5 Ways to Not Get Fat at Night

April 16, 2010, By Craig J. Heimbuch 0 comments

Craig J. Heimbuch

I eat. A lot of people do. But I eat for more than sustenance or for the pure epicurean pleasure of it. I eat when I’m stressed. I eat when I’m bored. I eat when I’m tired. I eat, well sometimes I don’t even know why I eat. But I do know that late night raids on the fridge and the pantry leave me feeling bloated and groggy in the morning. They also add to my girth and create a sense of guilt and shame, which, perhaps a touch ironically, leads me to eat some more.

The kids in bed and my wife asleep either on the couch or having dragged her weary teacher’s bones to bed, I start small – a peppermint patty, a few chips. But inevitably it would balloon – like my waistline – to sandwiches and side dishes, a full fourth meal in the wee small hours. I realized that if I were knocking back slugs of Jack Daniels or Beefeater instead of turkey on rye I could easily classify myself as an alcoholic.

A 2007 research study by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), estimated that 1 in 4 Americans suffer from binge-eating disorders and, of those roughly 35% are adult men, so I’m not alone. I had tried to quit cold turkey, with little success. I still got those weird cravings- not hunger exactly, more like restlessness. Eventually I knew I couldn’t do it alone, I didn’t have the discipline to resist and not talking about it was like giving myself taciturn permission to pig out. So my wife and I sat down with a pen and paper and came up with a few rules for my late-night eating. I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop eating (I had tried the ‘no food after 7 PM’ route and it was an abysmal failure), but I thought I might be able to channel that instinct into something more positive.

Here are the rules we came up with:

1. Become Aquaman

I made myself a deal- I could eat what I wanted, but only after I drank at least 32 oz of water. If I could finish that and still be hungry, then fine. But I wouldn’t eat nearly as much with that much H20 in my stomach. This also works with healthier snack options, for example: No Oreos until you’ve eaten at least a dozen baby carrots, or no ice cream until you’ve had two pieces of fruit. Often the urge to eat is just an urge to use your mouth. Redirect your cravings from the unhealthy to the healthy and you’ll feel a bit better in the morning when you step on the scale.

NEXT: Delay Pleasure