What to do! Screwing up my own efforts!

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has been having a really hard time at night lately..I finish my diary for the night and then something comes over me and I eat a whole bunch of stuff I haven't logged what it was last night. It's shameful....Kashi bars, chocolate chips, fruit snacks, nuts, on and on....GRRRRR!!!!! I can do well all day and then something flicks off and I go crazy. HELP!

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  • uberlaut
    uberlaut Posts: 44
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    Yesterday is past. You can't do anything about it. Tomorrow never arrives. You can't do anything about that, either. Today is the only thing you have control over. Don't regret or procrastinate. Do your best...today.

    edit: In other words, don't beat yourself up. Just do your best.
  • LeeLynnP
    LeeLynnP Posts: 116 Member
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    All I can say is We have ALL been there, and Keep moving forward!!! Every day is a new day. Keep trying and when you "screw up" let it go and keep moving forward.
  • LolasEpicJourney
    LolasEpicJourney Posts: 1,014 Member
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    Ive been there - I get totally ravenous and devour everything in sight! its terrible.
    One day this week I ate TWO cookies @ 240cals each AND a donut at 320!! GAH!!!
    That was a terrible day for me - Im pretty sure I didnt even exercise either - which I felt guilty about - but as I thought about it - I thought - so what. We all have bad times - and I think sometimes our body needs a little trickery like that.

    I do my best not to BUY anything that would be dangerous for me like that. For snacks I have been buying only fresh fruits and healthier option FRESH things. I try not to get boxed goodies anymore. I went shopping hungry and picked up a bunch of 100cal snacks - then rethought it and put it all back. So what if its 100cals - its chocolate LOL I need to avoid chocolate because I go binging and Id probably have 2 or 3 snacks and be at 300 cals...

    Yesterday is gone.

    Take today one moment at a time. When you want to start going after those snacks - pause. Walk away from the cupboard and think about it for a few minutes first. Have a big fat glass of water and occupy you rself with something else. If you are still hungry - then help yourself to one thing - but grad i and leave the kitchen. Chew it slowly. Savour it. Then you might be less tempted to scarf more
  • rowdymcrowdy
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    I feel you. I am glad you brought this up.

    I have been batling after dinner night time snacking most of my life and I still am. I don't have an answer, except that I may have only one thing or I try to eat healthy. I ate over six hundred cals for dinner one night last week and within two hours I was eating a bagel thin (normally would have been a regular bagel) and 1 tbsp of peanut butter (normally would have been 2 tbsps) I guess that is the biggest disappoinment since I started my latest diet. I do log it the next morning and I feel way guilty.---bummer

    I hope others can help, please.
  • beccyleigh
    beccyleigh Posts: 847 Member
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    yep me too, the only thing that stops it is to be out of the house & why I try to get to the gym at least 3 times in the week once my son is asleep. Get back at 10pm have a quick & a cuppa then bed. dual benefit, getting fit & not eating crap.
  • cclark1203
    cclark1203 Posts: 244 Member
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    We have all heard this before. Don't keep the extra stuff in the house. I am guilty of doing the same thing in the evenings. I am not hungry but yet I need something, anything. I am trying now to keep just fruit, sugar free pudding, WW ice cream bars, stuff like that in the house. a couple of times I thought it would be a good idea to keep bagged popcorn (Oke Doke Chicago Mix, cheddar and caramel) in the house for an occasional snack. Oh boy, had to stop that, powerless to put the bag down. I am embarrassed to say that 1 day last week I had such a bad day at work, I ate the whole bag. So, long story short, only keep fresh fruit, stuff like that in the house. Good luck,.:smile:
  • mea9
    mea9 Posts: 561 Member
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    Oh my doctor told me this one. That hungry feeling in your tummy is really weight loss. You are trying to fix it thinking it's something wrong. Rephrase it in your mind to thrilling visual images of the fat in your problem area melting. It totally works. You will sleep like a baby and wake up lighter on the scale (sometimes 2 lbs):wink: What you are feeling badly about is really your program working. You just have to let it.
  • lizpfennig
    lizpfennig Posts: 14
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    I was having the same problem for a while where I was STARVING at night, to the point where I would 1. Binge on cheese and nuts and rice chips and whatever else I could find in my kitchen or I was 2. going to bed with my stomach growling… not good. I asked my trainer what I should do about this because you obviously don't want to eat and then go to bed. Her suggestion was to eat an easily digestible protein, her suggestion was low fat yogurt. That way your body is not trying to digest a bunch of carbs and fat. I buy low fat frozen yogurt as well if I want something a little sweeter… You just have to make sure you pay attention to portion size. Another thought is to drink the biggest glass of water (or I like the flavored sparkling waters) before you eat anything and see if that fills your belly up and kills the desire to snack.

    You'll go through waves where you're always wanting to snack and then times when you struggle to meet your daily calories. If you do have a night where you snack and snack and snack, even if it's after you closed out your diary, go back in and enter all the food you just ate. When you see those calories add up, you might think twice about it the next day.
  • Krazymomofthree
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    When I start to get the urge to start eating again...I go outside...take a short (or long) walk. I breathe in the fresh air and really think about how far i have come. Not sure if you are religous, but I also pray and talk with God. It really helps me refocus on what is important. It helps me, plus, I just got some exercise in too that I didn't plan on. I hope this helps....Today is a new day. Don't think about yesterday.
  • shanefg
    shanefg Posts: 29 Member
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    I feel you. I am glad you brought this up.

    I have been batling after dinner night time snacking most of my life and I still am. I don't have an answer, except that I may have only one thing or I try to eat healthy. I ate over six hundred cals for dinner one night last week and within two hours I was eating a bagel thin (normally would have been a regular bagel) and 1 tbsp of peanut butter (normally would have been 2 tbsps) I guess that is the biggest disappoinment since I started my latest diet. I do log it the next morning and I feel way guilty.---bummer

    I hope others can help, please.

    Night times are the worst. In Australia thats when all the junk food adds come on tv aswell. Im sure its the same in usa. I try to keep busy . I also try to plan my day and have about 200 cals left after tea. I then will have that 200 cals around 9pm and lots of water. This seems to help me as i was a seriouse night time snacker. I would even stay up till midnight sometimes just to start eating my next days callories it was just getting crazzy. Im happy to say i dont do this anymore lol.
  • Eleisabelle
    Eleisabelle Posts: 365
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    Is there some kind of emotional pressure that's getting to you? Something that has you stressed or upset and gives you the jitters? Sometimes, if we're used to comforting ourselves with food, we can mistake those jitters for hunger.

    That's my big struggle, and that's why I do the same thing. For me, it's usually midafternoon, and I raid the candy jar at the office, or eat a bagel that isn't in my plan... Sometimes it's later in the evening, too.

    And I have figured out that it's because I'm frustrated with my job and unsatisfied with my contributions to the world, and I get that jittery feeling. And some days I can't do anything about it, and I chide myself for it and try again the next day. Some days I can control it by making myself do something else--like writing, or getting up and taking a short walk.

    Find tools that will help keep you busy so that you don't think about eating, if you can. If you have a hobby, pick it up at night before the craving hits. Or go for a walk. Or turn on music and dance. Or keep a journal that helps you track your feelings, so that maybe you will find a pattern to how you're feeling when you get these cravings, and can then figure out the behaviors that can help you deal with those feelings in a more constructive manner.

    It's a struggle, but I find that I'm getting better at doing it. Like others have said, don't beat yourself up when you do it--that might just make you do it more, as counterintuitive as that might be. Just do the best you can. We'll make it! You can do it!
  • Selin4
    Selin4 Posts: 15
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    dont have crap in the house i did exactly the same the other week and then someone said well if its not in the house you cant eat it?!? and they were right!!! when i sit down in the evenings its a boredom thing and im always like i want something nice so recently ive made sure no such thing apart from yoghurt or fruits exists here id be 100's of cals up every day otherwise :) im not saying its easy but it works!!!x
  • AdAstra47
    AdAstra47 Posts: 823 Member
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    Something that is not widely known is that eating carbs & sugar can affect your brain chemistry. It depends on your metabolism, and how well it processes them, but for many people carbs & sugar cause an energy spike followed by a crash. And when you crash, your body produces chemicals & hormones that make you want to eat again, get that high again, as quickly as possible (even if your body doesn't really need the fuel).

    If that's what you're experiencing, try getting more of your calories from protein and fewer from carbs. I would try not to eat any carbs or sugar at dinner / supper. But do try to eat something with protein in it every few hours. Protein burns slowly & steadily. That will keep your metabolism from crashing, and should make it easier for you to resist temptation. Don't worry about eating late at night, my doctor said it doesn't hurt a thing as long as it's not sugar or carbs.

    Good luck!
  • cornerofgreystreet
    cornerofgreystreet Posts: 180 Member
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    Usually if I am tempted to snack I will have a hersheys kiss, 22 calories. I keep them in the fridge so they take longer to eat and I just try to eat it slowly and savor the flavor of it. That being said, if I still want to snack after that I will grab some mint gum or go brush my teeth and have a glass of water. The water fills my stomach up and the mint makes anything I eat after that taste bad. This is just what works for me, good luck!
  • Forensic
    Forensic Posts: 468 Member
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    I find that at night I eat when I am bored.

    Watching television or surfing the internet doesn't keep me entertained enough, apparently. :laugh: Grab a large glass of water or tea and sip it instead of eating or simply go to bed. Really! Go to bed, it fixes everything. :laugh: Also, another thought could be to not 'complete' your diary until the next morning, thereby not giving yourself the 'off the books' feeling you get when you close the diary for the day.
  • Real_Cool_Hand
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    I have this problem too - only it sounds like the food choices I eat after dark are far worse! Eek! I'll have a great day and then ruin it with sugar. I think I deprive myself of certain things and then my body craves them and I give in. I started on here again after "failing" before. But I have taken the "one day at a time" approach now myself. I focus on TODAY and not the fact that "I need to lose "X" amount by "X" date. Its helping. In 3 days I have seen the positive effects. I entered one of my binge eating days....looking at it was horrifying. I saw how many calories I consumed without even thinking about it, and then when you log off for the day and see "If every day were like today you would wiegh "XXX.X lbs". The number was so disturbing to me. I realized if I kept those habits I would gain so much more. The next morning, I planned out my food for the day and entered it before I even ate it. I made suire to update if I added anything else, but seeing the number go down at the end of the day was so satisfying.
    Its all about today and right now.
    Also, when you go to eat at night - think about it. Its usually emotional eating if its late at night. And that's when we make the poor choices. If your body is craving something specific its an emotional need not a nutritional one. And it could be triggered by not eating enough.
    Try planning out your day so you eat more low calorie foods and can be satisfied on those:)
    Good luck!
  • em1976
    em1976 Posts: 119 Member
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    I always keep a tub of low fat yoghurt or a lite dessert yoghurt plus jelly in the fridge.It covers my late night cravings and is very filling.Generally,I do not buy the junk when I shop,AT ALL,if your a terrible late night eater,having it in the cupboard is bad,if its not there you cant eat it.
  • tamischieffler
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    YES!!!! BED! You lose weight sleeping. I know easier said than done, and I'm so guilty of late night snacking. I was so bad last night. So, tonight, I've already decided, I'll take a hot bath or shower, then put some crest white strips on, then maybe I won't want to eat until the next day.
  • jantawa
    jantawa Posts: 182 Member
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    Guess we are all in the same boat, in one way or another. Just put a note by the computer that says...."Today is a NEW day - remember WHY you are doing this, so "Just Do It"!!
  • sarahazen
    sarahazen Posts: 34
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    We don't really have crap in the house...not a lot any way. It's hard because I have kids and don't want to deprive them of everything in the world because I have no self control. '

    I pretty sure it's cuz I'm bored.....and I just like the way sugar tastes.....I've tried chewing a piece of gum.....no luck. I think I'm going to have to literally do something to change my routine or ability to get to the kitchen...like go for a walk with the kids.

    Glad to know that I'm not alone in this struggle.