How to stop binge eating at night time?

I have the same issue of eating ridiculously at night and it's definitely linked to the days that I don't drink a lot of water. Make sure you're drinking lots and lots of water - it helps a lot!!!!

This is my #1 problem! I am a night person and that is when I start looking for snacks. I can identify with many here who search for the ice cream or the chips and that this is the only time I really feel relaxed. I wish I could just go to bed instead, but this is what I consider "my time". So I either need to find other things to keep me busy or give up that time for sleep, which I could use more of.

I am right there with you!!! I eat perfect all day but it's those few hours after dinner and before bed that kill me. I don't know why this happens - I too just want to eat, eat, eat during these hours -- and I too want the sweets. What I've been doing is eater lighter during the day and saving about 200-300 calories for these night time cravings. It makes it easier to have extra calories left over on the days that I exercise. So last night I ate 4 Starburst and 1/2 cup of ice cream....then pretzels. Ugh! But thankfully I did have the calories left to eat them.

Anyways, I don't know how to control these cravings either but all I can say is 1) don't have trigger foods around (cookies) and 2) try to save some calories for these evening cravings so you aren't going well over your calorie goals.

Good luck! It could also have to do with "that time of month"?

Also, have a late, big dinner. You might go hungry before, but I am better at being hungry for an hour or two than I am at not binging after dinner.

That is a really good point! I do find that I don't have the night time cravings as much when I eat a big dinner later in the evening.

I drink tea!! This sounds silly but it actually works wonders for me. I feel like after I hit 8 o'clock something inside me just switches on an intense sweet tooth. I started drinking loose leaf tea that has naturally sweet flavours to it. It isn't a replacement for the real thing, but I find the mix of having something subtly sweet as well as something to do with my hands / something to drink (instead of eat) works for me. I prefer loose leaf because they tend to have more fun flavours and you can resteep when you're done so you can keep drinking it over a long period of time.
After a while, it's become a habit and I prefer my nightime cup to my binging on cookies.

1) stop having caffeine, so you dont wake up in the middle of the night. switch your coffee for green tea, then eventually green tea to just herbal teas.

2) keep a big water bottle next to your bed, so when you wake up in the middle of the night, TRAIN yourself to finish that water bottle right away before getting up out of bed. you'll feel like you've "binged" when you've just had water, and you'll be able to go to sleep satisfied.

3) its okay to eat something light before going to bed. if youre a "wait 3 hours after dinner to go to bed" type of person, it can really perpetuate your binge eating habits. have a couple egg whites, or an apple, or a tbsp of pb can keep you from getting hungry. cmon, 100 cals of a nighttime snack is SO much better than 1000 cals of a nighttime binge.

4) set up a good routine, training yourself to realize "its time for bed, time to stop eating." whether that be drinking licorice tea, swearing off the internet, writing a journal entry, stretching, or a combination of both, itll help your mind stop thinking "FOOD>FOOD>FOOD" and start wiring yourself to go to bed. it comes with constant training but soon you wont even have to worry about nighttime binges.

coming from a person who used to wake up at 3am every night last year to eat 1000 cals of granola/trail mix/nuts. so far this 2014 i've only "midnight eaten" once, and that is a tremendous achievement for me. the above steps are what helped me get through it!!!

I allow myself ice cream every night for this very reason. I buy the small little pre portion cups that are for kids (110 calories per cup) lol then I put a glob of pb2 chocolate (reconstituted with water) on top and go and enjoy it.

Knowing I get ice cream every night if I want makes it so I don't binge anymore, and ironically enough, I bought a pack of 10 individually packaged cups a week ago and have only had ice cream 2 days this week.

Knowing I can have it has been the HUGE key to not binging. The Moment I tell myself I cant have it is when I want to eat my entire weight in ice cream.

i gave up snacking after 9pm for lent. it's easier to have that 100% no, i cannot have anything than to have the possibility of having anything. i usually don't have dinner till 8 anyway, so i have that and then i'm done for the night. if i'm hungry, i'll have a class of water or two.

to overcome my binge eating at night.
i have a big late meal around 8-9pm. i eat most of my carbs , protein and desserts.
worked well for me for 3 years.
i eat my breakfast around 10-11 mostly close to noon so its usually a brunch, hehe.

I find if I'm doing something I won't eat. just sitting watching TV is the perfect scenario for bored eating. so I either sleep early because i want to run in the morning or I work on a hobby that I have. find a hobby that you love and you will forget about eating because late night binge isn't because you are hungry, it's because you are bored.

Drink LOTS AND LOTS of WATER!!

Use Mio or any other time of flavor system if it helps

Binge eat raw broccoli

Sometimes water doesn't cut it. And when you want cookies or cake or brownies, you are not going to binge on raw broccoli. Be compassionate, not ridiculous.

Sex. Works every time.

nice.:flowerforyou:

I was doing this too and found this article by Dr Amanda Salis quite helpful
http://bodymatters.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Physiological-responses-to-dieting-3.pdf
She talks of recognising this as your body's famine reaction and learning how to trigger your 'fat brake'
Very helpful!!!

You need to start by filling in your food diary. Every meal, every day, everything you eat (not quick cals, but actually look up the foods) and log the exercise too. From what you've logged so far, it looks like you're surviving on coffee, ginseng, fruit and quick cals. You can't see if you're getting enough protein, fat and carbs. If those are too low, and you're not getting enough cals, you're going to feel like binging.