Sleep Eating

I've dealt with this issue for many years and it has suddenly returned and I'm so freaked out.

I've been watching my calories closely during the day, working out hard and last night when I went to bed I saw chocolate chip cookie crumbs in my bed.  I blamed my kids.  They swore up and down that they did not do it.  My daughter said she saw two snack wrappers in the trash for the cookies.  I can only assume it was me.  I did have a slight gain this week which made no sense at all considering my low calories and working out--but if I am eating in the middle of the night and unaware that would explain the gain.  What confuses me is that I dump and if I did eat all 8 cookies, I'd be very very ill and on the toilet all night due to the sugar.

I'm at a loss for what to do and how to curb this issue.  I guess going to the doctor is in order but I'm wondering if you have any thoughts or suggestions on what to do.  I thought about locking my bedroom door so that I would have to be more awake before I proceeded downstairs to the kitchen. 

As a side note, I have been very stressed and feeling a bit deprived from the low calories/workout sessions.

Any thoughts or suggesions? 

I haven't experienced this personally, but when i was in OA, i heard about it often. it was usually the result of overly restricted calories. are you overdoing the dieting? this may be your body's way of telling you it needs more. how did you overcome it in the past?

Christina, I am not sure that I necessarily overcame it in the past.  I didn't take actual steps to stop it.  It just hasn't happened in a really long time--but I think you might be right about the overly restrictive calories.  I'm buring about 300-500 calories a day exercising and eating about 1200-1400 calories a day.  My friend just told me that she thought I needed to up my calories if I'm exercising so much but since surgery all of this confuses me and our bariatric center shut down so there is no one to talk to about calorie intake as a post-op and exercise.   

I'm babbling now--just so many thoughts running through my head and I feel so pissed at myself for eating at night. 

I know what you mean, I get confused by calories too. I know some people like a light, protein snack before bed (like cottage cheese) as it helps with stabilizing blood sugar and reduces hunger in the morning. Maybe this could help you too?

That's a great idea!  I've had issues with my blood sugar dipping too low in the past --so maybe that will help.  Thank you for your insight!

well its not an original idea, just something i read on OH! but i hope it helps. good luck.

That's right about what I was doing when I was close to goal but not at it. I don't think that's remotely "overly restrictive". To me, overly restrictive is when I start dreaming about cake because the only carbs I've consumed for a month are from veggies and dairy. 

Here's what I ate and exercised the first year to give you an idea:

http://fattyfightsback.blogspot.com/2010/07/calories-protein-carbs-exercise-weight.html

Now, you may need to treat yourself more than you are, but I wouldn't be upping the calories until you get to goal, not unless you start exercising a lot more. Just maybe change around what you are eating.

I have heard of people doing this that are taking Ambien to help them sleep.  I have a friend going through this right now and she is going to have to change her medicine.

Good luck and I hope you can find the reason and get it fixed...

Linda

Update: so in near tears I tell my mom about how the two snack packs of choc chip cookies were eaten and that I must have done it in my sleep because there were crumbs in my bed.  She bursts into laughter and I'm sitting there shocked!  She says...."I did it! I ate the cookies!" I said "what??!".  She had spent the night last Saturday to watch my kids while I went out and ate the cookies in my bed.  How I didn't notice the crumbs til now is beyond me but I am so happy to know that I didn't eat them without one ounce of recollection!  I really thought I was going NUTS!!!! 

Oh YAY!!!  I'm so happy that you found the culprit.  What a relief!!   I was going to comment on Ambien as well.  My surgeon took it away from me at surgery but this week at my year checkup he let me have it again.  I told him that I've been using what I had left from a year ago because I only take it if it's 1am and I'm wide awake and have to get up at 5:30 for work.  I always figured I was ok because I live alone and there's no junk to go hunt down.

I can't stop smiling for you.  I know how freaked out you must have been!