how to stop bingeing at night?! So mad at myself...

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  • zmaupin
    zmaupin Posts: 1
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    Most people wig out when I tell them how I diet (and that it actually works for me). It's called intermittent fasting. I eat between the hours of 1pm-8pm. (Important part is that you fast for about 14-16 hours, then eat for 8-10 hours.

    Other than that, I just have water or coffee. I don't get hungry. I don't feel like eating a cow when I go to bed. A normal dinner for me (a male, 200 pounds, 5'11", who works out 1.5 hours every day) is 6oz of chicken (it's a lot of protein) and 1 full cup of mashed potatoes with butter and all the veggies you want. Every night I feel great. I feel full. By the time lunch comes around the next day, I am ready to eat again.

    Guess what, I also eat this for dinner sometimes - Ben and Jerry's Greek Yogurt Peanut Butter Banana Ice cream.

    I was 218 Oct 1 and today I am 208.

    Good luck!

    EDIT: I wanted to add...most people reply with "what about stoking the fire of my metabolism?" and "won't my body feed off my muscles?" and I answer, before we were filled with disease and sickness and disorder, man used to actually work for his food. He didn't have a tiger leg every 3 hours to help him throughout the day.
  • ccaym
    ccaym Posts: 86
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    I struggle with this too. Many people do...you are not alone. Like you, I eat plenty of good, real food during the day and am often not that hungry at night. I think that it is an emotional/mental thing for me. At the end of the day I finally have a chance to relax and do something for myself and, unfortunately, I often choose to eat. I don't know how to break the habit, but others here have offered some good ideas. One thing that helps me is to snack on lighter, crunchy foods...apple or celery with a little peanut butter, homemade popcorn, etc. If I am in the mood for creamy and sweet I'll go for a banana, yogurt, or herbal tea with milk and honey. Another thing that helps is to notice how much better I feel in the morning if I don't snack late at night. My tummy feels better, I have more energy, and - if I resist for a couple nights in a row - I am down a pound or two.
  • Fat2Fit145
    Fat2Fit145 Posts: 385 Member
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    I know this topic comes up over and over again, but I am at my wit's end.

    I know what I should be eating. I know I should not eat mindlessly at night. I know I am not even hungry! but i am stuck! i will hit all my macros, and then it goes to crap at 10pm. it's not really about avoiding having junk around, because something comes over me and I will eat whatever is available (string cheese, dried fruit, leftovers, crackers, anything.) it's not like i'm seriously depriving myself during the day, either. i will have 1600-1800 cals of balanced food (protein veg fruit healthy fats, some whole grains, dairy, avoiding too much sugar) spaced throughout the day. And I still become a bottomless pit after dinner.

    I don't want or need to lose weight fast. i just want to lose a pound a week. i have probably 60 pounds to be a healthy size, this should be easy. what is wrong with me?

    So i dont want to sound like a shrink here ( although im a final year psychology student), but it can be linked to something of the past.......something in your subconscious......there is definitely an emotional link to why you are doing this. You may need to try and manage ur emotions and see why you seem to cannot excercise self-control. Experiences in our life can cause our eating habits to becoming intertwined with our feelings or emotions... i dont think its just greed....you seem to want to stop but cant find the will to do so. See that stament "bottomless pit"... says alot.... so next time it happens take note of how you are feeling and the events leading up to it.... and try and address those feelings.
  • ChristinaG100
    ChristinaG100 Posts: 41 Member
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    I looked at your diary too- and you seem to be eating bready things in the morning which I know for me makes me want to snack all day and especially into the evening. I would try to eat eggs and turkey bacon (example) higher protein with fewer carbs in the morning. It really does reduce your appetite to start the day with protein- at least for me.
    Otherwise just get into a hot tub with a cold glass of water and straight to bed.
  • capnrus789
    capnrus789 Posts: 2,736 Member
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    I'm a boredom eater. So, if I'm feeling hungry, I play some silly game on my phone. If you don't have that, get a cheap handheld at walmart (Yahtzee is great for this). Just somethign to occupy the mind.
  • allknowingtomato
    allknowingtomato Posts: 42 Member
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    Thank you everyone for your replies. Some thoughts:

    1) I will definitely try to increase my water consumption. that is a good goal regardless.

    2) I will definitely try to make myself go to bed sooner. Most of the time i am eating, I shouldn't even be awake.

    3) I have made a commitment to visit an OA meeting this weekend. I loathe the religious reliance aspect of 12-step programs, but i don't have health insurance so professional therapy really isn't an option for me : / Maybe a support group will help give me some tools or perspectives to break the habit.

    4) I agree that boredom/emotional components may be at play. If I am staying up, I should probably do some kettle bell exercises or something else to occupy my time.

    5) regarding "removing the crap" in the house: I have roommates so to a certain extent i cannot control the food that they bring into the home. I will also binge on just about anything (protein powder, fruit, almonds, cheese, meat, etc.) so i can't really "get rid" of the stuff in the house because that would mean a completely empty house, and I have even gone to get a fast food burger in the past so : /

    6) I will try switching up the protein/carb ratio. As it is, I always strive to leave my carb count lower than MFP's ratio. The bread in the morning thing is more a convenience thing- I eat at work and this is fast and easy to make and eat. I really don't have the time in the morning for an involved breakfast. Maybe I should make myself ham/cheese roll-ups or something. I am also fine skipping breakfast and waiting until i'm physically hungry to eat (usually closer to 11am). I am not particularly interested in adhering to a very low-carb diet, but i would consider "targeting" my carbs (limiting my starchy carbs to before substantial prolonged workouts).

    Thanks again for the suggestions. Please, anyone else let me know how you handle this. I feel like i'm ruining a whole day of careful eating every. single. day.
  • JacksMom12
    JacksMom12 Posts: 1,044 Member
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    I feel your pain. Last night at 11 pm, I ate 3 packs of ramen, a pb&j, and a huge bowl of cereal with whole milk. Ugh. I wasn't even hungry and I am so mad at myself.
  • abentrup
    abentrup Posts: 29 Member
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    I have the same issue! I've recently been eating kettle corn which makes you think your eating alot but not that many calories! And a major plus is that its A-MAZING!
  • eswelty
    eswelty Posts: 6
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    I have the same problem. My husband works until midnight and I wait up for him, and it's incredibly hard to keep from eating even if you aren't hungry. You are probably like me and either watching TV or on the computer. I recently read that the body/brain gets addicted to food and sugar. I've also read if you don't eat enough during the day, your body forces you to binge at night. I can't seem to get whatever it is under control even if I'm conscious of it. I thought about just going to bed earlier, but don't want to sleep my life away or miss my husband. Please let me know if someone gives you good feedback. Thanks so much and good luck to you!

    P.S. Don't be mad at yourself, at least you are trying - more than a lot of people can say
  • eswelty
    eswelty Posts: 6
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    just a thought, if you go to bed earlier - would you be able to get up earlier to fix a better breakfast and pack a good lunch and snacks? Hope that helps, and don't be mad at yourself, at least you are trying.
  • TORtheCarrot
    TORtheCarrot Posts: 10
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    Cut out or lower the amount of wheat you eat. It is crazy how well it works if you stop eating wheat (which is a challenge because it is in so much that people eat on a daily basis). This may be a individual reaction but I felt so much better after 3 days.

    I'm reading the book Wheat Belly and it says that clinical studies have shown that eliminating wheat helps lessen or stop the impulse to eat eat eat even when not hungry. You start to eat when hungry instead of feeling like you need and crave all sorts of foods.

    I've found I feel much better, healthier, and motivated to exercise and eat well after limiting the amount of wheat I am eating.

    It's worth a try.
  • minizebu
    minizebu Posts: 2,716 Member
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    I haven't read any of the replies, so others may have already suggested this.

    You can manually adjust your macro goals by going to the My Home tab and clicking Goals and then Change Goals and then click Custom and then Continue.

    Increase your protein % to 25% or 30% (and decrease carbohydrates accordingly). Try meeting those macros for several days and see if that improves your binging.

    If your carbohydrate/protein ratio is too high, then you will find yourself hungry or wanting to binge.

    Try to always eat some protein along with your carbohydrates. So, it's okay to eat crackers, but eat those crackers with cheese, or peanut butter or a glass of milk, etc.

    You DON"T have to go all crazy low carb/ultra high protein. Just try increasing your protein for a few days and see if that works.

    Having a good amount of protein early in the day (around 30g) whenever you first eat for the day will help, too. You don't have to eat first thing when you wake up, but try to eat a good amount of protein whenever you do ultimately have your fist meal.

    Eating a carbohydrate only or carbohydrate-heavy snack or meal will cause your blood sugar to spike. When that happens your pancreas will release insulin in order to lower your blood sugar. When your blood sugar is low again, your body will send you signals to EAT, and EAT NOW! If, instead, you pair protein with your carbohydrate meal or snack, then the insulin response will be moderated by the protein. You will end up feeling satiated longer and you won't be prone to grazing, or binging.

    It really works, please try it.
  • kramalicious
    kramalicious Posts: 143
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    If you know you are going to be hungry at night, plan ahead for it. One of my friends recommended I eat a protein snack such as half cup of cottage cheese before going to bed. My DH and I both do this , sometimes with some fruit, and it has really helped. We both work out hard and just plan for it in our calorie allotment. Another thing I have noticed, that the healthier eat, the less I crave other foods. I still don't eat perfectly all the time, but it's better than it used to be and getting better. Also, when I eat more often I don't get as hungry. HTH.
  • kramalicious
    kramalicious Posts: 143
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    I haven't read any of the replies, so others may have already suggested this.

    You can manually adjust your macro goals by going to the My Home tab and clicking Goals and then Change Goals and then click Custom and then Continue.

    Increase your protein % to 25% or 30% (and decrease carbohydrates accordingly). Try meeting those macros for several days and see if that improves your binging.

    If your carbohydrate/protein ratio is too high, then you will find yourself hungry or wanting to binge.

    Try to always eat some protein along with your carbohydrates. So, it's okay to eat crackers, but eat those crackers with cheese, or peanut butter or a glass of milk, etc.

    You DON"T have to go all crazy low carb/ultra high protein. Just try increasing your protein for a few days and see if that works.

    Having a good amount of protein early in the day (around 30g) whenever you first eat for the day will help, too. You don't have to eat first thing when you wake up, but try to eat a good amount of protein whenever you do ultimately have your fist meal.

    Eating a carbohydrate only or carbohydrate-heavy snack or meal will cause your blood sugar to spike. When that happens your pancreas will release insulin in order to lower your blood sugar. When your blood sugar is low again, your body will send you signals to EAT, and EAT NOW! If, instead, you pair protein with your carbohydrate meal or snack, then the insulin response will be moderated by the protein. You will end up feeling satiated longer and you won't be prone to grazing, or binging.

    It really works, please try it.

    Yes, I agree, forgot to add I did this also. IT is VERY GOOD ADVICE> More protein I eat, the less hungry I am. The more carbs I eat the more carbs I want.
  • savvysarah
    savvysarah Posts: 5
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    A lot of what I've read above helps me with night eating. Starting with a protein breakfast really helps the rest of the day. As does, staying out of the kitchen, keeping myself busy so I can't use my hands to eat, and flavored herbal tea or decaf coffee if you like that.
  • MemphisKitten
    MemphisKitten Posts: 878 Member
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    Not binging at night is my biggest problem too. I have found that drinking some tea helps, also I keep a tin of mints by my bed and suck on them. Peppermint is said to suppress the appetite. Binging or grazing at night is not related to physical hunger (at least not in my case). So you have to find your own way of dealing with it. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help.
  • minizebu
    minizebu Posts: 2,716 Member
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    LoraF83, even saving calories won't help. if i start eating that late, I just don't stop at the right time.

    I have even tried shifting all my meals so that my regular dinner is later in an attempt to just schedule my eating for when it is already happening. Again, i lose control and overdo things.

    That is sounding more and more like self control. If water does not help...it is self control. Just as an addict needs to quit drugs, gambling, drinking...you must stop binging....simple.

    So I just backtracked and started reading other people's responses. OP: Please ignore the above. This response to you is not in the least helpful. It is NOT all about willpower. There are powerful hormones at work in your body. It is helpful to learn about how your body's physiology works so that you can understand the processes that produce feelings of hunger and satiation. I am by no means an expert. I am still learning, but I can say that it is not all about self control. Self control does come into play, but it is not the only issue.
  • Em_runs_away
    Em_runs_away Posts: 194 Member
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    Bumping, I could cry with frustration, I've just done this again myself.
  • sunnyside1213
    sunnyside1213 Posts: 1,205 Member
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    My issue at night is wine or beer. I love to have a couple of glasses at night but a glass is like 120 cals! So 2 glasses, and my calories are shot for the day. I'm the same way though - I know better, but yet, I can't muster the will power to not go for it! Bah! So FRUSTRATING!

    I tried Buds Select 55 at 55 calories. I was very surprised.
  • mikkimomof3
    mikkimomof3 Posts: 224 Member
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    After dinner if I'm starting to feel like I want to snack and don't have room for more calories in my day, I'll say "I can have a snack if I do 50 push-ups first". Usually the push-ups end up making me not want to snack because why would I undo all of that awesomeness?

    Other things that work for me are:
    1) drinking a big glass of seltzer with lime wedge - 0 cal, and delicious
    2) brushing my teeth
    3) painting my nails so I can't touch anything
    4) making out with my man :) <-- this should really be #1

    Love these ideas!!! I struggle every night--I just want to let it all go, relax, and unwind from my hectic day--which usually involves me fighting off some serious cravings. It is definitely not easy!

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