Bingeing at night...

Hi everyone. I am dieting and do well during the day. I eat three meals of high protein and low carb and watch my calories. But late at night (several nights a week) I get up and binge big time. It's like I'm possessed and can't eat enough or fast enough. Then I wake up in the morning and feel like such a weak loser. I screwed up again! Does anybody relate? Any help or guidance? Feeling very alone and looking for help.

Did you have weight loss surgery or are you pre op?? I assume have not from your post.

I haven't taken the step regarding surgery yet. I'm torn.

I understand we all have been there. Lucky you found this group to read and let you know you are not alone. Welcome. you are in the right place.

Making the decision to have the surgery is not an easy one. I thought and read about it for over a year. My doctor then seriously suggested (Gastric Bypass) and I did it. 10 years ago this month. Not one single regret. Still a battle but a more managed battle with having the tool of surgery to help you. Lifestyle change that the surgery forces you to follow hat you could not do on your own. You must embrace that change full hardly for it to work long term. Lifetime journey for sure.

I'm assuming you are not binging on protein or vegetables. Maybe--could it be--simple carbs and sugar? (Crackers, cookies, chips, ice cream and such?) Believe it or not, even after WLS, it's easy to consume great quantities of that stuff. Maybe not quickly, but experience has taught me that I can eat that stuff steadily all day long. It's not called slider food for nothing.

In addition, once I begin eating it, the sugar/carbs trigger cravings for more-more-never ending more.

The only way I was able to break the pattern, was to totally abstain from all sugars and simple carbs. (Above plus breads, potatoes, corn, even fruits would be triggers for me). This is to say I had to detox- clean it out of my system completely. It may take a few days and up to a week or two of white knuckle- suck it up and stay the course - do it action. Completely- no cheating- no "just one bite". To do so just starts the merry go round,

I'm just resting my experience. My cravings and binges diminished greatly.

I know that for some, binging is more deeply seated than just the physiological aspect of it, and discussing this behavior with your dr. Or mental health professional may be the path to take.

Courageously continue on to find your answers. Best of luck- I'm rooting for you.

Oh, yes--and this---get all that crap food out of your house now- that way, when you find yourself in the kitchen in the middle of the night, there won't be anything to binge on 'cept carrots !

Thank you so much Miss. Your advice is very helpful. You are right. I binge on bread, crackers and cheese, anything sweet. I'll clean out the kitchen and make sure I only binge on carrots! (that was a cute comment you made about that).

Yellowtulip,

This may be a "duh moment", it was for me when I realized that eating is also an activity. It is not about food, but activity.

Find an alternate one, specificially something you can do with the hands, a couple of good things to do would be to go for a walk.. start slow and build steadidly....just something more than you have been doing.... then come in to a big glass of iced water and sit down to work on some kind of craft ( to keep your hands busy) try something easy if its a new craft...( My daughter makes tissue cover boxes and scissors holders for gifts for people that sew or craft...these are plastic canvass..). get some craft you can easily learn or pick up something you've done in the past... Keeping my hands busy with crafts helps me to forget about the activity of eating.

I agree with getting all that stuff out of the house. I'm a "carbaholic" too, really bad. Grew up on pasta and bread. My mom made the best fresh bread, cinnamon rolls, cakes, etc.! I still have a hard time with it when I smell fresh baked bread, I'm like Pavlov's dog - I start drooling!!

So my husband and I have made a concerted effort to eliminate all breads, chips, etc. from our house and grocery list. He isn't like me - he actually is a normal weight and has no problem with it, but he's very supportive of my struggles and efforts. Evenings are the worst for me. I can stay on track all day long, but by 7 PM, I'm looking to reward myself for being so good all day. If the stuff isn't there, I end up snacking on some of the good stuff I keep handy. I buy chicken meatballs, pulled pork (read the labels for hidden traps like barbeque sauce - can be high in sugar), and fish in large quantities and measure it into 1 to 3 oz servings, zip lock baggy, into the freezer, and ready for my snack attacks!

You can do this. Set yourself up for success!

I'm sorry you're dealing with this -- feeling out of control is such a horrible feeling! If you live alone, get all the food you binge on out of the house -- if you have someone else in the house, maybe workout a way to minimize the foods you binge on the most? Also, consider talking to a dr -- binge eating may need medical and/or therapeutic help. Do know you're not alone, there are many of us out here struggling with similar things and we're here for you!

Sorry you are going through this, I can only speak from my personal experience. I am 3.5 years post op. I binge/graze when one or more of the following factors are not met:

Not enough water intake during the day. ( I need 64 oz + daily)

Not enough protein during the day. ( I need at least 100-120 gm a day)

Do not eat at my scheduled intervals...( I measure , weigh and log and it is all about timing for me)

If the factors above are not met, it seems I will graze, so I try to ensure that I hit those factors and it helps me to abstain.