Everyday Systems

Hi all - I'm new at this. I've always said, "If I just ate my three meals and stopped eating after dinner, I wouldn't be fat!" I've developed a horrible habit of bingeing at night, after DH goes to bed. If this topic is already out there somewhere, can somebody steer me to it? If not, has anyone else struggled with eating at night? Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks!

After DH goes to BED?

Go entertain yourself with the husband, madam. You'll be too busy to eat.

(While being facetious, hey, why not replace one indulgence with something else pleasant?)

birdinsun,

go to bed early and catch some ZZZZZZZZZZZZs?

I consider going to bed early a total indulgence and take it when I get the chance!

Blueskighs

If you're a night owl like I am, going to bed early often just means tossing and turning. And I know what you mean about the late night snacking. That was always my challenge. My guy goes to bed earlier than I do too, and I would often snack in the evening before I started NoSing. Eating a little later might help. I find that a lot of the time I'm really not hungry, but I want something, so I get a big glass of water now and make sure I'm hydrated. In the evening a nice cup of licorice or mint tea can serve the purpose too. I sometimes add a splash of milk and some splenda when I need something special, but want to avoid snacking. Jumping on this site instead of eating has also been a big help. Good luck.

Someone (wosnes, I think) has posted that flossing and brushing after a meal can help with curbing nighttime bingeing. I've definitely found that it helps me! So does having a good book to read and a nice cup of tea. Sheiler is right--licorice tea has a natural sweetness that can shut up sugar cravings. Night snacking is/was almost always a sort of displacement activity for me--I was bored or procrastinating. I finally internalized that eating is NOT going to really solve either problem. I need to find something to do, get my work done or just go on to bed. For so many of us, our crazy eating habits are rooted in something else. Think about what that something else might be and figure out what you can do about it. Hope this helps!

What phano said - I'm not a night owl, but used to eat a lot at night. Boredom/procrastination... didn't want to start the evening routine of dishes, etc. Didn't have the energy to think of something else to do.

I worked on it on several fronts...
- An "end of meal" drink - hot tea or wine
- I started listening to my iPod while doing the chores. (For mother's day, I got a new radio/cd player for the kitchen that has an iPod dock. LOVE it!!)
- Good books around, so I had something to look forward to when I was "done"
- A new hobby! I learned to knit.

And I just told myself at the end of dinner "I'm done."

Recognizing that it's an issue is the first step. What else can you do with that time?

birdinsun wrote: I've developed a horrible habit of bingeing at night, after DH goes to bed.

You've gotten some great suggestions here, so my only addition would be to realize that night eating is a habit. A habit that you don't want to do anymore will need to intentionally be replaced by something else until the old habit dies. It doesn't really matter what the replacement is. You just need to remember to do it faithfully until the old habit no longer calls you. Have you checked out the habitcal? Use that to help you break the habit. I'm using it to stay off the scales. It's a great tool. Good luck to you.

Just Jill wrote:Night eating is a HABIT.
A habit that you don't want to do anymore will need to intentionally be replaced by something else until the old habit dies.
It doesn't really matter what the replacement is.
You just need to remember to do it faithfully until the old habit no longer calls you.

Excellent point.

This was my number one problem before I started no S. I'd have a great day all day, then eat and eat after dinner. The worst was sometimes I would go to bed, then wake up, wide awake at 3 in the morning, hungry, with nothing to do, and not able to get back to sleep, so "of course" I had to eat!!

But it's been absolutely amazing to be on No S, because my whole day has a better rhythm to it. I am training myself to eat at certain times, 3 times a day, and I have found that I naturally get tired a couple of hours after dinner and have been able to sleep through the night. (I also started walking & working out in the morning so that might also help with the sleeping.) Having a set bed time and wake up time has helped me tremendously. I feel much more rested and my energy level is great. The first week I was hungry after dinner, but it does diminish with time. It also really helped that I told myself it was not an option to eat, that I was training myself not to be hungry at night. HABIT is AMAZING! THANKS REINHARD!!

Yup that was my hardest time too. I can think of nothing better and more enjoyable than having the house quiet and TV to myself for just a little while at night. Just me, the TV and my dessert/snack. It's what I look forward to the most on S days.

That's where I did have to use some good old fashioned will power. I didn't really replace that habit with any new one. It's too late and I need to wind down so anything besides reading or watching TV would wind me up. But after several weeks it got a lot easier. When you are doing so well all day you really don't want to ruin it when the day is almost over. Once you get through a few really rough times, the next day you feel so proud of yourself and that will keep you going. But it will be hard for a while so just remind yourself the more good days you string together the sooner it will get easier. Kinda the opposite of most diets huh?

When I first started this I would actually break out in a cold sweat the moment my fork went down after dinner. The idea of not eating again until AM was so overwhelming. Three months later I still get the "urge" around 8PM every night, but nothing that I can't brush off. For me I figured since 99% of this is super easy, I can muster the strength to get past that one pesky percent.

It really feels good to be in control. I am very proud of myself and I hope you get to have this great feeling too - and soon.

The thread is "night cravings" and is on page 6 or 7 of this general discussion board. As I mentioned there, this used to be a big problem for me but managed to change the pattern eight months ago. I modeled my husband's behavior by brushing and flossing my teeth right after dinner. I mean right after, as in keeping my toothbrush in the kitchen! The best motivation for stopping night binges was the realization that I was consuming more calories after 8 pm than I was during an entire day.

That was my worst problem too. After I started on No S I the "eating three meals a day" solved the problem in a wink. I knew that I just COULD NOT EVER EAT AFTER SIX AT NIGHT AT THE LATEST NO MATTER WHAT EVER AGAIN, and so far (fingers crossed) I haven't, not for 43 days. My other habit was to drink coffee when I got home to distract myself from the hunger cravings and I stopped doing that as well. I also do the brush teeth early and put on my get-ready-for-bed clothes.

f

I can't believe the response to my need. You guys are AWESOME. Thanks so much for the great suggestions - I've struggled with this for the last few years, ever since DH started having "plumbing problems", and celibacy is now the name of my game; can't help but suspect that I'm trying to comfort myself with food at night, instead of ... Anyway, I have tried some of your suggestions, but not since I started No-Essing. Every day for the past week I've promised myself I would NOT eat that night, and every day I've had a big red FAILURE. I just want a couple of green days to string together.
My problem is, being such a night owl, I actually do get stomach-rumbling hungry along about 10:00 or so, but once I eat a bit, it's all over: let the binge begin!
Tonight I'll brush and floss right after dinner, and plan for a nice cup of tea. And I'm so glad to hear that my body WILL learn not to be hungry at night over time.
Thanks, all you wonderful people!

Birdinsun