coffee, ginseng, fruit and quick cals. You can't see if you're getting enough protein, fat and carbs. If those are too low, and you're not getting enough cals, you're going to feel like binging.
  • crazylyn4
    crazylyn4 Posts: 10 Member
    Whenever I get cravings, I make myself tea instead. 0 calorie alternative to whatever I was going to eat. (I sweeten my tea with 1 packet of equal)

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