Tips to avoid evening binge

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  • BalmyD
    BalmyD Posts: 237 Member
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    I save most of my calories every day for the evening after work. I plan what I'm going to eat before I get home and I have a snack as soon as I get home, dinner, and then a dessert or snack after dinner. This has been working for me and it feels like I get to eat a lot in the evening.
  • EternalFiend
    EternalFiend Posts: 9 Member
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    I'm in the same boat as you - I'll eat fine all day, and then it gets to about 9 and I want to eat everything in the house! ha ha

    What is working for me is the opposite for what some people are saying - I eat my calories earlier, so dinner around 5-6, and then I don't have any left for later in the evening. I'm determined not to go over, so that works for me.

    But, if you have to eat something, a really good trick is to swap the food you would eat in the evening with healthier alternatives - so if you have a low fat yogurt (I have some that are 100 calories) then you're not having a bowl of ice cream. Other things that have worked for me are those sponge fingers you can get - only 24 calories each and I feel like I'm eating biscuits!

    Although, if chocolate is your main craving - drink hot chocolate :) That's sounds odd, but if you make it with water, the one I have is only 40 calories. I still get my chocolate hit, and slowly drinking a hot chocolate in the evening is actually a nice way to unwind :)

    I think that forcing yourself not to have a snack is a bad thing - in my experience, as soon as I try and do that, I will be in the hunt for food and eat way more than I would have anyway. Eat within your calories - if you do save up your calories, have something 'bad', it's not going to kill you!

    Hope this helps :)
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
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    I eat a lot of my calories in the evening and before bed. I am a night owl so stopping eating by even 8pm would leave me so hungry I would not sleep. I have small things in the day, and have a decent dinner and a mini meal before bed of greek yoghurt with flax, fruit and a hard boiled egg, with a mug of hot chocolate. I have done this for a long time now. I do not eat breakfast or lunch since I tend to get up quite late and hit the gym right away.

    If eating in the evening suits you better, then just eat healthy but lower calorie meals in the day and save the calories for evening, but try and swap some of the less heathy foods for healthier choices.
  • Chocoholic55555
    Chocoholic55555 Posts: 173 Member
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    Some great tips, thanks everyone!
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
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    It's very easy to be good in the daytime but pig out at night. For this reason I'm a huge proponent of saving up calories for an evening binge. Why fight it? Just eat healthy and low calorie for breakfast and lunch, and that way you can go all out for dinner and later night snacks.

    Nate Miyaki calls this appraoch intermittent feasting (as opposed to intermittent fasting) and it's worked great for me during my maintenance phase. I have no problem restricting calories during the day when I'm busy, especially if I know I'll be able to eat a lot at night.

    This is what I do unintentionally... It might work for some people, but I can't lose any weight even though my calories are right on target. I think it messes with my body's system, because it's definitely not a normal way of eating.
    Also, even if I have enough calories to handle the binge, I still feel terribly guilty and uncontrollable afterward. Binge eating is definitely not the most enjoyable way to get your calories.

    Why is this not a normal way to eat? I am just curious...

    It seems completely normal and healthy to me (and the many other people who do it). It definitely doesn't mess with your body's metabolism. Although if you have a history of an eating disorder it might not be the best choice.
  • jk1231
    jk1231 Posts: 23 Member
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    I keep small peppermint patties or dark chocolate around for those late night cravings. I also LOVE to eat fruit so I snack on frozen grapes or something like that. You need to find something that you can eat a quantity of but is low in calories also.
  • sarahf3092
    sarahf3092 Posts: 147 Member
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    I have this problem but have now managed to go one week without snack after dinner. I have found the only thing that works is not having the snacks in the house in the first place !
  • slfordstthomas
    slfordstthomas Posts: 23 Member
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    I take the opposite approach - I just don't let myself start. Once dinner is over, eating is over. Not because I think all calories consumed after 7pm get magically turned to permanent fat or anything like that. Just, all too often if I have a little snack it's like opening the floodgates. If I just tell myself that eating is not an option at all, then it makes it a little easier. I let myself have a cup of decaf coffee if I need a little something.

    This works for me! A tall glass of sparkling water helps, too! If you drink up, your stomach will simply be too full for anything else. Plus, when you often think you're hungry, it's really dehydration in disguise.

    If you absoluetly need some "safe snacks," I've heard that frozen grapes do it for a lot of people. Nutritious and sweet. And lots of water content to fill you up too.
  • missmacsays
    missmacsays Posts: 681 Member
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    I've literally just started working on my binging problem. I will often go a few days perfectly fine but then I'll reach for one treat and go wild, often consuming an extra 3000-4000 calories in one sitting.

    My current plan is to not restrict my diet, I found the reason I binge is because I restrict myself on what I can and can't eat but my most recent binge pushed me to work on this problem. What I'm doing is having a small treat each day in the evening, whether it be some ice cream, a small bar of chocolate or really anything I usually crave. Once I've eaten it I immediately fill up a bottle of water and if I feel an urge coming on I've grabbed the water and had a drink until I don't feel the craving anymore.

    Since my treat is after my evening meal as well I don't plan on eating anything else afterwards so once I've had my treat I go and brush my teeth, in a way this helps me because I associate cleaning my teeth with the end of the day where no more eating will happen, obviously this might not work for everyone but personally it has helped.

    Feel free to add me though because I know exactly how it feels to have this problem and would enjoy getting to know others in the same situation!

    This is super helpful! I have this exact same problem. Being a lady, it's obviously certain times of the month worse than others, but regardless, I've noticed I get the cravings because I try to eat completely healthy and not cheat. I'm adding you so I can borrow you for motivation if you don't mind :]
  • EmmaKarney
    EmmaKarney Posts: 690 Member
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    I take the opposite approach - I just don't let myself start. Once dinner is over, eating is over.

    Same.

    I sip on lemon and ginger tea throughout the evening which stops the urge to snack and if I'm really hungry I just go to bed.

    I'm never hungry when I wake up in the morning!
  • LaurenLouG
    LaurenLouG Posts: 65 Member
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    I find tea helps, and brushing my teeth.

    Also, I'm the worst binge eater ever, so I tend not to keep stuff in the house.

    Also, I have a secret board on Pinterest with motivational health, fitness and outfit pins - I look at that when I'm feeling like bingeing or if I'm finding it hard to exercise and it sets me back on track by reminding me of my goal.
  • KatrinaWilke
    KatrinaWilke Posts: 372 Member
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    It's very easy to be good in the daytime but pig out at night. For this reason I'm a huge proponent of saving up calories for an evening binge. Why fight it? Just eat healthy and low calorie for breakfast and lunch, and that way you can go all out for dinner and later night snacks.

    Nate Miyaki calls this appraoch intermittent feasting (as opposed to intermittent fasting) and it's worked great for me during my maintenance phase. I have no problem restricting calories during the day when I'm busy, especially if I know I'll be able to eat a lot at night.

    This is what I do unintentionally... It might work for some people, but I can't lose any weight even though my calories are right on target. I think it messes with my body's system, because it's definitely not a normal way of eating.
    Also, even if I have enough calories to handle the binge, I still feel terribly guilty and uncontrollable afterward. Binge eating is definitely not the most enjoyable way to get your calories.

    Why is this not a normal way to eat? I am just curious...

    It seems completely normal and healthy to me (and the many other people who do it). It definitely doesn't mess with your body's metabolism. Although if you have a history of an eating disorder it might not be the best choice.

    That's what I thought too. I try to eat breakfast as late as possible. If I started eating at 5:30am, I would run out of calories quickly!!
  • chelseachelsea1991
    chelseachelsea1991 Posts: 55 Member
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    I stopped having the stuff in my house, stopped having my "starter" foods. I noticed that having PBJ for lunch and toast in the morning ignited my cravings. Now I stick to greek yogurt or egg whites for breakfast and fruit for lunch or black beans. Sometimes you just gotta know whats making those craving kick in in the first place.
  • MeeshyBW
    MeeshyBW Posts: 382 Member
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    Can we all please get a real understanding of the word BINGE? Just to clarify:

    1. A binge involves being completely, unbearably, and almost unconsciously out of control. The eating really isn't about the food. It's a mechanical action that is simply a result of some pure and overwhelming internal pain and struggle. Some people who binge are almost unaware of it happening. It's painful, frantic, and terrifying, and the person binging is extremely secretive about such behavior. Being discovered is a horrifying thought, and binging is mixed up with massive amounts of shame. Having a bad day at work and coming home and eating a bag of chips or overindulging at a birthday party on cake you've been denying yourself while dieting is not the same as an official episode of binge eating.

    2. Binge eating involves massive amounts of (highly caloric) food. The person who binges will eat so much that it will become physically painful. Food is not really tasted while being eaten, but instead is swallowed without pleasure. A massive amount of food, often carbohydrates and fats, has a numbing effect upon the mind and body, and often people who binge fall asleep shortly after binging. Binges typically involve anywhere from 2,000-10,000 calories in one sitting, swallowed in an eating period of perhaps minutes.

    If OP is talking about a bar of chocolate and a bag of chips then it really isn't classed as a binge, more of a last night snack.

    Are you worried about the quantity of the food or it it the food choices you are making? Can you clarify how many calories are in your binge and what it is made up of so people on here can give you some solid advice.
  • Chocoholic55555
    Chocoholic55555 Posts: 173 Member
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    Can we all please get a real understanding of the word BINGE? Just to clarify:

    1. A binge involves being completely, unbearably, and almost unconsciously out of control. The eating really isn't about the food. It's a mechanical action that is simply a result of some pure and overwhelming internal pain and struggle. Some people who binge are almost unaware of it happening. It's painful, frantic, and terrifying, and the person binging is extremely secretive about such behavior. Being discovered is a horrifying thought, and binging is mixed up with massive amounts of shame. Having a bad day at work and coming home and eating a bag of chips or overindulging at a birthday party on cake you've been denying yourself while dieting is not the same as an official episode of binge eating.

    2. Binge eating involves massive amounts of (highly caloric) food. The person who binges will eat so much that it will become physically painful. Food is not really tasted while being eaten, but instead is swallowed without pleasure. A massive amount of food, often carbohydrates and fats, has a numbing effect upon the mind and body, and often people who binge fall asleep shortly after binging. Binges typically involve anywhere from 2,000-10,000 calories in one sitting, swallowed in an eating period of perhaps minutes.

    If OP is talking about a bar of chocolate and a bag of chips then it really isn't classed as a binge, more of a last night snack.

    Are you worried about the quantity of the food or it it the food choices you are making? Can you clarify how many calories are in your binge and what it is made up of so people on here can give you some solid advice.

    I'm ashamed to admit that each binge is probably 2000/3000 calories & consists mostly of chocolate :-(
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
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    I'm ashamed to admit that each binge is probably 2000/3000 calories & consists mostly of chocolate :-(
    There's no reason to keep that much chocolate/junk food in your house...get it out of there (and don't buy any more!) so you're not going to be tempted!

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