Overeats at night -- please help!

A radical suggestion: maybe eating frequently isn't working for you (and is signaling your body that it SHOULD eat so often, even at bedtime). Try transitioning to a 3-meal-a day (plus one optional snack) regimen.

And make sure you have a large breakfast, moderate lunch, and light-to-moderate dinner. The old saying "have breakfast like a king, lunch like a (something less), and dinner like a pauper" has a lot of wisdom to it: your body and brain need more calories and energy during the daytime when you are active, and less at night.
 
It's more like SEVERAL spoons of peanut butter or pretzels, Lucky Charms (I love the charms), candy, etc.

Another thought: get this stuff out of the house. If it's not there, it won't be a temptation. (Take that box of Lucky Charms---which is pure simple sugars---and go and dump it outside for the birds right now!LOL!)

One more: Are you on a high-protein/low carb diet, by any chance? Because what you say you are noshing on is mostly high-carb foods, and maybe you aren't getting enough healthy carbs during the day to satisfy your body.
 
Boy, what a great bunch of gals you are. All sage advice, Carola, you are amazing woman, way to go with the weight loss and more so, the self-knowledge you have gained! I am the exact same way, I notice if I allow myself some good fats during the day, at night I am good to go, meaning, I do not crave food. If I do, I reach for a handful of whole grain pretzels and call it a day, nothing more. Or if PMS is rearing its ugly head? I keep a stash of Ben and Jerry's frozen yogurt--Half Baked, and have a few spoonfuls. I can make a pint last a month..well, depending on how bad my PMS gets of course. But my point is, those healthy fats really curb your appetite better than anything!
 
Carola, I think you put it quite eloquently how alot of us feel. I have the same problem with eating. I do so well during the day, it's so funny because people see me as this health nut who eats all the right things, but I fall prey to red vines, doritos and all that other stuff I know I shouldn't be eating. It's almost as if I have everyone fooled when in actuality I feel like a closet eater sometimes.

I've been working out since I was 18, now 42 and although I don't look bad (been in a size 8 for the past 20) I still don't have the nice definition and cut look I would like. I overeat in the evenings also and feel horrible the next day, followed by a strenuous workout to hopefully make up for any junk I may have had the day before. It's ridiculous. I'm tired of this yo-yo attitude.

To the original poster, you are not alone.
 
Reading this I realized something. I don't eat junk food at night and I never have seconds etc after dinner. I actually eat well--I will have a frozen yogurt pop for dessert. Then it will be a small bowl of yogurt with some berries and a dribble of maple syrup. Then maybe a quarter cup of Cheerios with low fat milk. All the portions are small and all the stuff is healthy. There is just too much of it. I never eat candy, chips popcorn etc at night or in the day for this matter--well maybe some chips if I have a sandwich at lunch. Anyway I see from reading all these very helpful ideas that the quality is good it is the quantity that has to change.
 
3 meals is better for me

Hi,

This is very true for me. In the past I ate 5 small meals per day and for me that leads to overeating and more frequent urges to eat. So 3 meals is best for me with a few snacks inbetween.

I also over eat in the evening and for me what works is to not have any snack food in the house. (not always an option for everybody) or put these foods in the basement or somewhere where it will take you some time and effort to get to them and try to keep busy doing something that keeps your mind off food. Like a hobby or even cleaning out a junk drawer, anything to keep you from eating. I know what you are going through, I have the same problem.

Cindy

A radical suggestion: maybe eating frequently isn't working for you (and is signaling your body that it SHOULD eat so often, even at bedtime). Try transitioning to a 3-meal-a day (plus one optional snack) regimen.

And make sure you have a large breakfast, moderate lunch, and light-to-moderate dinner. The old saying "have breakfast like a king, lunch like a (something less), and dinner like a pauper" has a lot of wisdom to it: your body and brain need more calories and energy during the daytime when you are active, and less at night.
 
Thank you, Thank you!

Thanks to everyone who chimed in. You all have given me so much to think about. I had no idea so many people struggle with this. One thing I tried yesterday was to eat more protein during the day. That made me feel more satisfied and I wasn't starving at dinner. Well, I didn't stuff myself at dinner and I didn't even want to eat afterwards. I felt so much better this morning and also had an awesome leg workout! Maybe it was all in my head but it worked for one day. HaHa! I'm going to keep it up and see what happens. I think I get enough vitamins because I eat tons of veggies (not just because they are healthy but I truly love the taste). Thanks again for all of your responses. If eating more protein during the day doesn't help I'm going to try another suggestion.
 
Me too!!

Hi,
I do this too. Glad to read that I'm not alone. I was thinking it could be hormones...?
Lisa
 
If you didn’t eat compulsively before you started your new diet, and you’re suddenly eating an entire boxes of fruit loops, or twizzlers or whatever, then the obvious answer is there is something wrong with your diet, not with you.

Hunger is a biological response to the physiological condition of needing food.

If you are famished at night, then you under ate during the day and need to eat something.

It is important to remember that you can consume too many calories during the day and still have under ate because you didn’t get enough of some nutrient.

You are suffering from malnutrition.

I know, you said before that this can’t be the case because you eat vegetables.

Malnutrition is defined as a medical condition caused by an improper or insufficient diet.

Strong feelings of hunger or an abnormal appetite are ways your body tells you that you are malnourished.

So maybe you are eating vegetables, but you aren’t eating enough of a variety or enough fruit. Maybe the deficiency is related to protein, iron, minerals, or fat soluble vitamins. Or maybe your new diet is too restricted calorie wise and you just need to eat more.

This isn’t something which will be fixed by knitting, or distracting yourself. Nor is this the result of “bad habits” which need to be broken. You absolutely need to eat something.

Keep a food diary for a few days. Try entering a days worth of food into a nutritional calculator like the one at NutritionData.com, maybe you are grossly underestimating the number of calories you’re consuming during the day. Maybe you need to add more variety to your diet, maybe you’re not getting enough manganese, or iron, or whatever. It is hard to guess these things.

I know my post is a little late, as you stated that increasing your protein during the day has helped, but I thought it was really important to tell you that hunger is a biological condition not psychological. Struggling with your new diet just means the diet needs to be modified. You don’t lack will power and you are not a failure. You need food.

And for the poster who mentioned that her husband and two adult sons give her crap for eating at night; tell them that maybe if they worked even half as hard as you do they might need to eat more too. Or beat them with a stick. You eat because you’re hungry, you’re hungry because you work hard and your body needs nourishment to maintain the strength you have worked so hard to build. There are more productive ways for them to express their love and support for you then to make you feel guilty or bad about seeking nourishment.
 
ITA with Carola on how to eat and that your macro counts can cause cravings.

ITA with adding protein - that has helped me too.

And at night I load my plate with veggies or have a huge salad with peppers, tomatos, cucs, onions, peas, carrots, etc. so there is loads of fiber and then the remaining part of my dinner is my protein. I typically don't eat carbs at night.

But then again, sometimes I crave them and so will have some. Just watch it from there on out.

As we get older our metabolism changes and we need to adjust. Just keep trying different things and eventually you will find what works for you.

Best of luck !
 

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