Nighttime Eating

Spartans55
Spartans55 Posts: 13
in Health and Weight Loss
Anyone else struggle with this? I have been doing it since high school (now 27) and I think it's a big part of why I am overweight. I have tried and tried and just can't seem to kick this habit. The bad part is that it's usually a carb binge session (cookies, cereal, granola bars, etc). I am wondering if there is any sort of all-natural appetite suppressant I can take before bed or something.

Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    There is nothing wrong with eating at night pending you have enough calories, but if you keep going over your calories, you have a few options.

    1. Look at a program like Interim Fasting where you eat all your calories in a small window (16:8 IF is where you fast for 16 hours and eat all your calories in an 8 hour window). You can set it up where you seem to be the most hungry.
    2. Evaluate your weight loss per week goal. Since you have very little to lose, it should be no more than 1 lb a week.
    3. Exercise more so you can eat more calories
    4. Throw out the junk food.
  • BananaFaceFace
    BananaFaceFace Posts: 70 Member
    Im not sure about natural appetite suppressants but I do have this problem as well, what im trying to do at the moment is stuff myself silly with vegetables at night to the point where im so full that I no longer want to eat anything and it seems to be working. I also try and save as many calories as I can for night time because i'm a big night eater. I've come to terms with the fact that occasionally carb binges are almost inevitable for me but I know that If I eat well for a few days im fine for a while.

    What is it about those foods that makes you turn to them? is it psychological or do you have physical cravings?
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    Go to bed earlier. I'm not being flippant but do sufficient exercise and activity so your tired so you sleep through. Also if you don't have cookies etc in the house you can't binge on them
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
    I get cravings like that if I don't eat enough substantial food for breakfast and lunch (i.e. one containing both protein and carbs, not just salad). If I eat a banana for breakfast (I am hardly ever hungry) and then a salad for lunch, by about 3pm I am craving cheese. If I then don't have a small piece of cheese (25g) or some tuna, if instead I cut up some cucumber or have a piece of fruit, by the time 5 or 6pm rolls around I will just binge on whatever carb that is lurking anywhere. It's as if someone else takes over and I am watching aghast from within.

    Make a note and actually look at your diary to see what you ate in the run up to the binge. Maybe you are not having enough protein throughout the day, maybe there is something else (boredom - take up knitting as it keeps both hands busy), but don't give up. Good luck :-)
  • Spartans55
    Spartans55 Posts: 13
    Im not sure about natural appetite suppressants but I do have this problem as well, what im trying to do at the moment is stuff myself silly with vegetables at night to the point where im so full that I no longer want to eat anything and it seems to be working. I also try and save as many calories as I can for night time because i'm a big night eater. I've come to terms with the fact that occasionally carb binges are almost inevitable for me but I know that If I eat well for a few days im fine for a while.

    What is it about those foods that makes you turn to them? is it psychological or do you have physical cravings?

    I'm not sure exactly but I do have a terrible sweet tooth. I usually just wake up with a feeling of extreme hunger.
  • Spartans55
    Spartans55 Posts: 13
    My son wakes me up nightly as he doesn't sleep through the night. Also my wife is pregnant that's why we have the cookies. :)
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
    So it's never about the WHEN, it's about the HOW MUCH. If you know you're going to get up in the night - plan for it. You gain weight by eating too much.
  • ehsan517
    ehsan517 Posts: 114
    i eat about 1200 calories before bed in the form of carbs, but mainly healthy fats and proteins. its not 1200 everyday, it varies depending on what i`ve eaten the whole day.

    theres the trick. IF you are tracking what you are eating...say 3000 a day, then if you`ve eaten 2000 throughout the day, then 1000 before bed is fine. now i usually try not to have foods that would spike my insuling before bed..i usually do that post workout because my body responds best that way (trust me, i know...i dont care about research findings) i`ve experimented with my body long enough to know this.
    but if you are within your calories, you wont gain weight.
    why do people get fat by late night eating?
    cause they dont track calories and are more likely to overeat.
    is it a good habit? no.
    but if you lift heavy 6 times a week and eat the right stuff...good fats, slow digesting carbs, lean proteins, then you cant go wrong. a calorie is a calorie is a calorie....yeah, maybe, but when i have cookies and sugary crap before bed even within my calories, i gained more belly fat. if i had em after my lifting session, it went to my muscles.
    i love science, dont get me wrong. but i prefer going by the way my body reacts.
  • shred_me_up
    shred_me_up Posts: 267 Member
    mmm if you wake up hungry then you need a bigger dinner, with proteins and fibers to fill you up.

    otherwise if its not hunger making you eat, try creating a new routine for yourself before bed. the problem with binge eating is that it easily becomes a habit ; if you can replace it with something else it may help!
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    I just build in calories for my before bed snacking. And I plan my bedtime snacks so that they aren't total junk (though they are usually sweeter).
  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
    So it's never about the WHEN, it's about the HOW MUCH. If you know you're going to get up in the night - plan for it. You gain weight by eating too much.

    ^This. Meal timing and fat gain/loss is irrelevant. If you are within your caloric goals, you can eat all of your calories before bed and still lose weight. The problem is you've probably reached your caloric intake goals during the day, and eating at night is pushing you over. Like the poster above said, plan for it. I personally can't go to bed without eating, and I've maintained my weight and body comp doing this. Eating at night isn't the problem. Overeating is.
  • frommetobetterme
    frommetobetterme Posts: 124 Member
    I'm an evening snacker and I don't think that will ever stop.

    Just make sure that it's something that fits in your daily calories and snack on healthier items. For example, I often want something crispy in the evening. So I substituted chips for 'vegetable thin' crackers which I love. They're not excellent for me, but they're better than chips and I can make them fit in with my calories. It's just enough to take the edge off... and I find that the less I drink during the day, the more cravings I have at night... so make sure to drink up!

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