Help...The last few days I have really been struggling with binging right before I go to sleep. I think it is having to do with some pain issues and stress. I am doing so well during the day time. But, around nine o'clock I am 'on the prowl' for food.
What do you do to make it thru the evening and not overeat or binge? I just hate undoing a healthy day.
Usually, when ever I struggle with something I post here and also look on the web for answers too. I found these suggestions at Ivillage:
Stop Late Night Eating!
* Replace a late-night snack with a cup of herbal tea. This, as you know, is my personal strategy, but I find that it also works for a lot of other people. The warmth of a cup of herbal tea (I find chamomile especially calming) is comforting, and the liquid helps give you a feeling of fullness. And if it's boredom that is driving you to eat, the tea will help keep you busy until the urge to eat passes. The ritual of tea drinking also gives you time to reflect on your day and set your personal goals for tomorrow.
* Write! You might even combine writing with tea drinking, since tea can put you in a contemplative mood. But even if you're not a tea drinker, writing is a good way to foil late-night snacking. Jot down what you're feeling -- it may convince you that maybe what you need is not a bag of potato chips but a phone call to a good friend to talk about what's bothering you. Write about the ways you want to improve your life and what you think can help you do so.
* Keep yourself busy. Boredom is the enemy of all late-night eaters. Read a book, watch a movie (though not if you're the kind of person who associates TV with snacking), take a bath, challenge someone in your family to a card game, listen to music, put pictures in a photo album, surf the Internet. If it's safe, go for a walk by yourself or with someone else. Choose something that enriches your life in some way so that it's not simply a substitute for eating that you will ultimately throw aside. If the activity you opt for is absorbing and enriching, your cravings will most likely dissipate.
* Close the day by renewing your commitment to yourself. You did it first thing in the morning; now do it again at night. Review your day. What did you do right? What needs to change?
What else can you suggest? What works for you?
Of course....I have to be willing to do these things. Thanks so much!
Last edited by Beverlyjoy; 10-11-2008 at 10:38 AM.
I have the same problem Beverlyjoy! I realized when I first started out that eating at night was my biggest downfall, so I altered my whole eating schedule in order to avoid it. So, I usually avoid late-night snacking by eating my dinner late. I found that if I eat dinner around 8:00 or 8:30 (and usually it's not a heavy meal, lunch is my big meal of the day) then I'm not hungry the rest of the night and I don't feel like snacking. And actually, I really can't eat any earlier than that due to work and class in the evenings.
I only overeat when I'm really upset and/or hormonal. As for late night snacks, that craving seems to start twitching for me when I have hormones raging lol.
I have yet to find a way to make myself settle when TOM is approaching though. Tea, meditation, doesn't work. Normally, I just don't want food after a certain time. I think the reason is my focus switches to other things. I think for me being tired has a lot to do with it. If I'm tired from the day, I just really focus on wanting sleep so food doesn't enter my mind. I also think eating enough at dinner is key. If I eat at 7pm I'm full and that is that...normally.
Bah, but when hormones are knocking at my door I turn into a ravenous creature. Oy...
I also eat dinner very late. I have a 5pm snack and then hit the gym. By the time I'm home, showered and have dinner finished, its almost 930. For the rest of the evening I sip tea or a low cal hot chocolate drink (33cals). I feel satisfied up until I hit the hay.
I have dinner about 7pm, with the salad course about 8pm (after the dishes/pots are put away). However, I also plan a late night snack. I work it into my daily calories since I know I'm going to have something no matter what I think. 30-60 mins before I go to bed I have a protein shake and a piece of fruit.
I have this issue. The *only* thing that consistently works for me is to brush and floss my teeth right after dinner (around 6:30). I do a nice thorough job and I use a rinse afterwards. Then my mouth is clean and minty and I don't want to mess it up. It reminds me not to eat. Occasionally I have a cup of herbal tea later on to relax but that's it.
However if I am truly hungry several hours later I allow myself ONLY one of the following:
6 almonds
a low fat string cheese
a few slices of turkey
half a bottle of K2O protein water.
I have dinner about 7pm, with the salad course about 8pm (after the dishes/pots are put away).
That's a nice idea. I do the esact same thing right now, but with a piece of fruit. I like the idea of a salad instead sometimes. Funny how you don't think of things sometimes.
Ugh! I know EXACTLY what you mean. Evenings are the absolute worst for me and it's always such a slippery slope as well. I usually have dinner around 7:30 and by 8:30/9 I always want just a "little" something else. I've found that if I cave into that one little nibble, I can't stop eating and it snowballs into a full on snack attack. Usually if I can resist that initial urge, I'm fine for the rest of the night. If I can't, usually a cup of hot chocolate or herbal tea hits the spot. If it's something salty I'm craving, I munch on carrots and salsa. The spice in the salsa usually kills the urge.
There is one more thing that I've been trying...which may sound absolutely ludicrous...but it's actually been working for me. I read somewhere that cinnamon is a natural appetite suppressant. So, when I get a particularly strong craving to eat, I eat a little cinnamon and within a few moments, the craving is gone! It's probably all psychological, but hey, whatever works!
Evenings are so hard for me too! When I get the craving to snack I say "Ok, in 15 minutes I can have that snack." By the time I wait the fifteen minutes I've had time to think about all the reasons I don't need/want the snack. This normally works for me.. but if I'm still really wanting the snack, I try to eat half of it then do another 15 minutes.
I need to try the herbal tea.. that sounds right up my ally!
Late in the evening is when I get all sorts of urges to eat. I go ahead and have a light snack like a handful of nuts, some Triscuits or wheat thins, a piece of fruit, a yogurt, or low-fat pudding. I don't like to drink liquids because I know that I will have to get up in the middle of the night, or early in the morning. I have difficulty going back to sleep after I do so.
Something else that helps me is that I keep very present in my mind that if I have had a wonderful healthy day, I don't want to mess it up.
My eating cut off is 9 at night. So just before 9 I have a small planned snack (around 200 calories) and that keeps me for the rest of the night. Only healthy things though
Of course when I make popcorn its an ordeal. I usually save up my points for my evening popcorn. I cannot use the 95% fat free popcorn....blech, but if you can stand it, its only 2 - 3 pts. Add some taco seasoning, garlic salt, onion salt, etc to spice it up and for me its a great way to get those munchies out because of all the chewing.
Chewing minty gum is a way I curb my cravings too.
my down fall is always in the evening. I work midnights, so on my days off my family is always asleep before me. once i am up at night, by myself is when the cravings start. I have not overcome this yet, but what does help sometimes is watching a motivational show on tv. I always have "the biggest loser" or "you are what you eat", or some other show on weight loss, or obesity recorded on my dvr. when i get the cravings to binge on "bad" foods, watching these programs always help.
Bingeing and overeating in the evening...
