Binge eating in the evening

Peaches160

It seems like I do a good job of monitoring what I eat until evenings. Do anyone else have the same challenge? If so how do you manage this problem? Please share.

MassiveDelta

replace the bad habit with a good habit... like.... binge on apples or grapes.

thavoice

Assuming you are busier during the day?

Stay active.
My yard, garden and house have never been so clean!

Peaches160

I guess I can get myself some more fruits.... thanks.

ElliottTN

I'm a night eater as well. I found that eating slowly really helps me out. Like eat slow and when you think you are eating slow, eat slower.

diannethegeek

What kind of binge eating are we talking about? Do you mean full-on, out of control, emotional binges? Or are you using the word more colloquially to mean just snacking above and beyond your goal?

I always think the first step to binge eating is to figure out why you're doing it. Try to be mindful while you're eating.

It could be something as simple as your calorie goal being set to low and your body is looking for nutrients. Double-check your goals and make sure you're not cutting out any foods or food groups that you love.

If you're an emotional eater it can be a little harder to pin down. If you eat out of stress, anxiety, boredom, anger, sadness, etc. then you need to find some way to focus those emotions into something other than food. That can mean staying busy, talking to someone, journaling, meditating, yoga, taking your frustrations out in kickboxing, or whatever works for you. But it can be a tough road.

itodd4019

I really have this problem if I drink alcohol.

But, for the day to day, like today, I eat the majority of my cals in the evening. It works for me.

Today breakfast 400
lunch 425
snacks 350

I get home, log my dinner, and froyo for desert = 950

leaves me a deficit of about 400 for the day

But I also burn 1K cals a day

My point, I work out early, eat small amounts all day, and then load up in the evening. I sleep much better. I pay the price in hunger and such during workin hours when I can distract myself.

hope that helps to know you are not alone.

MyCabbages

What kind of binge eating are we talking about? Do you mean full-on, out of control, emotional binges? Or are you using the word more colloquially to mean just snacking above and beyond your goal?

I always think the first step to binge eating is to figure out why you're doing it. Try to be mindful while you're eating.

It could be something as simple as your calorie goal being set to low and your body is looking for nutrients. Double-check your goals and make sure you're not cutting out any foods or food groups that you love.

If you're an emotional eater it can be a little harder to pin down. If you eat out of stress, anxiety, boredom, anger, sadness, etc. then you need to find some way to focus those emotions into something other than food. That can mean staying busy, talking to someone, journaling, meditating, yoga, taking your frustrations out in kickboxing, or whatever works for you. But it can be a tough road.

Exactly!

obum88

brush your teeth, chew gum, sip some tea, paint your nails, and go to sleep!

dmt4641

For me, binging in the evening is tied to watching tv and relaxing. It is a habit and when I start watching tv the habit is triggered. When I do anything else...read, browse the internet, clean...I don't have the urge. So I have been reading a lot in the evenings instead of tv watching and it makes it a lot easier to resist. I also try have a hearty breakfast and eat well throughout the day. I find that if I eat too light for breakfast and lunch, I am so famished at dinner and in the evening that I can't stop eating.

dotcomee

I'm a night eater as well. I found that eating slowly really helps me out. Like eat slow and when you think you are eating slow, eat slower.

This helps me too. Eat slow, drink a lot of water with your food.

silentmalu

I do the exact same thing. During the day everything is already prepped, such as breakfast and lunch. Once I get home nothing is set aside for dinner so everything is fair game. I think I might try prepping dinner ahead of time so I know what I am allotted for that meal.

g33kmommy

When I get the idea - I go grab a piece of seriously peppermint or spearmint gum and start chewing on it. Helps the craving and I know if I try to eat anything it will be nasty! Brushing my teeth helps too!

whisperfitandhappy

I have been dealing with night time binging too, and recently the only thing that helps is to keep myself busy. Which means avoiding the kitchen and staying in my room. I usually read to get my mind off of food.

Peaches160

What kind of binge eating are we talking about? Do you mean full-on, out of control, emotional binges? Or are you using the word more colloquially to mean just snacking above and beyond your goal?

I always think the first step to binge eating is to figure out why you're doing it. Try to be mindful while you're eating.

It could be something as simple as your calorie goal being set to low and your body is looking for nutrients. Double-check your goals and make sure you're not cutting out any foods or food groups that you love.

If you're an emotional eater it can be a little harder to pin down. If you eat out of stress, anxiety, boredom, anger, sadness, etc. then you need to find some way to focus those emotions into something other than food. That can mean staying busy, talking to someone, journaling, meditating, yoga, taking your frustrations out in kickboxing, or whatever works for you. But it can be a tough road.

AndyMcMahan

Is the 'binge eating' in the evening taking you over your allotment of calories? If not, then I wouldn't worry about it.

People worry too much about "when" they're eating during the day. In my opinion, the "when" doesn't matter, only the "what".

Otherwise, I would suggest eating really "filling" foods in the evening. For example, eat something with a lot of beans in it. Eat one portion, then just wait about 10 minutes and see if you're still hungry then.

Mischievous_Rascal

Try changing your macros to incorporate more protein and fat. MFP sets those goals too low, IMO, and they really help you feel satiated longer.

Peaches160

I snack on evenings.... I don't think I'm an emotional eater however when I'm at home on evenings in I do eat unhealthy foods/ snacks.... Thanks you have been really helpful :-)

twinklemcgee

I have the same problem - I find it easy to control my eating during the day when I'm at work, but once I get home it's more of a struggle. Everyone is different, so I'm not sure if our "binges" take the same form (mine is defintiely sweet!), but here are a few tips that help me:

Keep busy! Another user mentioned this, but I honestly beleive the reason I find it easier to control my eating at work is because I'm distracted by work. At home when you're relaxing it's very easy to be drawn towards the snack cupboard... so try to distract yourself.

Exercise. Kind of links to the above, but I find going for a run after work both keeps me occupied, and creates a deficit. You want to eat a bit extra? That's fine - just burn a bit more.

Plan. I try to log what I'm planning to eat in the day before I eat it, rather than at the end of the day after I've eaten it. That way I'm able to see the "damage", and if I don't have room for that chocolate biscuit, I just won't have it.

Keep a good stock of snacks. OK, so this one might be a bit weird, but hear me out. I have a massive sweet tooth, and find it hard to go a day without eating something sweet. But I realised that I don't actually have to deprive myself of that sweet hit. I was amazed to see that there are ACTUAL chocolate bars/sweets that exist around the 100 calorie mark. A 2 finger kitkat is 107 calories, a Penguin chocolate biscuit bar is 106 calories, a pack of chewits is 115 calories, and you can buy frozen yogurt that is around 80 calories per 100g. Do you like jelly? A quarter pint of sugar free jelly has 9 calories. Seriously. If you have this stuff available, then if you want a treat you can have it without doing to much damage to your calorie goal. (The same can't be said for your sugar macro though... I do need to work on that!)

Hope that helps! xx

yturie47

I understand how that urge to eat sneaks up on you at night. There I am in the recliner all relaxed and have my calories all balanced out . Gradually I notice I have started thinking about eating a little more. Pretty soon I am mentally reviewing inventory in the refrigerator and pantry. I happen to eat pretty fast and it is a hard habit to break. However I drink really slow. Almost always I don't even finish a drink unless it is super tasty like gourmet hot chocolate. So, my strategy is to fix a Big cup of tea or iced tea and add a little lemon and sugar. I can sip on that for an hour and the craving to eat seems to go away. Another thing I do often, when I find myself drooling about the last 3 Oreos still in the cooky jar, I say to myself----self if you are still hungry for this in 30 minutes go ahead and eat one. Most of the time I have forgotten all about the temptation within a short time and never do eat it. Hope this helps you, good luck and find out what works for you!

Ani45

Hey ! I had this problem before as well. I would do very good all day and then have a reasonable dinner and before I go to bed, I used to start eating crap like chocolate, bread etc etc..

What worked for me is the fact that I want to eat healthy not just lose weight. So I think of all the crap that is inside. Thats the first thing.

The second thing that worked for me and helped me stay on track is to eat my dinner early, sometimes I eat it as early as 4. After 6 or whatever time works for you, eat only veggies and fruit. No matter what and how much. Only fruits and veggies. If you eat a reasonable dinner at 6 then you shouldn't be hungry by the time you go to bed. If I get really hungry, I eat some boiled cauliflower/broccoli or raw carrots/tomatoes/cucumbers any veg really. Also I eat a lot of fruit

I mean this is just a suggestion. It is the only thing that works for me. Good luck !