Nighttime Overeating

This is me to the T! Especially during that "time". I have found that if I pace the times I eat and I start the day off with a high protein-low fat drink for breakfast, my hunger is more controlled. For example, my mornings are super busy so I put together my protein drink (carnation instant breakfast with 10 oz of low fat milk) and then put it in the freezer when I get to work at 9am, by 10am it's thickened up and ice cold. I also eat fruit with it. Then hold off until 12-12:30 to eat lunch. Then 2-3pm I eat a yogurt. By the time I get home at 5p-6p and make dinner, I am not tempted to indulge at night. On days that I don't keep this routine, I really struggle. I also drink 9+ cups of water a day, which helps with water flavoring for when I just need a sweet taste.

I used to save snacky type foods for before bed. Then I realized this was adversely affecting my sleep. More here:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10819241/how-foods-may-affect-our-sleep

Now I have more fruit and fiber during the day and also in my planned evening snack, which is higher in protein and fiber than it used to be.

TLH04112020 wrote: »

I'm struggling with nighttime overeating and sugar cravings. I do fine with controlling this during the daytime but lose control at night. Does anyone else have this problem too? What do you do to stop overeating at night?

Yes, I have had this exact problem.

Strategies:
1. Save calories for later in the day. Save sugar or "fun" calories until after dinner.
2. Find a way to limit portions. Example 120 calorie snack size popcorn, or 130 calorie cookie packs, single size ice cream novelties, or 70 calorie Tootsie pops. If you can't limit portions, keep it out of the house for now. Fake sugar option may help you: sugar free pudding, hot chocolate, etc.
3. Sugar is my preferred snack, but I can manage popcorn and Quakes chips better. Maybe sub in salty (at least it's a snack).
4. When I'm watching TV - no snacking allowed. No mindless eating. I get a big glass of ice water, sometimes throw in a lime wedge and keep my hands busy. Crochet, solitaire, adult coloring books.....anything.

Yes to the above replies, generally.

One other comment: Consider other areas of your life that may be contributors. Candidates: Sleep, stress, habit, boredom.

As background context, think about this: Fatigue increases through the day, as we do more stuff and get further from our last restorative sleep. Fatigue is essentially an energy shortage. What does a body do when it feels low on energy? One possibility is that it kicks up hunger/appetite so we eat some . . . energy. What's a good source of quick energy? Yup, sugar.

If sleep quality or duration is sub-ideal, fatigue arrives earlier in the day. How is your sleep? If it's not up to par, work on improving that.

Stress increases the odds of fatigue by subtly sapping energy. It can be physical stress, or psychological stress. Many people have stressful jobs, home lives, maybe are stressed by living in a pandemic, and more. What do we do when we decide to lose weight? Eat less, exercise more. A calorie deficit is a stressor (physical). A change in habits is a stressor (psychological). A new exercise routine is a stressor (physical). We've increased our cumulative stress level.

Now, some stress is good and necessary. But if you have stress in your life, consider how you might reduce it a bit. That could be changes in your lifestyle to eliminate/reduce stressors, or it could be by being more intentional about stress management techniques. That can include things like breathing exercises, meditation (not a religious/mystical thing, just a mindfulness/relaxation method), prayer, warm aromatherapy bubble baths, gentle stretching or yoga, relaxing music, and more.

Habit is really powerful. If we're used to snacking while (say) getting dinner or watching TV, our body can kind of expect that, and create impulses to continue doing it. It's difficult to just drop an undesired habit via sheer force of willpower. It's easier to drop a habit by forming a new, substitute habit that is more helpful. Just an example: If snacking while watching TV is a habit, maybe start getting up and stretching or just walking in place when the craving hits. (There are other options; non-food ones are ideal, but things like a cup of hot herb tea can work, too.) The habit change will take conscious willpower for a while, but after a few weeks, it will be automatic. The new habit will mostly replace the old one.

Boredom can also be a factor. We hit our evening down-time, things are a little slow, and snacking is stimulating. For boredom, consider adopting a new hobby or resuming an old one. Particularly good are ones that require clean hands (sketching, coloring, playing a musical instrument, needlework, etc.) or create dirty hands (carpentry, gardening, painting, etc.). We don't have to be *good* at any of those things, in order for them to be a good distraction or boredom killer. It's OK to s*ck at them, it still works.

As a twofer, some hobbies can help with stress reduction, or be a new positive habit to replace an old, undesired snacking habit.

Just a few thoughts. If the root problem isn't entirely hunger, the solution isn't entirely food/eating. If there are non-food contributors, it's good to recognize and deal with them directly, alongside things like saving calories for snacks, or adopting a more gradual and sustainable weight loss rate.

Wishing you success!