Nighttime Binge Eating
Image by Krista Manguslone (@krista) via Unsplash
Nighttime bingeing is one of the most frequently reported symptoms that I hear about from my clients. In this blog post, I’ll introduce you to an example of a common eating pattern that is a “set up” for nighttime binge eating and give you some tips for how to start addressing your nighttime bingeing.
The following meal and activity diary is representative of what I often hear from clients.
Consider the following meal and activity diary….
5:30 am- Wake up and head to gym to squeeze in a 45-minute workout before the kids get up
7:20 am- Coffee with a splash of almond milk. I’m doing great so far today!
9:10 am- Eat kids’ leftover waffle bits off of their plates. Ugh. They taste soggy.
10:30 am- Drive through Chick-Fil-A® for a large unsweet tea. I really need some caffeine.
12:45 pm- Meet a friend for lunch at a local cafe. Order a mixed green Greek salad topped with grilled chicken, dressing on the side. Skip the pita bread.
4:45 pm- Cherry pie Lara Bar® I found in my car. It was stale and I only had two bites.
6:45 pm- Dinner with the family. Grilled steak and roasted Brussel sprouts. Skipped the macaroni and cheese that the kids were eating.
9:00 pm- Kids are finally in bed. I’m really hungry. Half a pint of Ben & Jerry’s® cookie dough ice cream standing in front of the freezer.
9:20 pm- Corn chips- I don’t know how many.
10:00 pm- Lucky Charms® cereal and milk. Still pining for something sweet.
10:30 pm- Three Oreo® cookies…well, plus the broken one. What is wrong with me? Why can’t I just stop eating?
11:00 pm - Feel stuffed, go to bed. I promise myself I won’t do this again tomorrow.
Notice anything about the diarist’s pattern of eating?
Here’s a few things that jump out:
Early morning workout without refueling
Grazing off of kids’ plates as a substitute for breakfast
Trying to boost energy with caffeine
Limiting or eliminating satisfying elements from lunch and dinner (the dressing, pita bread, the macaroni and cheese)
A majority of the food is being consumed after 9 pm
Morality is associated with deprivation
The Restrict-Binge Cycle
Let’s take a look at the restrict-binge cycle in detail.
Restrictive eating: Any type of eating that applies a rule about what, when, or how much “should” be eaten. There are many examples of restrictive eating:
Calorie counting and daily calorie limits
Not eating before a certain time of day or eating by the clock (instead of by using the body’s cues for hunger)
Portion control and not allowing oneself more food even if still hungry
Cutting out entire meals or snacks
Cutting out entire macronutrient food groups (e.g., carbs)
Applying moralistic rules to food (e.g., only eating foods deemed “clean”)
Not allowing oneself certain foods that are deemed “forbidden” or “bad”
A pattern of eating that involves energy restriction, mental deprivation (or both) is the “wheel” that sets the cycle in motion. Where there is bingeing, there is restriction of some kind.
Hunger + lack of satisfaction: When one is restrictively eating, a gnawing sense of hunger and lack of satisfaction are soon to follow. I’ve had many clients stuck in the restrict-binge cycle tell me that the more times around the cycle they’ve been, the more aggressive their hunger feels. Our bodies resist starvation. Hunger is our body’s signal that we need energy. Ignoring our hunger will strengthen it until we reach a state of primal hunger and reach for any food in sight.
Along a similar vein, if we’re not eating foods that satisfy and satiate us, we’ll be constantly preoccupied with food and spend an inordinate amount of time trying to pacify our hunger with air foods (e.g., air popped popcorn, diet soda, etc.), often to no avail. Lack of pleasure and satisfaction is a “set-up” for a future binge.
The trigger(s): Now we’re feeling deprived and expending our energy on pacifying our gnawing hunger and we’re confronted with a trigger (or triggers). This trigger is the “spark that ignites the flame” for a binge. Here are some examples of triggering events/situations:
Stress from any facet of life (work/school, relationships, parenting, traffic, finances, etc.)
Overwhelm and anger (e.g., the kids are screaming, no one has walked the dog, etc.)
Exhaustion from sleeping poorly, over-exercise, a draining day/week at work or school, etc.
A sense of failure after a work/school mistake, inadvertent harm caused to a loved one, etc.
Something upsetting that you read or heard on social media that reactivates old trauma
A newly diagnosed illness or exacerbation of a chronic illness for yourself or a loved one
Loss of a loved one, friend, or acquaintance
A package you were expecting to arrive today is delayed
The store ran out of your favorite kind of wine
The size (or severity) of the trigger often doesn’t have any bearing on the likelihood of a binge occurring. It doesn’t have to be something monumental to trigger a binge when you’re already deprived and have unmet needs.
The binge: Each person’s definition of what constitutes a binge and the amount of food a person consumes varies; however, these are some typical signs, symptoms, and experiences often reported during, or after, an episode of binge eating:
Feeling like you can’t control how much or what you’re eating, or feeling like you can’t stop eating once you get started
Eating more rapidly than you normally would
Eating until you feel uncomfortably full
Eating food (typically in larger amounts than you normally would) when you’re not physically hungry
Eating alone due to embarrassment about what or how much you’re eating
Feeling disgusted, depressed, or guilty after an episode of binge eating
The guilt + shame: A defining element in this cycle is the amount of guilt and shame that is experienced. Guilt is the belief that we did something wrong. Shame is the belief that we are wrong, or a “bad person” because of what we did.
Unresolved guilt and shame are likely to restart the cycle of restrictive eating in an attempt to absolve oneself of wrongdoing. Unfortunately, this form of self-punishment simply restarts the cycle rather than making things “better.”
I’m stuck in the restrict-binge cycle. Where do I start?
Being stuck in the restrict-binge cycle feels awful and it’s normal to be ambivalent about making changes. Let’s face it, change is scary!! In order for something to change, you have to change something. If you’re ready to get off the restrict-binge hamster wheel here are some tips:
Seek out support. If possible, find a healthcare provider trained in disordered eating and/or eating disorders. The National Eating Disorders Association is a good place to start, as is the list of certified intuitive eating counselors at www.intuitiveeating.org. A major barrier to getting “unstuck” is the realization that you have to make yourself a priority and that you will need support in this process.
Make time for meals & snacks. Undereating during the day leads to primal hunger in the evening and/or lack of satisfaction when you finally eat a meal. Biologically, we need to eat to satiation about every 3-5 hours while awake. To stop the cycle of bingeing it’s important to eat consistently throughout the day. Aim for three balanced meals. Balanced meals contain a source of protein, carbohydrates (grains), fiber (fruits and vegetables), and a source of fat. In addition, plan to have 1-3 snacks per day. A snack is at least two food groups listed above. Remember, the less you eat earlier in the day, the more likely you are to binge in the evening when your hunger becomes overwhelming.
Challenge the guilt and shame with self-compassion. Every human needs to eat and you’ve done nothing wrong if you’ve binged. Bingeing is a natural response to restrictive eating. In fact, your binges are telling you something about your needs. When you notice guilt and shame you have several options: 1) label these feelings and move on, 2) neutralize these feelings with compassionate statements, or ride out the discomfort as it will pass.