STOP! (night time eating support)

Hi! I keep screwing up at night....grrrr! I would love to be able to come here n type my temptations away, grumble, ask for help, etc. If you would too, let's be here for each other and get through it. Anyone?! Thank you!!!!!
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Replies

  • LaRelicHunter
    LaRelicHunter Posts: 38 Member
    I go to sleep early.
    Can't eat if your sleeping.
    No really I have family support that helps.
    I guess everyone is different with self control.
    If I binged after 45 days and 27 pounds down I would be mentally distraught for weeks!
    Mind over food.
  • db58johnson
    db58johnson Posts: 11 Member
    Thank all for ur mssgs! I have been dealing w my weight all my life. It's really frustrating to not have this one figured out. Ewestberg it sounds like we need to tackle this head on. I will check this post in the evenings starting tonight. Maybe u can do the same. If u r struggling, ready to eat stuff u know u shouldnt, or already did...reach out n I will support u. That's what I need to. I can tell u that at the end of the night I love to relax n snack...but I'm mad after I do it. If I have calories left I always go way past. So, again, grrrrrr! I need to focus on how I will feel in the morning vs how the food gives that instant gratification when I'm snuggled up w my tea n a good show or ready to crochet or chatting w family. Immediately afterwards I wish I hadn't eaten. We can do this! Tell me more about what ur up against at night, too!!!!!
  • Reaverie
    Reaverie Posts: 405 Member
    I don't have night time snacking issues (cause I don't have snacks for one and I clean the kitchen for another.. and I like sleeping..9pm is my bedtime), but dinner time I can easily pack away over a thousand calories. I can skip bfast, lunch, pick at snack time and my scores look AWESOME.. then dinner comes along.. I pack it away at dinner. I binge at dinner. I told my sister in law and brother (main cooks since I clean the house), to stop cooking for me completely. I'll be on my own. This will insure that my laziness will prevent me from overeating.
  • db58johnson
    db58johnson Posts: 11 Member
    Reaverie good luck. Let us know if ur plan works!!!!!!!!
  • str5wberrysp1ce
    str5wberrysp1ce Posts: 14 Member
    Reaveeie: that was my issue too!! Once I started eating a good breakfast and decent lunch it slowed down. My problem now is snacking after dinner, but I'm going to try brushing my teeth right after and see if that helps. Good luck and let us know if your plan works.
  • db58johnson
    db58johnson Posts: 11 Member
    Well it's 9 pm. And I'm watching tv. And I'm wondering what I can snack on. So here's my chance. I will be up for another two hours. I want to relax, not keep busy doing something random so I don't eat, know what I mean?! Wish me luck!!!!
  • db58johnson
    db58johnson Posts: 11 Member
    Well I ate. I had a fiber bar, a protein bar and some chocolate covered cacao nibs n I'm done. I'm stopping when otherwise I might have more so I'm focusing on that. Was at a friends tonight and there were bowls of m&m S out. I had some and I'm feeling the residual cravings. Sigh. But I know I'm done for tonight and won't snack any more. Over my calories for sure. Sigh. Thx for reading n for ur support!
  • avielosesit
    avielosesit Posts: 79 Member
    Well I ate. I had a fiber bar, a protein bar and some chocolate covered cacao nibs n I'm done. I'm stopping when otherwise I might have more so I'm focusing on that. Was at a friends tonight and there were bowls of m&m S out. I had some and I'm feeling the residual cravings. Sigh. But I know I'm done for tonight and won't snack any more. Over my calories for sure. Sigh. Thx for reading n for ur support!

    Sounds like you made a good improvement! It's ok, it's a journey. Tonight when you want to snack, remember how you had a smaller snack yesterday and it really wasn't all that bad.

    This is a huge problem for me. I've started a few things:

    1. Eating my calorie allowance by dinner time
    Having even 100 calories left over gives me the green light to snack, and I always end up over.
    2. staying out of the kitchen and going to sleep early (my 2yo wakes up at 5am so it works!). If I do go in the kitchen, it almost always ends in regret and going over calories.
  • db58johnson
    db58johnson Posts: 11 Member
    Reaverie and strawberry spice hiws it going?!
  • simmoner4
    simmoner4 Posts: 131 Member
    I have the same problem I always snack at night. When I start getting breakfasts and lunches ready at night for the next day it throws me off and I can't stop! I justify it by saying that I'll run it off the next morning but I know it isn't really healthy for me to snack on junk right before bed. Any advice????
  • clutterqueen
    clutterqueen Posts: 1,652 Member
    Nighttime snacking is definitely my downfall. I exercise without fail or excuses but I can't seem to stop the snacking! In fact I just started logging again after going off the wagon for a few months! Feel free to add me if you want an accountability partner!

  • autumng31
    autumng31 Posts: 1 Member
    I stay busy, I teach so it's easy to stay busy because I have so much to do. I also try not go downstairs after 8:00. I go yo bed at 9:00. If I have to eat, I keep berries on hand.
  • drakeshattuck
    drakeshattuck Posts: 50 Member
    I used to have this problem. I would go to bed and think about cooking, I like to cook as a hobby and eventually I'd have to get up and eat because I could not sleep. Finally I started planning to eat dinner late at night before bed. I consume all of my calories between 4:00 pm and 12:00 Midnight. I go to bed a bit later than most folks. I've had great success with this. One Soy Milk latte in the morning and I'm good until 4pm. I have lost 38 pounds in about 4 months. This has made my life great because I really have adapted to not eating in the day when I'm busy. I lived in Spain in the 1980's and their common time for eating their last meal is 11pm and obesity there at that time was very rare.

    A common meal I eat is Salmon (6-8 oz), blot dry, coat with olive oil (1tsp), ad seasoning and bake in the oven at 400 for 13 minutes. I eat that along with 1 cup of sweet potatoes. This give me fat, carbs and protein. It digests easily and most importantly I sleep and don't think about food.

    Oh, and also I eventually started working out at 8pm because I was tired of the crowds at the gym, so I'm not if front of a screen being tempted.
  • CassondraKennedy
    CassondraKennedy Posts: 229 Member
    I don't know if this would help, but I've started leaving about 200 calories for night time snacks. I really enjoy ice cream after dinner or a handful of M&M's, so when I have the calories left, I'm more likely to measure out my night snack, log it, and stay within my calories. So far, it's been very successful and I haven't felt as deprived as I did when I was trying not to snack at all! For those who have trouble stopping once they start, this might not be the best strategy, but if you do well with structure (like me) and can allow yourself a limited amount, I'd say give it a shot!

    On another note, have you tried keeping overly tempting snacks out of the house? If you have a weakness food that you can't stop eating once you've started, try getting it out of the house. It might help to just put some distance between yourself and the temptations!
  • smoserenity
    smoserenity Posts: 3 Member
    This is the worst! I have the same challenge. I can make excellent choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner but it's like my willpower evaporates moments after dinner. My current plan of attack to kick this habit is to plan my night time snacks like I plan the rest of my day. I figure if I portion out cantaloupe and berries for sweet cravings or celery with pre-measured nut butter for salty days, I can snack without thinking about it. My thought process is I have replaced poor mindless snacking choices with things that are helping me meet my goals of eating more fruits or veggies. Wish me luck because I have years of poor after dinner choices under my belt and this is proving a tough habit to break. The "kitchen is closed" idea only worked on days I could talk myself into it which wasn't a new habit former for me. Feel free to add me if you want an evening lifeline to check in with.
  • drakeshattuck
    drakeshattuck Posts: 50 Member
    edited February 2017
    simmoner4 wrote: »
    I have the same problem I always snack at night. When I start getting breakfasts and lunches ready at night for the next day it throws me off and I can't stop! I justify it by saying that I'll run it off the next morning but I know it isn't really healthy for me to snack on junk right before bed. Any advice????

    You've really got to stop thinking exercise helps you lose weight. Exercise is of course the single best thing you can do for your health, but it is NOT a weight loss tool. You know you can blow that hour and a half run with a single piece of pizza right? Your diet, and diet alone should accomplish a 1 to 2 pound a week loss depending on your goal and level of commitment. Exercise is a bonus, I never "eat back" calories. If you are exercising 5 to 7 days a week, that is great. If you miss a day, and rest, that's not that big of a deal because you still got 5 days in. Just take one night at a super bowl party with the booze and the food and see what that does to the scale.

    I know what I say sounds crazy because Coca Cola and the food industry has been guilting Americans for decades trying to shift the blame of obesity from themselves, to the consumer. Check out this video

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXTiiz99p9o
  • breannemarie1993
    breannemarie1993 Posts: 161 Member
    Me too! i'm so good during the day and at night I turn into a miserable bear and want to eat everything (fruits and veggies not included)
  • kali31337
    kali31337 Posts: 1,048 Member
    Why not snack at night time? Just work it in your calories and pre-plan a snack. When I had ice cream in the house, I'd weigh it out with my food scale and was eating a serving size most nights. I felt happy and still wasn't blow my calories for the day....
  • brenn24179
    brenn24179 Posts: 2,144 Member
    I have started drinking water at night, I use to hate it when people said to do this but for the past week it seems to be helping. Geez, I wish we didn't have this problem but life is not fair. Glad I got a chubby husband who has to do it with me,lol He has started eating banana or apple at night. (No more barbecue fritos like those dirn skinny people) whining a little here...
  • 1ocean1girl
    1ocean1girl Posts: 197 Member
    I've started drinking hot tea with lemon and a little honey... it takes away my sweet tooth (which is horrible at night) and helps me feel full. Plus it relaxes me before bed :)
  • simmoner4
    simmoner4 Posts: 131 Member

    You've really got to stop thinking exercise helps you lose weight. Exercise is of course the single best thing you can do for your health, but it is NOT a weight loss tool. You know you can blow that hour and a half run with a single piece of pizza right? Your diet, and diet alone should accomplish a 1 to 2 pound a week loss depending on your goal and level of commitment. Exercise is a bonus, I never "eat back" calories. If you are exercising 5 to 7 days a week, that is great. If you miss a day, and rest, that's not that big of a deal because you still got 5 days in. Just take one night at a super bowl party with the booze and the food and see what that does to the scale.

    It's hard for me because I'm not trying to lose weight. I'm a runner currently in marathon training, so yes I need calories but just the fact that eating at night makes me feel awful the next day but it's a bad habit. After training last year I had some health problems from losing too much weight in training, so when I was trying to gain weight I would often eat right before bed. Now it's a bad habit I can't break that leaves me sick the next day.
  • Candy0928
    Candy0928 Posts: 20 Member
    This is my issue, too. In an effort to curb it, i've simply eliminated everything in my home that can be a tempting, fatty/salty/sweet snack. I keep ice cold water on my nightstand and I keep a window open...too keep the temp of the room slightly chilly. It deters me from getting up and losing the warmth of my blankets.
  • Reaverie
    Reaverie Posts: 405 Member
    Reaverie and strawberry spice hiws it going?!

    Lol.. its only been two days and these two days dont count. We have all had a viral cold.
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,868 Member
    I prelog my food and eat a lot at night. That's OK because I plan for that. I tried not snacking, and that didn't work. Now I munch down my list of snacks when I watch TV. But if you don't stuck to your calories, and just munch without weighing your food, you'll have problems.
  • db58johnson
    db58johnson Posts: 11 Member
    Hi everyone! I just read every single oust and want to say thank you!!!! I have so many of the same issues as many of you. I have created a very strong habit re craving and then giving into night time eating that I need to break. It happened any night I watch tv. Am I supposed to give up relaxing by watching tv?! Fruit sounds perfect but when s craving hits I WANT the craved food. Or whatever I can find to munch n crunch. But it's been a big bowl of cereal or way too much light popcorn. It's the eating I enjoy. It's the going overboard that I need to figure out how to control. If it's my thoughts of the food that start the craving (the habit) then perhaps I need to use my brain to control them. I don't HAVE to eat, right? I'm giving in. And then regretting it. Hmmmm.... I'm stronger than that, dammit. Right?!
  • db58johnson
    db58johnson Posts: 11 Member
    And guess what? I haven't been tracking my calories. There u go. And do u know why? Bc I have this notion that it's unreasonable to believe I can sustain such a rigid lifestyle. I will not keep with it, I tell myself. So guess what?...I don't! I also get to my calorie limit and think 'I know I will be starving later. I know an extra 100 calories won't REALLY matter and it'll help me not be so starving...and that starving feeling makes me resentful. And u guessed it, I always go way over 100 calories. Such a nasty pattern. I promise u all that I will begin tracking to at least see how it goes. I have done it before, lost about 15lbs, felt strong and eased up and gained it all back plus more. Wtf?! I felt strong?! Anyone else sabotage their success that way?! Ugh!!! Ok so back to tracking. I'm also going to just give myself an extra 200 calories onto my total. Take off some pressure. Wish me luck!!!! I'm glad ur all out there and that I took a chance in posting my issues. Thank u all for ur honesty, too. It helps!!!!!!
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    Can't help. I eat a pint of low cal ice cream every night. I save up for it. What's the big deal?