RESTRICTING TOO MUCH DURING THE DAY
Surprised?
Skipping meals, eating far too little, having too much time pass before your last meal and bedtime, NOT getting enough in some way. Even if your calorie needs are being met, spending several hours 'hungry' during the day by actively restricting what you're eating, can be emotionally and mentally exhausting. Late night bingers are most likely to be people who skip breakfast, are on some kind of 'diet', and/or spend a lot of mental energy actively concerned about the food in their day.
Other factors TOTALLY play a role too (not getting enough sleep, boredom, eating all those 'feelings', stress, availability - you can't eat it if it's not there - and more. But the number ONE reason most people feel the need to overeat late at night, even when they've had dinner, can often be traced back to not having eaten enough all day long or the perception of feeling 'restricted'.
Theories as to why it's the number one reason...
1. We might be exhausting our willpower muscle by spending all day actively avoiding foods, skipping meals or trying to stay on 'course' in the face of temptation. By the time 11pm rolls around, we're emotionally and mentally spent (it's called 'decision fatigue' - VERY interesting concept, I'll post an article below). Each time you have to make a decision to restrict or avoid food, it uses mental energy which is finite. At the end of the day, that energy has just run out. It's harder to say no and the cravings are at their strongest.
2. We're just pooped. Our bodies are brilliant beasts: they inherently know that pizza & cookies will provide faster energy (not necessarily better quality, but FAST energy) than a salad, making our food craving selections a little unhealthier. I'll eat an apple, if that's all I have. But if there's ice cream, that apple just won't look as good. It indicates that there MAY be something biological happening there: your cravings for certain foods may be your body's way of making a smart managerial call. (Okay, she's still awake and we need energy. Where can we get it as fast as possible...Hmmm... Ahhhhh, chocolate...)
3. We aren't spacing out our meals properly. I will ALWAYS be hungry at 10pm, if my last meal was at 6pm. Always. Always. Always. By having dinner a little later (or planning a bigger snack between dinner & bed), I can avoid getting to that 'I'm starving' place (a.k.a the point of no return). By the time you're STARVING, your body is calling for fast energy which, as mentioned above, is more likely to come from foods that aren't exactly aligned with your goals. The hungrier you are (actual rumblings), the more intense your cravings for crappier foods are, the more likely you are to overeat, and the less likely you'll be able to 'willpower' your way out of it.
We're all different, so of course if you feel you're adequately eating, you may want to look into other factors (very personal). Somedays, I might binge because I'm dealing with more stress than normal. Somedays, it could be because I'm not getting enough sleep. And somedays, if I look at my WHOLE day, I realize it's because I just didn't get enough food. The trick is to look at YOUR patterns and OVERALL behavior (don't focus on just the binges... ask yourself WHY they happen), so that you can make changes that work for YOU.
The WORST way to address binging? Beating yourself up about it. Most of the time, there may be more to it than just your "inability" to say no. Get pro-active and take a look at EVERYTHING. Journal for 1 week and use your binging as feedback. Not as a failure on your part, and certainly not as confirmation that you are "bad" in some way. Journalling your habits will allow you to see and track your emotions throughout the day and ultimately help take back control of your eating. Remember live to eat NOT eat to live.
Have a Happy and Healthy Day, Cheers:)
Surprised?
Skipping meals, eating far too little, having too much time pass before your last meal and bedtime, NOT getting enough in some way. Even if your calorie needs are being met, spending several hours 'hungry' during the day by actively restricting what you're eating, can be emotionally and mentally exhausting. Late night bingers are most likely to be people who skip breakfast, are on some kind of 'diet', and/or spend a lot of mental energy actively concerned about the food in their day.
Other factors TOTALLY play a role too (not getting enough sleep, boredom, eating all those 'feelings', stress, availability - you can't eat it if it's not there - and more. But the number ONE reason most people feel the need to overeat late at night, even when they've had dinner, can often be traced back to not having eaten enough all day long or the perception of feeling 'restricted'.
Theories as to why it's the number one reason...
1. We might be exhausting our willpower muscle by spending all day actively avoiding foods, skipping meals or trying to stay on 'course' in the face of temptation. By the time 11pm rolls around, we're emotionally and mentally spent (it's called 'decision fatigue' - VERY interesting concept, I'll post an article below). Each time you have to make a decision to restrict or avoid food, it uses mental energy which is finite. At the end of the day, that energy has just run out. It's harder to say no and the cravings are at their strongest.
2. We're just pooped. Our bodies are brilliant beasts: they inherently know that pizza & cookies will provide faster energy (not necessarily better quality, but FAST energy) than a salad, making our food craving selections a little unhealthier. I'll eat an apple, if that's all I have. But if there's ice cream, that apple just won't look as good. It indicates that there MAY be something biological happening there: your cravings for certain foods may be your body's way of making a smart managerial call. (Okay, she's still awake and we need energy. Where can we get it as fast as possible...Hmmm... Ahhhhh, chocolate...)
3. We aren't spacing out our meals properly. I will ALWAYS be hungry at 10pm, if my last meal was at 6pm. Always. Always. Always. By having dinner a little later (or planning a bigger snack between dinner & bed), I can avoid getting to that 'I'm starving' place (a.k.a the point of no return). By the time you're STARVING, your body is calling for fast energy which, as mentioned above, is more likely to come from foods that aren't exactly aligned with your goals. The hungrier you are (actual rumblings), the more intense your cravings for crappier foods are, the more likely you are to overeat, and the less likely you'll be able to 'willpower' your way out of it.
We're all different, so of course if you feel you're adequately eating, you may want to look into other factors (very personal). Somedays, I might binge because I'm dealing with more stress than normal. Somedays, it could be because I'm not getting enough sleep. And somedays, if I look at my WHOLE day, I realize it's because I just didn't get enough food. The trick is to look at YOUR patterns and OVERALL behavior (don't focus on just the binges... ask yourself WHY they happen), so that you can make changes that work for YOU.
The WORST way to address binging? Beating yourself up about it. Most of the time, there may be more to it than just your "inability" to say no. Get pro-active and take a look at EVERYTHING. Journal for 1 week and use your binging as feedback. Not as a failure on your part, and certainly not as confirmation that you are "bad" in some way. Journalling your habits will allow you to see and track your emotions throughout the day and ultimately help take back control of your eating. Remember live to eat NOT eat to live.
Have a Happy and Healthy Day, Cheers:)
