Night time binge attacks!

gatorgirlyyy

Hello everyone,

I'm new to My Fitness Pal and I figured that I would get some advice on this current issue that I am experiencing. During the day I eat really healthy. (Don't bother looking at my Food Diary because I don't update it like I should :P). I make sure that I'm full and satisfied throughout the day.... the problem is once night time comes. Once it's time to lay down and relax it's like I've been hit with a Night Time Munchies 2x4. It's not that I crave one thing in particular, like sweets. I crave everything! I want cake, ice cream, cheddar cheese, blu cheese, etc. It's ridiculous. I always give in too and my weight is feeling the effects of my actions. How do I combat these urges and finally have the willpower to say “No, you've eaten plenty today”? I feel like I'm failing and the disappointment in myself is unbearable. So my question is, does anybody else have this problem? How do you combat it? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much in advance!

dls06

Try to leave some calories for nigh time snacking. I always have low fat popcorn and grapes late night. I can't do it any other way. I am a late night eater.

gatorgirlyyy

Thank you so much for that tip. My problem is that once I get the taste in my mouth I just can't stop. Kinda like "give an inch, take a mile" kind of theory.

gatorgirlyyy

Bump

shebrard

Hey there,

I'm also pretty new to this, I signed up last year but did not make a committment to really make changes until this year. I too am better at eating healthy during the day then once my son is asleep and its just me then my thoughts roll to the foods that I love and crave. So a few things that I do are: first I get a glass of crystal light on ice and its sweet and cool and filling and sometimes it does the trick. I keep 2 cup bags of prepopped reduced guilt popcorn from Trader Joes, whole fruit popcicles in the freezer, yogurt/whip cream/fruit parfait ( make them a few at a time and keep them in there), I also have been buying these Larabars that I saw on biggest loser, they are sweet and healthy and lastly I keep 100 calorie candy bars from trader joes for the times when I absolutely have to have chocolate...you can have anything in moderation which is what I'm learning. Sometimes I sit there and just listen to my body and think how good it feels to be smaller and healthier and that if I keep it up I will feel more amazing each day...then I dont feel so guilty having a small treat. It outweighs the treats I would usually have had.

Raddichio

I sympathize. I work at home, as well as care for a multiply handicapped child who needs care/supervision 24/7 and elderly parents. Therefore, sometimes my work gets done late at night. I have found myself reaching for food to try to boost my energy when I'm working late and getting tired.

Maybe you could start being more diligent about keeping your daily food diary and write down EVERYTHING. You might find that it makes you more accountable for what you eat. It might also reveal some deficiencies in your diet through the day that could be contributing to the nighttime eating. Since I work at home, keeping the food diary has been easier for me; in fact, when possible,I try to enter what I'm eating BEFORE I eat it. If you're away from home much of the day and find it difficult to recall everything you've eaten when you get home, keep a written list of foods through the day and enter it in the food diary when you get home.

Again, I sympathize with your issues, as I continue to battle the nighttime eating. For me, the food diary has been a huge help. When I've eaten all I'm supposed to for the day, I'm done. Like you, I find it's best to avoid eating in the evening, for fear I will just want more and more. If I absolutely must eat something, I will have a tangerine (or 2), because fruit has never been something I would eat in excess.

bunny1006

bump

CynthiaCollin

Hi !!!

I am a nightime snacker.... I love chips and ice cream. I have lost 50lbs this years and still enjoyed my night time binges. Everyday I would workout to make sure I had additional calories for my nighttime snack. I would count my 20 chips and my 1/2 cup of ice cream and be satisfied with that. It khelped me in a way to lose weight, because I never felt deprived of what I love.

I eat healthy and on point everyday.... but like you I used to want to eat everything that wasn`t nailed down at night whether I was hungry or not. I still have those urges some nights....I just do my best to keep myself in check.

delilah47

Maybe you need to plan some type of activity for evening. I know when I am done with the day, I have more time to think about how good something would taste and how much I miss certain foods. If you are fairly new to meal planning and eating healthy, you may still be suffering withdrawal from old habits. I allow 100 (or so) calories for evening. I usually save up for my bedtime snack, e.g. Weight Watchers ice cream bar or yogurt. Good luck!

scinamon1

bump

Ayemer

i am a night time eater as well so fully understand your struggle to say no. Once i think of a food to eat my mind is continuously thinking about it until i break down and eat it.
So i have a routine that i know that after dinner i will eat a sugar free Jello ( specially made in 30z container from Walmart), one cracker and 6 grapes. i break it down in interval so i don't run out of options.
i also have a goal that i will do two puzzles before getting up to eat next snack.
hope this helps in someway.

MrsHutcho9988

I have the same problem, and I always eat the most un-healthiest things In my fridge. The last couple of nights I've made popcorn, or had a sugar free no fat pudding cup, or a great go too is some fruit and a yogurt. I've heard the worst thing to eat as night is something with a lot of carbs since you are going to bed, not burning it off-but dont know if its true. I always want a sandwich at 11pm lol but just now realizing that I have the willpower necessary to overcome my cravings. Another great thing is sugar free hard candy. It puts something sweet in your mouth and is about 5 calories. I also drink a glass of water when I crave something because I've noticed that most of the time Im really thirsty not hungry. Hope that helps!

Rushman764

What does "Bump" mean ?

blueimp

Evening eating has always been my issue. I always eat well during the day -- or plan for excesses. I've found that if I have something to keep my hands busy, I don't think so much about munching. Even playing on my iPad helps -- it's the distraction factor.

dlw13

Night time eating has been (and still is) my biggest obstacle to maintaining my weight. A previous poster suggested saving some calories for the evening hours, and I concur with them. You may also try eating something that you enjoy, but has fewer calories and is filling. Un-buttered popcorn and lots of water, apples and yogurt seem to work best for me.

Good luck & Go Gators!

countrywildflower

I snack on a fiber bar or a speacil k bar at night. I am bad about craving foods at night. Espeacially sweets so that really helps me. they make you feel full at night and they are satisfying and taste great.

funsiiz

Same problem here...except mine is around midnight:{ I wake up really hungry and can't go back to sleep unless I have a snack. SInce it's so late I grab something fast and it's usually not a good for me snack, and of course I feel guilty for the rest of the night....What to do?

Marlys101

I'm the same way. Popcorn sounds much healthier but hard to say no to sweets.....just keep telling yourself you can do it and cut back a little everyday.
Marlys

blondejillie

I struggle with the same thing. Here's what I do:

>Reflect internally on what is your trigger...is it thinking about the food? Distract yourself with a book or a movie.
>Don't distract yourself with regular TV, the commercials make you want to snack
>ALWAYS Leave in a few hundred calories in the budget in case
>Decide that the Kitchen is Closed at a specific time (I close mine at 7:30pm)
>Set an alarm on my laptop and on my iphone to remind me it's closed
>Have a healthy snack at closing time and drink a protein drink
>Get on my InMotion stepper or take a walk if I can't control myself - by the time you get a few thousand steps in and drink a bottle of water it usually passes - around 20 min for the cravings to go away
>If that doesn't work, you just earned another couple hundred calories you can eat.

YOU CAN DO THIS!

atomiclauren

I feel ya - ignoring the urge to eat later at night can be a struggle for me.

Distraction is the biggest help since I'm usually not really physically hungry - if I do eat something, I *try* to keep it light (popcorn, vegetables).

ETA - I like the "kitchen is closed" idea above!

cavaaller_85

If I don't have any calories left, I find something to take my mind off the urge:

*read a GOOD book if you have one on hand
*do the dishes/clean the kitchen
*do some crunches/sit ups
*knit something or find a different craft you can turn to
*make a list of things that need to be done this week

Etc. Just anything to get you thinking or focused on something else! Good luck!

andreanicole686

Maybe your not eating enough calories during the day or trying to lose too much weight a week? If your working out especially this could be the case. I often have a protein drink after I workout at night or try to have some sort of dessert after dinner as long as I still have left over calories.

CrazyDaisysMommy

I used to be the same way! I recently have accepted the reality that I have gluten and corn intolerance, so when I cut these things out of my diet I found I was eating way more protein. My sweets cravings completely disappeared--which is hard to believe because I've never met a dessert I didn't like. I'm not saying you have to give up anything, but maybe up your protein a little bit and see if it helps you too. Good luck!

tarasalazar416

Hi there im new to this too, I am too a late night eater, Once everything is done and I get to lay there and watch TV, that is when I really want to munch on things. The first thing I do is I do not buy any kind of junk food, like the ice cream and cakes. I have kids so its hard not to do that, but they are used to it. The second thing that I do is but cereals like Cheerios, the Fiber One and Fiber Plus bars too munch on, and of course fruits, but I have a hard time eating those at night... I still munch though when I should not so it is hard. But just keep that in mind, don't buy any of that type of food, get healthier snacks to eat during the night. I hope this helps.

pampam7619

It wonderful that you lost all the weight!! I know what you mean about the night time munchies. I make it my point to set aside or buy healthy snacks just because of that reason. I loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, cheese!!!! I try to take a few of my daily calories and save them for my night time munchies.. I may eat some cheese and crackers before I go to bed. Or I may evn eat some yogurt. If you make healthy snacks availble this may help you bought the munchies..And my secreat tip, when i eat my night time munchies, I drink lots of water so I can get the full feeling. Hope it helps!!

TaraFTMVA

Buy preportioned things like a 100 calorie pack, yogurt, string cheese, then when you get the craving for sweet/salty/cheese just grab one and be done. Even if you go over it isnt too bad and it should help to stop your craving I have the issue too, like I love a sweet at night, but most times I just sit and let it pass and it goes away. If not then I will let myself have a little something and I dont feel bad especially if I barely go over or worked out a lot during the day.

dsagaties1963

I try to keep my butt parked in bed or read a book but I've started buying the smart ones - weight watchers desserts and skinny cow ice cream, 120 calories and it satisfies any cravings I might be having from chocolate to ice cream to strawberry shortcakes, but I first head for water if that doesn't cut it then I have healthy lowfat snacks, I wish we had a trader joe's near us Now at night only every now and then I'm hungry late at night and I've noticed its only if I didn't eat enough during the day!! Good luck..

tml224

I agree with the previous post. As a former Super Nighttime Binger, I keep myself preoccupied OR I just go to bed. I try to catch up on some work, clean, or whatever else I can do so I am not eating while I am bored. As a last resort, I just go upstairs AWAY from the kitchen and I NEVER keep any delights ( food) upstairs. It's easier said than done, trust me! But you CAN DO IT !

pinthin87

I have the same problem. I drink green tea when I get that urge it really seems to help.

AReasor

The biggest victory for me was knowing my weak spots. I love icecream and chips in the evening.

Step 1. Make sure I have enough calories throughout the day to acomodate my inevitable snacking.
Step 2. Don't bring the bag of chips with you. Measure out the portion and put the bag away.
Step 3. Make an ice cream cone. That forces me to eat an ok portion.
Step 4. Choose one thing per night for your night time snack.

I take my weight loss seriously but I don't want to miserable in the process. I eat the right number of calories and exercise then the weight will come off.

medennison123

Thank you so much for that tip. My problem is that once I get the taste in my mouth I just can't stop. Kinda like "give an inch, take a mile" kind of theory.

then dont take the first bite.