Can't control my night eating

wonderthat

Hi everyone My name is Kimberly, I was diagnosed as diabetic in July 2013 and made a decision that I would do what ever it takes to not be a diabetic anymore. I joined MFP at the end of July weighing 325 lbs. I worked really hard and hit my first goal to lose 50 lbs in 90 days. But since then I have had a really hard time losing. I have only lost 9 lbs in the last 60 days, and my doctor calling me last week to tell me that my A1C is normal and I dont need to take my diabetic meds anymore has only made things harder. I know why I am not losing weight too. I work out 60 - 90 min at least 5 days a week but I can not seem to control my eating late at night. I do great all day but then after dinner I just keep eating... I'm not even hungry then I get frustrated that I am eating and I figure what does it matter and eat more. I am trying to figure out something to get me motivated again. I was thinking about trying the body media fit. is there something that you all think will help keep me on track? I still have over 100 lbs to lose but my next goal it to be down to 225 by my birthday at the end of May. Thanks for all of your support.

crisandra

I wish I had an answer for you, because that would mean I have it figured out for me too! I workout in the morning and eat fine during the day, but...you know the rest of the story. I have been doing a lot of reading to try and figure this out and I am at my wits end. I feel like I am a rational person, sound of mind and body, but what I do makes no sense to me at all. I think the important thing for us to do is to stay aware of what we are doing to ourselves and to keep looking for answers. Never give up. :noway:

1peanutandapumpkin

I find that it all seems to be a pattern. If you always eat at night then it's a pattern. Those are hard to break and I do it too. It's getting better though. Try sipping something to get rid of the "empty" feeling. I know you said you're full but eat anyway. When I drink water I feel bloated and don't want to touch anything. Try changing up the night activity. If you always watch TV, try a game instead. How about a book in bed or some home exercise? As far as working out, has that gotten stale? Do you do the same thing all the time? That may help too, trying something new. It would also help with your plateau problem. Don't give up, you've come this far so keep going!

flslp87

I too agree that it is a habit and it takes at least 21 days of consistent change to break a habit......I have done a ton of reading on this issue and when I am in the zone, I am good.....however over the last week w/ Christmas, etc my 'good habits' have not been so good....however...

some suggestions that have worked for me....

1) save some calories for a night time snack.....portion it out in baggies so that you don't over eat though.

2) drink herbal tea or fat free hot chocolate

3) find another distraction.....for me it's jumping on the computer....i can totally lose track of time if I need to...

4) do you live in a split level house? I find that if I go upstairs and do paperwork, read, watch tv, etc that it is not as tempting to walk by the kitchen and grab a bite of this or a bite of that....

good luck.

northerndaisy

I have the exact same problem!!! I do fine all day and then once the kids go to bed, I am itching to snack. On anything. I am trying to break the habit yet again. I am trying to take each day at a time and make good choices.

paulipet

Hi - like everyone else I do great during the day but as soon as I walk through my front door after work! Disaster. But my problem is before my evening meal. I eat all sorts of bad things while waiting for food to cook. No amount of healthy snacks (e.g. carrot sticks) ready and waiting make a difference. I head straight for bread, butter and spreading cheese. After dinner I am ok usually unless I am in the frame of mind that "oh well ruined the day anyway". BUT I have now decided to remove myself from the kitchen and go upstairs and read or crochet until food is ready.

May take a while to train myself but fingers crossed. Good luck everyone

babymama81

I have the same problem.

I end up trying to eat just a little bit every couple of hours while I'm at my desk job all day, and then I go to a group fitness class. By the time I get home, it's already at least 7 pm, so it's easier for me to make something light in order to not have it sitting in my stomach when I'm trying to get my restful sleep. But if I have a half day off, and on the weekends, I am constantly thinking about food. Then I make frequent stops in the kitchen for a few slices of pepperoni, or a spoonful of peanut butter....whatever. I end up way over my goal!

taymarie8046

I have a very similar problem. This is exactly what happens I barely eat during the day because I'm usually in class or at work. So when it hits about 8pm and all of my school work is done I start to "de-stress" from my day and eat everything and anything.

MsTreeTree

I am also an evening/nighttime eater...and do really well during the day, so not sure why it gets so much worse at that time. I actually found this group while trying to find ways to stop myself from indulging last night. It worked! Instead of eating a Little Debbie, I joined this group and started reading posts. I hope we all find answers and are successful at weight loss.

eshanimongia5

Gah. I'm an night-time eater as well. It just gets harder to control myself when the night comes. And I know it's the only thing that holds me back from losing weight. By the time I get up in the morning, I feel horrible and guilty but then the night hits and I'm like "Meh, one more night won't hurt."

Darlene4prayers

I am a night time snacker too and got worse when I started working second shift. Trying to figure out how to stop this bad creature of habit I made a commitment not to eat after midnight.. The first 3 days were horrible but it does get easier and I'm so proud of myself. My next goal will be not to eat one favorite snack at night, after this is accomplished I will go to another snack. One step at a time is what I tell myself. If I fail then I get back up right away not the next day!! I know my body will need a protein snack since I stay up late and have problems with low blood sugars. This is a lifestyle change so I can be Healthy and Strong in my fifties.

Smex36

HI Kimberly

I was awful at doing this, and have gained a lot of weight over the last 2/3 years, largely through eating late at night. I've finally kicked the habit and have definitely lost weight as a result! These are a couple of things that were suggested to me (I'm not saying they will necessarily apply to you but I thought I'd mention them anyhow!) :

- How balanced is your daily calorie intake? If you don't eat much all day then you will be super hungry come night time, make sure you try and eat throughout the day.
- Are you bored? Do something like reading or playing a game with your kids. Being distracted from the food will likely make you realise you're not actually hungry just bored!
- Are you eating secretly? If you're not telling anyone about the late night eating it's likely that it's because you couldn't justify it if anyone caught you. Maybe try telling someone every time you want to eat something (like members of this group/a friend/a husband), and hopefully they can distract you, or at least make you double check your cravings.... you might find you're not that hungry once you've told someone !

Personally, I managed to wean myself off it by doing a couple of things:

- Having something healthy - instead of a bar of chocolate, I'd have coco pops. Takes longer to eat so you feel more satisfied, and has WAY less fat and calories.
- Have something very crunchy/noisy/tricky to eat like carrots, green beans, popcorn. You don't mindlessly eat it and then can register when you're full
- Having a glass of fruit smoothie (it's bulky and feels like food but it's actually healthy). Just be careful, it is calorific and I'm not sure how good it would be for you if you are diabetic (sorry, not too sure how that would work!)
- The main issue for me was I just said to myself it didn't count because I don't eat breakfast, so that extra food at night was in place of my breakfast. However, I wouldn't eat a toasted sandwich for breakfast... or 3 bowls of cereal... so my logic was all wrong. Make sure you pay attention to what you've eaten throughout the day so you don't wrongly justify it by counting it as missing calories, when actually it isn't.

I hope some of this is helpful. If it's not sorry for the long message! Good luck!!!

xxx

Katetw

Hi Kimberly, and everyone!

First, CONGRATS on shedding the 59 lbs. That is incredible! Well done!

I also have trouble, after dinner I want to sneak into the kitchen and eat this and that. Sometimes I still slip up. But here is what I have done to limit myself from this unhealthy behavior, hopefully some of it can help you too. Some things other people may have said, but...

1) ALL snacks are in preportioned baggies. AS SOON as I get home from the supermarket, I sit down with my scale, weigh it out into portions, and put them in snack baggies. That way, there's no just having, oh, one pretzel or chip or almond or chocolate, and no one will notice. If I do, I'm cheating myself from those calories later when I might actually be hungry for them.

2) I record EVERYTHING I eat. If I sneak something before weighing it out, I record it as if I ate a full serving--therefore taking calories away that I could have used for something else.

3) I save calories throughout the day to allow for one small snack after dinner. That way, if I want it, I can allow myself one. And if I am not hungry--then great, hopefully I will lose more weight! Also, if you are craving something, think about what it is, and eat it. Don't eat other things trying to satisfy the craving--it won't. At least not for me.

4) I get away from the kitchen. Seems simple but if I go upstairs I really am less likely to wander back in and snack, than if I am hanging out at the dining room table. Hand in hand with this one--food is not allowed upstairs. Basically, distract yourself.

5) WATER WATER WATER! You can also do hot tea, if you feel chilled and don't want the cold water.

5) Lastly, which sometimes doesn't work, but if you HAVE done well that day tracking, take a look at that and say, boy, what a great day, I don't want to ruin this! I want to keep my avg intake at a good level and today I really rocked it!

I hope some of that helps. GOOD LUCK--and again--think how well you have been doing! You're a rockstar.

Antonia2501

First off, great job coming as far as you have I am a bad night eater as well. I can do fine then night hits and it kills me. I need someone to lock up my kitchen for me lol. Add me if you wanna talk about it any time I am here to support you.

bejizzled

I'm exactly the same. I'm good all day and then stuff at night. It is my total downfall. Its like I am ruining everything. Anyway as of today I'm gonna try really hard to break this habit and hope any others who have the same problem will give me support (as I will them)

beasilvac

Thanks so much for posting this. I have managed to lose all the weight I was set to, and thought I was out of danger, developed healthy eating habits an wouldn't have night cravings anymore. WRONG! This last week I've been overeating every night. I snack on healthy food (i´m lucky I don´t like junk) but still go way above my "needed" Calories for the day. I don´t want to ruin all the hard work I've doing for more than 3 months. I feel pretty and healthy and love but I just can´t stop myself from eating at night. And I know perfectly why the cravings are back, I'm going through a stressful time right now, and I'm turning to food for comfort. I'm so mad at myself!!
But reading your posts, I'm telling myself that today is a brand new day and that I have donde well so far, and today will be the magic day that I break this distructive pattern.

PosterPens

i binged last nite. almost 1200 cals on snacks. then i realized this happens when i dont eat enough protein during my lunch. every single time i dont eat sufficient protein at that time, i ALWAYS binge at night. the weirdest thing.

bodymedia fit is pretty awesome. itll tell you how many cals youve burned at each minute. i love it. i also have the fitbit and love it too. unfortunately, with the bodymedia you have to pay a subscription for it, but i find its extremely more accurate with calorie expenditure than the fitbit.

all i have to say, is CONGRATS that you no longer have to take the diabetic meds. thats a HUGE HUGE accomplishment, let alone being awesome and diligent with your workouts. you will get there..sooner or later, but you will. muscle not only weighs more than fat, but it retains the water. do not rely on the scale alone. keep at it!! youre doing great!!!