Night and weekend binging uggghhh help

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hopeful209
hopeful209 Posts: 2 Member
in Introduce Yourself
So I eat great during the day, but as soon as I get home, I feel like I am starving, and it gets worse on the weekend. I recently lost 35 pounds through going to the gym and eating right. I have since met the man of my dreams and have proceded to put back on 15. I just dont seem to have the willpower that I once did. I am sure that there are other women out there with similar stories, and I would love to hear about what helped you out.

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  • J_Leigh
    J_Leigh Posts: 7
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    Seems like we've got the same issues. Lost a lot of weight, but due to my night and weekend binges, I managed to put it all mine back on and now I'm working hard to fight the cravings and lose it once and for all. I can't give you any advice, but I can be some support if you need it! Anyone else with any tips or support feel free to add me too :)
  • kcpond
    kcpond Posts: 661 Member
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    My snacking at night is what prevents me from losing any weight. For me it is boredom, I don't think I am that hungry, but I just snack.

    If thus is the same, you can try to get a hobby to keep you busy. Feel free to add me as a friend, if you wish.
  • emj095
    emj095 Posts: 8 Member
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    Hey ladies, I know exactly how you feel I used to have a terrible terrible problem with night binging! I can tell you my biggest secrets in getting over this (although let's be honest we all munch out in front of the tv every once in a while!) 1. Eat a big breakfast - since tracking my food intake the more I eat for breakfast the less I nighttime binge!! 2. Don't restrict - if you restrict too much during the day you will binge at night guaranteed. If you are hungry then eat, even if you have to go over your daily calories your body is telling you something and as long as you stick to protein and vegetables you won't be hurting your diet. Lastly and most efficient, TEA!! Sometimes you just feel like eating to keep your hands busy. (Which was definitely my case). I probably drink a litre of peppermint tea a night! Instead of snacking while studying I am constantly refilling my tea. Get yourself a tea ball and a great big mug experiment at a specialty tea store!

    All the best! Add me if you'd like - always looking for more friends to motivate!
  • renitawalker9
    renitawalker9 Posts: 108
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    Try structuring your calories and snacks so that the last one you eat is shortly before you go to bed. I eat every 3 hours starting with my post-workout meal every morning around 9. that puts the rest of my meals at 12, 3, 6, and 9. I go to bed around 10:30 or 11 and I usually only get hungry right around the time for my next meal. I drink A LOT of water. I probably drink a 24 oz mug of herbal tea and 32 oz water between each meal. sometimes more. I have kept off a 50 lb weight loss since April 2011 only wavering with about a 5-7 lb weight gain around the holidays which I promptly work back off. Hope this helps.
  • emj095
    emj095 Posts: 8 Member
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    Try structuring your calories and snacks so that the last one you eat is shortly before you go to bed. I eat every 3 hours starting with my post-workout meal every morning around 9. that puts the rest of my meals at 12, 3, 6, and 9. I go to bed around 10:30 or 11 and I usually only get hungry right around the time for my next meal. I drink A LOT of water. I probably drink a 24 oz mug of herbal tea and 32 oz water between each meal. sometimes more. I have kept off a 50 lb weight loss since April 2011 only wavering with about a 5-7 lb weight gain around the holidays which I promptly work back off. Hope this helps.

    Another Herbal tea lover! Weight loss's best friend I tell ya!
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    Try upping your calories to 1400 and spreading those calories out throughout the day. You are less likely to get those cravings if your body is getting enough nutrients.
  • Goal_Line
    Goal_Line Posts: 474 Member
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    Don't keep any problematic food at home.

    The only snack food I keep are veggies - I'll allow myself all I can eat. If I want potato chips I need to get in the car to get them, that forces me to stop.
  • LB2812
    LB2812 Posts: 158 Member
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    Yup. I eat great all day and then I find myself in front of the tv, pooped from a long day, mindlessly snacking at night. I really like the suggestion to drink tea!!!! I'm tired of drinking water as I do it all day, and I think a lot of it is mindless/boredom/just wanting to keep your hands busy.

    I know ages ago, when I worked out in the mornings I'd snack less at night. I'd just be thinking more about how hard getting up in the morning was and I didn't want to "waste" all that work by snacking now at night.
  • lldelmonte
    lldelmonte Posts: 30 Member
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    I totally hear you - that is exactly what I find myself doing. I agree with other posts- boredom, drink tea, etc. For myself, what seems to be working lately is:

    1. Staying away 100% from my binge foods. For me, with certain foods there is no such thing is moderation - I simply cannot do it.
    Read this: http://authoritynutrition.com/8-symptoms-of-food-addiction/
    2. Drinking tea or other hot beverage at night - seems to signal my brain to stop eating.
    3. Try to talk myself into eating something that usually makes me feel really full like cottage cheese (protein) with grapes or nuts (protein + fat). You have to be careful with the nuts though, because they can be a binge item for many people.

    My trigger foods are usually sweets - chocolate, cake, muffins, etc. After reading the article in (1) I really recognized myself. Although it has only been a week, I swore off of them and the night and weekend binging has stopped. The first few days were tough, but it is getting easier. (I've done this before, but after reading the article in (1) I really recognized myself and feel like this time I will be able to stick with it long term.)

    Good luck!
  • wswing
    wswing Posts: 39 Member
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    I had the same problem, I would work so hard all week and then the weekend would arrive and I felt I could treat myself. The problem is that I would continue to treat myself all weekend long and be right back where I started. I also have a spouse that munches on chips every night while watching TV so I would steal a chip here and there and wonder why I couldn't lose any weight. I finally got control of myself by simply not giving in to the cravings. Once I was able to do that for week I realized I was no longer craving anything and I no longer had the urge to munch in the evening. Yes that first week was very difficult but it was only a week and then it became very easy. It's just a bad habit that needs to be broken. Good luck.
  • Fatandfifty3
    Fatandfifty3 Posts: 419 Member
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    Oh this is me... this is me.
    The Only way to do it is tough it out. Once you get out of the habit it's not as hard but wow is it ever a fine tightrope walk! Hot drinks help.
    For me I have to restrict the snacking. ie Don't eat between meals etc....
  • roiLEI1554
    roiLEI1554 Posts: 143
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    Same here! What helped me a lot was to eat back more of my exercise calories throughout the week and to allow one meal a week where I can eat more "normal-size" portions (or rather, what I'd like to be eating every day haha) but of healthy food of course!

    I'm currently working on the night/weekend binging problem as well, but this has been working for me so far (:
  • HealthyNowForever
    HealthyNowForever Posts: 45 Member
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    I blame the night eating for my current plateau. I just started to completely cut myself off at 6PM. We will see if it helps. As for the weekends, I have always just allowed myself to eat what I want on the weekends. I do try to limit my portions, but it is usually eat healthy food that is considered not very healthy.
  • renitawalker9
    renitawalker9 Posts: 108
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    love my teas when I know I'm not actually hungry. Plus sometimes thirst can mimic hunger and drinking 100 oz of tea and water combined combats that as well.
  • tomatini
    tomatini Posts: 61 Member
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    Hey hopeful209-

    Nighttime snacking has always been a problem for me too. I think it's responsible for a large portion of my weight gain! Here are my tips:

    1. Make sure you're eating enough food throughout the day. I peeked at your diary and saw that you set your daily goal as 1200. You really should be eating a BARE MINIMUM of 1200 (and realistically probably a couple hundred calories more before factoring in exercise). This is to maintain the healthy function of your body, and you will be less tempted to snack if you don't feel like you're actually starving. How much you need depends on your size, but as many people on here will tell you, make sure to eat enough!

    2. Track every single thing you eat/drink and plan out what you'll have in advance! And track every day, even on the weekends. That works for me, anyway. I like to roughly plan my food diaries in advance so I can see how many leftover calories I have to "spend" on snacks or drinks or whatever. Personally, I feel more accountable and am less likely to go over that way. Plus if you plan in advance then you can also budget in-between meals snacks, which are totally OK and will help keep you from feeling hungry. :) Obviously there are going to be times when you can't do that, but if you're keeping track 90% of the time then I'd say that's pretty good.

    3. Budget out a "filling" evening snack as part of your daily plan. If you find you get extra-hungry in the evenings, it makes sense to budget out extra food for that time.

    4. If the snacking has to do with an oral fixation or boredom, chew gum. And yes, as others have suggested, a hot cup of tea can do wonders. :)

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