Sleepeating and Sweets

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FireRox21
FireRox21 Posts: 424 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So frustrated. I am a sleep eater. I am a very bad sleepwalker. I will follow my calories all day and do great. Healthy foods, water and little snacking. However, it's all a waste when I sleep eat. I will eat whatever I can get my hands on. Cookies, chips, lunchmeat, cheese, etc. My mom will come in the kitchen and find the aftermath of my night raid. And, I get to clean it all up. Part of the problem is my kitchen is stocked to the brim with cookies, cakes, fruit pies; basically anything with a ridiculous amount of sugar. And I know exactly where it is. It's my parents' house so I can't tell them to not buy sweets, but I wish she'd take it into her room so I can't find it in the middle of the night. She has been really helping me with my diet though. She gets me fresh veggies and tofu for my stir-fries and puts up with my incessant weighing and measuring of food. I just wish the sweets weren't there. Sorry about the long rant. I feel better now. Just had to get it out.

Replies

  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Have you ASKED your mom to hide or move the sweets or lock the cupboard at night?
  • FireRox21
    FireRox21 Posts: 424 Member
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    Yes. I've been asking her for years. But, I get the same answer and that is her house and she'll do what she wants. My whole family is overweight. Mom had gastric bypass 27 years ago and I had gastric sleeve in 2013. She lost a lot but never below 250. My dad is about 400. I went from 221 to 170 in a year and a half, but have since gained roughly 20-25 pounds back and can't seem to lose it again. I just can't control myself around cookies and cakes. I don't eat candy or donuts or fried foods. It's just the cookies and Little Debbie/Hostess cakes.
  • PaperDoll_
    PaperDoll_ Posts: 32,843 Member
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    Have you spoken to a doctor about your sleep eating? According to the American Sleep Association, it can be treated with medication.

    https://www.sleepassociation.org/sleep-disorders/more-sleep-disorders/sleep-eating/

  • FireRox21
    FireRox21 Posts: 424 Member
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    I can't move out. I have severe disabilities and am reliant on Social Security. I barely make enough to pay basic bills and co-pays for medications. As far as the doctor, I have bi-polar disorder and those meds make me very sleepy. I'm pretty sure meds cause the sleeping walking, but I have no choice. I have to take those meds. I was just wondering if anyone else has a sleep eating problem and how they manage it.
  • PaperDoll_
    PaperDoll_ Posts: 32,843 Member
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    FireRox21 wrote: »
    I can't move out. I have severe disabilities and am reliant on Social Security. I barely make enough to pay basic bills and co-pays for medications. As far as the doctor, I have bi-polar disorder and those meds make me very sleepy. I'm pretty sure meds cause the sleeping walking, but I have no choice. I have to take those meds. I was just wondering if anyone else has a sleep eating problem and how they manage it.

    How many cookies and little Debbie cakes are you eating when you sleep eat? If you know, maybe you can account for them in your total calories each day?
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
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    FireRox21 wrote: »
    I can't move out. I have severe disabilities and am reliant on Social Security. I barely make enough to pay basic bills and co-pays for medications. As far as the doctor, I have bi-polar disorder and those meds make me very sleepy. I'm pretty sure meds cause the sleeping walking, but I have no choice. I have to take those meds. I was just wondering if anyone else has a sleep eating problem and how they manage it.

    Ah, that's so much on your plate. It is possible that your medications are contributing. I find sleeping pills give me the munchies and makes it harder to control myself in the groggy state. And that's not close to what you're talking about. Have you spoken with your doctor about these concerns? Sounds like your mom is doing her best to support you, but it is her house, and it's a lot to ask someone to make changes in their life to accommodate for you. Would she be willing to consider locking some of the cupboards at night? Just trying to suggest a compromise.
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    edited August 2018
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    My sleepwalking comes in waves but i actually have went out drinking, eating, Pretty sure iv even picked up men in my sleep....I even got arrested once for walking in my underwear through rush hour traffic on a very busy street blocking traffic....Iv also cut myself very very bad in my sleep....So i get it. The one thing i can recommend they sell alarms you can put on your bedroom door so that if it opens it wakes you. Sleep me would turn the alarm off but if you have a door its worth trying. When i get my sleepwalking flare ups iv even set up booby traps in my room, And sort of left clothes and everything on the floor so sleep me cant really know the stuffs there so i will wake up tripping on stuff. In the end the only thing thats really helped is getting a specialist and medicated. It really sucked because i hate medications but it definatly beats the danger in those of us with excessive sleepwalking. See a doctor. Seriously.

    edit: is it possible to invest in a fridge lock or a lockbox for the snacks? Youd save money long term if you cant eat all the food
  • FireRox21
    FireRox21 Posts: 424 Member
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    I can't lock cabinets or the fridge. It's theirs. I don't have a door, so I can't put a lock or alarm anywhere. The worst episode was I got fully dressed, makeup on and made my Dad drive me to Wal-Mart at 3am. The psychiatrist said to deal with it because those meds are the best treatment. As far as adding the wrappers up, sometimes I'll throw them away, so I wouldn't get an accurate count. Lately, I've been making baloney sandwiches. Talent.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    edited August 2018
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    A cheap motion detector alarm. Put it in a box laying on its side aimed toward the door so it won't go off when you move around in bed.
  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
    edited August 2018
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    FireRox21 wrote: »
    I can't move out. I have severe disabilities and am reliant on Social Security. I barely make enough to pay basic bills and co-pays for medications. As far as the doctor, I have bi-polar disorder and those meds make me very sleepy. I'm pretty sure meds cause the sleeping walking, but I have no choice. I have to take those meds. I was just wondering if anyone else has a sleep eating problem and how they manage it.

    You've probably already talked to your doctor about it but maybe mention to them about a drug change to see if that helps with the problem.

    As far as the fridge you can get alarms to put inside them that make noises when you open them. I have had one in mine before so I'd know when the kids were opening it - but it got so annoying to everyone else that we removed it. :D I'd keep on them to do the locks. Maybe they wouldn't need them except for a while until your sleep habits change due to not being able to get in to the cabinets.

    Also, sleepwalking is caused mostly by stress. Try to de-stress each evening before bed in some way. No electronics or t.v. too close to bed as that keeps the mind busy. Have a routine before bed that is relaxing for you. Take a nap in the afternoons so you aren't over-tired. Get you an essential oil diffuser and use a relaxing scent in that; maybe look in to hypnosis therapy. These are all things I've heard about or googled that have worked for other people.
  • Millicent3015
    Millicent3015 Posts: 374 Member
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    If at all possible, could you have a nutritionist come over to explain to your mum that your sleep eating is a really serious issue, and that she can help you by taking the sweets into her own room? Sometimes people will listen to an authority figure and make changes recommended by them. Would your mum go to your doctor with you, so they can explain how your sleep eating is affecting you? If your mum is of the "the doctor is god" generation she might listen to them. Is mum trying to sabotage you? Is she jealous of your weight loss success, or does she fear you becoming too independent if you lose weight? She doesn't sound the type to agree to family therapy, but maybe you could ask your doctor to recommend it, if it's something you can afford. She might respond more positively if the suggestion comes from a medical person. I really hope things get better for you.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    edited August 2018
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    There are meds that can help with sleep walking/eating, in addition to keeping your current meds. This is what you’re being encouraged to ask your doctor about. Perhaps consider seeing a sleep doctor or ask for referral.
    http://sleepeducation.org/sleep-disorders-by-category/parasomnias/sleep-eating-disorder/diagnosis-treatment

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