Binge Eating at Night

Just rejoined and saw your note, I have been in the same situation many times Its because its an addiction to the sugar and you can't help it until you break the cycle. I saw a Dr/ recently and am pre diabetic with side effects. I have to do this to live. I have to give my my blood sugar every day and my meals it is helping so far. I also joined dr Hyman eat fat to lose weight program starting soon. We need all the support we can get. Don't give up, start reading and learning what sets you off. You are not alone and good luck!!

I can be really bad at this around when I'm premenstrual it undoes all my efforts. I've started making protein balls and 3 ingredient banana cacao and agave brownies so at least if it happens I'm not just eating rubbish. Or I'll take a banana to bed. It's hard x

I have struggled with this in the past to the point that I felt I was on the verge of binge eating disorder (BED).

My suggestions are below but I'll say up front that this is a complex area, and for some is routed in emotional eating as much as (as was for me) a more practical control issue. Be very careful and think hard about the frequency of your episodes and how they effect your life. If they are happening increasingly and/or some common sense tips such as those below do not improve the situation I would strongly advise you investigate BED thoroughly.

• Do not exclude any foods from your diet - there are no good foods or bad foods. It's just food.
• Do not set an unrealistic or rapid weight loss goal - slow and steady gives you more calories and ensures a better chance of adherence.
• Do not beat yourself up about a binge. Accept it and move on - Do not try to starve yourself back on track or spend a ridiculous amount of time working out to compensate.
• Allocate your daily calories wisely - allow yourself some treat style foods (within your calorific budget) and ensure that you have sufficient calories available to you at your danger times (for you that would be in the evening).

Best wishes

I struggle daily with this also! It's a terrible cycle and unfortunately usually emotional not necessarily about the food. Good luck and know your not alone!!

Find a dessert with a better profile like berries with whip cream, frozen banana coated with dark chocolate and rolled in peanut pieces or chopped apples with plain Greek yogurt vanilla and cinnamon. The fiber and protein will help you not get the huge sugar spike of a Girl Scout cookie.

Additional: I personally don't agree with the concept of tackling a craving with a healthier version. If I'm craving a slice of cake then a substitute is never going to hit the mark for me - I can eat something similar but lower in calories and I'll still want the cake!! In this instance I will promise myself a slice or really excellent quality cake soon, probably the next day or so. Or, if my diary permits, I'll have some cake there and then. Sometimes I intentionally work a few treats into my week to ensure that I don't start to crave something. I eat some chocolate nearly every day for example and did so even when eating 1600 cals per day (which is a deep cut for a 5 day per week gym going male).

There is a theory that some people develop trigger foods which, if they have one (in this example) slice of cake they will crave more and more. If this applies to you then my technique would obviously be void and you would be better substituting for something else. But, in that instance you will have to make the decision never to have that food again in your whole life (similar to an alcoholic with drink) or risk another binge or series of binges. Not a great position to be in.

Best wishes

SNYPorter wrote: »

Just rejoined and saw your note, I have been in the same situation many times Its because its an addiction to the sugar and you can't help it until you break the cycle. I saw a Dr/ recently and am pre diabetic with side effects. I have to do this to live. I have to give my my blood sugar every day and my meals it is helping so far. I also joined dr Hyman eat fat to lose weight program starting soon. We need all the support we can get. Don't give up, start reading and learning what sets you off. You are not alone and good luck!!

So much woo. There's no such thing as sugar addiction, but for me binge eating is a habit born out of lack of self respect. I'd just mentally disconnect from this body I love, and destroy it. I have had to make very small changes. The first is taking binge foods out of the house. We don't buy cookies or ice cream tubs anymore. We buy the single serve ice cream cups, 2 at a time (one for each of us), and if the need to have cookies comes up we will find a real bakery to have to buy them. So basically took out big servings of things (I mean, a whole box of cookies could be gone in seconds, but not of its not at home), and built in a roadblock to the binge behavior. I also no longer eat after 8pm. It started at 9:30, then moved it back as I got used to siting with my feelings and no food for a while.

Last night I had a rough day. I'd been told I *may* get to go home on time, or may have to stay until past my own bed time. I hate having my routine disrupted and even more so hate having less than 10 hrs between work shifts. It wasn't fair and it was definitely a binge type storm brewing. I ate dinner at work, and then at home I wanted to eat everything. But then I looked around, and there was nothing. We have whole foods, meals to be cooked, maybe some cheese that I could have just grabbed and eaten. But not having the binge foods available, I had a piece of toast (I was hungry), and that was it.

These tricks won't work for everyone but maybe something will spark in you. I just had to take away the ability to do it mindlessly, and then it becomes a choice. You either chose to binge or chose not to.

Oh, and staying busy in the evening has proven to be helpful as well. I actually bought Legos so I could just stack and unstack them while I watch a show so my hands don't want to go to my mouth as usual.

I have BED, and something that has really helped me cut down on my episodes is just staying out of the kitchen area and leaving the part of the house that has food in it. A little simple, and everyone's different, but "Out of sight, out of mind" really works for me.

This is what I've always struggled with. Generally I eat relatively okay or I certainly don't eat huge portions but it's the biscuits, crisps, chocolate that gets me.

Maybe an odd question but do you have breakfast?

Do you have a healthy snack during the morning/late afternoon?

The reason I ask is that when I was looking to break the snacking in the evening cycle I started eating healthy cereal for breakfast and having an apple about 11am. This meant that I ate lunch later which in turn pushed all my meals back later which meant I didn't want to snack late into the night as I'd just had my main meal. It worked very nicely for me

Awesome thread guys!!!! Im enjoying the read. I face this same issue, and came accross some wonderful solutions!!! Thanks!!!