How to Stop Nighttime Binge Eating

February 5, 2024

If you want to learn how to stop nighttime binge eating, you’re in the right place! This blog will share why you can’t stop nighttime binge eating, how to banish late night cravings, and what you can do throughout the day instead to set yourself up for success.

Let me guess… most weeknights go something like this for you…

You rush home from work or activities with your kids, you quickly whip up some dinner for your family. You’re pretty hungry, but you try to be good since you’re focusing on eating clean this year. You have some chicken and broccoli stir fry, no rice. Or maybe the grilled chicken over salad with just a few roasted sweet potatoes.

You finish dinner, ogling your kids’ dessert, but again, you’re trying to be good, so you rush to get the kitchen clean while your kids finish homework or play, then it’s time to get your kids to bed.

After an hour or wrestling tiny humans, or nagging your teenagers to get their work done and shower, there’s finally quiet in the house. You lock the doors, and it’s time to (finally!) watch your show on the couch before bed.

You really want something sweet, so you opt for something healthy – a few dates, with peanut butter and chocolate chips.

But that’s not really what you were looking for so you go back for a bowl of fruit — because someone once told you a bowl of fruit should satisfy your sweet tooth.

You go back to the couch to try and finish your show, but the pantry keeps calling your name.

Before you know it, the spoon hits the bottom of the ice cream container.

You feel full, but also kinda blah, and then guilty for snacking your way through your pantry.

After all, you told yourself you would follow your clean eating plan to stop nighttime binge eating.

So why are you hitting the pantry most nights?

Why You Can’t Stop Nighttime Binge Eating

In my years of practice working with women who can’t stop nighttime binge eating, there are typically 5 main reasons:

You’re not eating enough during the day
You try to save calories for your binges because you don’t think you can stop
You push off your hunger throughout the day, getting over-hungry before you allow yourself to eat
Your meals lack satisfaction
You don’t know other coping mechanisms to manage your emotions

Let’s explore each of these reasons…

You’re not eating enough during the day

Are you being “good” throughout the day — trying to eat as little as possible — so you can “save up” for your favorite dinner? I’m warning you now, this will backfire!

When you try to be “good” throughout the day, follow a restrictive diet plan, or simply try to minimize your calories throughout the day, you adopt a dieting mentality. This won’t help cut your snacking after dinner… it will urge it on!

Your body will feel starved for calories earlier in the day. Your brain will essentially tell your body that it needs calories and needs them NOW – increasing your cravings (especially for carbohydrates for quick energy).

This goes back to the restrict-binge-guilt cycle I discussed here. We want to cut this cycle by avoiding restriction throughout the day.

Eating enough during the day is the most basic and essential step to stop nighttime binge eating.

You try to save calories for your binges because you don’t think you can stop

Similarly to above, if you’re trying to save calories for your binges (or for fear of weight gain), that’s a form of restriction.

Oftentimes I see clients who are in the habit of binging try to save all of their calories because they believe they’re destined to binge.

However, your beliefs and thoughts become your actions. So if you believe you will binge every night, you will.

Instead, you need to shift your mindset. Know that eating enough during the day is essential to stop binging.

You push off your hunger throughout the day, getting over-hungry before you allow yourself to eat

In this scenario, you may be eating enough during the day, but you’re waiting until you’re absolutely ravenous and over-hungry.

This sends your body into panic mode. It gets nervous that it won’t receive the energy that it needs.

Not only will it be hard for you to stop eating when you’re comfortably full at your next meal, but it will be difficult to stop eating for the rest of the day!

Even if you eat lunch at 12pm, and ate enough for your body, if you were really hungry and felt starving going into this meal, it can influence your nighttime binge eating at 9pm.

The solution? EAT when you’re hungry, but not over-hungry.

Oh, and also pack snacks! Here’s my free Hack Your Snack Guide! 🙂

Your meals lack satisfaction

This is a biggie, so listen up if you’re prone to nighttime binge eating…

Is a portion of grilled chicken and steamed broccoli appealing to you when the rest of your family enjoys pizza night? Or would you be more satisfied from a balanced meal of pizza with a side of chicken and broccoli?

When you eat less than satisfying meals, your mental hunger persists. Even if you’re physiologically full from veggies and protein, you’re not mentally satisfied. Your hunger signals in your brain won’t fully shut off until you can check off satisfaction.

How do you build a satisfying meal? Be sure to include these things:

Flavor
Variety
A source of fat
Carbohydrates, like grains and starches
Food you’re in the mood for!

Before every meal, it can be helpful to ask yourself: Is this what I’m in the mood for? Am I excited to eat this?

While EVERY meal won’t be the MOST satisfying eating experience, finding small ways to boost your satisfaction at meals, especially when you’re prone to nighttime binge eating, is essential.

You don’t know other coping mechanisms to manage your emotions

The last reason you can’t stop nighttime binge eating is because you’re emotionally eating. This often stems from a lack of other coping mechanisms to manage your stress, boredom, anxiety, sadness, anger, happiness, etc.

If you’re prone to eating emotionally, try this…

PAUSE before you hit the pantry. Ask yourself: What am I feeling? What do I NEED?

9/10 times, you don’t really need a snack. You need to vent, distract yourself, exercise, or just get to bed.

We cover emotional eating extensively in my Small Group Coaching program. Join the waitlist!