night time is the worst

bigmama
bigmama Posts: 7
in Motivation and Support
I stay up about 2 hours longer than anyone in my house because that is the only time that I have for myself, that doesn't include running errands or cleaning. However, when the house is quiet and I am watching Criminal Minds the kitchen cupboards call my name. I don't know if it is boredom or comfort eating but I just don't know what to do. I am still losing so I guess that is good, but I know that if I don't curb this habit soon the lbs are going to not only stop coming off but they will start adding up again. I am also not eating all the calories I should be eating during the day, so will the evening eating hurt if I am still not going over the calories or is there a point in the evening that I really should stop eating?

Replies

  • bigmama
    bigmama Posts: 7
    I stay up about 2 hours longer than anyone in my house because that is the only time that I have for myself, that doesn't include running errands or cleaning. However, when the house is quiet and I am watching Criminal Minds the kitchen cupboards call my name. I don't know if it is boredom or comfort eating but I just don't know what to do. I am still losing so I guess that is good, but I know that if I don't curb this habit soon the lbs are going to not only stop coming off but they will start adding up again. I am also not eating all the calories I should be eating during the day, so will the evening eating hurt if I am still not going over the calories or is there a point in the evening that I really should stop eating?
  • carajo
    carajo Posts: 532 Member
    I just posted almost the same question!!! I always have extra calories and have been eating them at night as well! I haven't ate junk food, but i feel the same way about the calories at night! Let me know if you get some good replys!
  • bigmama
    bigmama Posts: 7
    I will,

    Your daughter is too adorable with her big o'l grin! :laugh:
  • dulceluva
    dulceluva Posts: 728 Member
    I am also a night eater. I don't typically go to bed at 10pm. I have issues sleeping, so even on a very exhausting night, I am up till about 2 am. So to stop eating at 8pm is very hard for me. Which has led me to sleep eating in the past. I would literally go to bed and lay there for hours. Next thing you know, I am getting up and stuffing everything I wouldn't have typically eating if I was more awake. And there goes all the calories.
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Guys, you can eat at night. :smile:
    There's some limitations though...

    1) You can't surpass your caloric goal for the day (your 500 calorie deficit).
    2) You can't eat junk.

    So.....yup, that's it. I eat my last meal at 11 or 12, right before bed. I spread my meals out purposely to eat from when I wake up to when I go to bed. It's all clean, and I still only eat 1600 calories. Make sure that you're eating enough (ignore the '1200 calories' and find what YOU need to eat by adding your BMR+Daily Activities+Exercise-500 Calories for the deficit). I am never hungry, and I am losing weight successfully.
  • bob9304
    bob9304 Posts: 87
    Guys found this article, answers the question pretty good..Medical Myths: Eating Before Bed url is: http://www.ediets.com/news/article.cfm/cmi_1741946/cid_1 so songbyrdsweet nailed it in one, go ahead and eat at night if you want..of course watch for reflux
  • dulceluva
    dulceluva Posts: 728 Member
    Lately, though, I prepare a before bed meal. Its usually just 1/2 - 1 cup of yogurt with fresh fruit. That is starting to satisfy my hunger at night.
  • bigmama
    bigmama Posts: 7
    Thank You that helps!
  • ddupree1
    ddupree1 Posts: 24
    I have to go food shopping today. :bigsmile: But I'll try to keep it to a minimum. For me Junk food isn't the problem. I eat healthy but no portion control. My next door neighbor wants to start working out with me. So that helps...My main goal today is to just stock up on yogurt, smoothies, milk, oatmeal. I tell you if I didn't have a daughter I wouldn't have to worry about cooking.

    As far as eating at night, yeah I have that problem too. If comes from being bored then my stomach starts to growl. :tongue: I just have to keep myself busy, pace myself and have a piece of fruit, veggie and or tea if I get hungry.

    Question: I know that brown rice is better but can I still get away with having white rice...in moderation of course.
  • dulceluva
    dulceluva Posts: 728 Member
    Well, I don't have a daughter and I still worry about cooking for myself.
  • neverbeenskinny
    neverbeenskinny Posts: 446 Member
    Eat at night...if you have calories left over. It isn't what time you eat, it's how many calories you take in vs. how many calories you expend.

    I eat right up till I go to bed some nights, but it's celery sticks and other veggies, very low calorie and high fiber things.
  • carajo
    carajo Posts: 532 Member
    Hey..there has been some great posts here!! One question though......should your daily intake be base daily with your different activities and exercise? and should you always shoot to eat the amount of calories in your calculation? If you don't eat that many does it put your body into starvation mode? Okay i guess that was more than 1 question...thanks :)
  • ddupree1
    ddupree1 Posts: 24
    Hmmm, good question...for me I still have so many calories left over because i'm afraid to go over period. I still log in my activities and exercise however, I haven't used the extra calories as of yet. Which is fine for me. No it won't put your body into starvation mode. For if I get hungry I just have a light piece of fruit or veggie with some tea or water. Just like me...my body feels as though i'm starving it only because i'm eating more fruits and veggies and no more having seconds so its kinda like going into shock mode.

    I hope I answered your question: :smile:
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Hey..there has been some great posts here!! One question though......should your daily intake be base daily with your different activities and exercise? and should you always shoot to eat the amount of calories in your calculation? If you don't eat that many does it put your body into starvation mode? Okay i guess that was more than 1 question...thanks :)

    The Guided Goals BUILD IN a deficit of 500 calories.
    If you are NOT eating all the calories available to you, you are in MORE than a 500 calorie deficit.
    I have spoken in great length about the dangers of undereating and effects like muscle loss and plateaus. You really don't want to go into 'shock mode'. There is no reason to 'shock' your body with a poor diet.
  • alwaysenl
    alwaysenl Posts: 197 Member
    Night time is bad for me too- this is the time when my husband and I have some time to relax and watch tv or a movie without the kids interuppting and we always are looking for snacks. I think we have associated this time with eating...we still do snack but have changed to healthier foods. We have celery and carrot sticks with fat free dip or cereal with sliced strawberries. This seems to satisfy our night-time hunger.

    Also, I worry about going over my calories but then I worry if I am undereating. I feel like- how do you know if your eating the right amount because you can't really truly calculate all your activity for the day. I don't know, I just try to stay as close to my target as I can and hope :)
  • ddupree1
    ddupree1 Posts: 24
    Well I don't want to shock my body, however I eat what I can which is good for me. If I am still hungry then I'm more then happy to each something light. Like last night around 10p.m. I became hungry again so I decided to have sliced cucumber along with some spanish olives. I also had a cup of hot chocolate with water (minus the milk and sugar!) I stayed up for about another hour then went to bed.

    The hardest thing for me now is eating breakfast. So I decided to get Quakers instant oatmeal and some grapefruit. :tongue: I also started packing a sandwhich for lunch ham with a little mayo with 2 slices of bread that is only a 100 calories for both slices...yeah baby! :happy:
  • lockedcj7
    lockedcj7 Posts: 257 Member
    My problem is the weekends. I can control what I eat pretty well through the week because I have packaged foods for breakfast, snacks and lunch. At supper, I just eat a 'regular' portion (not the mega-portion that I used to) and I don't go back for seconds. If I'm still hungry after half-an-hour, then I eat a piece of fruit or drink more water. I can usually avoid snacking after supper.

    Weekends are a completely different story. I usually get up and fix breakfast for the family. I can limit how much of the bad stuff I eat but the rest of the day is going to be hard depending on what I'm doing. If I can get away from the house and go do something, then all is well. If I have to stay home to baby-sit or I'm trapped in the house by weather, I find it really difficult to control my snacking.

    To make matters worse, my wife still buys Doritos, potato-chips, ice-cream and all manner of other high-cal snack foods, regardless of the number of times I have asked her to help me out. I could actually account for those calories using the nutrition information but my MIL, who lives with us, loves to bake cookies, pies and brownies. I haven't figured out a way to estimate those calories so I have to stay away completely. Have I mentioned that deprivation isn't a model that works for me? Two days at home with that much temptation is almost asking too much. As a result, I usually lose weight during the week and put at least some of it back on over the weekend. :mad:

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