Night time eating... bored mouth?

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hoovified
hoovified Posts: 46 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone,
I am once again back after losing 10 pounds without tracking (I was trying to watch what I ate and slightly increased my exercise to avoid gaining even more, but wasn't really being serious about it)... I decided it's time to do this, for real especially since I'm already off to a good start. So, yesterday I woke up and started entering all my calories on MFP. It just like suddenly occurred to me that I CAN do this. I am not fond of counting/restricting calories. I do fine all day long and then at night time I want to eat all of the food in the house! I just want to eat and eat and eat at night time. Don't get me wrong, some days can be struggles for me too but at night I feel like everything is 100x worse.

My emotions are in check, I do pretty much the same things at night that I do during the day (lots of playing on my phone/tv watching/talking with family... sadly I am not very active - but that just means it won't take much to increase it right?) But every night, it's the same thing. Even if I am full, and I know I am full, I just want to stuff my face with anything and everything. I will drink water but it doesn't seem to kill the urge to eat. It's like my mouth is bored.

Does anyone have any tips on what to do? The past 2 nights I have been able to save 200 or so calories and eat smarter things instead of things like ice cream and chips... but I am worried about binge eating. If anyone has any ideas or tricks that helped them, please share!

Thank you! Sorry the post was so long. Also, I'm looking for friends to help each other along our journey. Anyone can add me! :)

Also, here are some stats:
Age: 24
Height: 5'3
CW: 287
SW: 297
GW: 180
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Replies

  • cookeylady
    cookeylady Posts: 147 Member
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    I taught myself to do something new. crochet, knit, play guitar. that way when I get bored I turn to one of those, also start with drinking some water sometime drinking water will help, distract your mind. busy hands and mind try something new to distract you. That is just works for me.
  • hoovified
    hoovified Posts: 46 Member
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    Thank you for your response! I don't have money to try something new like crocheting. Maybe I can start drawing or something like that to keep me busy. The problem is I still want to reach for something to eat. I want to eat at night time no matter what I do, it seems. But maybe if I consistently do different things instead my body will stop wanting the food so much? Here's hoping!
  • Cinarocket
    Cinarocket Posts: 49 Member
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    Why not just not buy any of the bad food that you may feel like snacking? It's easier for me because I live on my own but the turning point is when i'm food shopping. I try not to buy any chips/chocolate/candy but instead buy a ton of fruits.

    If i'm hungry at night i then eat fruit.

    Also this may not be best advice because there may be a negative body reaction related to how late you have dinner (haven't done my research on the subject) but i usually ate late at night (3-4 hours before bedtime). The smaller the gap is between your dinner and your sleep the less you'll feel hungry
  • platinumbabe65
    platinumbabe65 Posts: 11
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    At night I drink fizzy water with sugar free , low carb cordial in it , it helps me with wanting something sweet and fills me up .
    Also increased your fluids
  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
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    What I do, is have my last meal at around 7.30/ 8.00pm, and then try not eat until the following morning. I was a nighttime eater before that, and would fall into cycles of it. Eating a later dinner seems to help a lot, but also part of it is my current weight loss efforts, as I have a very real and visible goal I am concentrating on, and thus I have a clear reason not to eat at night. Before I think I just did it out of boredom a little, and part of the reason I didn't stop myself, is that I think I never really had a good and immediate reason to convince myself not to eat then.

    Oh, part of it is that I treat it like a fast now, so I will eat my last morsel of food by 8pm, and then not eat again until 10am the following morning, observing a 14 hour fast. Maybe this mindset might help you too :)

    ETA: my last evening meal is a protein rich one, such as meat/ fish and vegetables, so quite satiating. Oh, and presently I don't eat any sort of desserts or anything sweet after dinner that might inspire a craving/ taste for more :)
  • mundaycarroll
    mundaycarroll Posts: 64 Member
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    There are evenings that the same thing happens to me. Try reading a book to occupy your mind. That will some times work for me. But I also love to read. Another trick for me is if drinking plain water doesn't work then try drinking something like crystal light lemonade. Sometimes water just doesn't cut it and your body is just wanting a little flavor added. But there are always those days that nothing seems to work.
  • CynthiasChoice
    CynthiasChoice Posts: 1,047 Member
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    Are you eating enough protein during the day? After 40 years of dieting, I finally decided to start eating enough protein. It has made a dramatic difference in my appetite and cravings. I've done some research lately to discover why, and found that the protein Tyrosine can increase the production of dopamine in the brain. That's what diet pills do - increase dopamine.

    Best sources of tyrosine: tofu, lean turkey and chicken, fish, 1% fat cottage cheese, fava and lima beans, or any beans - in that order.
    If you eat saturated fat (mayo, butter, gravy) with your protein, it diminishes the dopamine production. The omega 3 fatty acids in fish don't interfere, however.

    Cravings can also come under control if you reduce or eliminate sugar (not fruit.) It's horribly hard to kick the habit, but I'm a lot happier when I'm not eating sugar. Go figure!
  • onefortyone
    onefortyone Posts: 531 Member
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    You can beat nighttime eating :) it is a bad habit just like anything else, and realising you're not truly hungry is the first step!

    I am a big emotional eater and night times are sometimes hard, but yours sounds like more of a comfort-eating thing. Perhaps you link the pleasure of the foods you're eating with the comfort of winding down at night, and so you don't feel 'comforted' without snacking. Going cold turkey for a set amount of time (say, a week) is usually enough to test whether you're actually in control of your eating, or whether you feel it has control over you. If you manage a week without any nighttime snacking, you might be good to start introducing a 200-calorie ish snack into your evening routine. I like eating a peanut butter sandwich in bed while watching House, but that might be weird.

    You might have weird symptoms like hunger pains right after eating and random specific cravings - but that's your body trying to trick you into doing what you have always done.

    Good luck on your journey! :)
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    If it's just a bad habit, you have to break it. Just stop eating at night. Do that for six weeks and then, if you want to snack at night, choose healthy snacks instead of junk food.

    If you cannot stop yourself and find you're eating against your will, consider visiting a therapist who specializes in eating disorders. They can help you work through your issues with food. It cannot hurt and would probably help.

    Good luck!
  • hoovified
    hoovified Posts: 46 Member
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    Thank you all so much for the ideas/suggestions. I live in a house with 4 other adults who are all obese. Simply "not buying" the fatty foods won't keep them out of my house. For example, the other day boxes of Twinkies were on sale for like 75 cents so my mom had to buy like 15 boxes of them. Wouldn't be so bad if my family ate them in moderation, but no one does - except me, I hardly had any.
    Anyways, I will have to look into my protein. I was mostly concentrating on keeping under my calories while making sure to eat filling things such as eggs and chicken. Today, day 3, seems easier. It's nearly 4 am and I haven't ate since 11:30. I still feel like I want to be eating something but not as badly as I normally do. I'm going to bed in a few minutes, so tonight the battle has been won! However I am wondering if my sleep schedule might have something to do with it? I am used to 3rd shift and sleep for 3rd shift... however, over the past year I've had a commitment that I needed to get up at 6:25 am 3-5 days a week. I get very little sleep those nights (1-3 hours) as I have trouble falling asleep. I usually end up taking naps during the day. On my off days I revert right back to third shift sleeping... falling asleep around 6/7 am and sleeping until 2.

    Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Has anyone been through it themselves or am I just weird? Lol
  • powerpigeon
    powerpigeon Posts: 46
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    I'm an evening snacker too, but I'm learning how to get a handle on it.

    What is it that you're reaching for? Is it dipping into popcorn or crisps sitting in front of the TV? Something sweet after your evening meal? Are you actually hungry? Are you just used to doing something with your hands?

    I'm one for something sweet after dinner, but I've found that a square of good quality dark chocolate, and a fruit tea, gives me the sweet hit without putting away heaps of calories. It's a treat, but a controlled one.

    See if you find a better version of whatever it is you're reaching for, or maybe take up a hobby you can do in the evenings to keep your hands and mind busy. Drawing, some sort of craft? Could you find an exercise class to go to in the evenings?
  • hoovified
    hoovified Posts: 46 Member
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    I am reaching for anything and everything. The other day I made a hamburger, loaded it with veggies and no bread - it fit in my calories! Yesterday I grabbed popcorn. I think what I'm going to do is just keep saving a few hundred calories from the day for my night time snacking and making sure I don't eat more after that lol. That seemed to work so far. Also, I do want to start adding in exercise but that only helps for so long lol. I can't take a class as I have to be super careful with how I work out, due to an injury. Thank you for your response! Much appreciated.
  • independant2406
    independant2406 Posts: 447 Member
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    Could you maybe move your dinner to a time later at night so you'll feel full before bed? I usually have dinner around 7-8pm and I'm in bed by 10pm. I don't usually feel hungry in those last few hours especially if I have both protein and carbs with dinner.

    This is what keeps me from having the night time munchies. :)
  • hoovified
    hoovified Posts: 46 Member
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    No, that doesn't matter for me. I eat dinner and then I want to eat more anyway. I just have to suck it up and try to break the habit of always munching on something, like some of you guys have said. Thanks again everyone!
  • SteveMFP123
    SteveMFP123 Posts: 298 Member
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    Why not just not buy any of the bad food that you may feel like snacking? It's easier for me because I live on my own but the turning point is when i'm food shopping. I try not to buy any chips/chocolate/candy but instead buy a ton of fruits.

    If i'm hungry at night i then eat fruit.

    Also this may not be best advice because there may be a negative body reaction related to how late you have dinner (haven't done my research on the subject) but i usually ate late at night (3-4 hours before bedtime). The smaller the gap is between your dinner and your sleep the less you'll feel hungry

    That's exactly what I'm doing. I have very little willpower and if you put a delicious lemon cake and custard in front of me I will eat it, so I just don't buy it or anything else unhealthy. Now if I get hungry or bored in the night my option is fruit, water or cracker-bread.
  • hoovified
    hoovified Posts: 46 Member
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    That's exactly what I'm doing. I have very little willpower and if you put a delicious lemon cake and custard in front of me I will eat it, so I just don't buy it or anything else unhealthy. Now if I get hungry or bored in the night my option is fruit, water or cracker-bread.

    I can' t do that... too many other junk food loving adults live in this house with me. Luckily I am pretty good at resisting temptation, at least most of the time. I can definitely see how that would help but it just isn't an option for me, unfortunately :(
  • astroophys
    astroophys Posts: 175 Member
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    How about a cup of herbal tea?
  • FoogooFish
    FoogooFish Posts: 54 Member
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    Brush your teeth! I've found that eating my evening meal and then brushing/flossing/Listerine-ing keeps me from undoing that minty fresh goodness. =)
  • SteveMFP123
    SteveMFP123 Posts: 298 Member
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    That's exactly what I'm doing. I have very little willpower and if you put a delicious lemon cake and custard in front of me I will eat it, so I just don't buy it or anything else unhealthy. Now if I get hungry or bored in the night my option is fruit, water or cracker-bread.

    I can' t do that... too many other junk food loving adults live in this house with me. Luckily I am pretty good at resisting temptation, at least most of the time. I can definitely see how that would help but it just isn't an option for me, unfortunately :(

    I honestly don't think I could stick to my diet if the house was full of junk, it must make it 10x harder for you.
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
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    That's exactly what I'm doing. I have very little willpower and if you put a delicious lemon cake and custard in front of me I will eat it, so I just don't buy it or anything else unhealthy. Now if I get hungry or bored in the night my option is fruit, water or cracker-bread.

    I can' t do that... too many other junk food loving adults live in this house with me. Luckily I am pretty good at resisting temptation, at least most of the time. I can definitely see how that would help but it just isn't an option for me, unfortunately :(

    I honestly don't think I could stick to my diet if the house was full of junk, it must make it 10x harder for you.
    Some people are better at self control than others. My husband keeps snacks in the house all the time (as he should be able to), but it's my decision not to eat them.

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