Does anyone wake up in the middle of the night and eat?

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  • WABeachWalker
    WABeachWalker Posts: 133 Member
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    When I first started restricting my calories, hunger would wake me up several times during the night. I made a plan to have a couple of crackers and a string cheese or a spoon of peanut butter around 8 p.m. Of course, I logged these calories.

    Your body is just trying to balance out what you're doing. Eventually, your blood sugar will stabilize and you won't have such high highs and low lows. Those lows lead to the kind of eating you describe. You might also try eating something containing protein/complex carbohydrates every 2-3 hours while you're awake to keep your blood sugar stable. I wish you success in reaching your goals. :D
  • censu67
    censu67 Posts: 53 Member
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    Funny I've done this on and off for the last 15 years and never before. For me it was triggered by a move and not knowing anyone in the area. But I can't seem to break the habit.

    What's worked for me is not having anything in the house that I can eat without first preparing. The only exception is cheese slices and most of the time, that's not enough to get me out of bed.

    My other suggestion would be, if you are going to eat in the middle of the night, keep it to protein only.

    M
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    4 full sized cupcakes? That's not eating, that's binging! I don't wake up at all at night, but if I do I'm generally not hungry. However, if I were, I'd definitely eat . . . right now it would probably be cold chicken . . . yummmmmm

    When are you eating your last meal in the evening. Look at what you're eating when you do this, what your feeding schedule was the day before, consider if you're allowing enough calories in your diet. If this is a normal practice for you, then plan for it and set out an easy solution (carrot sticks or cut fruit) already prepared in the fridge so that you're at least doing it thoughtfully.
  • fattypattybinger
    fattypattybinger Posts: 337
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    My doctor did tell me that it was an ED but I really thought she was jokin. Nobody ever believed me. Thanks for the link.
  • positivepineapple
    positivepineapple Posts: 87 Member
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    Yes that's my biggest problem, I can deal with being a little hungry during the day but its really hard for me to go to sleep hungry.

    I eat dinner an hour before bedtime but it doesn't always work, I take sleeping pills and even so I still wake up around 2 or 3 am ravenous and I totally ruin all my hard work from the previous day.

    Sometimes I don't even realize I'm doing it until halfway through whatever I'm eating.

    but at times I think you do just need a little snack, I would do what other posters have said, make sure you still have a few hundred calories leftover and have a snack when you wake up hungry but make sure its healthy.

    oatmeal with cocoa powder and stevia or sugar free maple syrup really does it for me, its a lot of food for just 200 or 300 calories and it fills you up.
  • anexus323
    anexus323 Posts: 25
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    My doctor did tell me that it was an ED but I really thought she was jokin. Nobody ever believed me. Thanks for the link.

    fattypattybin, I don't have erectile dysfuntion, but If I did i would take Viagra etc. I don't see how both are correlated with eachother but I should assume they are because I do not know enough about the issue.
  • Love_flowers
    Love_flowers Posts: 365 Member
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    It only ever happens to me if I dare go to sleep hungry. Then I cant sleep properly and ending up eating high calorie foods before going back to bed with stomach ache and then having trouble sleeping because I will be too full.

    Thats why I dont dare go to sleep hungry ever again
  • Amberonamission
    Amberonamission Posts: 836 Member
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    My husband does this.. middle of the night on occasion. Worse than that he is a post 8PM binger. It triggers me something awful to hear the wrappers crinkling and smell the peanut butter on his breath. I pinch my wrists to remind myself not to join him.
  • liketheseaa
    liketheseaa Posts: 23
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    I never really had an issue with waking up hungry, only when one of my kiddos wakes up. My baby has a cold currently and has been waking up a a ton. Usually it is the least healthy food in the house and like you all, I do great all day and then ruin it when I am half asleep. Nice to know I am not alone!
  • ware_sarah
    ware_sarah Posts: 21 Member
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    I think they mean Eating Disorder... ED...not the other one... took me a min to figure out also.
  • anexus323
    anexus323 Posts: 25
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    I think they mean Eating Disorder...took me a min to figure out also.

    Oh.... how embarassing. lol!
  • bleacheblonde
    bleacheblonde Posts: 333
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    Just did this today...woke up at 4 a.m. and had a bowl of oatmeal (with margarine in it, thus negating the healthiness of eating oatmeal). Then I watched a documentary about mummification...freaked me out and I didn't fall back asleep until 5:30! I would not recommend that combination of activities at that time.

    Seriously though, I do this quite frequently. I'm not sure how to stop. If I wake up with a mad craving, I lie there for about 15 minutes and try to ride it out and fall back asleep. If I can't fall back asleep and can't stop thinking about it 15-20 minutes later, I'll just get up and eat it. :( Last night, I *kitten* you not, I actually woke up around 2 craving cookie dough and I almost got up and a made a little bowl of it. I rode it out and fell back asleep, and I actually DREAMED about freaking cookie dough. That's when I got up and satisfied my sugar craving with some buttery cinnamon oatmeal. You know that's sad when you dream about it. Yikes.

    That is so funny. I'm beginning to wonder if maybe we are missing something from our diet? I mean, our body uses a lot of resources while we sleep, maybe it is craving something we need and if we fulfil it during the day we won't suffer from this. My new thing is, I am going to have a big jug of water next to me and I am going to drink the water until I am full.

    That's a good idea; hopefully it will work for you! I do try to keep a glass of water next to the bed, although I need to get something with a lid because the cats like to knock over my water in the middle of the night. I think my main thing is that I have a bad sugar addiction and if I deny myself all day, then I wake up craving it at night. I wish they made sugar patches like they make nicotine patches!
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    Are you taking any sleep medication?
  • anexus323
    anexus323 Posts: 25
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    Are you taking any sleep medication?

    I take Benadryl to help me sleep most nights, and Melatonin.
  • magj0y
    magj0y Posts: 1,911 Member
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    I had a PERFECT diet yesterday! But, I woke up, half asleep, and ate like a pig! I actually ate 4 cupcakes at 3 a.m. this morning. RUINED MY DIET.

    Does anyone do this and do you have any advice to stop?

    technically, 3 a.m. is today, so you have all of today to fix it at the gym and with today's meals
  • nola1020
    nola1020 Posts: 8
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    My Dr said I have a calcium def. and it was my subconscience realizing that my calcium was getting too low. Think about what you are eating in the middle of the night. Your body might be getting low on something it needs. Sugar, Calcium, iron, etc....
  • misclemence
    misclemence Posts: 18 Member
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    If you dont have cupcakes around then you wont spoil your diet. Lol. I eat in the middle of the night as well. Super bad habit and Ive done it for years. Maybe try a granola bar or fat free pudding. Satisfying and not hard on the diet.

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