It's late at night. You're hungry again. You are stressed from the day. How can you stop overeating, especially at night. #Overeating #Overeatingatnight #WomenOvereating #TASHFitness #SharanTash

1. Why Do I Keep Overeating at Night?
It is 7pm. You already had dinner. The kitchen is clean, but you can’t stop thinking about food. You
keep reading the same sentence over and over again, or you have no idea what you are watching on
TV. All you can think about is the food that is in the kitchen.
Overeating at night can be a very hard habit to break. It is a habit. It could even be before dinner.
Most of my clients talk about the 4pm cravings. When you go into the kitchen, you end up staring into
the refrigerator or pantry, looking for something to eat. Something to jump out at you and say, “I will
satisfy you.” You are not really hungry, but you need to eat something. After all, you had a long day
at work. You just want to satisfy that urge to eat.
You are not the only one with these urges.
Night Eating Syndrome (NES), also known as “midnight hunger,” is primarily characterized as an
ongoing, persistent pattern of late-night overeating or binge eating.
Do you have any of these symptoms?
 Snacking from the moment you get home to the moment you go to bed.
 Waking in the middle of the night and eating to help you fall back asleep.
 Having one huge meal at the end of the day.
 Being unable to watch TV without a food companion.
If so, finding the reasons you are eating at night might help with the problem. Next time you are
craving those 4pm snacks or that late night raid to the kitchen, ask yourself the following questions
about your day:
 Did I eat my 3 meals and 2-3 snacks throughout the day? If you deprive your body of nutrients
throughout the day, your body will crave food, and it usually is NOT a healthy choice your body
will reach for. Solution: Plan your meals and snacks, and be sure you are eating every 2-3
hours and have protein at each meal and snack.
 Did I have an unusual amount of stress, boredom or loneliness throughout the day? Solution:
Take a few moments to meditate, connect with nature, or find a new hobby can go a long way
to preventing those urges.
 Do I look at food as my only form of enjoyment and fun during the day? Many night eaters
overeat so much, they do not realize all the calories that they have ingested which leads to
weight gain and depression when it sinks in. Solution: You need to add some spice to your
life. Maybe take up dancing, or join a book club – find something outside your home to enjoy.
 Do you want to eat the food because you always do and there is no other reason why?
Solution: Take the time to analyze your urge. It’s important. Change your routine, grab a tall
glass of water and a piece of paper and pen and write down how you are feeling. Ask yourself
if this is a habit you truly want to break.
So what. I enjoy my food at night and I can get it under control when I am not so stressed. But the
effects of NES are important to your health. One of the main factors is its’ effect on sleep (which we
talked about in our last blog) and also how it effects your hormones.
Become aware and make one change at a time for achieving success.