Night Eating HELP

mommyjen7

I'm totally fine every day up until about 9/10 pm when I lose all control and eat 400-500 (usually nuts,dried fruits) putting me way over my calories for the day. This happens a few times a week. It is now become an unbreakable "habit"..... Any suggestions?

twimom03

You just described my bad eating habit as well! For me...I think it is because I'm busy all day long and as soon as rest time comes...later in the evening...Iassociate relaxing with eating...and eating alot! I do better if I have a mini bag of popcorn (I feel like I am getting alot out of my snack) or not snaking at all after dinner. Once I have one snack in the evening...it usually triggers me to want more to eat and it is difficult to hold back. I know that I am not hungry...it is as you said, "a bad habit"...

missy1970eb

keeping drinking water

steve1126

That's me to a tee also! The only way I've found to beat it is to go to bed early, between 9-10 o'clock!

Jawwdan

I know this may sound silly. But have a cuppa tea. Put an extra sugar in to make it a wee bit sweeter. I do this and it take me crave away for sweet things late at night. Then if it kicks up again i just think to myself that i'm going to bed soon so there is no point in wrecking the day by over-eating. It might sound kinda weird- but hey, it helps me!

diet45

I don't eat anything after dinner....so I know that is it. If I get hungry I just tell myself I'll have to wait until tomorrow. It has really helped me at night because I use to get junk food at night while watching tv.....now just water!!!

lifesabeach2629

food cravings at night are a MAJOR weakness for me too! twimom03 hit the nail on the head with associating eating with relaxing - i do the same thing.

lately though, i'm finding that it helps to drink hot tea at night (negligible calories), which fills you up, and the warm water is comforting as well (promoting relaxation!)

another related point: if i've been craving something for a while, say, a brownie, and i go for an alternative snack like fruit or wheat crackers, i sometimes end up taking in more calories than if i had gone with the brownie, b/c i keep eating in the hopes of satisfying my underlying chocolate craving. point is that if uve been craving something all day, maybe it's better to just have a small serving of that very thing and be done with it!

Schwiggity

Night overeating and especially night-binging is a big problem for me. I think one of the reasons might be lack of a roughly set time to go to bed. Coupled with some insomnia problems, I tend to use carbs for energy at night when I should just go to sleep.

Monicqua

Same with me one munch leads to another if I just do not stop then in the red I go. Before it use to last for days but since having the support of MFP's it happens less :happy:
I excercise a bit more when I can in the evening unless it's a weekend and I have tried to replace snacking with drinking more water :drinker: in my fridge I have a bowl of grapes as soon as I open it I end up picking one and that seems to do the trick.

Although, it's really tempting I try not to buy things I know I am going to end up eating the whole packet and surround myself with less temptation again if possible


Good luck

heathersmilez

Munch on celery, the worst damage your stomach could possibly do is 40 cals in about 5 large stalks.

its_betty

I like to have hot tea at night: seems more satisfying than cold water. (I have a selection of herbal teas and decaf teas for nighttime.)

If you know you like to have fruit at night, can you try to save some calories for it? Eat 100 calories less at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and you could have a 300 calorie snack and still be even. Or exercise a little more to earn more calories. (I often crave sweets after dinner, but I find that taking a walk then cuts the craving AND is good for me. Bonus!)

tinalina81

I'm totally fine every day up until about 9/10 pm when I lose all control and eat 400-500 (usually nuts,dried fruits) putting me way over my calories for the day. This happens a few times a week. It is now become an unbreakable "habit"..... Any suggestions?

I sooo feel your pain. This has been my eating habits for the last 10 years and it is the main reason I am now overweight! I still have a tough time not eating at night but have decided that if I REALLY don't want to eat that late I just go to bed. Sometimes I have a tea with some honey in it and a low calorie little snack or cookie. It is a battle every day though! And don't be too tough on yourself, sometimes you just have to have a snack that late, as long as it doesn't happen every night.

MB_Positif

If I brush my teeth after having a small snack after dinner I usually don't eat again

Fleur933

This is a HUGE hurdle for me too. I find that if I force myself to go do something else for 10 minutes (fold laundry, put the clean dishes away etc) then I can often make my body beleive that I really don't want or need the snack anymore. HOWEVER, it doesn't always work. So...I plan for a snack in the evenings (leave a few calories for the end of the day, usually some of my workout cals) and I try to plan for what it will be. Often it's popcorn or 1/2 a cup of icecream (depending on if I'm craving salty or sweet). I find that planning to have something keeps me from eating EVERYTHING (although not last night...like I said...it's a battle). Goodluck!

mkrafferty

I've cut back on this by eating something very small (4-5 almonds, 1/4 pita w/hummus, a 4-year-old's serving of Teddy Grahams) with a full glass of water, then waiting an hour. Once the hour has passed, if I'm still hungry, I might eat something more substantial - because I can safely say I'm ACTUALLY hungry. It also sets my mind at ease if I don't lie to myself and say "there's no way I'm eating more tonight".

Also, dried fruits are insanely high calorie once I looked at the labels more closely, and the high sugar means you'll get hungry fast. Sure, they're GOOD for you compared to candy. But by taking out all the water, the calories-per-handful goes WAY up. Look at 1/3 cup of frozen cranberries (30 calories or so?) vs. a serving of Craisins (130 calories). Maybe switching to fresh fruit would help?

Finally, if I don't eat within about 2 hours of going to bed, I get headaches in the morning, so I am definitely in the late-night-eating crowd. There's no way I'm going to *not* eat late at night, but might as well pace it and fill it with fiber/protein that will stick around longer. Good luck!

LARPkitten

Totally seconding on the tea thing. A nice herbal tea with a little bit of honey in it is JUST the thing to curb an appetite. Green tea is a natural appetite suppressant, as well as peppermint supposedly. You can also get relaxing teas that will make you feel more sleepy, which also means you're less likely to munch on things. And that little bit of sugar plus the heaviness of the water makes your body feel more full.

Boladefuego326

I know this may sound silly. But have a cuppa tea. Put an extra sugar in to make it a wee bit sweeter. I do this and it take me crave away for sweet things late at night. Then if it kicks up again i just think to myself that i'm going to bed soon so there is no point in wrecking the day by over-eating. It might sound kinda weird- but hey, it helps me!

I do the same. I think about how hard I've worked throughout the day and think "Well, I'm going to sleep soon anyways...I won't be hungry." So I always drink a cup or two after dinner, then keep one by my bed as im unwinding either reading or watching tv.

If all else fails DANCE! I love to turn on the radio or last.fm and just shake until my mind's off of food

Good luck!!!

roylawrence87

Go to sleep! Works every time!

Atlantique

Are you actually hungry? If so, you may need to change up the time of your dinner or look at the nutrient composition of dinner to make it more filling by adding fats and proteins.

If you're not hungry, then what is going on at 9-10 PM? Is is boredom? Is it too much time to think, and therefore feel things you don't like to feel? If you can figure out what the food is masking, you may be able to more successfully resolve the problem.

Dawntodusk

I drink most of my water at night. And, then - as others suggest - sip herbal tea if I'm hungry.

mommyjen7

I guess I should add I also have insomnia.... So I would LOVE to just go to sleep but cant sometimes until 2-3 in the morning, most likely waking up during the night as well. Tried several medications, must have developed a tolerance. Unfortunately, if I'm really full, its easier to go to sleep? probably because of all the heavy carbs? I dont know but yesterday I ate 900 calories all day (until 10 pm) and then had 2000? what the?

elliecolorado

I am a night owl and I plan my eating knowing that I will most nights be up until 1 or 2 in the morning. If you plan out snacks for the evening I really don't think that it matters if you eat at night. I eat every 2ish hours from the time I wake up until close to when I go to bed and rarely have a hard time sticking to 1200-1500 calories a day. It helps me to plan out my day in advance.

mommyjen7

Way way worse with the night eating. WHAT is my problem? Do I want to sabotage myself. I am fine during the day.

mushalek

Way way worse with the night eating. WHAT is my problem? Do I want to sabotage myself. I am fine during the day.

I was researching this for one of my classes, there is an actual condition called NES night eating syndrome, people who have this can suffer from large stress amounts, depression, sleep apnea or just low serotonin levels, the cravings usually come from carbs, because those help raise serotonin levels, people with this sometimes don't even realize that they are eating untill they wake up the next morning and see the evidence, here are some examples

Night eating syndrome signs and symptoms
* The person has little or no appetite for breakfast. Delays first meal for several hours after waking up. Is not hungry or is upset about how much was eaten the night before.

* Eats more food after dinner than during that meal.

* Eats more than half of daily food intake after dinner but before breakfast. May leave the bed to snack at night.

* This pattern has persisted for at least two months.

* Person feels tense, anxious, upset, or guilty while eating.

* NES is thought to be stress related and is often accompanied by depression. Especially at night the person may be moody, tense, anxious, nervous, agitated, etc.

* Has trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Wakes frequently and then often eats.

* Foods ingested are often carbohydrates: sugary and starch.

* Behavior is not like binge eating which is done in relatively short episodes. Night-eating syndrome involves continual eating throughout evening hours.

* This eating produces guilt and shame, not enjoyment.


i feel your pain also, i do this way to often, tonight im going to booby trap the kitchen to try to stop myself ha

idauria

I hear ya. I love to snack at night to. I definitely tie it to relaxation. I take care of my kids all day and after they go to bed I just want to sit on the couch and snack. I am trying to break that habit but using portion control instead of sitting there with a box of crackers or a bowl of ice cream. Sometimes I will have one slice of whole wheat bread and a tbs of peanut butter. Sometimes I will have a mini bag of popcorn. Another is a small bowl of kashi go lean with unsweetened almond milk. I try to leave some calories over because I know I am going to want to snack. Also I don't like going to bed feeling hungry. At the end of the day it's like everything else, it comes down to the choices we make. I have to keep telling myself that.

espn21

Ive found that fresh, home made smoothies are great for late cravings. Add as much as ice as you want, because it will make it seem like youre getting way more than you actually are! More ice my dull the taste a bit, but will def fill you up! Heres what I do:

-About 6 or 7 ice cubes
-1 cup of almond milk
Blend that up
-add chobani non-fat greek yogurt cup any flavor pomegranate, raspberry, blueberry, strawberry ect.
blend


Only about 150 cals! Perfect late night snack to fill up!

jaimealison

Night eating is a pain!

Some tricks I have used to try and stop it, which at this point I almost have!

Drink a cup of warm caffeine free tea, I like organic mint melange by mighty team this always fills me up
Go to bed an hour earlier, not always possible but usually beats it
If you're craving something crunchy or sweet keep those 100 calorie packs around, I especially like the smartpop popcorn though you can only eat one, and make sure its not too many carbs or sugar

Hope those help!

jaimealison

Night eating is a pain!

Some tricks I have used to try and stop it, which at this point I almost have!

Drink a cup of warm caffeine free tea, I like organic mint melange by mighty team this always fills me up
Go to bed an hour earlier, not always possible but usually beats it
If you're craving something crunchy or sweet keep those 100 calorie packs around, I especially like the smartpop popcorn though you can only eat one, and make sure its not too many carbs or sugar

Hope those help!