Over Coming Night Time Binges

mustang52
mustang52 Posts: 22
edited September 23 in Motivation and Support
I'm looking for advise on how to kick the night-time binging habit. Now that I have been tracking my eating habits for the last few weeks, I've noticed that I am an angel during the day but come night-time (after 7pm) the devil comes out. I am raiding the cupboards for something sweet or salty and I am not even hungry!!! I've tried munching on something "healthy", drinking tea with sweetener, So far, with the "junk" food I have consumed, I have managed to stay within my daily calorie range, but from past experience, I know I will throw in the towel and tell myself that "tomorrow is another day to start over" and it never happens!!

Any advise/suggestions would be SO MUCH appreciated.

Thanks,

Melissa

Replies

  • I am totally with you on this! That is exactly my problem. I workout hard, I eat healthy all day, and then a couple hours after dinner I get struck by the binge monster. Last night was this first night in a long time I didn't snack after dinner- and this morning I woke up soooooo happy.

    So that's my new inspiration. Knowing what it feels like to wake up in the morning after not binging vs. how terrible I feel the next morning after I do.

    Hopefully, that will do it. :)
  • HW2Hottie
    HW2Hottie Posts: 100
    Try eating a bigger breakfast, healthy of course, I have had the same issue and the 100 calorie snack pack is good right before bed. Try one that doesn't have chocolate, like the Hunny Maid Thin Crips or the Chex Mix one. They are not too expensive and come in 6-8 packs.

    Stay Motivated!!
  • JenSpinnaChick
    JenSpinnaChick Posts: 104 Member
    OMG that was and sometimes still is my downfall. The only thing I could do to help myself was to go upstairs to my bedroom to watch TV at night, away from the kitchen....The other thing I could do when it got too bad was to go to bed. Sometimes I'd be in bed by 8:30, not saying its the right thing but you know what you can and can't trust yourself with.
  • I have also had these troubles and have found to continue to lower carb. intake and you will not get hungry between meals. Its the lower blood sugar level causing you to get hungry. Eat more often, smaller meals.
  • jaycee76
    jaycee76 Posts: 325 Member
    I am the same so I have made up some sugar free Jelly. Its only 8 Calories per serving! It should keep my mind happy a little I hope

    Good Luck x
  • life1979_24
    life1979_24 Posts: 147 Member
    give yourself fail safes. have healthy snacks ready to grab.
  • I have the same BAD Habit! I eat clean, healthy good meals then when night time comes I want to eat junk! I've nowstarted saving some calories for early evening snacking. I eat 1 bag of 100 calorie popcorn and a piece of dark chocolate, that way I'm still gettting rid of the urge but I'm doing in a better way (at least I think) Good luck to you...it's such a hard habit to break :sad:
  • IrishChik
    IrishChik Posts: 465 Member
    First thing I did was clean out my cabinets. If there was nothing there for me to eat then I would end up finding something else to do. It is really a mind over matter thing. When it is the same time every night, its just a habit that needs to be broken. If these other things are not working for you try something else. Go for a walk. Read a book. Find something inspirational on TV. Get online and visit these or other weight loss forums. Help people. Volunteer your time. Take up a hobby. Knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking. Anything that will take your mind off of it and make a new habit! I suffered with a binge eating disorder, so I have been there. I *do* keep an air popper in my house and popcorn kernels. When I really need something to much, I pop a couple of tablespoons and then eat 1 piece at a time. You would be surprised, as silly as it sounds, how the process of making the popcorn, waiting for it to pop, and eating one at a time can really help push through the nighttime eating mindset.
  • Laceylala
    Laceylala Posts: 3,094 Member
    One of the first things I log in the morning, if I've been in one of those night time bingey kind of moods, is a skinny cow icecream sandwich. It helps me to concentrate on eating good through out the day and also have something to look forward to at night, knowing its my one thing.
    I think if you pick some sort of night time treat and log it then you will find it would work as well.
  • I have the same problem. I was even raiding the fridge last night for low fat string cheese! Anything to get the edge off that wasn't ice cream! I try to play a game with myself and say - I will have a snack tomorrow night, just not tonight. Sometimes I too run to my bedroom to avoid the dreaded kitchen!! Sometimes I start cleaning. The problem with me is that I work out at night, so I am wide awake and bored and start looking for things to eat even if I am not hungry. It's a battle, but you can always get some sugar free jello to have on hand to give you a little treat. I am making some tonight!
  • yanicka
    yanicka Posts: 1,004 Member
    Get rid of the tempatations, if it's not in the house, you have less chance to binge. Plan your day so that you can have something at night. I know a person that put post it on her fridge and pantry "what you are looking for is not in here" Worked for her. Drink plenty of water. Eat enought during the day. One last thing is you have to be willing to be uncomfortable, it's the only way to break a bad habit.....as time pass it will be easier
  • EDesq
    EDesq Posts: 1,527 Member
    Hey There:
    Have you tried not having the snacks around...keep the cupboard bare. If that's no good, how about keeping substitutes, like: Baked Potato Chips or Doritos (for Me, this will KILL a Crave!), low salt chips with low salt salsa, of course diet soda or drinks; I LOVE the low fat Edy's Ice Cream (at the store I go to I can buy it by the cup-5.5 oz=150/160 calories; I get a cup as a treat now and then and never buy more than one at a time.) Sugar free cookies are good but the caloric intake is as high as regular cookies; try sugar free mints. Sometimes planning a treat is better than having it sneak up on you...It's better to eat a Snickers Bar and a cup of coffee instead of getting a little something here and there that will add up to 2 or 3 times as much.

    Sometimes we have to re-examine what healthy eating is...For Me, I add in a "treat" but it is within My caloric and sodium intake for the week, because daily needs will vary.
  • EDesq
    EDesq Posts: 1,527 Member
    To Yanika:
    I LIKE That Saying, "We have to be willing to be uncomfortable." That resonated in Me...that is the word I was looking for to describe the feelings I have sometimes (Uncomfortable.) Now that I can describe the feeling better, I feel I can handle it better! Thanks
  • yanicka
    yanicka Posts: 1,004 Member
    To Yanika:
    I LIKE That Saying, "We have to be willing to be uncomfortable." That resonated in Me...that is the word I was looking for to describe the feelings I have sometimes (Uncomfortable.) Now that I can describe the feeling better, I feel I can handle it better! Thanks

    your welcome :wink:
  • Thank you everyone for the advise. This is SO much appreciated!

    I'm going to re-read all the replies, and follow through one by one. If one doesn't work for me, I will go to the next. The only option I don't have is cleaning out the cupboards. Even though my husband and children are very supportive, I can't deprive them of what they enjoy.

    So first on my list....going to bed early!!! :bigsmile:

    Thanks again! :flowerforyou:
  • I grew up always having dessert and that has stuck with me. I've been doing what a lot of you have suggested so that I can still have my nighttime snack and stay withing my allowable daily intake.

    1- Get rid of all the bad junk food in the house and don't buy anymore at the store.
    2- Find some healthier/lower calorie alternative snacks that you like (such as sugar-free jello or sugar-free pudding, or air-popped popcorn - you can even do this in your microwave with a plain brown lunch bag, or rice krispie treat bars, or 100 calorie ice cream cups, or plain animal crackers, or veggie straws, or Stew Leonard's rice cakes, or Fudgsicle Pops, or a banana... well, you get the idea.)
    3- Move around more. The more calories you burn, the more likely it is those (hopefully healthier) snacks won't be a detriment to your goal

    If having those snacks are a part of who you are, it's sometimes easier to accept that about yourself, plan it into your total calories for the day, and surround yourself with snacky food that won't set you back.
  • murf19
    murf19 Posts: 453 Member
    What I do is enter snacks ahead of time. Sometimes I'll have them and sometimes I get to delte them. This shows you what your numbers will be. Then work backwards. This helps me. I may skip something during the day because I may want it again later.
  • karriecook
    karriecook Posts: 84 Member
    I do that, too. I plan a couple of evening snack options in advance that fit in my calorie goal. Often I find I'm thirsty instead of hungry. I usually have a big glass of crystal light water first and if I'm still hungry I will eat my planned snack.
  • msamcoates
    msamcoates Posts: 261 Member
    Well I feel your pain as well and also can't get rid of the snacks due to hubby and child. So what I do is get other types of snacks. If your an ice cream person, get skinny cow. If your a chips person, get baked chips. If its just sweets period, then plan for it earlier. I usually try to put things on my diary beforehand so that I can stick with it. Then of course go to bed! I usually have a water bottle next to my bed so that I won't get up and go in the fridge.
  • I have the same problems too. It's so easy to snack after the sun goes down!

    I try and keep my hands busy. I'm a crafter so there are plenty of things I can do to occupy my mind. If I have crochet hooks or punch-needle embroidery loops in my hands, it's rather hard to eat something.

    Also, everytime I think I'm hungry I chug a big glass of water...It fills you up fast. If you're still hungry after a glass or two of water...then you probably are actually hungry and not just giving into bad habits.

    Good luck!
  • dlaplume2
    dlaplume2 Posts: 1,658 Member
    Maybe you want them because you keep telling yourself you can't have them. If you plan your day for it then why not let yourself have it?

    I have given up a lot of bad foods. I save some calories for after dinner and if I want it I have a hot chocolate. That's my thing. What is it you want that you keep saying you can't have? Try a lighter version of it and save it for only at night. Do not have it at any other time during the day. It will give you incentive to do good for the rest of the day if you know you have some small treat at the end of the day.

    It might also make you eat a little lighter at dinner if you don't feel like your getting your last meal of the day, and are afraid to go hungry in the night.
  • rinren84
    rinren84 Posts: 82 Member
    I have this same problem as well. Last night was really bad. It's usually worse when I don't work out that day. I decided to drink some water, go to bed early and read for a while and it got my mind off of it. Then I got sleepy and there was no issue. I do however wake up in the middle of the night sometimes and crave sugar and chocolate. I keep little bites of things because if I deny myself it I will go crazy. So like a low fat peppermint patty miniature or a hershey's with almonds mininature. Something small but it eases the craving. Maybe some day the cravings will go away completely!!!
  • krislshoe
    krislshoe Posts: 459 Member
    Nightime is my worst as well......I always save some calories for a healthy snack....if I want sweet or chocolate I have a bowl of kellogs chocolately delight cereal or if I want salty I have a bag of orville redenbachers natural salt and pepper or lime and salt flavored popcorn.......and waking up the next morning and knowing I overcame that nightime binge of unhealthy food makes me sooooo happy!
  • Maybe you want them because you keep telling yourself you can't have them. If you plan your day for it then why not let yourself have it?

    I have given up a lot of bad foods. I save some calories for after dinner and if I want it I have a hot chocolate. That's my thing. What is it you want that you keep saying you can't have? Try a lighter version of it and save it for only at night. Do not have it at any other time during the day. It will give you incentive to do good for the rest of the day if you know you have some small treat at the end of the day.

    It might also make you eat a little lighter at dinner if you don't feel like your getting your last meal of the day, and are afraid to go hungry in the night.
  • That really makes sense! Thank you!!!

    I also like the ideas of recording your snacks at the beginning of the day, and deleting what is not used by days end.

    Thanks again to all of you for your advise.

    M
  • Sounds strange, but best tip I ever got is to brush your teeth. That's helped me alot.
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