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    trouble sleeping at night

    Posts: 44
    edited December 2024 in Motivation and Support
    hi! I've been doing great with my calories, healthy eating and exercise the past 3 days. Today I decided to take a break have have dessert and flatbread pizza with my mom. So I don't go insane. I even had buttered toast :B

    however I noticed all week I can't sleep. Because I'm SO hungry. Last night I finally got up at 2AM just to eat SOMETHING so I could sleep finally.

    keep in mind please I eat what I can. I try my best to get protein and veggies. please please keep in mind I AM NOT RICH.
    yes I eat back my calories when I exercise. I WAS 149 lbs yesterday but now I'm 153 again. probably from the food I ate today.

    yes I try and drink alot of water. and when I'm hungry after using up my calories I use tea just as a substitute as food. It hasn't helped me.

    I'm a binge eater for the record.

    I'm wondering if my body is just getting used to the lowering of my calorie intake or if something is really wrong :/

    I'm a 20 year old female around 5'3 and I'm pretty sedentary.

    does anyone have any answers or advice? :( I really want to stop being the ugly fat girl...

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    Replies

    • Posts: 69 Member
      From looking at your diary I would say you are way too low on your protein.
      I never go hungry to bed since I started losing weight, and I guess that is due to my diet being protein rich, and also includes (mostly) healthy fat.
      Getting protein from dairy products shouldn't be too expensive, right? Or try to drink some protein shakes, those should still be cheaper than meat.
    • Posts: 44
      I try to stay away from dairy though
    • Posts: 69 Member
      are you intolerant to it, or is there any other specific reason for it?
    • Posts: 44
      are you intolerant to it, or is there any other specific reason for it?

      it causes acne. I used to have severe acne and it's cleraned up. but ever since cutting dairy it's cleared up even more.
    • Posts: 44
      bump???
    • Posts: 662 Member
      Try things like beans and lentils for protein, and quinoa. They're cheap sources. Also, tinned tuna.
    • Posts: 223
      How sedentary are you? A lot of people think they're "sedentary" yet walk a few miles a week. If you're truly sedentary (you sit all day, walk minimally, and pretty much just lounge around playing video games/watching TV), then add some exercise. it can be as simple as walking around the neighborhood for 30 minutes a few times a week. You will have more energy throughout the day and be more tired at night. You'll feel less sluggish and sleep better.

      If you're not actually sedentary and are currently more active than you think, eat more. You'll still lose weight as long as you eat under your TDEE, but if you eat at a smaller deficit, it will be more sustainable, and better for your mental health.
    • Posts: 1,326 Member
      Definitely too low on protein. Consider buying some protein powder to add into your daily intake. Maybe even twice a day. Protein helps you feel full longer, so that should help too.

      It looks like you've only been at this a week and two days you went way over on fat, so you have to give your body a chance to get used to everything.

      Bingeing is a tough one. It's just a bad habit to break and so drink tons of water and try to stay out of the kitchen. Chew gum or brush your teeth after a meal or after your cals are all used up for the day. Good luck!!!
    • Posts: 44
      I go on the treadmill for 30 minutes every day at 3.5 mph does that mean I'm not sedentary?
    • Posts: 1,326 Member
      Of course it does. Sedentary means no exercise at all. I would advise you against eating all your calories back since MFP over-estimates calories burned.
    • Posts: 73
      got some info from a nutritonal specialist / personal trainer from Stanford she said that your meals have to consist of a complex carb ( oatmeal , brown rice, sweet potato. ) A fibrous carb ( salad, broccolli, grapefruit ) lean protein ( chicken breast , salmon, egg whites ) I hope u get this as long as u incorporate proteins in each meal you should stay full at least 3 hours which is why you should eat 5-6 small meals a day or 3 main meals and 3 snacks . I too use to be hungry at night , especially because I workout 2 hours each night 6 days a week . I always drink a protein shake before bedtime , I weight lift and it helps my muscles recover also keeps me full till morning trust me it works . The trainer suggested the same thing because someone asked her that question . Here is the website we got our information from www.kettleworx.com . Hope this helps = )
    • Posts: 44
      so should I fix my settings to lightly active or keep at sedentary?
    • Posts: 736
      I go on the treadmill for 30 minutes every day at 3.5 mph does that mean I'm not sedentary?

      That is exactly what it means! Do you track this as exercise? If not.. track it, you need those calories back =)
    • Posts: 228 Member
      I know I can't sleep if I'm feeling hungry and I know a lot of books and people say "don't eat after 7pm" and that's great talk and all, but not very realistic for most lifestyles. And when they say that they really are assuming you go to bed at 9, so I guess they are talking to 7 year olds.
      Up your protein (eggs, chicken, fish, peanut butter, beans, etc) and have a snack close to bed time but not right before if you can avoid it. If you can't avoid it, not a big deal. This is about long term strategies, not the hour between your last snack and bed time.
      And, maybe don't weigh yourself quite so often if it has you stressing out. 2x a week at first is appropriate, probably.
    • Posts: 44
      show previous quotes

      That is exactly what it means! Do you track this as exercise? If not.. track it, you need those calories back =)
      yes I eat back my calories when I exercise. I WAS 149 lbs yesterday but now I'm 153 again. probably from the food I ate today.
      "yes I eat back my calories when I exercise"
    • Posts: 335 Member
      That means you're not sedentary :)

      Try eating 6 times a day. This is just an example of the times for the meals and snacks, but it's just to give you an idea:

      Breakfast (8 AM)
      Snack (10 AM)
      Lunch (12 PM) -- last call for carbs like breads (not carbs from fruits)
      Snack (2 or 3 PM)
      Dinner (5 PM)
      Snack (7 PM)

      Around the 2 PM snack, adding more protein and finally dinner and evening snack having high-high protein content can really help. Also, to keep within your caloric goals, you can add chia seeds to yogurt, water, oatmeal, or anything with liquid. They expand and form a slight gel which decreases appetite.

      Green tea can also boost metabolism whilst decreasing appetite as well if you're able to give that a try.
    • Posts: 335 Member
      Also - I never go to bed THAT hungry. I don't mind if I feel snacky, or if I could even tolerate a small sandwich, but if my stomach is growling and hurting and I am unable to sleep due to hunger, it means I need to eat. Hence -- you need to eat if you can't sleep!

      If you've just started, I'd wait to start eating before bed for about a month. I was ravenous all the time for about a month before my body realized I wasn't going to pile food in 24/7!
    • Posts: 44
      ok my settings are now changed to lightly active
    • Posts: 662 Member
      im 20, 5 foot 3 too, and i have problems sleeping at night too. i definitely go to the kitchen and eat something at like 3am and its been happening for like, a month now.

      what i find that helps best is to eat lightly throughout the day, and have a big protein and fiber centered dinner. it holds me over for the night usually. i also try to not have breakfast before 9am in the morning because usually i am too hungry by lunchtime. i dont have lunch before noon.

      TIMING your meals are key if youre eating too much in the early early am`s and also, you might want to up your calories a bit more. i dont count calories now, but i would estimate that i eat about 1500-1800 calories now and i exercise for at least like an hour and a half a day (i am really active even when im not at the gym)
    • Posts: 1,154
      show previous quotes

      it causes acne. I used to have severe acne and it's cleraned up. but ever since cutting dairy it's cleared up even more.

      I don't think I've ever heard that one before, and personally I doubt it's true. If you've cleaned up your eating around the same time, that's probably what cleared your acne up. I drink milk and eat stuff like yogurt daily and the worst I have is oily skin but that's genetics.
    • Posts: 17 Member
      Avoid food that is going to give you blood sugar spikes. Baked goods, raisins muesli etc.

      I see in your diary you like broccoli which us great, so try putting it in a stir fry with some prawns and chilli or oyster sauce. Prawns are a great source of protein and you can keep them in the freezer.

      Generally most unprocessed veggies and meats are not going to cause spikes.
    • Posts: 617 Member
      Eat before you go to bed. That way your not hungry :)
    • Posts: 67 Member
      show previous quotes

      it causes acne. I used to have severe acne and it's cleraned up. but ever since cutting dairy it's cleared up even more.

      There are non-dairy based protein powders available if you really want to avoid dairy. I agree with everyone..you need more protein.
    This discussion has been closed.

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