Breaking a bad habit

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RaymondKnight
RaymondKnight Posts: 42 Member
in Motivation and Support
I've had a bad habit for as long as I can remember: eating before I go to bed.

A big bowl of cereal usually does fine.

However, as I write this, I actually did not eat tonight (after dinner). When I don't overeat before bed, I don't get tired. I've tried just about every trick in the book.

Maybe I need to tough it out for 30-60 days and just not eat at night... And maybe my body will get used to that and I will get tired naturally and can get a good night's sleep.

I don't know, but I've tried everything, sought professional help, psychologists, prescription drugs (bad idea), and in the end, I'm in the same place, only a few pounds heavier..... lol

Replies

  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,654 Member
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    I find it easier to replace a bad habit with a good habit than just to break it.
  • Noogynoogs
    Noogynoogs Posts: 1,028 Member
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    My bad habits are alot worse lol
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
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    Unless you have acid reflux or something, if you want something before bed, save a few calories and eat a little. It may be that by eating some before bed, you may rest better... I don't like to go to bed hungry, myself. It may make your morning scale go up a little but simply eating something before bed does not cause obesity or cause you to gain weight (as long as it is within the overall caloric intake goal for the day).... What causes obesity is when our intake of calories over time exceeds the output of calories over time... This creates a surplus of energy that our body stores as fat. But, it may be that you just need to roll with it... Just save up so it does not throw you over in the long haul. Best wishes on your every success.
  • aarondnguyen
    aarondnguyen Posts: 270 Member
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    Eating before bed isn't bad. I do it all the time.

    It can, however, lead to weight gain if you aren't monitoring your caloric intake--which is, at the end of the day, all that matters.

    Try to save some ample amounts of carbs to have before you sleep so you can eat it guilt free.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Eating before bed isn't bad. I do it all the time.

    It can, however, lead to weight gain if you aren't monitoring your caloric intake--which is, at the end of the day, all that matters.

    Try to save some ample amounts of carbs to have before you sleep so you can eat it guilt free.

    this
  • creativerick
    creativerick Posts: 270 Member
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    Eat less during the day?
  • asciiqwerty
    asciiqwerty Posts: 565 Member
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    I agree with whitebalance, making a new (better) habit can feel easier than breaking a bad one.

    And good habits are harder to break than resolutions or good intentions.

    Sometimes I get back from the office and feel like vegging in fron of hte telly and watching crap, so for a while now, i've set myself the rule that when I want to watch telly on my own, I need to do it from the static bike in the corner and cycle through the crap telly, that I my addled brain gets it's feed of telly and the rest of me gets a bony 30 minutes on hte bike.

    I don't know whether eating before bed is good or bad for you, I know if I eat a lot and late I can feel bloated and not sleep so well. But if you feel better when you don't eat late, then it's worth changing it - trust yourself and your feelings.

    I would suggest that you think about something else that you could do in that time that would help you feel that you've achieved something as well as keeping your mind off the food.
  • einzweidrei
    einzweidrei Posts: 381 Member
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    What's wrong with eating before bed? I do it every single day. I've always been a "night" eater of sorts. Back when I was very active and didn't need to watch calories, it wasn't uncommon for me to eat 2-3 bowls of cereal after dinner along with every other thing that was around. (I miss those days.)

    Why can't you just eat less during the day? I ended up just moving calories around so that I could have around 1,000 calories within a small period of time because I'm just absolutely ravenous and I'm not nearly as hungry at other times of the day. (For example, I'm not that hungry when I wake up so I don't really want to eat then.)
  • RaymondKnight
    RaymondKnight Posts: 42 Member
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    Good point. I tend to not eat all day, then eat one big meal before I go to bed. It just doesn't work out well for me.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Good point. I tend to not eat all day, then eat one big meal before I go to bed. It just doesn't work out well for me.

    is what way does it not 'work out well' for you? what does that actually mean??
  • meganjcallaghan
    meganjcallaghan Posts: 949 Member
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    i've always eaten the bulk of my calories (usually half to 2/3) at night. Never had a problem with it.
  • Boobookittyfq
    Boobookittyfq Posts: 454 Member
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    I use to have the same problem i always want something sweet so either eat home made protein bars, home made protien ice cream, or a casien ..
    after a while u get use to it if your going to eat something eat a high protein meal. :bigsmile:

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