good all day then binge at night!

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johambini
johambini Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a great day logging my meals and staying within my calories, then it all falls apart in the evenings! I can't blame it on being premenstrual and I know I shouldn't do it but I end up raiding the children's crisps and snack food! I can't just eat one bag of crisps or one chocolate bar. It's all or nothing it seems. Afterwards I always feel rubbish from the carb and sugar overload! Any tips?

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  • st476
    st476 Posts: 357 Member
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    Eat less earlier in the day to save calories for later. Pre log your day and log snacks for the afternoon so you already have them planned out and everything. You might want to try intermittent fasting (16:8), it's where people fast for 16 hours including sleep (so if your last meal was at 8pm, you would eat again at 12pm the next day) and then they only eat during a specific "eating window". This way your food intake isn't as spread out so you can eat more in a shorter period of time, not to mention fasting apparently has some good benefits if you want to look into it. It works for some people, it doesn't work for others :smile:
  • Phoenix4me18
    Phoenix4me18 Posts: 133 Member
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    I struggle with the same issue! Lately I have been trying to have an earlier dinner and just trying to breathe through the moments when I want to just want to eat everything in sight. I also recently increased my calories. After months of following recommendations from a health coach I realized that my calories were just way too low - like less than 1200 some days!! So, I bumped them up to 1350 in the hopes that by eating a little more I will feel less tempted at night.

    Just wanted you to know you aren't alone! Hang in there!
  • ziggy2006
    ziggy2006 Posts: 255 Member
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    If you must give your children crisps and chocolate bars, try to choose flavors/types that you don't care for as much as possible. Try to limit the amount of snacks like this that you keep on hand and increase the amount of healthier snacks that you keep available for the kids.

    My family keeps some foods available. For me, the calories for those foods just aren't worth it. So, in my mind, that is not my food. Eating it isn't an option, because it is their food, not mine. I have plenty of snacks that are delicious and helpful in allowing me to achieve my goals. Those things are my food, and eating it is part of my plan.

    All or nothing thinking is a cognitive distortion. It is important to recognize when your thinking is distorted, acknowledge that it isn't based in reality, and work to change those thoughts so that your thinking is clear. While you are not in the moment, come up with some possible plans that might work for you when you want to raid the children's snacks. Have a few alternative plans, such as planning to eat one chocolate bar or bag of crisps, having a healthier substitute that is a delicious treat, part of your plan, and still in line with your goals, or planning to substitute a different activity if you are eating out of boredom or habit rather than hunger, such as going for a walk or engaging in a hobby you enjoy. Try out the various plans until you learn what works. The more you practice resisting distorted thinking, the easier it becomes to stay clear and reality-based.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited July 2016
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    Sound like you are not eating enough during the day. Plus it does take some self control to stay true to your goals. It really is all about choice.

    Eat filling meals that contain plenty of protein, healthy fats and plenty of fiber. This can help you with satiety, keeping you fuller longer. You can pre-log one bag of crisps but sense this is a trigger for binging, then I would do away with allowing my self to have these at all. Create you another snack idea that you can pre-log and eat instead.
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
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    johambini wrote: »
    I have a great day logging my meals and staying within my calories, then it all falls apart in the evenings! I can't blame it on being premenstrual and I know I shouldn't do it but I end up raiding the children's crisps and snack food! I can't just eat one bag of crisps or one chocolate bar. It's all or nothing it seems. Afterwards I always feel rubbish from the carb and sugar overload! Any tips?

    Stop doing it... think of where you'd be today if you made the decision not to do this any more and actual focus on your nutrition a year ago on this day.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    edited July 2016
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    Learn to make tasty and satisfying meals.

    Bottom line though... you got to want to lose weight more than you want the food. No advice in the world will help you with that if you don't want it enough. It has to come from you.
  • mean_jeannie
    mean_jeannie Posts: 44 Member
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    Go to bed! Then you won't eat.

    Also, don't have that stuff in your house. You want your kids to be healthy too, I'd imagine. If it's not there, then no one can suffer from it.
  • Intentional_Me
    Intentional_Me Posts: 336 Member
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    I struggle with this and intermittent fasting by Saving All My calories for the afternoon works well for me. I do not eat until around lunch time and quit around 8pm. If after that you're still really wanting to eat to go bed lol
  • NinaKSanghera
    NinaKSanghera Posts: 5 Member
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    I used to struggle with this too but someone once told me I wasn't eating enough during the day so I was still hungry by the evening and it was harder to resist food that wasn't good for me. Since I joined MFP, I've noticed that my meals add up to around 1000 calories leaving me plenty of room for a small treat every day. My meals were never the problem, it was junk food: I wouldn't eat breakfast, have a salad for lunch and then eat around 2500 calories in junk food after dinner!

    I measure everything and scan bar codes wherever possible and I don't go over my calorie limits. It's like I've read above, you need to learn how to feed yourself healthier, lower calorie food so you can eat more of it to satisfy yourself. Today I've had:

    Porridge with semi skimmed milk
    Salad with tuna, avocado and light mayo
    An apple and a pear

    I went for a brisk 20 minute walk with the dog this morning so this leaves me with around 800 calories for dinner and a snack.

    I've lost 8 pounds in 3 weeks and I intend to carry on losing until I've reached my goal weight. I've got a long way to go but I'm confident now that I'll get there. Feel free to add me for inspiration for meals.

    Nina xx
  • reinventingjessica11
    reinventingjessica11 Posts: 33 Member
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    Are you eating enough during the day? I've found that if I don't eat enough, and am low on protein I tend to go a bit crazy. Also, try not to think in an all or nothing mindset. I actually went through treatment for binge eating and I've learned that the best approach for me is to make sure I eat whole foods, eat enough, and allow myself a treat that I really want when I want it. I make sure it fits into my plan for the day, track it and move on. It's definitely helped as I haven't binged in over a year.
  • johambini
    johambini Posts: 5 Member
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    Hi guys!
    Thanks for all the great ideas and sharing your experiences. I have already raised my calorie intake up to 1350 per day. I have also tried to go to bed 1 hr earlier, so I don't get the alien hand syndrome happening! I'm sure it's evening boredom. I have cross stitch to do, to keep hands busy and my giant fruit bowl is sat next to the crisp bag! I only have a stone to lose but it's like one step forward then two steps back.
    I have omelette with ham for breakfast, tuna salad or similar for lunch and a mainly protein tea such as chicken and roasted vegetables. I snack on various fruits in between the 3 meals so I do generally eat well. Just these psychological binges I'd like to do away with. It's self sabotage! Lol
  • AshleyMFitness16
    AshleyMFitness16 Posts: 545 Member
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    I've struggled with this too, some days more than others. I believe it's because I don't have the temptation while I'm at my office. But when I have junk around the house for my son, it's always calling my name from the pantry! A few things I've found that have helped -
    1 - Don't have junk in the house! No matter how many times I walk to the pantry, no crap food is going to magically show up there.
    2 - While buying stuff for my son, I try to get stuff I don't like. For instance, I'm a sucker for fruit snacks, but he loves this kind that I really don't like so I always try to buy those!
    3 - If you're actually feeling hungry, drink a cup of water, make a healthy choice, eat it SLOWLY - don't devour, then hopefully you'll be proud of yourself for making the good decision and won't want to mess it up with junk!
    4 - If you aren't even really hungry just are craving some kind of junk, try doing a home workout or going out for a run/walk. I never want junk food after I workout, so that's a big help for me.
  • MarkR_2013
    MarkR_2013 Posts: 43 Member
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    Righty with you. My sweet tooth + the kids over sweetened crap + the Wife's salty snack tooth + late nights = Dang it! I'm trying to cut down on sweet stuff in general during the day since it seems to correlate to late night snacks. Going to bed early also helps

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