How to avoid night time bingeing

DianePK
DianePK Posts: 122 Member
edited November 22 in Food and Nutrition
I take medicine for my arthritis that makes me sooo hungry and I have to take it at night. Within an hour my hungry head is in the fridge scavenging for food. It's caused me to pack on the weiht and with psoriatic arthritis and grade 4 osteo in my knee (waiting for a knee replacement I can't exercise like I used to.

I was very proud of myself last night, I went to bed hungry which I never do. I drank gallons of sugar free drink which distracted me, and while I know it should be water, at least I didn't binge.

It's the first time on months I've managed it.

Replies

  • Mithridites
    Mithridites Posts: 600 Member
    edited October 2017
    At least you have a good reason, like medicine. For me it's just bad habit. Only thing that helps is a large salad with lots of fiber and a generous portion of protein about an hour before bedtime. Otherwise I can't fall asleep from hunger. It's even worse now that I work out. Not keeping any snacks at my place also helps but makes DH sad and confused :D
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    edited October 2017
    Would it be possible to take it closer to bedtime or do you need to wait a while before sleeping?

    Air popped corn is a good snack for a lot of people - might be worth trying. 150 cals or so for a serving, unless you add butter :)

    And it would be worth talking to your doctor about it, too, especially if you haven't tried other medications.

    ~Lyssa
  • ncsubeachgirl
    ncsubeachgirl Posts: 97 Member
    What you did is what I normally do. I drink diet soda to fill me up and just try to distract myself! Or just get in bed lol I'm so bad too! I've been dieting since May and I clicked on this because I still struggle with it! I agree with the comment above, at least you have a good reason unlike the rest of us haha You got this!! I agree with the later meals comments too. I try to eat dinner at like 630 instead of 530 like I used too. Its my biggest meal of the day too bc I know how I like to eat at night. Sometimes, I only eat half my dinner and save the other half for a little later
  • Sunnybrooke99
    Sunnybrooke99 Posts: 369 Member
    I agree with saving some calories and eating something low calorie but big. I crave savory, or sweets, (junk food really) at night. My favorite healthy late night snack is an artichoke with ceasar dressing.
  • dustinjbrock
    dustinjbrock Posts: 49 Member
    Depends on the medicine, if it's medical marijuana then your in trouble lol can't kill the munchies!

    If it's possible, knowing this is a constant problem..... maybe push supper later in the day by a hour and try and eat a little more of your calories at that time. The hope is maybe you'd still be full.
  • bee_bee8
    bee_bee8 Posts: 96 Member
    9 months and -40 lbs later, I still have a hard time with this. Like others suggested, I try to backload my calories so I still have a pretty good deficit in the evening. Luckily I usually don't get hungry until later in the day, so it mostly works out. I eat lunch around 1:30-2 and dinner around 7. Around 8:30-9 I'll have a cup of dry cereal, apple slices, strawberries, or whatever to get my sugar fix.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    Same here--I'm in maintenance now, but even when I was losing weight I still preferred to save some calories for the evening. I like my nighttime snacks.
  • cwilber1
    cwilber1 Posts: 30 Member
    My arthritis medicine - when I have a flair - makes me crazy hungry at night! I found saving calories and having a bowl of cereal an hour before bed helped. I make it a healthier type of cereal with 1% milk. If your medication is prednisone, hunger is a side effect of it. I dread having to go on it because of the hunger, but its all that helps when a flair happens. There are other meds that don't affect your appetite (I've been on a few), so talk to your doctor about it. Good luck!
  • DianePK
    DianePK Posts: 122 Member
    wizzybeth wrote: »
    Maybe save some calories for the evenings and eat something more substantial and filling then? I am not as hungry early in the day and tend to be more hungry at night so I eat breakfast later...lunch later...dinner later...snacks later

    Yeah, I think it's problematic as once I snack, I binge. If it is an absolutely no no I do better. I look a pictures of my thin agile, and pain free self and remind myself why I am doing it. Being lighter will mean less pressure on my knee which has grade 4 osteo and needs replacing despite being only 48 (4 surgeries later it's worse than if I'd don'e nothing), and I also have psoriatic arthritis, which is autoimmune. The less I weight the easier on all my joints. And I am vain : )
  • DianePK
    DianePK Posts: 122 Member
    wizzybeth wrote: »
    Maybe save some calories for the evenings and eat something more substantial and filling then? I am not as hungry early in the day and tend to be more hungry at night so I eat breakfast later...lunch later...dinner later...snacks later

    I'm trying to bed earlier and not "get inspired" and work late on my blog.
  • DianePK
    DianePK Posts: 122 Member
    Mithridites wrote: »
    At least you have a good reason, like medicine. For me it's just bad habit. Only thing that helps is a large salad with lots of fiber and a generous portion of protein about an hour before bedtime. Otherwise I can't fall asleep from hunger. It's even worse now that I work out. Not keeping any snacks at my place also helps but makes DH sad and confused :D

    It's a habit too, but compounded by medicine.
  • DianePK
    DianePK Posts: 122 Member
    ncsubeachgirl wrote: »
    What you did is what I normally do. I drink diet soda to fill me up and just try to distract myself! Or just get in bed lol I'm so bad too! I've been dieting since May and I clicked on this because I still struggle with it! I agree with the comment above, at least you have a good reason unlike the rest of us haha You got this!! I agree with the later meals comments too. I try to eat dinner at like 630 instead of 530 like I used too. Its my biggest meal of the day too bc I know how I like to eat at night. Sometimes, I only eat half my dinner and save the other half for a little later

    that's a great idea about half dinner!
  • DianePK
    DianePK Posts: 122 Member
    dustinjbrock wrote: »
    Depends on the medicine, if it's medical marijuana then your in trouble lol can't kill the munchies!

    If it's possible, knowing this is a constant problem..... maybe push supper later in the day by a hour and try and eat a little more of your calories at that time. The hope is maybe you'd still be full.

    No it isn't, but the feeling is like that (yes I inhaled in the 90's LOL), it's so hard to fight. If I just don't it's OK but once I start it's all over.
  • DianePK
    DianePK Posts: 122 Member
    cwilber1 wrote: »
    My arthritis medicine - when I have a flair - makes me crazy hungry at night! I found saving calories and having a bowl of cereal an hour before bed helped. I make it a healthier type of cereal with 1% milk. If your medication is prednisone, hunger is a side effect of it. I dread having to go on it because of the hunger, but its all that helps when a flair happens. There are other meds that don't affect your appetite (I've been on a few), so talk to your doctor about it. Good luck!

    I'm on great medicine, and it is the only thing that works, but yes the cravings are awful. I was on arava and felt so sick I lots 10kg. But my hair fell out. And I got sick constantly.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    First set your calorie goal correctly. Enter your stats and pick the closest number to 1% of your body weight as a weekly weight loss goal. That could be all you need. 1200 calories isn't much food - most people would get hungry trying to stick to that.

    If you still feel hungry, look at your diet composition. The lower you go on calories, the more careful you'll have to be with the quality of what you're eating. At 1200 calories, there's simply no room for daily treats, snacks, indulgences, and all your meals should be strictly balanced to hit your nutritional needs. Tracking macros can help with awareness.

    To make this happen, you have to remove temptations, and make healthier choices more easily available. Plan your meals in sufficient detail, and only buy what you need for those meals. Schedule planning, shopping, cooking and eating.

    In order to continue doing this, you have to eat food you like and cook meals you master. Plan meals you know you'll actually want to eat. Plan for a small weekly treat, too. This approach is will gently force you into making overall better decisions, but not make you want to quit. It will be hard sometimes, but not continuously.

    Then look at meal timing. If you get more hungry at night, let dinner be your biggest meal and have it late.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    Try mixing some Greek yoghurt (the proper, thick, high protein stuff like Fage) with quark and add in some nuts, seeds, dried fruit (30g) and pb2 or a small amount of peanut butter. Stick it in the fridge for a while so it thickens and head straight for that when you get hungry. That is what I have taken to doing as I tend to wake in the night hungry. I also have some before bed. It is very filling.
  • SweatsOnSunday
    SweatsOnSunday Posts: 514 Member
    Graelwyn75 wrote: »
    Try mixing some Greek yoghurt (the proper, thick, high protein stuff like Fage) with quark and add in some nuts, seeds, dried fruit (30g) and pb2 or a small amount of peanut butter. Stick it in the fridge for a while so it thickens and head straight for that when you get hungry. That is what I have taken to doing as I tend to wake in the night hungry. I also have some before bed. It is very filling.

    Good tip there! Not sure what a quark is, but the Greek stuff definitely satisfies my sweet cravings.
  • midlomel1971
    midlomel1971 Posts: 1,283 Member
    Green tea and a small piece of fruit
    Popcorn
    If I have a sweet craving, sugar-free Jello pudding or a small bowl of Halo Top.
  • Brabo_Grip
    Brabo_Grip Posts: 285 Member
    Night time post-dinner, pre-bed is the most dangerous for me. If I fear I may do something I will regret - I dry to drink at least a liter of water and go to bed early. The water acts as a full feeling buffer while I count sheep trying to get to sleep.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,759 Member
    I don't think anyone's mentioned this but have you thought about intermittent fasting? I do a loose version of it, trying to eat lightly in the day with eating most of my calories at night. I kind of think of it as controlled binging (because we're talking like 2000 calories within an hour and a half here). :)

    Since you already know the medicine will make you hungry at night, it might be an option.
  • fuzzylop72
    fuzzylop72 Posts: 651 Member
    I'm usually hungry at night, so I eat all my calories at night (IF).
  • JustRobby1
    JustRobby1 Posts: 674 Member
    I used to chronically have this problem. Still do on occasion. At first I took to just going to bed much earlier, but honestly getting your body and mind out of the habit over time helped more than anything else.
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