Help me to stop eating at night

Babyweightgone2012

Ok I need help ever since I can remember I wake up at night and eat. I can wake up from a dead sleep and can not go back to sleep till I have a little snack. Sometimes I wake up and I am already half way to the kitchen. HOW DO I BREAK THIS HABIT. Also I have 2 young kids and my 5 month old wakes up 1x or 2x a night so I also have a snack then.....:huh: :huh:

Babyweightgone2012

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kirstysnan

It's what you eat rather than trying to break t he habit - unless you're suffering from lack of sleep. I can't sleep because of a painful leg so can sympathise, Again - are you drinking enough water? I find a big mug of 40 calorie hot chocolate does the trick for me, it makes me feel full.

titianwasp

Things I use to prevent eating at night: club soda (for me, more satisfying than regular water), 2 fiber capsules (fills up in your belly) and chewing gum (to keep me from nibbling while I am cooking dinner for the family). Of course you cannot chew gum while you are sleeping, but maybe having the club soda waiting by your children's room and the fiber caplets before bed?

Good luck!

yzerman0509

I also need help to stop eating at night. I have tried everything. I get up many times during the night and eat stuff that I would never eat during the day. Sometimes I eat so much that I am sick the morning. I even had my husband put a lock on the door so I can't get out. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

FabulousFifty

I have been drinking hot, sugar-free drinks after supper. It is working for me. The cup or 2 of warm liquid in my tummy helps to signal "full" for me and keeps me out of the kitchen. I am trying to establish this as a new after supper habit. My mini-goal is NO eating after supper. My tummy and system needs this rest. AND...I lost 2 lbs this week doing this. It works for me...try it. (I love white tea and anything minty!)

memobe

I went through this too when my kids were little and nursing. I would get up, nurse them and eat. It was terrible. Unfortunatley for me, there was no real magic answer, I just had to make myself stop. Not much help huh! After I had "controlled' myself the first night or two, it did get easier each night to go back to bed without eating.

now, my nightime eating problem is more in the evening, before bed. That is where I struggle now.

arlyn70

for me is that you need to dring more water, and also dont privite your self to eat a orange or clmentine.. at 10pm...

maryjay51

its a learned process but you have to ask yourself.. do i want to lose weight or do i want to eat at night..youre talking to a past big time night eater

giggles1973

Peppermint tea is good to subside sweet cravings. And what I usually do if I want to eat something is bite into a cut up lemon... So damn sour you won't want to eat lol

Soooze

you are not alone my friend. I have 2 young kids too, that wake up at night, sometimes often. I eat at night too.
I feel fat and yucky in the morning after this. It needs to stop. I eat well all day, exercise on a regular basis and I I know this night eating screws up my whole weightloss.

Friend me and we'll encourage each other. There is no magic trick that will get us to stop. It's all in our head. We have to stop.
If other women on this post want to, we could start a group to encourage each other to stop this. Friend me with a message re: night eating and I'll get on it!

sarahmaryfearnley

I can empathize with you. A lot of the talk on here is about eating before bed, like between dinner and bed and that is NOT what's going on.

I wake up 2-3 times a night, usually between REM cycles when I naturally become more concious or if I have to use the bathroom but then it's like a complusion for sweets. I am not hungry. I never go to bed hungry. I eat a satisfying dinner and do not seriously deprive myself while on this weight loss/health journey.

I have also had people suggest just budget calories for the night eating but its not the calories, this problem negatively impacts my quality of life in so many other ways. Number 1, I am often tired even when I've been in bed for 8-9 hours because of all the damn waking up!

Google Night Eating Syndrome for some info but some solutions that have helped me include:
1) Eat a protein rich breakfast within an hour of waking. I am not a breakfast eater and apparently this is common among night eaters.
2) Get your protein in during the day. I think MFP guidlines are too low. I am for at least 25% of my cals to be protein which usually works out to ~130-150g per day
3) MOST IMPORTANT - that really works for me - protein load at night before you go to sleep. I drink a peanut butter protein shake just before bed, as in drink, brush teeth, lay down. It has 32g of protein and it really seems to be doing the trick!

Good Luck.

slimsconie

Hi,

I'm new here & I had the same problem. I'm a night owl:), have been all my life. I had major surgery awhile ago and I couldn't do alot of moving, walking plus I had a little baby. My hubby put a mini refrigerator in our bedroom..... the greatest thing ever. I still get hungry at night, instead of me going down to the kitchen, making a sandwich or something I know I don't need, I keep my mini filled with fruit, water, yogurt, healthy stuff. No more guilt, you are enjoying a GREAT snack, attacking that urge to go and eat junk:0). Let's be friends, we can help each other.

Slimsconie

buggs1958

I want to thank you for your post.I too am a night eater only i want to snack all night before bed time,I also have leg issues I found propping them up on a couple pillows helped.I also got a prop made of foam, for my back and neck that looks like a large triangle and started useing it to prop my feet while i sleep.,more sleep and less pain now.Hope this helps.

slimsconie

I forgot about the teas. They have some great ones out that work. Hey giggles, I want some friends (new here) please jump on board:0) I'm be 49 on Wed (18th) You know what that means.... FIFTY is coming quick!!!! I'll have a pic on here later today.

slimsconie

RealChange31

I'd recommend licorice root tea. Or - temperarily while you get in the habit - installing a "deterrent", i.e. lock cupboards if possible or just tape them shut, or hang a stop sign, lol. It works.