Nutritionists and health fanatics agree setting a food cutoff time is one of the most important things you can do to prevent weight gain and shed pounds. Though few know it, minimizing late-night eating is just as important as reasonable food portion sizes.
Food has never tasted better. Moreover, food has never been more accessible.
Most of us deviate away from mindful nourishment, treating ourselves to a post-dinner or post-dessert bite to eat.
If you are like most people, you enjoy dessert, fourth meals and late-night snacking.
There’s nothing wrong with an evening snack as long as it is the exception and not the norm. If you absolutely have to have a nighttime snack, make it a small one.
Cutting out food late at night might also help you shed some of those pesky pounds.
Here’s how to reduce your nighttime eating down the occasional small snack.
Tip #1 to Stop Late-night Binge Eating: Pinpoint Your Triggers
Certain emotions and stressors are likely to trigger late-night chow-downs. You might not be aware of those triggers yet they are very real.
Heighten your self-awareness the next time you have a hankering for fourth meal and write down the suspected trigger. Maintain a diary of your late-night food triggers and analyze it at the end of each week.
Continue analyzing your cravings diary in the ensuing months and you’ll identify patterns.
As an example, most people gravitate toward late-night food binging sessions when stressed out about the next day’s upcoming events.
Others find comfort in late-night snacks after particularly frustrating days at work.
Especially grueling gym sessions trigger the desire for food late at night as a reward. In particular, those who exercise after work or even after dinner tend to find they crave a fourth meal after the sun has gone down.
Tip #2: Develop a Routine
If you haven’t developed a food routine, now is the time to do so. Regimenting your eating schedule at least to a certain extent sets food boundaries.
As an example, those who maintain a healthy weight tend to eat at the same times throughout the day.
Abide by structured eating and you’ll regulate your body’s circadian rhythm. Such a regimented approach ensures you don’t eat too much food in one sitting. Spreading out your food intake across the morning and afternoon really does help reduce those pesky late-night cravings.
Consider the results of this 2019 study. Researchers determined eating more calories in the early hours of the day reduced the chances of becoming overweight or obese by an impressive 50%.
The study also determined eating more calories throughout the nighttime hours might increase the risk of becoming overweight or obese by 80%.
Tip #3: Achieve REM Sleep
Be aware that some studies suggest poor sleep is a direct cause of excessive hunger that leads to binge eating. REM sleep is particularly important. REM refers to rewarding rest in which random eye movement occurs. This blissful state of relaxation calms and rejuvenates both the mind and the body.
Here’s how to achieve REM sleep.
Add blackout curtains over your windows to prevent light from seeping into your bedroom.
Put on some background noise in the form of a white noise machine. If you live in a big city with loud traffic, are located near railroad tracks or share a space with rowdy youngsters or a pet, add a couple white noise machines in opposite ends of the room.
Close your bedroom door and avoid screens after hopping into bed. You’ll enjoy restful REM sleep that minimizes your cravings the next day.
Be sure to go to bed at least nine hours prior to your alarm clock’s wake-up time and you’ll enjoy a minimum of eight hours of solid sleep.
If you struggle to fall asleep soon after hitting the hay, exercise during the day and you’ll find it really is that much easier to go to enter a deep and restful sleep.
Tip #4: Mediate and Give Yoga a Try
Nighttime yoga also helps put the body and mind in the relaxed state necessary to achieve REM sleep. Studies show yoga is effective to the point that it plays an important role in preventing binge eating. This is accomplished through the reduction of stress levels.
You can also reduce tension and anxiety with breathing exercises. Breathe in deeply for four consecutive seconds, hold that breath for four more and exhale for another four consecutive seconds.
Repeat this breathing exercise and you’ll feel refreshed and de-stressed. Most importantly, you’ll be less likely to binge eat, especially if you complement your relaxation techniques with the assistance of an experienced eating psychologist.
Tip #5: Hydrate
Remaining hydrated throughout the morning, afternoon and evening also helps minimize cravings.
Choose water or another sugar-free fluid instead of food and you’ll feel full without resorting to calorie and fat-laden food. Consistent hydration communicates to the brain that the stomach is full, greatly reducing hunger pangs.
The proof is in the pudding, so to speak. A 2010 study shows those who consumed two cups of water prior to a meal ate less and also lost more weight than those who did not drink water.
Contrary to popular opinion, there is no need to down eight large glasses of water per day.
Rather, water should be consumed when even slightly thirsty and also before meals. If you have food cravings, turn to water with freshly squeezed lemon or lime and you’ll quickly find you aren’t nearly as hungry in the minutes and hours that follow.
An added bonus is the fact that drinking water enhances the body’s metabolic rate, making it easier to burn through calories and lose weight.
Tip #6: Consider Grazing on Especially Challenging Days
Ask food psychologists in Basking Ridge for their thoughts on grazing and you’ll find there is concern. Grazing is problematic as it centers the mind on food.
If you are constantly reaching for small amounts of food to nibble on throughout the day, you’ll spend most of your waking hours thinking about food.
However, grazing has a role to play in preventing late-night binge eating. If you have especially strong cravings in the afternoon and evening, try nibbling on some healthy snacks such as celery and carrots.
Even eating a cracker with hummus every 20 minutes is healthier than downing copious amounts of sweet treats and salty snacks late at night.
If you are on the fence as to whether grazing is worth trying on those difficult food days, consider the findings of a 2019 study that determined eating infrequent meals is tied to irregular food habits.
Though the study data pertaining to the number of meals to consume throughout the day is mixed, the authors highlight how adhering to a regular pattern of food intake has greater importance than the frequency of meals.
When eating meals or grazing, focus on protein as it is the building block of life. Protein intake fuels the body and mind, proving satiating much more than simple carbohydrates.
As shown in this 2010 study, those who were overweight or obese who consumed high-protein meals enjoyed decreased cravings of 60%. Those who abided by a high-protein approach to eating also reduced their desire to eat late at night by a whopping 50%.
Tip #7: Minimize Stress and Anxiety
The stress from your workday will inevitably carry over into the evening. Even caring for a toddler, or tween is enough to trigger stress-induced eating after the sun sets.
Feeling anxious about the upcoming day or other life challenges can also cause late-night binge eating.
Make a concerted effort to de-stress after particularly grueling days at work or caring for loved ones and you’ll be less likely to binge eat. Distract yourself with exercise, music, video games or a captivating novel to steer your mind away from food.
Relaxation techniques also help reduce stress and anxiety. As an example, the following relax the body and mind:
- Stretching
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Deep breathing
- Hot baths
Relax with these methods, meet with an NJ food psychologist for guidance and you’ll be less likely to binge eat late at night.
Here’s the moral of the story: what matters most is that you keep your late-night snacking to a minimum.
Even if you don’t completely eliminate late-night treats, putting a stop to your binge eating at night will help you maintain your weight. It starts with nutritional psychology.
Help is Available
Food has never been more addictive and plentiful. There is strength in asking for help.
If you are struggling with late-night binge eating or other food-related problems, the first step toward healthy living is admitting there is a problem.
Reach out to our food psychiatrist in New Jersey today. Meet with us, tell us about your food challenges and we’ll provide life-changing guidance. Our eating psychologist custom-tailors food advice based on each client’s unique psychology.
What works for you might not work for someone else and vice versa. This is the individualized guidance you need to overcome your late-night binge eating habit or other food problems and turn the page to the next chapter of your life.
Give us a call today at 908-844-8547 to schedule your consultation.
