Do you eat super healthy during the day? A healthy breakfast, a salad for lunch, meat & veg for dinner? And then at night time you find yourself in the pantry, binging on whatever you can get your hands on? It is a lot more common than you think. The question is, why? Why do we do this?
The simple answer is that we are likely not fueling our bodies throughout the day!
When we don't give our body enough food throughout the day, it can cause us to find ourselves more hungry at night time! For a lot of people, once the eating starts, we find it difficult to stop. This can cause us to eat more than we intended! Night time eating is also linked to some eating disorders such as binge eating disorder!
So .... how do I stop eating at night time? Here are my top tips!
1. EAT ENOUGH DURING THE DAY
Having three small meals during the day is not enough! Try eating 3 well-balanced main meals + 2-3 snacks in between. This will ensure that you are fueling your body enough throughout the day to likely assist in reducing your night time eating.
2. DON'T STARVE YOURSELF AT NIGHT TIME
If you like to eat at night time, that is totally fine! Something I always suggest to people is to prepare yourself a snack for after dinner! This will ensure that you are not mindlessly looking for food but will also satisfy that night time craving without taking it overboard! Some examples could include yoghurt and berries, popcorn, 2 scoops of ice-cream, fruit, etc!
3. GET INTO BED EARLIER
When we're sitting on the couch watching TV late at night, it is so easy to go to the pantry, grab a packet of chips & go through the whole bag without noticing! I have found that physically getting into bed earlier can help this! It is unlikely that once we're in bed, we are going to get out!
4. PHYSICAL REMINDERS
I know this may sound silly, but leave yourself reminders around the house to remind you that you are unlikely eating because you're hungry! Leave yourself a note on the pantry door that says "Am I really hungry?" to remind you to think before you do!
5. UNDERSTAND YOUR TRIGGERS
Understand what triggers you to eat at night time. Is it boredom? Is it emotional eating? Do you just love the taste of snacks? Figure out what triggers you and tackle it that way! For example, if you find yourself constantly eating chocolate at night time, stop buying it so that the temptation is not there! If you are an emotional eater, find something else that makes you happy such as listening to music! Understanding your triggers will assist you in finding the best way to tackle this!
Try these and see how you go! Small changes go a long way!
Daniella Del Busso x
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