Binging at Night

kafoteh
kafoteh Posts: 18
edited September 26 in Food and Nutrition
I've been working out with a trainer 3 days a week and myself for 2 days a week. I've developed a meal plan that includes 5 meals a day. I seem to do very well, BUT recently, I've been binging at night.

I tend to binge on cereal (2,3...sometimes 4 bowls). I tried keeping it out of my house, but found myself in the grocery line one night with a box and soy milk at hand. I know this is undoing everything I'm working hard for, but I can't seem to put the spoon down. HELP! Any ideas on how to completely stop binging at night?

Thanks!

Replies

  • Kate_UK
    Kate_UK Posts: 1,299 Member
    It won't help break the habit, but I know that I like to snack in the evening, so I leave a certain amount of calories for after 7 pm to make up for it.
  • dancingnancies
    dancingnancies Posts: 255 Member
    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:
  • kerri76
    kerri76 Posts: 45 Member
    I wish I could help but I have the same damn problem. I do GREAT at work and as soon as I get home, I want to eat everything I possibly can. It is so frustrating.
  • BaronessBlixen
    BaronessBlixen Posts: 56 Member
    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!)
  • Cereal is my guilty pleasure!! I don't want to deny myself of my late night cereal, so I don't. I just make sure I have the calories for it and it works fine for me.
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    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.
  • rhirvo
    rhirvo Posts: 162 Member
    Put a picture of what you want to look like on all the cereal boxes... And think of all those hard workouts when you were almost at the point of barfing.... It helps me but if you really need to eat - try cottage cheese or another low fat dairy instead of cereal it burns better while sleeping then the carby cereal!
  • 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.
  • antfefe6
    antfefe6 Posts: 32
    Sometimes when I am really tired I want to binge. It's like I don't want to go to sleep so I eat to keep myself awake.
  • SarahDeeGee
    SarahDeeGee Posts: 12 Member
    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.
  • timmy2strikes
    timmy2strikes Posts: 99 Member
    Save some calories so you can eat ONE bowl of cereal and make sure you drink a very tall glass of water before the cereal and then drink as much water as you can after the cereal to help fill your stomache up. Another trick of mine is to chew a piece of gum instead of eating if the water does not work. It's hard but you can do it. oh... by the way... do the water early enough so you are not up all night running to the bathroom. LOL
  • SarahDeeGee
    SarahDeeGee Posts: 12 Member
    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.
  • timmy2strikes
    timmy2strikes Posts: 99 Member
    SarahBush 11... I am glad to see someone else that does the gum trick. LOL... I do it more during the day at work instead of snacking on all the food around the office. It works great.
  • kafoteh
    kafoteh Posts: 18
    Thank you all, this is great advice! I will keep you posted. After some research, I think I'm going to head over to GNC and find Panax Ginseng & a protein mix. I think I may be eating too few calories during the day. A protein shake should help right?

    What are some favorites?
  • nikkishai
    nikkishai Posts: 407 Member
    I'm late to this thread, but my advice is to figure out what you enjoy the most during the cereal binges... is it the sweetness of the cereal, the cold refreshing milk, or the convenience of making it? Once you figure that out, substitute it with something healthier that you can equally enjoy.

    EX: I would binge on a box of cheez its and bold chex mix. I would start out with good intentions by dividing them in servings, but would end up going back for more and more until the box is gone (usually an hour later). I discovered that I like cheesy and salty snacks, so my substitute is cheddar sticks. I'd have one after my workout, savor every bite, then move on to my normal healthy eating habits. I'm still weak and tend to snack when I'm bored. So I don't keep any "open and eat" foods in my house. Hope that helps some...
  • JAGfilm
    JAGfilm Posts: 3 Member
    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.
  • kafoteh
    kafoteh Posts: 18
    Second night without binging! I came home from work craving some cereal and had a small small bowl of Kashi Go Lean Crunch before my training session. Not too bad!

    I'm feeling so much better and energized in the morning! Thanks again for all the advice.
This discussion has been closed.