Are you consistently skipping meals throughout the day? Have yourself convinced that if you starve yourself throughout the day and only eat at night, you'll lose weight or won't eat as much? STOP THAT.
I've been there. That's literally exactly what I used to do and what I thought. WRONG.
Behavior like this usually leads to the opposite of what you're trying to achieve. You're actually more likely to GAIN weight this way.
Before I really get into this, I want to be clear that I am in no way a doctor, nor an expert. This is just advice coming from my own experience, research, and knowledge.
If you're depriving your body all day, while at work, for example, and you come home and your thoughts instantly go to FINALLY I CAN EAT, you're bound to make poor food choices. When you starve yourself all day, by the time you get home, your hunger is to the point where your brain is basically like "I NEED FOOD", which is why you *most likely* find yourself pretty much uncontrollably eating whatever is in sight.
I'm willing to bet that if this sounds like something you're used to, you can think of plenty of times where you got home and rushed straight to your cupboards and/or fridge and started rummaging through looking for any & everything. Then once you actually became aware of what you were doing, that sense of guilt started to settle in. And there's probably been a lot of times where that self-guilt led you to the 'all or nothing' mindset. The whole, "Well, I've already ruined my eating for tonight, so why stop now", and then you continue to binge on whatever you think you want. Sound familiar? That's a vicious cycle and it only makes you feel shitty and disappointed in yourself. Again, I've been there...
If this sounds familiar to you and you want to change your evening binging habits,
you need to be eating enough throughout the day! We need healthy,
balanced meals in our daily diets...not just little snacks here and there.
When I would just snack throughout the day, I was snacking on things that weren't substantial, and did NOT help my energy levels.
Then when dinner time came around, after pretty much starving myself all day, I gave myself the green light to eat it up. I still ate pretty healthy, but I would overeat, snack right before bed, and then go to sleep feeling bloated and uncomfortable.
Literally one of the worst feelings ever.
Now, I make sure my first meal is packed with protein and fiber. This gives me energy and keeps me satiated for a long time. Then of course a balanced lunch and dinner, too. And some days, depending on my schedule, I still snack...I just have something that's actually worthwhile, like some raw nuts, a piece of fruit, or half of one of my favorites...a No Cow bar. Those are generally my go-to's. I focus on something with fiber, and/or protein, to keep me full & satisfied.
Anyways, ever since I stopped starving myself all morning/day, my energy has freaking sky rocketed. Seriously. The difference is incredible, and I was so naïve before making the change. So, if you can relate to not eating much during the day, then shoving your face at night and wondering why you feel like crap or are gaining weight, it's time you change up your habits!
Seriously, you will not regret it, and you'll want to kick yourself for not changing sooner...trust me on that one. But, hey, we're human and we live & learn and GET BETTER!
Side note: Starving your body all day and only eating at night also slows
down your metabolism, which will also cause you to gain weight. So, just
another reason why you should be eating throughout the day.
Let me know if you can relate, if you have any questions or want help, and/or if you're ready to BEAT BINGING!
xo Mackenzie.