Seriously...wtf.

Tomhoffman84
Tomhoffman84 Posts: 99
in Motivation and Support
Ok...so new habit has developed over the last couple of weeks...."sleep eating."

Finish my day right around my calorie goal, feeling good, go to sleep, then next thing I know I'm up at 1:00AM with this urge to eat. I make my way downstairs in a sleepy stupor and then go to town on the most random things. Has happened about three times in the last ten days.

First it was about 3 servings of Blue Bunny Caramel Praline Crunch Frozen Yogurt, then it was honey nut bunches of oats, and last night it was pretzels, guacamole, and some of my wife's leftover fried rice. I wake up in the morning each time feeling miserable, or in the case of last night, eating a ton of sodium at 1am going back to sleep and waking up bloated, dehydrated, and miserable, peeing bright orange like I was on weekend cocaine binge.

So yeah, seriously wtf...10-15lbs from my target weight and suddenly I'm dropping 300-500 calories on to an already difficult process in the middle of the night? Where do I even record that? The night before, the following day? I need a time release lock on my fridge and cabinets, perhaps a baby gate at the top of the steps, I don't know...but this isn't going to work, so need some ideas!
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Replies

  • TimeForMe99
    TimeForMe99 Posts: 309
    You're aware of what you're doing so it's likely not a sleep disorder. You're very close to goal - are you at all nervous about the change in your life, or are there other stressors? I assume you're not on Ambien or any other sleep aid.

    You need to exercise the same willpower at night that you exhibit during the day. Keep a glass of water next to the bed and maybe a small protein snack, like string cheese or nuts.

    Keep the bedroom door closed if you can, and place a small bell on it. When the bell rings you'll be alerted and your wife may also wake or at least make a noise. This is your signal to stop and think about what you're doing.

    You know you have to log as best you can. Put it on the next day and workout or adjust your eating accordingly. When the impact of your night time behavior shows up in the daytime you may be less likely to take the trip downstairs.
  • So_Much_Fab
    So_Much_Fab Posts: 1,146 Member
    LOL, that happens to me from time to time too. I'll wake up at some random early hour STARVING! So I get up and eat crap. Not too sure what the fix would be, other than to just go back to sleep rather than getting up and eating? I guess if you were truly sleepwalking that wouldn't work though...
  • teddabod
    teddabod Posts: 222 Member
    Tom, curious to know if you're taking any sleep medication?

    When I was on Ambien, I would sleep eat about 3 boxes of cereal...
  • Eyesblu
    Eyesblu Posts: 60
    it isnt a sleep disorder, but I can totally relate to what your explaining...I think self control plays a role here.
  • YoungDoc2B
    YoungDoc2B Posts: 1,593 Member
    Lol, I hear you man. Maybe you're not actually hungry, but thirsty instead? Try drinking water next time the urge hits
  • MercenaryNoetic26
    MercenaryNoetic26 Posts: 2,747 Member
    Save a meal for bedtime. Something that will keep you from waking up. Or eat a bunch of greek yogurt. Try to make better middle of the night munchy choices and log them for that day. I've done both and prefer a decent meal right before bed.

    Casein shake or protein, veggies, brown rice. Tell your wife to make brown fried rice. It's tastier, imo.

    Eta for spelling.
  • keely1998
    keely1998 Posts: 148 Member
    i do that 2, i hate it
  • Tomhoffman84
    Tomhoffman84 Posts: 99
    No, no sleeping pills. I used to use melatonin, would be knocked out heavy for the first 2-3 hours, then wake up in the middle of the night, so I get the correlation. I realize its not a sleeping disorder, just a lack of reasoning ability to convince myself its a bad idea.

    Glad I'm not the only one...I mentioned it to someone at work and they stared at me like I was crazy. I doubled down and was like "come on, seriously, you've never woken up at 2AM and bare hand attacked your wife's leftover chinese takeout?" Nope...apparently not.
  • lcfairbairn74
    lcfairbairn74 Posts: 412 Member
    I went through a phase of this a few years ago myself. How about saving some of those calories so when you eat at that hour in the morning it won't wreck your calorie target. The sleep eating will just be a phase due to external stressors, or sleeping tablets. It will resolve itself relatively quickly.:ohwell:
  • jgcurry3
    jgcurry3 Posts: 172 Member
    Try a casein protein shake right before bed. Your body is waking you up because its hungry/ thirsty etc. Casein is a slow digesting protein that will hold you over.
  • lcfairbairn74
    lcfairbairn74 Posts: 412 Member
    No, no sleeping pills. I used to use melatonin, would be knocked out heavy for the first 2-3 hours, then wake up in the middle of the night, so I get the correlation. I realize its not a sleeping disorder, just a lack of reasoning ability to convince myself its a bad idea.

    Glad I'm not the only one...I mentioned it to someone at work and they stared at me like I was crazy. I doubled down and was like "come on, seriously, you've never woken up at 2AM and bare hand attacked your wife's leftover chinese takeout?" Nope...apparently ot.

    Some kind of stressor then? I never got to the bottom of why I was doing it but it calmed down of its own accord. And the bare hand thing.....yeah! Me too. You aren't alone! :laugh:
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    With only a handful of pounds to go, might I ask what your deficit is? Maybe it's too big with not much body fat left and your body is just telling you that you need to up your calories a little. I have about 15 Lbs to go and I'm doing about 1/2 Lb per week loss goal right now and the extra food is nice, especially for my workouts.
  • Ericsmom1991
    Ericsmom1991 Posts: 16
    Try a casein protein shake right before bed. Your body is waking you up because its hungry/ thirsty etc. Casein is a slow digesting protein that will hold you over.
    I totally agree!
  • xXxHBICxXx
    xXxHBICxXx Posts: 370 Member
    I'm so glad I read this, I do it too and hate hate hate it. I will do so well during the day, only to be up at 3 am eating. I don't know why I do it either.
  • Tomhoffman84
    Tomhoffman84 Posts: 99
    For the one who asked:

    Weight is 185, my BMR is about 1900 calories, I calculate my caloric needs with the Harris formula based on a "sedentary lifestyle" so that puts me at around 2250 a day to maintain my current weight. I have myself at 1500-1600 calories a day so that I'm at a 3500 calories a week deficit (aiming for 1lb).

    Last week I burned 4,500 calories in exercise (a 4, 6, and 10 mile run in there) but I eat my exercise calories back, so my total caloric intake (minus late night face stuffings) was about 15700 for seven days.
  • chatipati1
    chatipati1 Posts: 211 Member
    Maybe change the time you exercise and also eat an apple before you to to bed. I hear it has pectin in it which helps you feel full. Otherwise, who knows what is causing this...maybe it is just temporary.
  • btsinmd
    btsinmd Posts: 921 Member
    This occasionally happens to me. What I've done is to set aside my middle of the night meal ahead of time. I figure 200 calories max and aim for food that I can sleep on. So my choice is usually a banana and a cup of milk. I put the mug that I know holds just a cup right next to the bananas before I go to sleep. If I'm out of bananas then I have a granola bar and water.

    I also eat something small before I go to bed.

    This occured for a week or so and then stopped except every once in a long while, but I still keep that one mug next to the bananas all the time.
  • yankeedownsouth
    yankeedownsouth Posts: 717 Member
    For the one who asked:

    Weight is 185, my BMR is about 1900 calories, I calculate my caloric needs with the Harris formula based on a "sedentary lifestyle" so that puts me at around 2250 a day to maintain my current weight. I have myself at 1500-1600 calories a day so that I'm at a 3500 calories a week deficit (aiming for 1lb).

    Last week I burned 4,500 calories in exercise (a 4, 6, and 10 mile run in there) but I eat my exercise calories back, so my total caloric intake (minus late night face stuffings) was about 15700 for seven days.

    Based on this, I agree with the poster who recommended setting your goal at 1/2 pound a week. Maybe it'll curb your appetite enough so you're not waking up at night.
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
    I have a friend who did this...she would half-consciously eat tubs of peanut butter mixed with salt (she would find peanut butter hand prints all over the cabinets in the morning). She had been trying to eat 1200 cals for a long time with only a few pounds to lose, and she had basically no fat in her diet, so her body just made her get up and eat. I'm not saying for sure that this is your problem, but it does seem like you are eating too little for your current goals.
  • retiree2006
    retiree2006 Posts: 951 Member
    I'd try making myself log in and start recording the snack I was planning on eating. That might help give you a moment to pause and think if you really need that or could substitute something else...when you see it on your menu for the day and using up a good amount of your allowed calories/ high sodium content, etc.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,421 Member
    For the one who asked:

    Weight is 185, my BMR is about 1900 calories, I calculate my caloric needs with the Harris formula based on a "sedentary lifestyle" so that puts me at around 2250 a day to maintain my current weight. I have myself at 1500-1600 calories a day so that I'm at a 3500 calories a week deficit (aiming for 1lb).

    Last week I burned 4,500 calories in exercise (a 4, 6, and 10 mile run in there) but I eat my exercise calories back, so my total caloric intake (minus late night face stuffings) was about 15700 for seven days.

    Don't use Sedentary at this point. You are seriously undereating.

    Here, it's time for you to refigure your calorie intake. You've done a great job, but your body doesn't have enough fat to use for energy anymore. No wonder you're sleep noshing.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/952996-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy
  • Tomhoffman84
    Tomhoffman84 Posts: 99
    I sit at a chair with minimal activity during the day, so I go with sedentary, I log all my exercise calories and eat them back, so not sure i'm drastically undereating. I have adjusted my goals though, going from a 1520 daily goal to 1740, so I'll save myself a couple hundred calories for the evening.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,421 Member
    I sit at a chair with minimal activity during the day, so I go with sedentary, I log all my exercise calories and eat them back, so not sure i'm drastically undereating. I have adjusted my goals though, going from a 1520 daily goal to 1740, so I'll save myself a couple hundred calories for the evening.

    If you read that thread, you'll see what I mean...but you definitely need to be set at "Lose 1/2 pound a week" at this point.

    The Sedentary setting here on MFP is very low. Even if you sit at a desk, I'm telling you, it will underestimate.

    Now that you are so close to goal, you are going to have to accept a slower weight loss. I know it's hard, after all the time you've put in, and probably large weekly losses. But your body is screaming for more food.

    Try reading that thread and resetting to a more reasonable number. 1700 is still too low.

    Good luck.
  • MagicalLeopleurodon
    MagicalLeopleurodon Posts: 623 Member
    I sleep walk. havent ever eaten while doing it, but i have woke up inside our freezer, in the dryer, after jumping headfirst off the bed (got a concussion), doing a front flip over my sleeping husband, and crouching on the armrest of our couch.

    so...yeah. if you wake up hungry-eat.more before bed.

    if you are like me (or my papaw) and wake up in the middle of cooking a lovely dinner, try locking the doors or wear a bell to bed.
  • Toomanytwinkies
    Toomanytwinkies Posts: 42 Member
    That has been my demise for months and months. Eat healthy all day, walk by the jar of chocolate chip cookies without cheating. 3 am rolls around and visions of those cookies are dancing in my head. Then...there goes yet another binge. So you get to wake up in the morning feeling absolutely horrible for blowing your diet...again! I haven't done it for at least a couple of weeks now. Just sheer willpower. I wake up and force myself to stay in bed. I tell myself it will be so worth it in the morning when I wake up happy instead of beating myself up.
  • Tomhoffman84
    Tomhoffman84 Posts: 99
    Thanks, like I said, glad I'm not the only one!
  • EmilyEmpowered
    EmilyEmpowered Posts: 650 Member
    This has been going on with me, too. I took a few days to eat over my normal calorie range, and after a few days I stopped eating at night. I think maybe I personally had too big of a deficit, and my body wasn't too happy about it. Like you, it was the most random stuff, and I was waking up SO MAD at myself! It's been only 6 days since I woke up at 3 am to chow down on garbage, and if it happens again I plan to up my cals for a day or two until it stops again. At least that way I am consciously eating the calories and making better choices. :flowerforyou:
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    I'm sorry, I shouldn't be laughing right now :laugh:
  • CaffeinatedConfectionist
    CaffeinatedConfectionist Posts: 1,046 Member
    I've done this as well. It used to be a fairly big problem for me, but it has tapered off - I hadn't even realized by how much, until I read this post and started thinking about it. I haven't woken up in the middle of the night to stuff myself in several months. And just based on that, I'd agree with the people who are suggesting you up your calories. I know it's just anecdotal, but my late night snacking stopped on its own after I increased my calorie intake from 1350 to 1500-1600. I think I just eat enough during the day now to stay satisfied overnight. I do wake up ravenous, but that's nothing unusual.
  • cleback
    cleback Posts: 261 Member
    I work night shifts, so the days I work my sleep is spotty at best. It has been my downfall. I get up-- half-asleep-- a few times during the day after a shift... Aware enough to know I'm hungry and to get around the kitchen, not awake enough to remember everything I eat, but apparently uninhibited enough to eat a box of cookies or a bag of chips. :-/

    I don't know where this behavior falls in the spectrum of sleeping or eating disorders... or if it's just a case of you don't make the best decisions when you're tired/sleep deprived... but you're definitely not alone!

    Haven't figured out how to stop it, though. Ugh.

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