I have a really bad habit of eating a balanced breakfast, a healthy lunch, and then completely blowing it after 4 o’clock.. and I mean blowing it so hard, that I can’t even begin to put it into my fitness pal without feelings of immense guilt and shame.
I know someone in the comments is going to say it’s binge eating, and yeah it’s something I struggle with. I’m in therapy and getting better, but is there anything y’all could recommend in the meantime? I’m sad waking up every morning knowing how I went overboard the night before.
by Expert_Thought9562
27 Comments
Have you tried planning your food day the night before or morning of? Save 200-300 cals at night for a sweet treat. And save 100 cals mid-day for a treat too. When you allow yourself to have small treats and make room for them it will make you less likely to binge
You’re under fueling in the morning then snacking at night with foods that are crunchy and delicious but not satiating. I start my day with foods that have at least 25-35g of protein then end my day at dinner with 35-40g of protein. Don’t eat too late either because I notice it’s hard for me to really tell when I’m full. Try eating whole volume foods at night like veggies in your meal that allow you to eat a lot. If you must have a little treat watermelon is sweet, low cal and high volume. If you have issues with hunger make sure you’re hitting your protein and fiber goal everyday.
Sun chips, cheese itz, thin mints and salsa for dinner is the problem. Cook a nutritious meal using real ingredients. Just go on TikTok or YouTube and find a recipe that fits your cals and copy what they do. It also seems you don’t eat a lot throughout the day. Eat more food during breakfast and try adding a protein bar and nuts to your lunch to keep you satiated until dinner time.
This was my problem too so I started intermittent fasting. I tell myself I can’t eat anything anymore after 6pm.
Try planning your desserts/sweets/snacks in particular. Write it down if you need to, so you can see it. Knowing you have that to look forward to may help with your mindset. Also, you have to eat more of a real dinner. I’m not being snarky at all, I’d binge too if that were my meal. You’re simply not getting full enough.
Smoothies are also a totaly game-changer for some. Make sure you add in plenty of protein, in the form of a powder and/or Greek yogurt.
There are also TONS of treats I’ve found that I’ve been surprised are just 100 cals. Walmart and most grocery stores have the mini ice cream cups that are sold in a stack – 100cals each. Get some zero sugar soda to make a float or top with berries. Popsicles, fruit cups, an apple with some cinnamon sprinkled on.
Have you tried eating less thin mints? s
I’d try eating bigger portions for breakfast/lunch and see how you feel. Focus on whole foods with plenty of protein and fiber. Sometimes undereating can lead to binges. Are you sure 1200 is enough for you? You might even want to eat at maintenance until you can get the night eating under control, then work your way back into a deficit.
So it seems like you’re going crazy carb heavy in the evenings, maybe after lunch have an oreo (50 calories) or something to help satisfy your carby sweet tooth, then have a snack around 3-4pm that’s protein rich (protein bar, apple and string cheese, cottage cheese, light and fit greek yogurt, pack of pistachios etc) before dinner. Try to force yourself to have a real meal thats a lean protein with veggies (salmon, pork tenderlion, chicken etc). Good luck!!
I also like to crew orbit bubblemint gum between meals and drink fresca etc to get some satisfaction.
I mean…. thats not dinner.
Breakfast and lunch are solid, that leaves you with almost 600 for dinner. Look at the meal posts here and have a substantial 600kcal dinner thatll fill you up, rather than a bunch of junk food snacks and desserts
If you are currently under treatment for an eating disorder, then this is not the place for you. Anyone giving you any advice is doing you a disservice.
Do you log as you eat? I literally won’t take a bite until I log so I know exactly what I’m working with
This is more helpful then logging after where you realize you just ate half your calories in late night snacks
I get it tho cuz I’m an evening eater
I save my calories during the day so I can have s bigger dinner and some snack
Try to get more low calorie snacks you’re excited to eat
I do melon, berries, dark chocolate, popcorn and I can eat like 5 entire bowls of berries and melon for what those thin mints cost
If you swap even some of those for lower calorie options I think you’ll be fine it’s just a mindset change
You can still “binge eat” high volume low calorie foods and stay in your range
You’re not eating enough balanced protein, fats, and carbs during the day. You need to eat more to feel satiated so you’re not starving at night. You need to increase your daytime calories, not drop them.
It seems like you didnt eat much so you could eat that. Just eat a piece of meat and some rice and veggies for dinner instead? Youre just hungry
I feel you! Also eating too many girl scout cookies over here!
Don’t keep this stuff in the house.
Omg SunChips are the best though 😣 I can’t keep them in the house.
You need to make yourself an actual filling dinner first plan it before hand and keep a couple hundred calories back, if you can, and then after that if you are still hungry you can have a little something extra. There’s lower cal treats that you can fit in but honestly a big part of not binging is straight up not having stuff like that in the house.
You’re not eating enough during the day and getting ravenous at night.
To help me not snack high cal at night. If I crave something sweet I’ll try to drink some crystal light lemonade (or similar easy 0 cal beverage). If I crave something savory the best thing is to have veggies and other healthy snacks available. If I’m feeling snacks at the fridge I take a minute to think of my goals and if I am hungry then I’ll have a little healthy snack if I’m not actually hungry I’ll try to find an engaging activity so I’m not bored.
Totally agree with the first comment. You’re only eating around 600 throughout the first three quarters of the day and then expecting yourself to be a pillar of self control when your body is just hungry. For comparison, I budget around 1300 calories a day and eat around 850-950 of them before 4pm. I find it leaves me more satiated and less likely to overdue it at nighttime, since some primal part of me feels it’s been well-fed throughout the day.
Sun chips are so insanely good omg. I can’t be trusted with them.
Don’t buy the snacks you eat at night. Simple. There’s a reason I don’t buy crisps, crackers and chocolate for home because they would just get eaten uncontrollably.
Edit: I note you’ve mentioned certain issues around food. Not having the foods in the house help prevent the binging, as I’ve said above but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat if you’re hungry. Eat fruit, toast, more throughout the day etc.
I don’t think this page is the right place for you in all honesty.
Binge eating recovery and caloric/food restriction are not a good mix. Improving your relationship with food and being able to enjoy your favorite foods without shame or guilt should be a top priority. Your mental wellness is as important as physical wellness, and I hope you can get the support you need. Rooting for you 🙂
I think it might be helpful to go deeper into therapy as to why you’re going over at night. For me personally I also trend towards over eating in the evenings, I’ve learned a lot about my underlying triggers and a lot of times I found it was emotional like stressed or bored,.sometimes exhaustion, and sometimes I’m just hungry and need more calories. Related to that last one, it’s super tempting to “make up” for over eating by restricting earlier in the day but that usually just makes me stressed and hungry and ends up triggering another binge later. I also ended up finding out that I had an underlying condition that I’m now medicated for that has helped a lot as well. Just wanted to say, I feel you, it’s rough, but also don’t worry, I’m sure as you keep going through therapy on this you’ll find your own triggers and preventative measures, they’ll probably have much better guidance on this as well.
Edit: Just want to also mention that 1200 isn’t for everyone, it might just not be enough. For me personally the only time I actually qualify for 1200 is on days I take less than 2k steps, I normally go 200-400 higher on most days because I usually walk more than that. I made the mistake of going too low before and it usually triggers intense junk food cravings for me.
Low amount of protein and too much junk.
The best thing for me was listening to the intermittent fasting podcast by Andrew Huberman
Also watching about how much protein I should eat by Jeff Nippard on YouTube
I started eating at 11:30 pre workout snack and stop eating at 8pm.
I am 304 lb but estimate my lean body mass is near 255lb. So I took Jeff Nippards suggestion of .7g of protein per lean body mass pound and came out to 174 g a day.
But I get too hungry on workout days M/W/F and I always over eat on weekends.
So I eat more on M/W/F and Saturdays than T/T/Sundays. (2600 cal and 2000 cal respectively (2370 average)
This has been a huge help, I’m hitting my calorie goals and I usually hit protein goals, so I’m too full to snack.
If I struggle on the low calorie days I remember that tomorrow I will eat more, like chili with chips instead of just chili etc.
I also like to eat at night, as it’s my time to relax after my kids go to bed. Since it’s something I look forward to, I try to take the guesswork out of it by planning my snack ahead of time and tracking it early in the day, so I can plan my meals accordingly. It also keeps me from overeating if I already know the predetermined portion size for my snack.
Honestly what has helped me the most with nighttime eating is brushing my teeth! I do IF so after my last meal around 4pm I brush my teeth and put my retainer in- knowing I’d have to rebrush my teeth if I ate again keeps me from doing it 😅