Afraid to eat later in the day

Addictead · July 2019

Talk me off the ledge here. So I often get hungry and want a snack at like 7-9pm, Generally no big deal I stay up late I have the calories most days so why not? Well because I'm terrified of gaining scale weight because it's happened before. I know logically it's nothing to fret, it doesn't reflect anything substantial and it's something that I need to get use to for maintaince anyway. but it's something that mentally bothers me more than it should

sijomial · July 2019

It's really a problem with emotions not a diet problem - you need to calm down and reign in your "inner chimp" and reassert the control of your logical thoughts.

The Chimp Paradox by Prof Steve Peters is a fascinating read and describes what's going on when your chimp is reacting emotionally and needs your logical mind to manage it.

The use of words like "terrified" to describe eating within your allotted calories I'm sure in the cold light of day you know is a massive over-reaction, that's what our chimps do!

jjpptt2 · July 2019

^^ agreed.

LyndaBSS · July 2019

Addictead wrote: »

Talk me off the ledge here. So I often get hungry and want a snack at like 7-9pm, Generally no big deal I stay up late I have the calories most days so why not? Well because I'm terrified of gaining scale weight because it's happened before. I know logically it's nothing to fret, it doesn't reflect anything substantial and it's something that I need to get use to for maintaince anyway. but it's something that mentally bothers me more than it should

This journey shouldn't leave you terrified. Perhaps you would be better off weighing weekly.

How often do you weigh now?

AgentFlex · July 2019

There is the blanket statement of "meal time is irrelevant," which is true in its simplest form. However, if you are eating a tiny dinner to save calories for a junky night time snack or starving yourself out of fear, some things need to be reevaluated. I personally wake up at 4 AM most days and am awake until 11 PM. Thankfully I am not hungry upon waking, so I usually begin to eat around 8 and most days I do not stop until 11. The only reason to be concerned about when you eat is if it is going to cause you to overeat (like if you have already hit your calorie goal at dinner, but still want an evening snack). If it fits in your goal, eat if you are still hungry.

grimendale · July 2019

If you're eating later in the day and weighing in the following morning, there's definitely a chance you'll see a slightly higher number. Not because you put on extra fat, but because you might have extra biomass still making its way through your digestion. If those little fluctuations in the scale are causing you this much panic, consider either weighing less often (I weigh in on MFP once a week - always on Saturday, first thing in the morning after using the bathroom to minimize outside factors) or use a trending app to give you a better sense of what's happening long term (I use Libra to weigh in daily at random times so I can keep my finger on the pulse of what's happening between "official" weigh ins).

cmriverside · July 2019

If you have the calories, eat. That part is pretty simple.

The part about your irrational side is definitely something on which to work. Anxiety and fear is a response to what stories we are telling ourselves. Change the inner dialog and diminish fear.

I go to bed pretty early - I do that because my anxieties can get out of control if I don't get to bed before 10PM. I hope you find what works.

I always have an after-dinner treat of some sort. It's a good way to end the day.:)

tinkerbellang83 · July 2019

Scale weight gain doesn't equal fat gain, if you eat later than normal, then you're likely going to have more food/waste in your system when you weigh in the morning than normal.

Let the logic wash over you.

I ate my dinner at 9/10pm most days and lost 35lbs over a period of 6 months.

Afraid to eat later in the day

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