Tips for the Night Binger

Do you like to eat at night? Is your day so jammed with activity that you just need to unwind at the end of it with a nice crisp bag of chips, or a few of those yummy soft-baked chocolate chunk cookies? Whether you're a 9-to-5-er or a mom on the go, nighttime can be a dangerous time for many people's diets. Busy people often don't have the time to fix themselves proper meals during the day, so they save up all their eating for nighttime. In fact, using food as a reward for a difficult day or as a stress reliever is quite common. It can feel very soothing to sit down (or stand at the fridge) and eat that sweet, salty, savory, creamy or crunchy snack. Maybe you're the type of eater who likes to snack while watching TV, reading, talking on the phone or answering emails. I remember when I was first married I used to crave a nice chunk of fresh challah bread after dinner on a Friday night, even though I'd just eaten a full meal!

Part of the reason we eat at night is the emotional connection we have with food. The challenge is to break that cycle by seeing food as nourishing, but not a "reward." If you don't eat regular meals during the day, then by the time you get to your "down time" at night, you're probably ravenously hungry and will grab anything that's in front of you. And that's not controlled eating. When you allow yourself to get that hungry, you're no longer in charge--your cravings, your emotions and the physical discomfort of being hungry are in charge. That spells danger!

I suggest breaking that cycle by setting up a healthy eating pattern for yourself. Instead of binging at night, use that time to organize your meals and snacks for the next day. Prepare a large salad or pot of soup to portion off for lunches. Set the table with a bowl, spoon, glass and a box of your morning cereal, ready to go for breakfast. "Prepackage" containers or baggies of fruit, or even set a big bowl of washed, whole fruit in the fridge where you can see it and grab an apple or a peach quickly and easily. (Now that it's summer, I keep a bowl of washed fresh cherries front and center in the fridge--so delicious!) Spoon yogurt into a small bowl or container, top it with a few nuts or a sprinkling of granola, and cover; keep in the fridge. Keep bananas on hand for snacking or slicing onto salads. The point is to set yourself up for success--not failure.

Finally, find other ways to reward yourself at the end of a hard day: take a bubble bath, read a good book or watch that show on the DVR (without the chips on the side), call a friend, exercise, do yoga or meditate. The point is to break your connection with food as "medication" for stress or whatever isn't going right in your life. Then step on the scale and watch those pounds start to melt away.