Binging at Night

maybe you aren't eating enough? for the amount you are exercising, you might need to eat more. i noticed when i would binge it was because i was really really hungry and my body was like 'feed me!!'

try upping your calories for a day or two and see if that helps with the binging.

goodluck!!!!

B:flowerforyou:

A good rule is to stop eating 3 hours before bedtime. Your metabolism slows down before you go to sleep, so nighttime is the absolute worst time to eat. I usually go to bed around midnight, so I have a small snack around 9:00 p.m. and then drink a sleepytime tea if I'm getting cravings after that.

(And yeah, I used to do the cereal at night thing too...bad habit I started in college!)

I would make your last snack of the night something with slow digesting, i.e. casein protein. Either cottage cheese or a protein shake.You'll stay full and won't have the craving to binge.

I do the same thing. I have like 350 calories left at night but get really hungry before I fall asleep. Then I eat something, like chips or cereal to make me "feel" better.

I used to do this exact thing. You have two problems that are leading to this:
1) Carbs are literally, physically addictive. This is because they cause a spike in your blood sugar, leading to a release in endorphins and energy. Carbs are a "quick fix" too...meaning, when your body has low energy, carbs provide an instant boost. However, this leads to a crash later on, which signals to your body that it needs more carbs. It's a vicious cycle.

2) You're not rewarding yourself. Whenever I've deprived myself of too much "yummy stuff" and eaten nothing but low fat or fat free foods, my body gets ravenous. I kid you not...one time, it led to me eating an entire half an angel food cake, smothering each bite with peanut butter...and I was still fiending.

Solutions:
1) Keep alternatives readily available. Grapes, sliced apples or cantaloupe. Spend a little time getting this fruit, cutting it up and putting it into containers. Then, when you get this "sweet/full" craving, reach for the fruit instead. Doing this for a week or two will actually help break you of the addiction you had previously created. Another anti-carb trick I've learned is flavored sparkling water (strawberry, cherry, grape)...makes me feel like I'm sipping pop/indulging, but it was zero calories. Vitamin water zero in lemon is good too...tastes just like lemonade from the fair.
2) Panax Ginseng and whole grain rye: Panax ginseng can be either bought as a pill supplement, or as a small vial of liquid from most Asian specialty stores. The vials, you just mix in with another beverage, like tea. It's virtually tasteless. The whole grain rye can be found in breads and crackers. Has to be whole grain though. Each of these things prevent the spike in blood sugar that comes from eating. The ginseng should be consumed at the beginning of the day before your first meal, and will regulate the blood sugar for the rest of the day. The rye bread should (for a few weeks at least) replace your current bread/cereal/carb servings each day. When you crave carbs badly, make a piece of whole grain rye toast (i recommend Beefsteak brand - 80 cal-per-slice) with peanut butter (I recommend "Naturally More," which has flaxseed in it, less calories AND sugar than other PBs, is natural, and you can get it at Sam's and Wal-Mart).

Finally, experts aren't kidding about water. Your body gets cravings for food when it's thirsty, because it hopes whatever you eat will have H2O in some form in it. Two to three nalgenes per day, more if you're exercising. Also, when you get a craving, try sugar free gum. Or if nothing else, find something enjoyable to do. Go for a walk. Read a book. Create your own blog. Go on a photo adventure with your camera. etc.

Try these things diligently for a couple of weeks, and let me know how it goes for you. It worked for me.

P.S. I also meant to say to get jell-o pudding. They have sugar free and fat free boxes of mis in white chocolate, chocolate, cheesecake and pistachio. They are about $1. You mix them with two cups of skim milk, and you have four 1/2-cup (70-cal) servings of pudding. This not only is good for you because it has calcium, but it tastes like a reward...like dessert...and takes more time to eat. And since it's sugar free, it won't cause that dreadful spike.

It very well could be what dancingnancies said... When you're working out a lot, you do need to up your calories so that you aren't burning TOO much. Drastic weight change in too short a period of time will be hell to try to keep off in the long run anyway, so losing slower & more gradually usually works best.

Another problem is sometimes the psychological feeling of deprivation... If you keep telling yourself "I can't have that," then your brain will tell you it wants nothing but that. Everything in moderation. If you really want a bowl of cereal, let yourself have one bowl of cereal. The more you put off cravings, the worse the binge will be.