Please give me some input about my night time (binge?) eating

Hey,

I would love for some help, because my habits have become rituals, and I am very upset about them.  The situation goes like this: I will be out all day, probably consume about 600 calories until dinner, which is usually about 400 cal. Ill generally have a snack that is about 140-300 calories.  Then, after I study into the wee hours (im talking lke 3 -4 AM), I head back to my house.  Once I enter my room, I dont know what it is, but i feel like i have to eat. So i do. I eat one snack, but thats never enough. Ill always have a variety of things, usually in this combo: rice cakes (4-5), almonds and walnuts, a fiber-one bar, jello, and a bowl of cereal. I have all of that (i would say its about 1200 calories).  I do this every night. I googled binge eating, and it says that generally people are obese. Well, I am actually on the low end for my height, and I am not really gaining weight from this activity. What concerns me is that i do it every night.

I have tried to eat bigger more protein filled dinners, which doesnt help. I eat regardless of the fact that I am hungry. So, does it seem lke i have a binge eating disorder? What do I do? I am very worried and I realyl dont know how to stop myself and i know that this can really get out of control if i keep doing it.

I would really appreciate help, im sorry but i dont feel i have anyone to turn to. i told my mom i do this and she said that i should eat a bigger dinner. i did, and i still eat all of those snacks when i got back from studying.

thanks and so sorry for the long post.

You're probably not eating enough during the day, or enough calories PERIOD. If you're at the low end of normal for your height, you shouldn't be trying to lose any more weight, which means you should be eating maintenence calories (which I imagine would be closer t0 2000 for you, NOT 1150 (which is unhealthy for anyone, as 1200 is the minimum for an adult woman in order to keep her body functioning) to 1300). Try upping your calories throughout the day--make sure you're getting enough healthy fats.

As for the actual food, don't keep it around your room so that it's not available to you when you get back. Also, I had a problem with late-night eating, too (I would consume anywhere from 400-500 calories after 11:00 at night), so I gave myself a strict rule--no eating after midnight. I picked midnight because it's the start of the new day. Everything eaten before midnight counts as that day's intake...for the next day, I don't eat until breakfast. It was really hard at first, but I think I've broken the habit and it's helped to keep my calories down...now I only have 100-200 calorie snacks at night.

thanks for responding. I actually did not mean to imply that i was loosking to lose weight because im not. Also, a calculator i used says that my maintenence calories should be 1575, so I actually, with my night time eating, go well over that.

I tried giving my self a rule of no eating after x time, but i found that it made eating all the more tempting. this si so hard for me becasue I am a very focused person in every other part of my life. i dont know why I cannot do this

Your body may very well be trying to tell you that you are not getting enough calories throughout the day. If it seems uncontrollable regardless of whether or not your hungry then it could also be attributed to stress. You could be an emotional eater. If you can't controll the fact that you're eating maybe you can just control WHAT you're eating. Keep only fruit and other low cal snacks in your room. No one feels guilty about having a belly full of fruit before bed! lol

you're also staying awake very late. you're feeling the hunger a lot of people feel in the morning (or don't because they've slept through the hunger... you know?)

my guess is that yes, you need to up your intake, but also make sure you're getting enough sleep. you're probably eating because you're tired. 

Hey, if you stay up until 3 or 4 am then your body IS actually starting to get very hungry, because when you sleep your body goes a long time without food which is why you eat breakfast in the morning - to break the fast!

So, your body is going to feel empty around that time because you have not eaten since dinner!

If you eat enough during the day, at least your maintenance, then have a small snack before bed like a few almonds, or a piece of fruit, tell yourself that you can have breakfast soon any way so there is need to stock up on food!

If you tell yourself that you can eat breakfast soon, then a few nuts or a little fruit to take the edge of your hunger should be enough to allow you to sleep

It is hard to go to sleep if you are genuinely hungry so those small snacks are fine if they will help you sleep, but remember that breakfast is only just around the corner!

first off make sure that you eat breakfast.. and if you already are, maybe make your breakfast bigger.  if your busy throughout the day, take healthy snacks with you so you can always have something to eat fruit, granola bars, vegetables, crackers, dry cereal(make sure its healthy though kashi go lean is good).  cheese sticks, nuts.  just snack on these things between whatever you are doing during the day.  then also maybe brings something to snack on while your studying so you wont feel so hungry when you get back home

You might think about drinking more water before you eat dinner, slowing down a little when you eat, and as others have mentioned eating more often.

I eat at night sometimes out of boredom so, if I can just do something to keep my mind busy until I go to bed then I won't be so tempted to sneek in to the kitchen for an aditional snack. 

It's my feeling that you don't make your meals any bigger just more of them and more often.  good luck

Original Post by frustrated11:

... a calculator i used says that my maintenence calories should be 1575, ...

 And that's your problem...   An adult female - even a short, lightweight, relatively sedentary one - would need 1900-2000 cals to maintain her weight and to be healthy.  If you're eating more than that and maintaining your weight 1575 is not your maintenance calorie level, it's something a lot higher...... QED.  Your night time 'binge' therefore isn't a binge at all.  You're just topping up your food intake to the right level.

I have had this problem in the past also and i think i discovered what the problem is...

when i'm tired even if i dont think i am i think im hungry so i'll eat something but wont give myself anytime to realise i have eaten so i'll eat something else, my body is craving sugar for energy!! but the problem is i dont have anything in the house like chocolate or high in sugar even so i now make sure i have 8 hours a night... problems solved

thanks for all the input. I think I will get rid of all the food in my room. ill try to get more sleep (currently i get 4-5hrs a night), but that will be difficult. But 6raham is right, i do think part of it that i dont get an adequate amount of sleep. I also find i eat dinner very fast, so im_amy, I will try to slow down and drink more with dinner.  everyone had great input. thanks and any more help is still appreciated!

If you are tired and you know you have not had enough sleep, make sure you have enough carbohydrates because it is common to crave sugar for energy when you are tired, so maybe you should have a little extra carbohydrates when you know you are tired, to help fend of a those sugar cravings?

I am not suggesting to go mad on carbohydrates, but when I know I am tired it helps me I have a small bowel of baked sweet potato, or a tbsp of almond butter or something SWEET, or a few fresh dates, that was I am consciously giving my body the sugar it craves when it is tired instead of falling short on my carbohydrates and craving them like mad and not being able to control myself around them!