Can someone PLEASE explain this to me?????
 

For me, the better question, was "what will get me to stop this behavior?" Turned out to be planning so that I have an evening snack written down on my plan and mentally closing the kitchen for the night after my snack. Then, I find something else to do in another part of the house.

What do you mean by "doing well"? Is it starving yourself all day?
Science tells us that skipping meals, or having too few calories all day, your brain will start to crave all kinds of junkie calories.
If you eat more good food during the day, that may help. (sounds odd, but helps a lot)

Eating too much an hour or 2 before bed
 

:?::?: That sure is me:carrot: I can do so well for a day or two and then, due to some unknown emotion (happy, sad, rebellious or whatever) I start eating and figure what the heck, I ruined todays points (calories) might as well go for it:devil: It makes me really upset, but I do it again:?:

Here is a short and sweet answer to the evening binge problem:
As the above ladies have said, if you have eaten enough calories during the day so that you are not physically hungry and consumed a planned for snack after dinner, then it may be highly likely that you are binging for two reasons: a. eating to avoid emotions you don't want to deal with and/or b. just plain eating out of pure habit. Both can be overcome if you a. learn to sit with your emotions and deal with them and b. get away from the TV food commercials and take up a new activity.
There are some great books out that go into this in detail if you need more information; they will help you but you must also be very determined to get this under control. Good luck!

You know what I do? I used to do that every single night. I'm a night owl so I'd stay up until all hours of the night eating eating and eating because a. I was sad/grumpy/celebrating/bored. So I put my foot down. Sure, I can eat all I want- but the only foods available are veggies or Raisin Bran! So even if I eat the whole bag of carrots, it's not as bad as plowing through a bag of Cheetos or having four s'mores.

I always binged at night if I didn't eat enough during the day.

Things you can try:

1. Making sure you evenly distribute your calories through the day and you are eating sufficient amounts to get the nutrition you need
2. Eat mostly whole foods, lots of vegetables, make sure you get all the healthy foods you need (my body would restlessly "seek" food when I was eating crap)
3. Plan a healthy snack after dinner
4. Declare the kitchen closed after your healthy snack
5. Brush, floss, rinse
6. Change your routine. If you always eat at night, change what you are doing at night. Maybe you should work out at night? Go for a walk? Call your mom? Come post here?

Brush, floss, rinse (from Glory)

DO THIS.


You just have to say no. Its hard for the first couple of weeks... but you get to a point where you won't snack at night anymore.

I am a grazer, so even if I set aside calories for a little snack-- it just prods me to eat more. So when its cut off time, I floss, brush and rinse and then its water only.

It DOES get easier!:hug:

I am only three days in so take this for what it's worth, a mostly untested plan (ok, two days of "testing"):

I tend to snack at night in front of my computer after my daughter has gone to bed. I usually start out ACTUALLY hungry because with a four year old, we eat dinner really early so I leave myself enough calories for frozen grapes (sweet) and popcorn (light on the salt, very little butter - I do leave myself enough calories for a little bit of real butter, I'd rather have a little bit of real butter and real salt on stove top popped real popcorn than a whole bag of fake microwaved stuff but this is different for everyone). I give myself about half an hour to check up on email and stuff, then I turn off my computer and do something else. I have about a million craft projects to catch up (trying to get a jump on Christmas) so I do that and watch tv.

Apparently I'm not going to magically lose my desire to snack and snack and snack in front of my computer at the end of the day so I'm trying to find something else to do.

This is very much the sort of thing I do ^
Also, having to eat earlier in the evening as nitenicole describes seems to be a problem for me as well.
I just have to keep saying to myself "Am I actually hungry?" "I'm about to go to bed and fall asleep, I won't notice cravings when I'm asleep!"(even if I end up staying up for hours, it seems to help)
Yes, there has been the occasional night of frying bacon at 3am, but I'm immeasurably better than I used to be. I only occasionally eat after dinner now, and it tends to be a lot healthier. Clearing unhealthy snacks out may very well help :)

Like others, I ate in the evening mostly out of BOREDOM, and sometimes emotion (which I am trying to overcome), so I came up with several other activities that I could do at that time. It does take practice and you will make the odd mistake; but be sure to learn from it, then move on ...

I took up crocheting for charity and that gives me two motivators -- keeping my hands busy and helping others. Making gifts for others is another good idea. I also check & water my gardens, come here to 3FC's, read a book, listen to music, and then put up my feet for a while and do my evening devotions et al, just before bed. On occasion, we may watch a video or go out for a while. Making a list of activities may be helpful for you; post it on your fridge with your list of healthy evening snacks.

Also, I have a "HEALTHY" snack planned and ready for the evening now -- every night. Usually it is cheese and/or fruit; or PB on a couple of ww crackers or baby carrots; or fruit and/or yogurt ... those type of things. I also have all-bran or raisin bran available if I am very, very hungry as that is very filling. For now, I have banned all foods that I have a tendency to binge on and that are just too high in calories.

You know that old thought that comes into your mind -- "might as well binge as you ruined the day now" is really your mind playing tricks on you. I call this "Evening Sabotage." That is your old bad habits trying to SABOTAGE you -- don't give in to that; don't let it win! You can rebuke those thoughts with positive comments like "Cancel, cancel -- I am in control and I am eating healthy now!"

My newest mantra is ...

"HEALTHY FOODS CREATE A HEALTHY BODY!"


:D

I drastically cut sugar and the evening snacking cravings disappeared. I was shocked when I went a whole night without once thinking about going back in to the kitchen.

Once I realized I COULD go a whole evening without eating anything after dinner, it became easier to talk myself out of it. Usually, if I can get past the initial food desire, it stays away. So that is the boredom aspect- get your mind off of it. Easier said than done, I know. What do you typically think of the second someone says "don't think about *this*"? Making it not an option to go back for food, so I might as well give it up, helps in that regard, too.

That response was a bit rambling. Hopefully there were a few good nuggets in it. :dizzy:

I caught myself night eating when my body was actually bored and tired. My body wanted sleep, and since I was forcing it to stay awake, it needed stuff to do and easy energy (carbs.)

Now, I just go to bed. Or fall asleep on the couch :)

i am not eating that amount, but lately i have been very hungry, and the stomach growling is more noticable at night when i'm trying to get to sleep. The past couple of nights i just had a few bites of my chobani yogurt. I'm out of that, i hope it stops soon. NO, i'm not starving myself, i am genuinely hungry after eating mostly good healthy food.