For weeks now i have been sleep eating. I discover evidence of it some of the time. Last night i apparently drank some water, drank some milk and ate some ritz crackers. I may have eaten more but i just don't know.
DO any of you know how to stop doing this. I weighed down a pound before i went to bed then i woke up this morning weighing more.
I am certain now this is the reason i cant lose weight. I haven't lost a pound since the 19th of last month. I eat 1500 to 1900 calories a day like sparkpeople tells me to and i usually exercise for 30 minutes to a hour sometimes more and my weight just won't go down.
I don't know what to do. I looked online and they said doctors sometimes prescribe two different medications to stop this. I don't recall what they are called right now.
Is there another way to stop this that you know of? I want to lose weight and i am sabotaging myself every night now.
Any help would be appreciated.

Sleep eating? Wow, I've never heard of that. So you have no recollection of it the next morning?
I had a friend who was a severe sleep-walker. She would get up and clean, ride her bike in PJs and one time unwrapped all her birthday presents the night before the b-day - and then had no recollection who gave her what . Anyway, she went to a specialist, slept in a sleep lab to get herself analyzed and eventually was put on medication.
It might be worth asking your doctor about this - it can't be good for your rest to be up at night anyway, right?

Hope you can figure this out

I don't have any advice, but wanted to post this article for you and anyone else dealing with this: NYTimes article about binge eating while asleep

Good luck to you.

I use to do it and I am sure it had a lot to do with the mental state I was in at the time. I hope you can get it figured out soon

Yikes, that sounds scary

If it were me, I'd go to the doctor ASAP. In the meantime, if you live alone, maybe put a little lock on the fridge/cabinets at night? Hmm.. that sounds pretty drastic. And I don't know whether or not you'd still be able to remember the combination/find the key in your sleep. This really might be contributing significantly to your weight, though.

Anyway, I'm definitely not in a position to give advice on this as I don't know much about it but I just wanted to give you You should talk to a doctor! Good luck!

Thanks everyone, I have an appointment with my therapist next week i will talk to her about it and see what she thinks.
This didn't happen the last time i went on a diet, i lost 27 pounds in three months then. According to the article i read thanks to thesame7lbs i think i will need to see my doctor.
I can't continue on this way. It's depressing to work at losing weight during the day only to sabotage myself at night.
Thanks everyone for your input. And thanks onederchic it helps knowing someone else has gone through this. I have felt like i was going completely nuts the last few mornings. things moved around and such. I was afraid i was going off the deep end. I talked to my boyfriend about it, he doesn't think it's a big deal. Ha!
Luckily i had heard of sleep eating before or i would have been petrified. I was still quiet scared until i figured it out. Now i just need to stop doing it!

Good luck with your therapy and keep us updated

I have had a sleep test and would recommend that for you, if your doctor agrees. Mine showed I move a lot in bed and have some apnea. I have started sleep eating, before I went on a diet. I made a sundae and since I didn't have whipped cream, I just poured heavy cream on top, bottom, etc. I also bought something on craigslist and had to cancel that in the am. I was afraid I would try to drive and hurt someone, so my doctor changed my sleeping pills. Haven't gotten out of bed since.
btw, my doctor approved of my diet, Medifast, altho he doesn't offer it to patients. He did say his partner does, and later said that sometimes doctors order things because they make money, not because it is good for the patient. My husband and I have stopped the diet today.

Thanks onederchick! I will keep all of you updated.

Are you taking any sleep aids? Many sleep aids warn of side effects like doing activities while asleep. You should see your doc. If it's not meds, you may want to have a sleep study done. You definitely have to get this figured out for your own safety.

I am not taking any sleep aids. I was wondering if taking a tylenol PM for a few nights would be ok. Usually i sleep hard when i take them.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

In school, I learned that sleep eating usually happens when you go to bed hungry. When you are asleep your body is so hungry that it wakes itself up partially and eats. 4star is also correct that sleep aids cause sleep eating as well.

How many calories are you eating a day?

I am trying to eat between 1500 to 1900 calories a day. And i ate about 60grams of protein yesterday though that was a good day. I usually eat between 40 to 50 grams of protein a day. I know that is low but i find it hard to get enough protein. I found a site a couple of days ago that said i should get between 60 to 130 grams of protein a day. I managed this the last time i lost weight by drinking protein drinks i am not doing that this time.Should i be eating more?

^^That's too low, .8 per kg of body weight is a decent recommendation by the RDA. Why so much trouble getting protein in? Are you veggie/vegan/picky eater?

Not sure if this helps, but I work overnight shifts and find that eating protein (chicken,nuts,protein shake) is *very common* amongst us shift workers, especially around 2-3am because it helps perk up our energy. If you are not eating enough during the day (and 40-50 grams is not a lot at all for your body weight), your body is likely craving protein. You may not be actually choosing protein (although milk is a good source), but, I dunno. Just a thought. I am no expert on this.

I think adding more protein in your diet would be a good idea, especially since you didn't experience the sleep eating the last time you lost weight when you were drinking the shakes.
I have experienced sleep eating on occasion myself and it was always on nights when I was hungry. I make sure to eat a dinner that is high in protein.

Adding whey protein powder to your favorite drink or even a smoothie is another great way to get more protein too.