Bad Nighttime Behaviors

I do it alot. its tough.

I have the same exact problem. And last night was bad. My friends wanted to play beerpong and I had done so good all day. So I drank the equivelent of one beer. Then, of course, i stopped and got cookies on the way home. I ate them and indulged and wanted to keep going. So i made a small salad and went to sleep. not only did I feel like i got to binge, i also got an extra hour of sleep. it pays off. And this morning, i had LOST 2 lbs.. instead of gaining. (And my scale is soooo accurate!) The key is WATER WATER WATER. It flushes all the bad stuff out. And if you keep ur metabolism going by eating small meals all day, then both that and the water flush it out faster. trust me. I am a recovering anorexic. I'm used to going alll day without food then binging alll night before i go to bed. It wasnt making me gain weight until recently. So im doing the healthy way. and I've lost 4 lbs of water weight over the last two days. I feel great too!

Cut yourself a little slack. We all fall off the wagon, that is to be expected and I don't know about you, but just when I think I have my pantry cleared of all tempation, my hubby will go out and buy something to throw me off
I quit sweating it and now live by the 80/20 rule. If I am good 80% of the time, I can be a little bad 20% of the time.
So, as long as I work out at lunch, I can have that piece of peanut butter fudge when I get home, no worries!
And yes, I am managing to lose weight somehow :happy:

I do this too and it's a habit (need?) I find very hard to break.So, I stopped trying and just accept it as part of who I am. Before I had kids and a weight problem, this is pretty much how I managed my weight, so it works for me.I'm sure there will a few people who will chastise me for this, but, I've lost 24 pounds with no gimmicks, just exercise and MFP and plenty of good quality, mostly unprocessed food. Here it is: I save a good chunk of my calories for nighttime. Yes, I eat breakfast. High protein so it's filling. Eggs, some turkey with an apple, greek yogurt, that kind of thing. I eat lunch. A big salad with some protein (beans, turkey, ham, leftover chicken) and very little dressing, some fruit, something like that. I have a snack if I'm really hungry. But I really do bank calories for that nighttime munching I just can't let go. I do make smarter choices. I try to have a light yoplait with a dollop of cool whip if I'm craving ice cream, or crunchy cereal if I'm craving crunchy carbs. Crackers and a little hummus if I'm craving salt. But, if I want a chip, I save my calories and have a chip. If I want a small bowl of left over pasta (it sings to me at around 8:30pm if I have it in the fridge!), then I have it.

For me, working with how I'm wired is far better than fighting it. If this is really hampering your weight loss, try adjusting to it in smart, healthful ways (on balance). If it's more that you need to know you're not alone, as you said, than you are definitely not. I think a margin of healthy acceptance is better than constantly feeling like you're doing something "wrong" .

My personal struggle has always been in my head. One trip up, and I would chalk up the entire day
with the "I'll start over tomorrow mentality". This mindset sabotages everything !

Recognizing your weakness is a good thing. Ask yourself, "Am I really hungry?" wait 10 minutes
and if you are, have a sugar free pudding with lite cool whip or other low cal treat. Don't deny
yourself as you could set yourself up for disaster.

Another thing to consider: are you eating the right foods? Too many empty carbs only make you
crave more empty carbs. My trainer has me consuming no carbs after 4pm, and that does seem
to help me. (protein and veggies for dinner most nights)