How to control late night binge eating?

[paws59]

So I eat pretty healthy in general and can control what I put in my mouth throughout the day but the moment seven o'clock rolls around I just turn into some find of food disposal unit, I crave chocolate like crazy and find myself consuming a whole tub of hummus then a bag of chocolate chips, and make myself a mug cake. At the end of it I feel like crap. I don't know how to control this hyper eating frenzy, I drink water throughout the day when I crave but just don't think of it at night. Anyone have any suggestions?

Thank you in advance!

Cyndal 

[Odyssey13]

We had a thread going with people saying the same thing. You can read it here.

I know with me that I will get a cup of tea and that can help. Keeping my mind and hands active helps, but there comes a time in the evening you just need to relax and not be so busy.

Crunching something seems to help, such as I said in the other thread. An apple, some celery, things I have to chew seem to make me feel as though I've eaten something more filling.

At times, before I munch, I'll ask myself if I'm bored, upset or just thirsty. Most of the time that helps me. I do keep a food journal of what I eat so I can look back each day to see what I'm putting in my mouth. It often stops me from overdoing it. Then, if I'm still hungry, I find something small to nibble with my tea, then brush my teeth.

You can change your habits, Cyndal, but it takes time.

Welcome to FitBit!

[gerrymcd]

I hear you!

Mindless eating in the evening has been a long term issue for me.  I have it somewhat under control at the moment, but as soon as I stop logging everything i eat I gravitate towards eating a stupid amount of calories between 8pm and bedtime. 

[Odyssey13]

It helps to remember that we can have anything we want - we just choose not to eat it. There are times I will eat something I don't especially want, but know it's better for me than what I would rather have.

[whome]

My evening snack, when I need one is oatmeal - not too many calories and plenty filling - as far as chocolate goes I stick to at least 70% cacao and eat a couple section of the bar slowly - savoring the taste - I find a little goes a long way 

[Pril]

"They" say water will help fill you up. To take a bit of something you want and then fill up on water. if your too bloated you won't want to eat trust me. 

[SensiblyFit]

You may not be getting enough protein in your diet.  Many of the responders suggested carbs, but this may not satisfy you.  Check out your diet to determine how many grams of protien you are getting daily and make some adjustments if necessary and see if that works.  At each meal and snack include protien, carbs and a healthy fat.   

You can use this calculator to determine the range of protien you need based on your weight.  Keep in mind that it is a range and that you may need to play around to see what works best for you.

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/library/blproteincalculators.htm

You might also consider a product to help with your cravings.  Eliminating sugar from your diet would be a good thing to do as well.

This is an excellent product, there are other manufacturers too.  But Designs for Health is pharmaceutical grade.  You get what you pay for.

http://www.amazon.com/Designs-Health-CraveArrest-Vegetarian-Capsules/dp/B003ZVJRPK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF...

[LCHFmom]

EVERY diet I have ever participated in,  I ended up eating at 7 or 8pm, until I went high fat.  Now,  I don't ever eat after dinner anymore.  

I would recommend looking at your intake and see if you are eating enough calories / fat/protein.  

[SensiblyFit]

Yes, I agree that fat may be an issue too!  My point is that eating carbs alone is not likely to do the trick.   Add some protein/healthy fat.   If you are always thinking about food you are likely not eating enough protien or fat.  

[Marcy]

I stack most of my calories at dinner to avoid that.  For some reason, exercising late also helps me a lot.  As far as craving chocolate, that happens to me when I cut back on caffiene.  

[nottaken101]

Could it be a medical issue? I didn't have trouble with night-time binge eating till I started taking a certain medication. My doctors and I discovered that it was messing with my blood sugar and kicking in when a different med, that was suppressing my appetite, wore off.

If this is a new problem, in particular, it may be worth seeing if it's more than a psychological issue per se.

[SensiblyFit]

What medication is it?  Perhaps it is causing you to become hypoglycemic.

[au4all]

Why do people think 7pm is late night? There  are entire countries where most people eat dinner long after that; go to Spain for vacation.

I have my meals at approximately 1:00, 5:30 and 9pm and that matches when I'm hungry. After a few weeks I easily got out of the habit of eating early in the day.

There's nothing at all that says you can't match your eating to your hunger. If you need to hear it from some "authority" there's lots of websites and books talking about it.

And I never buy (my weakness) chocolate cookies anymore. But if I'm out at a restaurant (a couple times a month) I'll allow myself some treat. Fortunately I never embarrass myself and order 4 desserts.

[SensiblyFit]

I start my day at 4:30 a.m and I am hungry when I get up.  My first meal is usually before 6:00 a.m. and includes protein to get my metabolism going.   Eating at 7:00 p.m. would be late for me and I would not sleep well.  Having my last meal by 5:00 p.m. is ideal for me.  I'm usually in bed by 9:00 p.m. because I like to get up early and enjoy the mornings.

We all need to keep in mind that we are all different!  What works for one may not work for another.  We should be respectful of our differences.  🙂

[gerrymcd]

In countries where people eat late in the evening they generally have the civilized practice of sleeping for a few hours in the afternoon.  Shops and businesses generally close from 1 until 5pm, and then open from 5 until 8pm.  Dinner at 9pm - or later- is therefore a natural thing.  In countries like the US many people work 8 til 4 or 9 till 5.  In which case people generally eat dinner before 7pm, hence 9pm being regards as 'late'.

[au4all]

---

@SensiblyFit wrote:

I start my day at 4:30 a.m and I am hungry when I get up.  My first meal is usually before 6:00 a.m. and includes protein to get my metabolism going.   Eating at 7:00 p.m. would be late for me and I would not sleep well.  Having my last meal by 5:00 p.m. is ideal for me.  I'm usually in bed by 9:00 p.m. because I like to get up early and enjoy the mornings.

We all need to keep in mind that we are all different!  What works for one may not work for another.  We should be respectful of our differences.  🙂

---

I thought this thread was about people who are hungry at night. I suggested that they consider matching their eating to their hunger. I didn't intend that to be disrespectful towards you.

Sorry!