Why Do I Always Want to Eat At Night?!?
Help! Why do I always want to eat at night?
This is a frequent lament among friends, family, clients, and people on weight loss and dieting message boards:
“I’m good all day! Then, between the hours of 6:00 PM and 10:00 PM, all hell breaks loose and I turn into a bottomless pit! Why does this happen? Why do I always want to eat at night?!?”
Go ahead and do a Google search of nighttime eating. You’ll come up with a plethora of articles. In fact, late night eating is so common that there are articles, books, and Facebook groups dedicated to helping people stop doing it. But to stop doing something, you have to understand why you do it in the first place.
Reason #1 for why we eat at night: Not eating enough during the day
I cannot stress this enough: if you are restricting calories during the day – either consciously or unconsciously – you are setting yourself up to overeat later. When we do not adequately nourish our body, the brain continues to send hunger signals that get stronger and stronger. By 9:00 PM, you’re in a state of ravenous hunger, willpower has faded…and you’re pretty much screwed.
Fix it. Focus heavily on daytime nutrition. You need to eat enough calories, and you need to make sure your body is receiving the right vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Most of my clients say they are “eating well”. But when we actually dive into their tracking log, we often find gaping holes. And there’s no shame in this. Knowledge is power! Eating at night is often quickly curbed by making some simple changes to daytime nutrition, such as eating enough protein and fiber.
Need a diet analysis? Let me help you trouble-shoot nighttime overeating! Contact me today!
Reason #2 for why we eat at night: Lack of pleasure
Look in a mirror and stick out your tongue. See all those little dimples? Those are taste buds. Believe it or not, we are supposed to receive pleasure from food! There is a direct correlation between overeating behavior and lack of food satisfaction. If you either, a.) dislike what you are eating, or, b.) are so rushed or distracted that you fail to get the experience of eating…you will have a nighttime eating issue.
Fix it. Eat food you like, and eat when you eat. Very much like our body needs physical calories and nutrients, our brain needs the experience of eating. If you derive no pleasure from eating during the day, or are so rushed that you don’t even realize you’ve eaten, the brain will continue to ask for more food. This is why you go for the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups instead of kale at 10 PM. Your brain wants something really good because it’s been deprived all day!
Do you struggle to eat mindfully? I have a self-guided course that can help you change your overeating behavior! Learn more and sign up here.
Reason #3 for why we eat at night: All work, no play
Stress-induced eating is often confused with emotional eating, especially in my female clients. Food becomes a reward…a reward for making it through the day, meeting deadlines at work, cooking dinner, cleaning the house, and not killing your kids or husband. Come 9:00 PM, you’re ready to sit down with a glass (ahem, a bottle) of wine, a 3 lb. block of cheese, and a sleeve of Ritz crackers. Sound familiar? Food (or alcohol) can quickly become the only way you give back to yourself after a hectic day. If your brain learns to associate relaxation time with food or alcohol, it can become a deeply ingrained habit.
Fix it. The evening need to feed is often just an unmet desire for down time. Contingent on having your daytime nutrition and food satisfaction needs met (see above), it may be time to break yourself of what has become a bad habit – associating relaxation time with eating. You’ll need to enlist two strategies. First, you need to provide yourself with pleasurable down time during your busy day. Scheduling at least 30 minutes for lunch, without any outside distractions, is a great place to start. Second, you’ll need to commit to breaking the association between relaxation and food. If you are actually physically hungry, it’s okay to eat. But if you are not hungry, you can relax without eating. When you finally sit down to relax and the urge to eat strikes, try popping a piece of mint gum, brushing your teeth, or taking a spoonful of digestive bitters. Read a book, watch a good movie, or play a game. But don’t eat. Do this consistently over a 3-week period, and you’ll be close to breaking the association between food and evening relaxation.
I hope you enjoyed this post and thank you for reading!
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Blog Author: Kelly Bailey, IIN certified holistic nutrition coach, and NPTI certified personal trainer
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