Losing Weight - I want to give up

[getphysical]

You don't need to give up just because you're eating night snacks as there's a simple way to combat it. I don't know what your last meal of the day is or what time you eat it but you're very likely waking up about 7-8hours after your last main meal and your body is very hungry - imagine eating breakfast and then nothing until teatime. Just because you're asleep doesn't mean you're not active (you'll still burn 400-500 k/cals over 8 hours of sleep). It's also likely that you are insulin sensitive, and/or hypo-glycemic, which is nothing serious and can easily be sorted, but it basically means your body has more problems than most in controlling it's blood sugar levels. Your brain must have sugar to function properly (even when asleep) and in your case if your sugar levels drop too low, it can cause problems (if you were awake, you'd feel faint or pass out) and your brain knows this so it panics a bit and wakes you up in order to eat some carbs.

 

We get our clients to combat this by eating 250g of low-fat cottage cheese and a couple of Ryvita (or similar) just before they go to bed. Cottage cheese is low-calorie and very high protein and takes ages to digest and along with the crisp breads provides a steady input of calories whilst you sleep and stops your blood sugar levels from dropping off the chart and then waking you up for food.

 

This is mainly guess work and only offers a likely answer, as there are a number of other options. Usually, we get our clients to fill in food diaries to check what they eat and then go into it in greater detail. We've been personal trainers and nutritionists for years and have just written a book called 'Dump the Diets' which covers problems like yours. You can check out our website below and you are welcome to give us a ring to have a chat and we offer free consultations.

 

Good luck and don't give up.

[MonkeyLover]

Don't give up Lisa. I am just like you, except that my excessive eating takes place in the daytime (I sleep like a log, and just wouldn't wake up to have something to eat)

 

I too have been yo-yo dieting for years now. I lost 3 1/2 stone and have put 2 1/2 back on. so have started being "good" again today!

 

It's such a wonderful feeling when you have lost the weight, i just can't understand why i spoil it all and put it back on.

 

Take care!

[Jenjenz]

Hi Lisa,

 

I joined a 10 week course at Hillsborough Leisure Centre in October called Kick The Diet and it was fantastic - it's all about improving your body shape, image and wellbeing with ease and essentially kicking those fad diets for good.

 

Alison who runs the course uses neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) techniques to look at our beliefs on food, exercise etc and change any that are stopping you from reaching your goal. There is also plenty of advice on a healthy, sustainable food plan rather than counting Weight Watchers points or what not.

 

I found it a very informative, effective and supportive course. It was running for 2 hours every Wednesday evening and I believe it's started up again this year. You don't have to be a member of Fitness Unlimited to go along, either.

 

More info at http://www.kickthediet.com

 

Definitely gets the thumbs up from me and other people there have found it successful.

 

[blueshaz]

Just a suggestion but I recently found out that you use more calories to digest celery than there are calories in it,if you must snack on something in night then celery may be better than wotsits, bread and butter. Good luck

[small_hall]

Hi Lisa,

 

I joined a 10 week course at Hillsborough Leisure Centre in October called Kick The Diet and it was fantastic - it's all about improving your body shape, image and wellbeing with ease and essentially kicking those fad diets for good.

 

Alison who runs the course uses neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) techniques to look at our beliefs on food, exercise etc and change any that are stopping you from reaching your goal. There is also plenty of advice on a healthy, sustainable food plan rather than counting Weight Watchers points or what not.

 

I found it a very informative, effective and supportive course. It was running for 2 hours every Wednesday evening and I believe it's started up again this year. You don't have to be a member of Fitness Unlimited to go along, either.

 

More info at http://www.kickthediet.com

 

Definitely gets the thumbs up from me and other people there have found it successful.

 

 

i think the new kickthediet class started a couple of weeks ago. I think it's worth enquiring of there are still places?

[Jenjenz]

i think the new kickthediet class started a couple of weeks ago. I think it's worth enquiring of there are still places?

 

Definitely worth looking into

 

I haven't done Weight Watchers or Slimming World before so I'm not overly knowledgeable about them but I fail to see how either programs can be sustainable in the long run. Kick the Diet gives you something to work with for the rest of your life, essentially.

[onewheeldave]

Just a suggestion but I recently found out that you use more calories to digest celery than there are calories in it,if you must snack on something in night then celery may be better than wotsits, bread and butter. Good luck

 

I'm afraid it's an urban myth about celery- it contains more calories than it takes to digest it.

 

However, snacking on celery is clearly better than snacking on wotsits/bread.

[Lisa33]

Hi all,

 

Just want to say a very very big thankyou to all of you who have posted on here the support has been brill.

 

I have just had my breakfast of porridage made with skimmed milk and I put a little bit of sugar on it just to give it a bit of sweetness. I think im going to have some wholemeal crispbreads and cottage cheese for my lunch, and I am very determined today to be good. Im not going to beat myself up about last night so I am going to be good today.

 

I know that my midnight eating is more of a habit than me been hungry, because i have been doing it for quite a while so it does need willpower and determination.

 

Thankyou all again for such wonderful support and very good ideas. So here goes to keeping going and keeping my goal in mind cause when I do go to this function in March I will be lighter.

[Jenjenz]

I think im going to have some wholemeal crispbreads and cottage cheese for my lunch, and I am very determined today to be good. Im not going to beat myself up about last night so I am going to be good today.

 

Whilst wholemeal crispbreads are healthy, they aren't likely to keep you v full for long and in my experience, I get hungry about 2 or 3pm and start snacking! More substantial carbs are recommended for lunch - I think jacket potato and beans is the best lunch you can have for being low in fat and keeping you full for longer.

[Jenjenz]

I feel so fed up of trying to lose weight that I just want to give it all up.

 

I am really good in the day with my food as Im doing Weight Watchers at the mo and stick to the points all day have quite a healthy tea. I did try to go running every other day but never stuck to it so I decided to walk everywhere but at a fast pace that I could manage and Im keeping it up.

 

My problem is I go to bed and get up in the middle of the night and scoff and its making me feel so depressed and down and Im undoing all the good in the day which I make a effort to keep up. I have just got up and had two slices of bread with butter on and it was quite thick and a packet of wotsits:confused:

 

It feels like one step forward and 10 steps back. I know this is a habit as I have had it a few years and have always been on the merry go round of it. I managed to lose weight last year and did really well at it then I lost the motivation and willpower for it. I know I can lose the weight and with a great big effort know I can stop eating at night but just have to put my mind to it and just do it. I know its not called night eating syndrome cause I am fully awake and know what im doing is wrong and will make me feel like crap but I think oh sod it so what. It is habit and I know habits are hard to break.

 

I have a function to go to at the end of March and I have something I want to wear and I am willing myself to get into it. I dont want to lose a enormous amount of weight by then but just enough to make myself feel like Im on my way to acheiving it. So please please help I feel so crap in myself and so deflated and just really depressed that its taking the wind out of my sails. I want to get back on the rails again and actually do something about it this time. Im willing to do the hard work this time and I know that anything worth having is going to require hard work. If anyone can give me some advice or even if you have been through something like this and come out the other end successful. It would be nice not to feel so isolated.

 

Thaks lisa33

 

A friend just saw this who isn't on the Forum and would really like to express her views. She says:

 

"OMG I cannot believe no-one has commented on the fact that she’s getting up at 3.21am and eating!! Never mind carbs this and that the girl has deep emotional issues and is eating to block out her pain. She needs to seek help to get to the bottom of her problems and I will guarantee the weight will fall off her."