going to bed feeling "full"

All my life I have been a terrible insomniac. Only in the past few years have I been able to sleep well regularly.

I think the insomnia contributed to my obesity. Since I couldn't sleep I would snack. Carby snacks can make you drowsy. Also if I was up until 3 am I would get hungry and eat cereal or whatever. Seems like I couldn't sleep unless I had a full belly. Of course, in the old days a full belly meant stuffed.

These days things are much better but I still find that its hard to get to sleep unless I have what today passes for a full belly which means a pleasant feeling of being sated.  So I plan for a late evening snack which used to be the blob of peanut butter but now is peanuts, skim milk or something with protein. Used to be a protein hot chocolate when I was cold all the time.

Anybody else feel like this?  So long as I don't do a major snack attack (used to be loads of saltines with peanut butter) I guess its not harmful but I am aware I have to watch this.

Anybody else attribute their obesity to late night eating due to insomnia? They say lack of sufficient sleep leads to obesity.

Diane

Great post.

While I cannot say that am an insomniac, when I could not sleep or would wake up from sleep,  the first  stop would be the fridge.  Wouldn't be hungry but still would fill my face.  And then of course because the digestive process takes a while it would be hours later when I did return to rest.

As for going to bed hungry.  It doesn't work for me.  I have to be full.   Have laid there with stomach growling stiff arming the urge to get up and have something but always, always, always have given in.    And once the thing is full off to dreamland I go.   

Perhaps it is a lifetime of bad habits and heaven only knows that the bad eating habits are there in spades.

I have a friend who says:  " Body, your tummy is growling. Tough Luck!  You've had your quota for the day. There is no more." and she said that  after about a month the growling stopped and she stopped eating before bed.

Sigh.  In one sense am too much of a coward to start  but it would be nice not to HAVE to eat if you know what I mean.

I have a similar story.  I think that acid played a role too.  When the stomach has too much acid, it mimics hunger as most of us already know.  So I would also like to have a full feeling before going to bed to quiet the acid, but I didn't know, that acid was the problem at the time.  I just thought I was more hungry then most.  So if I was having a successful diet (low calorie) , then I had insomnia because my acid levels were up and I was restless etc.  

It was a vicious cycle.  People told me it was stress that was causing my insomnia but I knew that I had been extremely stressed in the past and slept well (as long as my stomach was full).

So now with my sleeve, I still have issues with sleep if I forget my acid inhibitor.  

Are you taking something for acid?  Trying to think of a low calorie subsatute for peanut butter.  What about greek yogurt?   And the protein shakes don't do it for you?  You've already tried protein hot chocolate?  What about a 1/4 of avacado?  Maybe it's the same in calories?  What about an egg white?  Nothing is as good as a spoon of peanut butter.  

yep, nothing is as good as peanut butter but an ounce of good quality lightly salted peanuts seems to do the trick. same calories but more protein less carbs and sugar. or almonds. or some gy mixed with a little container of sf pudding.  i don't use an acid inhibitor any more as i just dont have the issue. its more a mental and comfort thing. like a blankey.   oh well.  i can work with it.   D

I became obese because I was hungry all the time... I didn't have insomnia.

But I do feel like I have to "top off" at night in order to get a good night's sleep. I actually plan for this in my calories and food plan. I have a number of low cal, but filling snacks that I can turn to if I am not satiated enough to go to sleep.

Yup..... I eat something about an hour before sleep..... something small is fine..... an ounce will do......

frisco

Really, it's all about having a plan. We've been told for so long that eating after X pm makes us fat that we have been trained to beat ourselves up for eating at night. But studies show there is no validity to the idea that late night eating puts on the pounds. So there's no reason not to plan to have a late night snack if that works for you. It's the unplanned calories that are a problem, not the planned calories.

I did it all through WL....... no one told me not to...... Dr.C said keep doin what your doin......

If I actually psycho analyze myself (now that's a scary thought.....)

It might have something to do with being fine with not eating all my meal food..... I just tell myself .... I'll eat the rest later...or tonight.......

Yup..... pre-op.....it was dinner #2 and dessert #3 and Starbucks#5 that got me in trouble after 8pm. that additional 2000 calories a day works really good for gaining weight......and probably why I need a little something in my stomach to get to sleep......

frisco

I really hate this aspect of sleeved life. 

Somehow after my sleeve i beat a lifetime of insomnia.  Mind you going to bed hungry was part of dieting life but i don't know if that was the thing that clicked.  Now I'm so deathly afraid of not sleeping that i eat, even when I'm not hungry and i hate it.  It's always a planned meal and within my boundaries but it's also frequently something i feel i can do without but that may keep me awake.

I will find myself eating about 11/2 to two hours before going to bed even if I'm not hungry.  Mind you i plan it out but still i think eating when you're not hungry is a bad trait. 

 If i do have the odd night where i can't sleep, and i get up just to switch it up, I always have a few mouthfuls of food.  It seems I've convinced myself that something in my sleeve will help me feel better.  It's always something on plan and healthy but still i feel that it will bite me later.   

glad i am not the only one who does a late snack.  it makes sense if we eat dinner at 6 or 7  and we have tummies that empty faster than normal, that we would be hungry at 10 pm.  my doctor now promotes what he calls a five meal a day plan for many people when he used to want people to stick to three.  so its about planning.

i think part of the reason i sleep better now is that i am more physically active because I can be due to having ditched 125 lbs.  I used to be a major couch potato. I still get in my share of couch time but now I am a busy little cucumber.       diane