Evening Support Group
 

Hi there. I'm wondering if any of you would like to join me with an evening support group? If it weren't for my evening eating, I'd probably have been at goal years ago. I've read cognitive therapy books for weight loss, intuitive eating books, emotional eating books, been to a hypnotherapist...you get the idea. I'm not sticking my head in the sand about the issue. But it's just so damn hard to beat this issue!

I'm a single mom and my kids are with me 50% of the time. And on the nights they are with me, I get so exhausted, anxious and overwhelmed by the sheer volume of housework, cooking, homework, activities, that I eat to "calm" myself or "treat" myself. Just stuffing the anxiety.

Then, when the kids are with their dad, between exhaustion, loneliness and boredom, I find the need to eat my feelings away.

I eat cereal, ice cream, cheese and crackers, popcorn, candy, those sorts of things. Some nights/weeks are worse than others. Usually the more sugar that's in my system, the worse the evenings are.

Anyhow, care to join me with an evening check in? I've had enough to eat for the day. If I stop now, I can wake up with my pride in tact.

How about you? I'll check in again tomorrow night.

Pride is irrelevant here, don't tie up your pride with how you eat. Treat yourself with love and kindness and your body will love you back. It's much easier taking care of a body you love than it is to take care of a body you hate.

Being a busy mom can be exhausting. Are you making sure that you're eating adequately during the day? If not this could be why you're binging at night.

I can offer support in the evening. I am dealing with a lot of stress right now and it has made me feel really bad about myself. I am married with 2 children who are almost grown. I also need support in trying to lose this weight and keep it off.

Thanks, Erricah! I will post here tonight to check in. My kids were at their dad's over the weekend. But tonight they're with me. I get so stressed/overwhelmed/ overworked/ anxious in the evenings that I turn to food. I'm really trying to break this habit!

Okay, I used my tools tonight and had a binge free evening. Yay me!

I date a lot but I haven't had a steady relationship in 6 years and not having that companionship makes me binge eat with the lonely and boredom. Usually I will go out, not do it at home I go out to bars and order bar food which is usually fried food and very bad for you so yes I would love to chat with you all instead. How is everyone tonight?

Hey....Evening Supporters! Where are you???? Just found this thread and boy oh boy can I relate to nighttime eating. If I could go to bed at 6 p.m. I would not be overweight.

One thing that has worked for me (when I let it!) is not going into the kitchen after dinner. I take whatever I need for the evening--a piece of fruit, bottled water, my meds etc.---with me into the family room. I pledge to myself not to go into the kitchen.

I see there have been no posts on this thread for almost a month. Let's start it up again. I would like to post here, get and give support and not have to wake up in the morning with a binge hangover and the accompanying binge guilt.

I'll check back later this evening. Hope to find a few Evening Supporters here,

It's evening and I am here on the boards and not in the kitchen. It's ok that I appear to be here all by myself. Self talk works!!

I have pledged not to set foot in the kitchen and will enjoy the evening with DH, the boards and photos of my new GS. The photos are arriving almost hourly on our iPad as a Father's Day gift from our daughter.

Anyone else out there trying to stay in control and not fall off your plan this evening?? I'll check back in a couple of hours before bedtime.

I'll join you as well... I pledge not to go back into the kitchen as well tonight... AND if I could go to bed at 6pm I so wouldn't be overweight too... Lol... :)

I swear sometimes I wish my kitchen was like a bank vault that locked itself up at the end of the day to keep me out of there at night... :D

LOL, All right I'm in too.
Now this is the kind of thread I need. Evenings are my nemesis!!!
Thanks for the support everyone.

Thanks buckeyegal for reviving this thread and thanks Scaletosser for joining in...

I'm happy to report that my KITCHEN REMAINS CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE :D

Hi TripSwitch and Scaletosser.....good to have you here on the "evening shift".

My pledge to not go into the kitchen tonight is still holding despite some stress that normally would have sent me straight to the fridge with a "let the binge begin" attitude.

DS (tonight the D does not stand for Darling!) called a couple of hours ago asking us for lunch tomorrow, Father's Day. Sounds like a nice thing, huh?
Our son left his Dad hanging and wondering if he was going to get an invite or a disappointment. DS and his wife wined and dined her folks overnight last weekend in their new house that we have not yet seen. We get a last minute invite and not even an invite to the house! They'll meet us half way at a restaurant (it's a two hour drive for us). How considerate---he probably wants us to pick up the check!!

Had it been me making the decision I would have said we made plans---sorry---next time give us more notice cause we are not coming. But my DH wants to go so we will go. And good for him---he told our son and DIL that we are coming to their house for lunch!!!

Better that I vent my feelings and stress here on this thread than stuffing them down with anything and everything in the fridge and pantry.

I will be back here tomorrow evening---hopefully less stressed---and ready to stay in control of my nighttime eating for Night #2.

Hope any of you reading this who still have a father to call or to be with, will do so tomorrow.

Hey TripSwitch!!! you are sooo close to your goal! Congrats. You must feel wonderful!!

Stay strong, keep your promise not to set foot in the kitchen and come back here tomorrow evening. You, too, Scaletosser.

Hope to see lots more of us here tomorrow evening on this thread and not in the kitchen.

Thanks!

I'm so close... That's it's completely MADDENING!!! ... Lol... ;)

I started back on May 10th 2014... and boy, oh boy this time around it's been TOUGH!!!

I've been sort of just spinning my wheels the last few weeks... So I'm trying to get my you know what in gear and get back on track... AND get the rest of this weight of finally...

Just got to get back to doing what worked for me to get me to this point... AND I know nothing good can come from me being in my kitchen in the middle of night... Lol... :D

Just hang in there TripSwitch. Soooo close. Don't let a foray into the kitchen mess up 13 months of your good work and sidetrack your journey.

We came back from what turned out to be a very nice Father's Day lunch with my son and DIL. Brought home leftovers for DH and I will have a Medifast meal. (Been doing ok on it. Lost 70 lbs. back in 2008 but put some back on due to nighttime, senseless eating).

Here's to a successful Night #2 of Operation Keep Out of the Kitchen After Dinner. I know I can do this.

And to the rest of you night eaters---take the pledge. Keep Out of the Kitchen
After Dinner. Come to the boards and forums instead.

It is so nice to wake up in the morning with a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment after spending the evening NOT grazing on anything and everything. My joints don't ache, my brain is not in some carb-laden fog, I don't feel any guilt and I actually look forward to the day. So why do I so often chose to eat at night when I hate the morning-after consequences? And I am not even mentioning the weight gain!!!!

My Plan Of Action: I brought a little cooler into the family room and put several frozen ice packs into it to keep my iced tea, Medifast meal, Medifast pudding snack and bottles of water cold during the evening. Got all I need right here. No feet in the kitchen as of right now--5:50 p.m.

Everyone have an on-plan evening. I'll check in later......

Here I sit with my cup of decaf coffee as I've found it can help stave off the after dinner snack attacks! Although I do usually allow myself a small snack before bed (as long as its on plan), tonight I sucked it back waaay too early. So coffee it is but I'm feeling pretty good about it so far. I'm done for tonight although I may have to go to bed really early to make sure I stick to this pledge, lol! :dizzy:

cooler! why didn't I think of that BuckEyeGal?

I will plan out a snack and drinks, cut in tiny pieces to savor, and store in a cooler. Prepare savory snacks and drinks for the evening first, THEN clean kitchen. Otherwise I'll be drinking milk at 10pm.

I am happy to report that the KITCHEN IS NOW CLOSED :)

Thanks for the support and encouragement everyone...

buckeyegal that's a good idea for staying out of the kitchen... I'm glad to hear you had a nice Father's Day lunch with your family... I had a very nice day too with my Dad and my younger brother... unfortunately, my Mom passed away back in 2013 so it's just us now... We had lunch too and I'm happy to report that I stayed relatively on plan even though I was tempted to do the old "Oh, I'll just start again on Monday..." Well.. we all know how that usually goes...lol... ;)

And this actually made me a little excited.... My younger brother could easily stand to lose 50 lbs, but he has never really shown much interest in it... Well, today he was asking a lot of questions and it sounds like he really wants to give it a try... So this week I'm going to help him look into a few different plans and hopefully we can find one he can live with.... It really would make so happy to see him get back in shape... And I know my Mom would have loved it too... So hopefully it will happen... :)

Scaletosser nice to see you back here again... I used to love having a nice cup of decaf tea in the evening which really seemed to help me as well... I'm not sure why I gave that up... but thanks for reminding me...

SeeMyFeet nice to see you here as well... I like my milk at 10 PM too... Well.... When its whipped up with some cream, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla or chocolate into some ice cream... Lol... BUT NOT TONIGHT :D

That's great news about your brother TripSwitch! The more the merrier. Never hurts to have people with similar thinking and goals around you. Let us know what plan he decides on. Always curious to know what is working for people.
And I'd love to know what everyone here is using as well so if you feel like sharing, let me know everyone:) Thanks.
I'll be back tonight for check in but so far so good.

Good Morning fellow night-eating sufferers......

I am sorry to report that my best efforts to remain out of the kitchen last evening failed me. It was emotional eating to stuff down my feelings that did me in. (I am blaming no one but myself.) Got a phone call from my daughter who told me she is being treated for postpartum depression.

Feeling terrible this morning both physically and mentally. I am a big believer in picking myself up after falling down and trying again. So, back to Night #1 tonight to be evening-eating free.

Good to see TripSwitch, Scaletosser and SeeMyFeet on this thread. I agree with Scaletosser that being surrounded by like-thinking people is an ingredient for success. Good luck to your brother, TripSwitch. I know you will be an asset to him should he begin his journey.

SeeMyFeet: I'm no genius about coming up with the cooler idea. Took the idea from someone else who was much more successful at curbing her nighttime eating. Good to see that you liked this idea and am hoping you can use it to help you in the evenings. Your ticker indicates you are doing great. Keep up your good work!

Scaletosser: I am doing Medifast 5-1 plan. Five Medifast meal replacements (shakes, puddings, bars) and one meal (protein and veggie usually eaten at dinner). However, I am not using actual Medifast products. They have gotten way too expensive. Use Wonder Slim and My Diet Shopz products. Some days I will eat food for breakfast and dinner and use meal replacements in between. I try to keep calorie count about 1000-1100 and carb count below 85. I am very carb sensitive--- achy joints, stiff muscles, sleepiness, brain fog when I have too many carbs. I am suffering this morning from my insanity last night.

Back to the beginning for me. Will be back here later this evening. Wishing you all a good day and better evening!!

Hi everyone. I'm about to have my last snack of the day before locking it down. Thank goodness for jello light:) It can be a real lifesaver for my sweet tooth.
Buckeyegal2815 thanks for the info regarding your plan.
I'm sorry to hear about your daughter. I can see why that would be tough to deal with but good for you for getting back on track today. I have found that my real issue has been more of my "all or nothing" mentality and in the past falling off track would lead me to a month long "might as well" type of binge. So struggling for one night but getting back on track right away is a big goal of mine and your post really helped me remember that.
Have a great night everyone!:)

Good Evening Everyone...

I too somehow wound up in the kitchen last night and made myself a sandwich and had a glass of skim milk with it... Now it wasn't one of those huge cartoon like Dagwood type of sandwiches or anything like that... BUT I'm sure I wouldn't have starved to death by morning if I had skipped it... I have a bad habit of trying to eat too lightly sometimes during the day and then surprise, surprise... I'm still too hungry at night to resist... and I think that's what happened...

I still have so many bad habits that I just can't seem too break... Skipping meals... Trying to eat too little... Eating standing up and scarfing down my food... Sometimes I wonder how I've lost as much weight as I have... really

Scaletosser I swear I have ADD when it comes to diets and plans... Lol...
This round of weight loss started by just counting calories using MFP and then I was referred to a Diabetes Prevention Program at a local hospital which was a low fat diet with 150 minutes of exercise a week... Then I decided to do Atkin's '72... After that I rejoined WW (I'm still a member, but I'm not really counting points at the moment)... I also looked into TOPS and got a hold of their food exchange cards that they use and played around with those... Oh, and I forgot to mention I tried the Ideal Protein protocol in there too... AND just a couple of weeks ago I found a Richard Simmons Deal-A-Meal set on Amazon and decided I had to have since it was a collectors item and all... Actually, it is a bit of a hoot and I have had some fun with it... But I'm not exactly ready to be taking my Deal-A-Meal wallet with me everywhere I go just yet... Lol... :D

Lately I've been trying to use the Beck Diet Solution which is based on learning various Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques to help you with any plan that you're doing... I've found some of it helpful, but some of it I really struggle with... I also recently read Intuitive Eating, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet... I don't think I've hit my "dieting bottom" yet, so to speak...

There are a couple of books I've been thinking about picking up... one is called "The Diet Trap" and the other is "The Weight Escape" (I love that title btw) both are based on ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy) and sound sort of promising as far as really working on letting go that constant "diet" mentality...

But right now for better or worse all I really want is go on that one last perfect diet that's going to get me to "goal"... :dizzy:

Good evening everyone. Happy to report I've stayed out of the kitchen due to staying out of the house!! Made a couple of trips to pick up a friend whose car broke down. Just getting in now, am tired and don't care to go into the kitchen. Maybe she could call me every night for awhile to drive her around!! LOL

I am pretty disgusted with myself for not being able to stop my nighttime eating for more than a week at a time. But I keep trying and that's about all I can do. Giving up is not an option.

TripSwitch: you sound a lot like me with the eating lightly during the day (usually trying to "make up" for eating too much the night before) and then being so hungry by dinner I get that "what the ****" attitude for several hours during the evening.

This evening is almost over and I've been able to keep the kitchen closed. Thank goodness. Hope all of you have had success this evening keeping your kitchens closed.

Will check in here tomorrow. Gotta figure out how to get a ticker.

Congrats buckeyegal on staying out of the kitchen last night... That's what I've got to keep telling myself... To just take it "One Day At A Time"... or in our case "One Evening At A Time"... Lol... :)

And yes, it does sound like we're a lot a like... I get in that same vicious cycle... not being really hungry the next morning because I ate too much the night before... It's been so hard for me to break... I did manage to actually go a couple of months recently without any nighttime forays into the kitchen and I felt so much better... Not just mentally, but physically as well... I'm just gonna keep working at and I have faith that I'll get past this eventually...

Hope you're having a good day... And I'll look forward to seeing everyone back here a little bit later for some "Evening Support" :)

Well TripSwitch and Buckeyegal, based on what you guys were saying I must be on the right track because I wake up STARVING, lol. Clearly I'm on the verge of a breakdown because I'm likely restricting too much so as you pointed out, I'll try to eat a little more during the day. Makes sense. Hopefully my evenings wont be such a struggle then. Kitchen on lock down!!! Night all. :)

I had a very busy day and it just now is ending. On plan 100% and the kitchen is closed. In fact, it never opened today. Bought a healthy salad from the grocery store salad bar and put on my own diet dressing.

Not going to write much tonight. Just chill a little and then hit the hay.

TripSwitch & Scaletosser: I am sending you both good thoughts for a good evening out of the kitchen. You both sound like very strong, determined ladies. We won't let a bad habit of nighttime eating derail us.

Will check in with more details tomorrow.

Hi All. :)

Just a quick check in... Had 100% OP day... And I just stopped myself from mindlessly stuffing my face with whatever was in sight in the kitchen... I just calmly told myself I'd already eaten everything my plan called for today... AND more importantly I just sort of "checked-in" with myself and I realized I wasn't even hungry...

It felt really good and empowering... And I feel so much better now...

Good night all...

Good job, TripSwitch! :carrot:

Thats great to hear Tripswitch. I love that you realised you weren't hungry and were able to move your attention elsewhere as a result. I'm working on that too and although it's only happened a handful of times (I'm pretty new to the Intuitive/mindfull eating thing) it's nothing less than thrilling when I'm able to halt a mindless eating episode in its tracks.
I've got one cup of jello light in the fridge with my name on it when I'm ready for tonight and then I'm shutting it down. Stay strong everyone!

Hello Everyone....

Back from a bout with the flu, I think. Whatever it was certainly kept me out of the kitchen and stopped me from any evening eating !!!! LOL...

Not too interested in eating, but that won't last long. Found some sugar free Popsicles in the freezer and that will do for tonight.

Hope everyone is staying on plan and out of the kitchen in the evening. Good for you, TripSwitch! on talking yourself out of off-plan eating.

Don't recommend going out and contracting the flu, but it has helped me string together many nights free of nighttime eating. Trying for anyone tonight.

How is everyone doing? TripSwitch, Scaletosser, Jacqui D? Come out, come out wherever you are!!!

Hi buckeyegal ... I've just had a few really stressful days... I started the Ideal Protein diet on Wed... And then on Thursday afternoon my brother wound up in the hospital for a few days... It's a long story, but he's home now... It might be Lyme related they're not sure yet, so he still has to go for more tests... Anyway it was all pretty scary actually... and somehow I pretty much managed to stay on plan... Just ate some extra packets... And considering how upset I was I think that's pretty amazing...

So I'm pretty wiped out still... I mean I must have spent at least a total of 24 hours from Thursday afternoon to Saturday afternoon at that hospital with him... I'm hoping I can get to bed early tonight... I did eat some extra dinner protein tonight and I'll have another IP packet if I want later... But like I said hopefully I'll be asleep...

I'll just keep trying to do my best...

And as I like to say... "Rome wasn't built in a day..."

Although I also like to add to that... "But it burnt in one..." ;)

Hey TripSwitch....sorry about your brother and the ensuing stress for everyone involved. Glad he's out of the hospital and hopefully tests will confirm a diagnosis and treatment.

Great you were able to stay on plan during this ordeal. Read a little about the Ideal Protein diet. Good move to get a counselor/coach and move forward to your goal. You are so close now and could be at goal very soon. And you can get help maintaining. Great!

Rest up and stay strong.

Checking in....July 1....another month gone and little progress. Didn't gain, but didn't lose either. On plan for several days, then off-plan eating negates the good days.

Gotta string together a meaningful amount of on-plan days and weeks to get me motivated to do this.

I am posting my S/C/G weights. Guess I can't put a ticker on for a while until I have a certain amount of posts. Seeing the numbers will make me really see the numbers!!! Hopefully they will move downward.

Be back tomorrow.

264/264/150

Just got the scale to start moving in the right direction... And of course now I want to eat everything in site... I may have shrunk a few billion fat cells... But boy oh, boy are they ever still HUNGRY! Lol... :)

So even though I just ate a bunch of things not on my plan... I didn't overeat... the switch was just about to flip... And somehow I just knew I was about to start stuffing my face with everything in site... But I STOPPED

I swear sometimes I think I need to go off and live in a cave... Well, as long as it doesn't have a kitchen... :D

CONGRATULATIONS, TripSwitchYou did it!!! Got to goal---even went a bit further!!!!!

So happy for you!

264/264/150

Thanks!

I decided this morning that I was DONE... and even if I'm still a few lbs "overweight" by the BMI... I just don't care anymore...

So after earning my 60lb weight loss badge yesterday with my Fitbit I decided that was "good enough"...

If I lose a few more lbs great... But if not, that's OK too...

I'm going to put my energy back into getting back in shape and just let go of making myself so crazy with the scale...:dizzy:

Smart thinking,TripSwitch. I agree with you. Numbers and scales can drive you crazy which can drive you to eat off plan. Eat healthy, keep the nighttime eating in check and live! Good for you!!!!!

I have strung several days of keeping my nighttime eating to zero. Daytime, no problem; nighttime, big problem. I'm proud of myself and found the courage to get on the sale again. 3# down. More motivation to keep on plan.

Was given a gift card to Cheesecake Factory for my b-day. Used it this weekend. They have a Skinnylicious menu with menu items labeled 490 cal and 590 cal. Got a wonderful chopped chicken salad with Skinnylicious vinaigrette.

Somebody tried to walkout without paying and we had a floor show! Saw the arrest. Much excitement so totally forgot about the cheese cake!

Hang in there, TripSwitch. Stay strong.

264/261/150

Want to stop the Night Eating!!!
 

Yes!! am a "nighttime eater"!!! And mostly eat healthful foods - but still.. too many calories and too many "meals" keep the weight on. Live in small apartment now and keeping out of galley kitchen not realistic (my computer on table 5 feet from pantry). But will keep trying. Trying for a 2 day protein shake fast to get back in stride. (home made with berries, almond milk, whey powder, greens powder and chia seeds). iT IS 6pm and family stoppin by - grand kids will bring sushi and I will make them a peach shake (have unsweetened coconut milk in fridge too). If I go to bed by 11 - that will help. and.. NO nuts (a healthful but binge food for me).

Will log in Wednesday and say how I have done. Am 74 and want to get back in decent enuff shape to start taking easy hikes in the Fall !!!

PS am a TOPS member too (like weight watchers but cheap - as it is non-profit)

:welcome: offthewall ...

Sending you :dust: to stay strong and stay on plan for tonight...

PS... I've never been to a TOPS meeting, but I do have their latest book (the spiral-bound one...) and I really like their food exchange cards... It's funny, I've done every diet known to man... And I've only just recently discovered those... Lol... My problem is I always want to make things more complicated than they need to be... Especially, when it comes to losing weight!