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Alternative Health & Healing: Heal Your Heart, Heal Your Life.
Night Bingeing No More
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by Rena Greenberg |
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Do you go all day long eating small portions of healthy food, moving your body as much as possible, only to find yourself raiding the refrigerator at night? If so, you are not alone. So many of my clients tell me that they are “so good” all day long, only to find themselves glued to the refrigerator from dinner until bedtime. Does the scenario of over-indulging at night, going to bed feeling bloated and disgusted, only to wake up feeling regretful and remorseful, seem only too familiar to you?
Sometimes you may feel hopeless when it comes to correcting this self-sabotaging habit. Many of my clients tell me that they are baffled as to how they can run other areas of their lives with so much success, only to have their relationship with food continue to be such a source of stress.
If you frequently fall victim to nighttime bingeing, realize that there are two main reasons why this is likely to be occurring—either you are physically or emotionally hungry—and neither is a reflection of your intelligence or innate value. This may seem obvious, but if you truly believed it, then you wouldn’t add insult to injury by beating yourself up for the mistakes that you’ve made and continue to make. Until you understand the root cause that is driving your unwanted behavior and correct it, you can expect to repeat the same actions that are causing you so much inner pain.
One reason why people overeat at night is physiological. Are you eating enough during the day or are you running around frantically only to realize when you finally get home at the end of the day that you are starving? If you find yourself devouring food right out of the refrigerator, eating from containers instead of at the table from a plate, if you plunge into your food with your hands as opposed to using utensils, then it’s very likely that you are simply hungry—physically hungry. Your body needs a certain amount of calories each day in order to operate and your brain needs a steady supply of nutrients to maintain optimal functioning. One way or another your body is going to force you to give it the nutrition it deserves. If you are ravenously stuffing food into your mouth at lightening speed, chances are that you have not been giving your body an ample intake of nutritious food during the day.
It’s time to start caring for your body. Many people take better care of their pets or their cars than they do of themselves. Your body needs a steady intake of balanced meals throughout the day. A balanced meal consists of protein (for many people this must be animal protein in order to end hunger), complex carbohydrate such as root vegetables or whole grains, and vegetables. Simply put, you must eat regularly throughout the day and include healthy snacks.
Some healthy snack ideas to keep your blood sugar steady are:
· Peanut butter and celery
· Almond butter and carrots
· A slice of fresh turkey or roast beef with romaine lettuce
· Tuna fish on a whole grain cracker
The second far more common reason why people overeat at night is based on the innate human drive we all have to fill our emotional needs. If we are feeling unfulfilled with unresolved emotional issues lurking inside, we are likely to turn to food in a futile attempt to meet these inner desires. It is natural for each of us to want to fill our need for love, companionship, safety, control and relaxation. If we are not succeeding at filling our deeper needs as we go through the course of our lives, we may develop the habit of seeking to gratify ourselves with food. Unfortunately, there is no amount of food that can fill these very real needs that we all have.
I have a client named Bill who came to me for help because he couldn’t stop his night bingeing. It didn’t matter what was in the house—raisins, chips, ice-cream—he would sit in front of the TV at night and eat. As he practiced the self-hypnosis method, he came to discover that what he was really seeking was stimulation. He realized that because he was slightly bored and unfulfilled with life, at night he would turn on an action movie and want to keep eating as a way to keep himself stimulated. Once he realized what his underlying needs really were—stimulation and excitement—he was able to fill them directly.
He bought a treadmill and began waking up earlier and running every morning. He created a CD of some of his favorite music and used the recording as a way to completely lose himself to the activity. He began to look forward to this special time of day with himself, enjoying the sensations of the movement of his body, more and more. He began to challenge himself to run with others, as well, enjoying the comradery, competition and the opportunity to be outdoors, when the weather permitted.
Soon he found himself skipping the late night movies and the binge eating, because he just didn’t like the way it made him feel. He looked forward to waking up in the morning, feeling light and energized from a good night’s sleep, his stomach empty and ready for his morning exercise routine.
Once we discover what our underlying needs really are, we no longer need to turn to food in a vain attempt to meet them. You can do the same. Take a moment and imagine yourself at home at the end of the day. Picture yourself on a typical evening where in the past you may have been tempted to binge. As you visualize yourself in front of you, ask yourself, what is it that you are needing? Are you physically hungry? Did you eat enough during the day? Or were you running around taking care of everyone else’s needs or scrambling to meet the demands of your job, without stopping to care for yourself? If so, offer yourself compassion and make a decision to begin to eat right during the day. Get into the positive habit of planning your meals and taking healthy snacks with you if you know that you will be in a situation where you might not have access to healthy, balanced food choices. Do not let yourself get too hungry as that is just creating the likelihood of a binge waiting to happen.
If you feel that your physical needs for nutrition are in fact being met, ask yourself if there are unfulfilled emotional needs you may be harboring. Do you have some pent up anger that you may need to release by writing in a journal or putting on boxing gloves and having it out with your punching bag? If your stress level is high at the end of the day, maybe you need to take 15 minutes of alone time and practice some deep, abdominal breathing, allowing the oxygen to go way down into the bottom of your lungs—filling your tummy. Deep belly breathing, using positive affirmations such as telling yourself, “breathing In, I breathe in peace . . .breathing out, I breathe out calm,” is a wonderful way to release some of the day’s tension.
Now, when you go to have your evening meal, be sure to ask yourself what you are truly needing again. Select the foods that will nourish you and satisfy your physical hunger by choosing foods that comprise a balanced meal, eating natural, unprocessed water-rich foods as much as possible. Notice what your emotional needs are and fill them directly. Like Bill, if you’re bored or frustrated, physical exercise could be the very remedy you are seeking. If you are requiring more love or relaxation, cuddle up with a loved one or a pet, or spend quality time with yourself. Thrill all your senses by soaking in a warm aromatherapy bath. Take up a practice such as meditation, journaling, yoga or self-hypnosis.
Create your nighttime routine to become a special part of your day that you come to look forward to—a time when you can pamper and love yourself and unwind from any stresses of the day. Each time you make such a constructive choice, you are installing a new habit and creating positive momentum to turn your life around.
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Rena Greenberg,
Author, Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming, & Hypnotherapist
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Rena Greenberg is the Founder and Director of Wellness Seminars, Inc, which provides weight loss programs for over100 major corporations and city governments, including over 75 Florida and Michigan hospitals.
She is a graduate of City University of New York at Brooklyn College. Rena Greenberg’s wellness programs have been featured in many television and radio news features. Master's Degree in Spiritual Ministry and Sufi Studies from the University of Spiritual Healing and Sufism.
Ms. Greenberg holds two certifications in hypnosis from The Eastern NLP Institute and the National Guild of Hypnotists, as well as national biofeedback certification from the Biofeedback Certification Institute of America. She is also a certified Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming and an ordained Minister.
Rena Greenberg is the author of The Right Weigh: Six Steps to Permanent Weight Loss used by over 100,000 People (Hay House, January 2006).
Email:
wellnessseminars@aol.
com
Web:
www.easywillpower.com
Read an excerpt
of Rena's new book:
The Right Weigh: Six Steps to Permanent Weight Loss
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You'll find it in
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