Help! I can't stop eating at night!

meversgerd0521
meversgerd0521 Posts: 6 Member
in Motivation and Support
I am really having a hard time and losing hope. I am 10 weeks post having my baby girl. I am the biggest I have ever been in my life. I lost 25lbs the first month having her without effort. I have started 2 diets since about 6 weeks postpartum. I have always struggled with my weight but I quit smoking in 2008 and haven't been happy with my weight since.

I do great all day long and start craving at night. I get up out of bed between 1 and 3 times a night to find a snack. My daughter is sleeping 8 hours now so she is sleeping. It's like I have no control because I am half a wake. I wake up mad at myself and ashamed! Anyone else out there have this issue???? How can I stop? This started when I had my first baby I think when I doing the night feedings. I desperately want to lose some of this weight. I hate the way I look and my body is hurting. I also really struggle on the weekends because we have a lot of family parties and I always tell myself just this once. Then I am down for a week or a few days.

Please give me hope!

Replies

  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 12,150 Member
    You can join a group here, at mfp, called "LNS fighters"...LNS = Late-Night-Snacking.

    If you really want support as you tackle why you are eating at night, this might just be the group for you!
  • Erica_Nichols
    Erica_Nichols Posts: 7
    May I suggest putting a child lock on the INSIDE of your bedroom door? It would slow you down (and wake you up) enough that you would know what you were doing. Another thought (one my doctor recommended) is to keep healthy snacks in your bedside stand. So, you wake up at 2 am, grab a rice cake, or an orange, or a baggie with some berries, and you're satisfied and back to sleep.

    The worst part about this is that if you indulge the habit, it will get more and more difficult to break later. Your body will want a snack every night at that time. Any chance you could up your exercise so that you're sleeping through the night? Good luck! And awesome job on your 25 pound loss!
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
    Break the habit.
  • 4aces61
    4aces61 Posts: 292 Member
    what's your dinner consist of? Maybe you're not getting enough, leaving you hungry later in the evening. If you're food logging, it might help us if we could see your diary
  • veritas_rasa
    veritas_rasa Posts: 7 Member
    If the family will tolerate it, don't have those snack foods in the house. Otherwise, have something else available for snacking that isn't so bad for you. You could try drinking a glass of water to fill you up. Most snacking is from boredom and/or habit. Why are you getting up three times a night?
  • SnicciFit
    SnicciFit Posts: 967 Member
    What do you eat in a typical day? If you're starving yourself all day, of course you'll be hungry at night!
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Please open your diary so we can help.

    Also, you can add an alarm to your fridge for not too much money. That would wake you up!
  • SeahorseDolphin
    SeahorseDolphin Posts: 131
    Are you eating enough during the day? Are you exercising and hitting your macros? Are you eating more when you exercise?
  • SweeDecadence92
    SweeDecadence92 Posts: 218 Member
    I tend to have a big hearty bowl of soup with a slice of bread about 1-2 hours before I go to bed. I find that it really helps with the late night snacking...and usually it comes in at about 300 calories total, so it's not too taxing.

    I would recommend you do something similar?
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    What do you eat in a typical day? If you're starving yourself all day, of course you'll be hungry at night!
    Are you eating enough during the day? Are you exercising and hitting your macros? Are you eating more when you exercise?

    Valid points. Also, if you're breast feeding, are you making sure to eat those extra calories?

    I would take a look at what you're eating or missing during the day, first. If you're getting enough in the day, and still having this problem, then I would agree with the suggestions to slow you down/wake you up and to have only healthier snacks available.
  • Sarah4fitness
    Sarah4fitness Posts: 437 Member
    Eating only at night is an option. It's called intermittent fasting, and just might fit with your habits and lifestyle. Look into it, maybe.
  • candacet36
    candacet36 Posts: 353 Member
    I find that if I go home, change into my workout clothes and start dinner then I am good to go .... but if I don't set myself up with a plan and a routine I will derail and then the night is shot.

    I have to have a course of action. MOVE MOVE MOVE do something with your mind because chances are you are bored.
  • brenn24179
    brenn24179 Posts: 2,144 Member
    you might save enough calories for a protein bar or shake at night. I love to eat at night also but I tell myself I can have it tomorrow. Sometimes that works. Chew gum. Maybe up the protein, eat some cheese or tuna so you wont be so hungry. Just tell yourself NO ( I know easier said than done) but you want to fit into your clothes so you have to. It is a lot of work but worth it!
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    To lose weight you need to overall be in a calorie deficit. Meal timing has no effect on weight loss, so long as you're still in a deficit. I noticed I snack at night too and at first I let it get to me, as though getting up to eat meant I wasn't going to be successful. Then I read tons of posts stating it was okay to eat at night and reconciled with the idea as part of a calorie reduced plan. I have since:

    Tried some of my favorite new recipes for the first time at night
    Got my night time snack to typically 300 calories or less
    While this is still a time I look forward to, sometimes I'm lying awake thinking of all the yumminess and fall back asleep.

    I prefer to snack on items I need to make from scratch. Single serving of Cupcake brownie, mug cake, even a protein bar recently. Sipping on some hot tea while enjoying this goodness, oh yeah.

    Just don't beat yourself up over it. It very well become like any other chore you start procrastinating. In my case I usually hand wash the dishes while the cupcake is baking so, you know, Sometimes I strangely suddenly decide I'd rather sleep through the night than get my snack and wash dishes or clean the kitchen floor
  • aslrunner
    aslrunner Posts: 3
    I'm not a medical professional, but this sounds like a sleeping disorder. If I were you I'd have a sleep study done. There's a series of hormones your body releases to make you feel sleepy, slow down your digestive system, lower your body temp, ect. when it's time to sleep. Seems to me yours is being disrupted. With that said, I am one of those lucky folks who sleep through the night 8-9 hours every night. I know, I know. I wish everyone slept as well as I do. Each person is different and what seems abnormal to me, might be within the normal range of sleep patterns. So, ask your doctor. Good luck to you!
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Did you really mean you're not awake when you do this?
  • meversgerd0521
    meversgerd0521 Posts: 6 Member
    I am half awake like awake enough to remember but my defenses are down. It's not because I am hungry.
    I think it's partly from when I used to work the 3-11pm shift and I would eat a meal when I got off. My inner clock is off. I know I can not do it because when I have been on vacation with other people than my husband I won't do it. It's like become this horrible habit that I am feeling powerless over. I have to believe I can stop this though. I have tried counting what I snack on too.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Ok. Now I'm curious to know what these snacks might be. Sometimes people go berserk over eating a 200 calorie snack? Personally, I think just actually planning the snack as against something that just happens to you could be enough to make you regain a sense of control over your situation :smile: Repeat: the fact that you eat at night is nothing to be ashamed of, and won't necessarily hinder your weight loss progress
  • Madamqueen26
    Madamqueen26 Posts: 3 Member
    Oh I was having the late night hungers too. I eat a banana now. It is low in calories and sugar and carbs. I was surprised. If you have to eat a couple that is okay and it helps. I also am eating fewer and larger meals. It feels me up better. Don't know why. I was so frustrated before this.

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