I have just a general question:
What are some suggestions on how to beat the midnight binge? I always say I'm not gonna do, and then I end up over eating on things like fruit and popcorn.
Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
Thanks.

go to bed................

thats what I do when the thought of food comes into my head at night to nibble.

one rule, I never eat in bed......

Sit on your hands or drink alot of water. Space your meals and snacks out so your not hungry then.

yeah... but what do you do if you ARE hungry, so i start with something small, and then cant stop?

when i get like that Polly but not at midnight.
I make sure I eat 4 or 6 oz of protein and fiber for dinner, then maybe have a snack, WW icecream or some strawberries with yogart.......

Sounds to me like its just a habit you aquired, you need you ask yourself are you really hungry, or are you just bored..
Midnight you should be in bed anyway...

Agreed,sounds like a habit. I think after years of thinking ~FOOD~FOOD~FOOD~, i didnt care what time it was, i ate.

Hungry??? Lawdy, i never heard my stomach growl.

Polly, try this:
Just for today, i will not eat at midnight.
Why dont you change the time you eat?
Do the midnight thing at 10:30 for a few days, then try 10:Pm. etc etc

If You are that hungry that you are eating popcorn or fruit, either you dont have alot of points left, OR,you really are not that hunngry,its more of a want than a need.

I think i understand, you eat popcorn....fruit, cause you are not really hungry,but just want to eat,just to eat.Come midnight, it is something that you look forward to.
I use to eat if i was awake, because i had points left. Well how full is 2-3 points going to make me. cause if thats all i have left, those points are usually something i can live without.......until the NEXT day, and by that time i dont want it.

Polly, being someone who is up way past midnight every night, I have this problem too. Lately I've found that a glass of milk satisfies me. Sometimes I need something else, but not always. Last night I was really hungry. So I took some of the slimfast vanilla powder mix and blended it with milk, some pb2 and ice and made myself a peanut butter shake. It hit the spot and helped me get my milk in for the day. I think a lot of times I'm actually more thirsty than I am hungry. I sip on crystal lite a lot. Then there are times where I just brush my teeth and go to bed. :)

Polly, I can only tell you what I do when that overwhelming urge to EAT hits me. If I cannot distract myself and make myself climb into bed and sleep my way through the crisis (you said midnight, so sleep IS a good option), but, if I just cannot do it, I go to my kitchen and make myself the biggest salad. I take my romaine mix and my cukes and my onion, and my green pepper and some grape tomatoes.... I toss it with my favorite dressing (FF Zesty Italian mixed with red wine vinegar and a packet or two of Splenda).... I take that big old salad OUT of the kitchen and sit down and SLOWLY eat the thing. I tell myself, while eating that healthy salad, just how BAD I will feel about myself, once again, in the clear light of tomorrow.... IF I give in to the urges to eat ANYTHING besides that salad. That salad will do your diet efforts absolutely NO harm, and will really help settle down those mindless urges to eat.

Polly, I used to deal with late night eating problems ALL the time. I cannot tell you, or even remember, HOW many times I did so wonderful during the day, only to sabotage all my good efforts during the night time hours. Salad.... heck ALL unstarchy veggies, have been my salvation. The trick STILL works for me. I spent the last two weeks of May fighting this type of thing. I had gotten away from the salad thing. Once I began making and eating that salad when the eating demons were plaguing me, only THEN did I begin to climb my way out of the pit and back solidly on the healthy eating wagon. You can do so too!!

Anyway, that is what works for PattyJo. I hope you find a solution that works for you!

pattyjo

I try to drink lots of water in the evening...I don't usually get into bed until almost midnight... Right now I have a big Weight Watchers mug of ice water next to me...If I get really hungry and can't stand it...sometimes I have a Fiber One bar or a Gru Flavor and Fiber bar...I rather not have one since I usually weigh more in the morning..(with all the fiber in me)...We usually eat dinner about 7..If we eat earlier, I do get hungry before bedtime...

Patty

Rarely am I hungry at night. Sometimes if I wait too long past 8 to eat dinner I don't even want that. Not sure if that's just how am I, but I do know that I wake up pretty hungry and a eat a HUGE (and healthy) breakfast. Usually a serving of fruit, instant oatmeal, yogurt, small coffee with soy milk and some sort of protein like a small handful of nuts or a 1/2 - 1 tablespoon of PB.

Dear Polly,

I agree that it is somewhat habit. I also agree it is not easy to break habit.

I love Patty Jo's solution of a salad. 0 points and no sabotage.

I wish it would have worked for me. It might for you! I crave starch. And when I do nothing will do.

I have been taught (WW) to plan, plan, plan. So if you know that every night you have this desire to eat, then plan to use some 35 weekly points or build a snack at 12 midnight into your program.

My problem was similar. I was used to have a cup or two of milk (skim)or chocolate milk and peanut butter and jelly sandwich or two or three.

My solution was to switch to reduced fat peanut butter (2 pts), LITE Thomas English muffin (1 pt), Smuckers sugarless jams (0pts) and celery.

I allowed myself one only sandwich on two halves, tricking my eye, and eventually I switched to FF Cream cheese that counted as less points.

I also switched from milk to hot flavored teas and mocha mix. And eventually to no mocha mix.

Now believe it or not I crave less or have less urges to eat at midnight than I use to.

In addition I would go ONLINE to WW board and now here on AIMEE'S to post when I get urges. It helps a lot.


I am wishing you the best, let us know what you do and what works for you. It is a process.

By the way I do have to eat my dinner sometimes at midnight but again it is planned.

JeanCat

BREAD! Works for me. I know some people say lay off of it but at night I always make an immitation meal when I just need to eat. I fix a turkey sandwich which is 2pts and a side of pretzels for 1pt + some cyrstal light. When I'm "staving" fruit and other healty food is just NOT an option. THIS WILL WORK!![:)

I usually try water and 0 pt. fruits or veggies, usually baby carrots. I usually can't stay up that late, but when I get evening urges it usually works. You could try snack size popcorn?? I usually try to stay away from that at night because the sodium usually shows up the next morning on the scale. Good luck!

Another thing that works for me: Get out some of your cook books and look for a recipe that just sounds so good. Most of the time I either don't have the ingredients when I find the 'perfect' recipe, I'm too lazy to fix it, it would take too long before it was ready to eat, or I've lost my hunger. Most of the time if 20 min. have gone by, you will have lost your desire to eat.

Ann

Curious!
Anne are you the Anne from Rhode Island?

If so you look so familiar!

JeanCat