Night Time Snacker

[MrsFraga2016 72]

My whole life I have had a problem with night time snacking. I guess you could say I learned this behavior from my parents who to this day still night time snack. I could be the healthiest person during the day--eating healthy food, Portion Control, and exercise, but there's something about 8pm that kicks my night time grazing into motion. The psych eval guy told me I have "binge eating disorder" which to a certain degree I agree with. He also told me that he had to write something on the insurance papers to "diagnose me" with.

Sometimes I'm not even hungry and I snack anyway. Then *POOF* there goes my whole day and I've consumed 1000+ calories from dinner on.

My habit is funny. I eat while I'm watching TV at night. I snack primarily from 8pm-10pm. I only snack if I'm watching TV. My dietician told me that "everytime I think about snacking get on the ellyptical" that I have in my living room.....yeah right. Others have told me to shut the TV off and do something else. TV is my way to relax at night while I'm alone and my boyfriend is at work (after my long day at work).

I've toiled with the idea of going upstairs to bed at 8pm and watching TV on my IPAD. I know my lazy butt will not walk downstairs to get food and I do not eat in bed.

Does anyone else have this snacking problem?

Does anyone have any advice?

I need to break this habbit NOW.

[rbmk14 59]

I do that too, but it's only sometimes, maybe 2-3 times a week so not every day. I will go downstairs and get something though, and I also will eat in bed :/ Working on stopping that but I don't get to bed until 12-1 so it's hard!

[GuyMontag 1,264]

It sounds like you suffer from something similar to what I do, you need coping mechanisms and yours are TV and eating. My therapist once told me I had a choice, I could find other ways to cope or I could cut some of the stress out that was causing me to need to cope. It's probably the same for you. You might consider therapy or just find healthier ways of coping. That's about as straightforward as I can be Good luck!

[bsellis 105]

I have the SAME exact problem!! I do good all day and then at night I start munching and don't want to stop. It doesn't help that I go to bed afterwards. I think I've also associated it with sleeping good because I always fall asleep fast and sleep good if I have something in my stomach. I have started drinking some herbal tea at night and that actually makes me feel full for awhile. I've been turning the TV off and grabbing a book because it's harder to eat when your holding a book turning pages. This is my biggest struggle right now but I'm trying to change my behavior and I'm hoping when I get the band it will help.

[Jim1967 3,569]

You described me perfectly but I will add that not only was I a binge eater I used to plan it and if I didn't have my binge food in the house I would go out and get it. I was constantly eating in front of the t.v. I would start with cheez-its and soda and then work my way up to ice cream. This was a nightly ritual for a lot of years.

I had to do a 6 month insurance required diet in order to get the band and it was really hard at first. I used to go watch tv in bed just to be on another floor away from the food. Just before my surgery I attended a class put on by my weight center called "Hungry Head". It was a real eye opening experience for me. It taught me about triggers and just how bad of a binge eater I was.

I am post-op now and I have fully embraced the life change and more importantly head hunger is no more. It is impossible for me to binge now even if I wanted to. Sure I still have ice cream every so often but I have learned moderation with all things. There are times I think about where I am now compared to where I once was and I am amazed at how much I've changed not just physically but mentally. I wish I could bottle it up and share it with others.

Believe it or not I found that talking to myself helped a great deal. Identifying your triggers and then do what you must to avoid them until it takes little or no effort to disregard them.

[lisacaron 5,075]

Ah I do the same thing. When I have a long stressful day I like to sit and watch some mindless TV and not think about anything. I like to have a snack before I go to sleep, but I try to plan for that snack. I try to leave enough space and calories to enjoy something about an hour before bed along with a nice cup of Decaf coffee. Sometimes the coffee with a sugar free flavored Creamer is enough for me. If I am in a "snacky" crunchy or icy kinda of mood. The icy need tends to happen more in summer. I will have a no sugar fudge pop or a skinny cow low-fat no sugar ice-cream even a sugar free ice pop. If I'm in a pinch I can make a Protein shake smoothie with some ice and a blender. Or I'll have a Tablespoon of Peanut Butter or a string cheese, Protein Bar, sugar free low fat pudding is great too. You can get all kinds of flavors to whip up.

I usually wait it out as long as I can to be sure I actually want/need to have that snack. For the most part it quiets my tummy down enough to get to sleep. I take medication before going to bed, and sometimes I think my tummy needs something at that time to help ease the digestion of the medication.

If you are mindfu and plan your snacking after dinner or before bed, you won't exceed your calories you'll account for them and be ready to consume them at that time. That's what has helped me, cause I know after a long day I am not going to start exersizing and then try to go to bed, that would only serve to keep me wide awake.

[stept04 465]

Me and my husband both have this problem and we eat sugar-free Popsicle like their going out of style. That and sugar-free Jello is about the only thing I've found that I can eat on that doesn't have a whole bunch of calories.

~~~Stephanie

[Sojourner 2,446]

I can also relate to having this habit that I needed to break if I wanted to be successful with losing weight.

A few ideas which helped me, as others have suggested, make getting that snack more difficult. Be on a different floor of the house from the food. If you take a spoon of Peanut Butter, put the spoon in the dishwasher so you have additional steps to go through before you have your snack. It gives you an opportunity to rethink if you really want that snack.

Find something ELSE to do with your hands while watching tv. I don't watch it much, but when I do I usually am working on a counted cross stitch project. It takes my mind off of wanting a snack. You are correct if you believe that much snacking happens from being bored.

Only snack on healthy food, and try to make certain that your snack contains Protein. It will hold your hunger at bay for longer and you add Protein grams to your daily intake.

Get all of your desired Snacks out of your house. That way, not only would getting the snack involve going downstairs, you would also need to go to the store.

Learn how to separate authentic hunger from "head hunger". I usually will drink some Water, get busy with a project to distract me. If in 30 minutes my feelings of hunger are still present then I know I need to eat something. Then I choose wisely, like a teaspoon of Peanut Butter.

Place a limit on yourself as to how many Snacks you are allowed per day. When you reach your liit, you are done. Period. I will allow myself 2 snacks a day. One in the afternoon between lunch and dinner(usually plain low fat cottage cheese), and my evening snack,is usually Greek yogurt with PB2 in it or 1-2 teaspoons of peanut butter.

Under no circumstances should you ever bring the entire bag or container to where you are sitting, because then you cannot be mindful of the portion you are eating, and likely will eat way more than you should.

Know what your trigger foods are, and avoid them. Some people cannot control their portion of peanut butter as an example. Avoid that as a snack if you are uncertain if you can place a limit on yourself and adhere to it.

I hope some of this helps. It't really all about changing your relationship with food, and learning to eat to live rather than living to eat. Or finding solace and comfort in food.

If you are turning to food as a coping mechanism to manage stress, opt for some exercise instead. Exercise is a great stress reducer, it creates endorphins and you burn extra calories. It's really a win-win.

Best wishes...

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

I have always struggled with this, too. Big time.

I have a bit of a different way of coping but it works for me. I have essentially trained my brain that bath and jammies means no more eating for the night. So, every night after my kids are in bed and I'm settling in for the night, I take a long bath. This is the time of night I always want to graze and did for many years. I also brush my teeth really well, too. I know it's probably odd but the combination works for me.

I think it's going to be a matter of finding what works for you. There's a lot of really great ideas on this thread. I'd go down the list and just try one after another until you find one that works.

Best wishes.

[gowalking 10,790]

The tricks for me are being in the bedroom rather than the living room...same idea as being on another floor. And I have to be doing something while the TV is on....a crossword puzzle, being on the computer, reading...anything besides just watching TV....and all those darn food commercials....oh lord, they are the worst....

If I really have nothing else to occupy me, I stream a movie. It keeps me engrossed, and there are no commercials. As Missy said, try some of the suggestions on this thread till you find what works for you. Believe me, as you can see, you are not alone with this particular struggle.

[jfc193 719]

I loved to eat at night between 9 and 11 so in order for me to try to avoid the time frame. I have gotten used to getting up between 4:30 and 5:30 which means I am ready for bed around 9. Otherwise I find it difficult to not snack. In any case it seems to work for me.

[feelinggood 152]

Pre band I used to sleep-eat. Seriously! Mostly chips and popcorn. My son took a picture of me 1x. Ridiculous!!! Now I don't eat after 7pm no matter what. Only crunchy Snacks in the house are in my son's bedroom.

[ladyjordan 105]

what works for me is after I have cooked dinner I have to put left overs in containers after I fix my husbands plate, then I put all the food in the fidge...I hate eating cold food, then I brush my teeth to remind me you have eaten all your going to eat for the day its over, then I tell my self go in the room and watch tv so I wont be staring at the kitchen, I know it sounds crazy but it works for me, good luck everyone

[MrsFraga2016 72]

I think I read somewhere that Pam Anderson would brush her teeth so that she wouldn't eat Snacks as well. She said the toothpaste tasted horrible with food so she didn't want to eat anyway. Everytime she wanted to snack she brushed her teeth instead.

Thank you to everyone for the tips and tricks. I told my dietician about your suggestions today at my appointment and she's excited for me to try them

[rbmk14 59]

It's almost 1am here and of course I'm now hungry! Ate dinner at like 7 30 and haven't had anything since then so I don't know if I'm actually hungry or head hungry. On the bright side, I have a friend staying with me for the weekend who's sleeping on my couch, so I know I won't be tempted to go to the kitchen to get something! That's always a way to keep you from nighttime snacking;)