How To Help Your Night-Time Eating
Is no food past 7pm legit?!
Is like asking, "Is it always cold in Minnesota?"
The answer is no. For the love of gawd, no.
I've been sweating, in all the places, in this 90 degree weather.
Okay, anyway back to the 7pm nonsense:
Your body is not a time clock,
eat whenever is:
-most accessible for you
-when you're feeling physical, emotional and/or "brain" hunger
-what make sense for you in this season of life (with respect to your body, any medical conditions, etc but not out of the pursuit of thinness)
Now if you feel like late night eating is NOT something that makes you feel good, explore these reasons why (note it could be a combo):
A) You're not eating enough throughout the week. When we’re not eating enough consistently throughout the week (ex: you skip lunches some days, only graze on snacks one day, etc) your body is going to beg for more food come week nights or weekends.
B) You’re lacking a proper "balance" of carbs, proteins, fats, (the 3 macronutrients) and fiber throughout your diet. All of these macronutrients + fiber help you feel more satiated when combined together. Satiating meaning, each macronutrient contributes to overall flavor profile (meaning you get more satisfaction), helps stabilize blood sugar, sustains hunger levels for longer, and each plays a role in contributing to your body’s health.
C) You’re night time emotionally eating because
a) You’re unsure of other coping mechanisms to help alleviate stress, anxiety, depression, overwhelm, sadness, boredom, etc.
b) You’re not actually emotionally eating, you’re reacting to undereating/restricting (more in point “D”), and thus your body wants to overeat in a chaotic manner when it sees forbidden food
c) You’re enjoying the comfort of eating (and this is normal, and can be super helpful to do!)
d) You’re enjoying the comfort of eating, but it’s starting to feel uncomfortable however you don’t want to stop because it means you have to get back to your busy and/or tiring “real life” (this is where other helpful coping mechanisms and therapy are super helpful)
e) You’re needing some playfulness in your life and emotional eating feels like an opportunity to let loose at the end of the day. This is okay, as food should be part of your pleasure! And, it’s also okay to find other sources of play.
D) You’re eating more at night because you restrict yourself during the day. This usually happens to current or past dieters who are used to being told to “eat less carbs” and therefore, when night time roles around, their bodies are begging for carbs.
One of the best ways to help your night time eating is to explore and get curious (vs. judgemental, being a d to yourself will get you nowhere). From there, you can seek the support that makes the most sense for you. Maybe that’s an online course, such as my Intuitive Eating course, or a therapist course (Tiffany Roe has amazing ones). Maybe that’s 1:1 therapy, coaching, or counseling. Maybe thats journaling.
Be good to yourself along the way—
xxx