Failing at night – help!

This topic contains 11 replies, has 9 voices, and was last updated by LA Chubster 8 years, 2 months ago.

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MissMurphtang

8:40 pm
12 Nov 15
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So my past two fast days (Tues and today) I was really good during the day. Saved all my calories until the evening, ate my planned dinner… And then 8pm hits and I want to eat the entire fridge! I made it to 600cal on Tues and 540cal today (and now I’m fine). I think it’s a carb craving – I’ve had a sandwich thin (like a low calorie bread) with a tiny bit of honey and now I am fine. But I drank so much low calorie soup with shirataka noodles and veg and chicken breast… It filled me up for about 30min,then the hunger came back!

Anyone have this problem? It’s like anything but carbs doesn’t fill me up. :/

I wonder if this week was particularly hard because I’m pms-ing. Hormones are always fun haha

Cinque

8:45 am
13 Nov 15
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Hi Murph, I think you can blame your period for much of the trouble, and look forward to an easier time next week.
But also, I find Fast Days vary so much! I have had one where I didn’t need to eat anything, some that are easy, some that are a real struggle.
I try to be philosophical and say the hunger feeling is the Fast working! And I know I can eat a good breakfast tomorrow!
The only problem is if it stops you from getting to sleep, or something like that. I haven’t had that problem (touch wood and whistle).

symba7

5:44 pm
26 Nov 15
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Have porridge made with milk and water for breakfast, it will fill you up. With some berries.

A good large mixed salad with 100 Grams of meat or fish at Dinner time 5.30 ish.

If you can’t sleep at night a small glass of milk a hour before bed ( ours is on top of our 500/600 calories) but it doesn’t slow the weight loss down.

Snaz

7:41 pm
18 Jan 16
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2 AM Sunday morning soooo Hungary just started may have to try the milk before bed
As I will never cope with work the next day if I don’t sleep

QuietOne

8:37 pm
18 Jan 16
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When I first started 5:2 if I had an evening issue I’d have high protein cup of soup. Beef broth with 2 ounces of grilled beef strip loin diced in and brought to boiling in the microwave. About 70 calories.

Now it’s just another glass of water.

Snaz

9:04 pm
18 Jan 16
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Thanks I will try that might be just the sock of eating so little and it will level out ha who I ami kidding

bigbooty

12:37 pm
20 Jan 16
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You need to find a different routine. Its almost like your “allowed” amount of food for dinner triggers the green light for “I want a lot more” feeling. I know that for me its easier to just go zero calories. If I have a little bit its just too easy to have a little more, so I just go zero and Ive gotten into that routine. On Mondays and Tuesdays I don’t even wake up hungry anymore as my body “knows” its not getting anything.

Maybe try having lunch as your 500 calories instead of dinner. Try going for a walk at 8pm if its convenient. Or do some other activity to break the routine you have developed at 8pm. Long shower at 8pm. Something that breaks the routine. Down a litre of sparling mineral water. Find something that breaks the routine. You’ll also find it easier to go to sleep by not topping up with food at 8pm. Eating that late will start you up rather than naturally starting to slow down.

london2012

4:38 am
23 Jan 16
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I have the same problem as MissMurph. Yesterday was my 4th fast day in 2 weeks, I’ve tried spreading my allowance over the day, saving it for the dinner, nothing worked as yet. My first fast day was a full blown success, but since then I find it hard to keep the calorie intake under 500, let alone a quarter of my TDEE, which is much lower. I had a good dinner yesterday around 7:30, but around 11pm I was ravenous and couldn’t help myself. The initial idea was to go zero calories, hahaha who am I kidding.

I will take bigbooty’s advice to break the routine, my established routine before IF is to eat very little during the day and munch away after(!) dinner until bedtime. Awful habit, I know. That’s what gave me the extra weight. Once the evening has passed, I’m not hungry, even after a fast day I can go without food until late afternoon (besides morning coffee (1 small latte and another cup of black coffee) and water). I will forgive myself for yesterday, putting the blame on my hormones (period), hopefully next week will be better!

LA Chubster

5:10 am
23 Jan 16
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I would NEVER be able to restrict myself to 500 calories in a day. I know myself. So I chose zero. Just water (and vitamins).

It sounds like you’re dismissing that possibility but maybe some time you’ll want to give it a try. The first time might be hard OR you might find, like me, that it gets easy once you get over a hurdle. Mine comes at lunchtime. After that it’s smooth sledding. For 2 days.

If you don’t find what works for you see how a complete fasts works.

FruitsOfWellness_Guru

8:44 am
23 Jan 16
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london2012 – every time it’s that “special” time of the month, I most certainly place the blame for my ravenous cravings on those stinkin hormones! Trust me, I feel you girl. But my advice to you is this – try to maybe eat an even bigger breakfast than just a latte and a black coffee (if you have the time, of course). Yeah, black coffee is definitely a filler until the lunchtime cravings hit…but if you eat breakfast like a king, then your cravings will subside for much longer. Plus, you will most likely be even more awake, alert, and excited for what life has to throw at you that morning.

As far as the cravings at night goes – try to eat more regularly throughout the day. Five small meals a day are a more effective way of losing weight and combating nighttime cravings. Also, make sure you drink TONS of water – did you know that a lot of the time men/women make the mistake of thinking they’re hungry when they are actually thirsty for water? So maybe if you have a large glass of water at nighttime — maybe squeeze some fresh lemon in there — it’ll help fight the hunger.

Don’t feel discouraged. And you’re absolutely right – next week WILL be better! You got this girl!

london2012

7:28 am
24 Jan 16
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Thank you, LA and FriuitofWellness for your encouraging words. I was disappointed in myself, but not enough to get discouraged. I decided to add one more fast day this week, because my feed days have become far too indulgent and after two days of ‘normal’ eating I find it hard to get back to fasting. And this is from someone who doesn’t eat much during the day. I was like that most of my life, it is the evening bingeing that brought me to where I am today. I cannot see myself eating breakfast or having 5 small meals a day, not at the moment anyway. So I will stick to what I know about myself for now, meaning on fast days I will have plenty of water during the day, then a small dinner at around 7pm and a late night (10pm-ish) light snack. I’m not ruling out the possibility of having zero calorie fast days or spreading my meals (which is undoubtedly a healthier approach than my current eating habit), but I’m afraid any ‘drastic’ change in the routine may break the proverbial camel’s back. My willpower is shaky at the moment, but I’m determined to succeed making IF a way of life. I can sleep better, my body is lighter and I have more energy, so I’m actually loving it.

Weight loss, as you may have guessed from my low TDEE, is only secondary motive; yes, I would like to lose a stone or less and regain the lithe, toned physique I had before I had my children, but that has more to do with exercise than diet. I am one of those ‘lucky’ women who don’t gain much weight however much I binge, but I have had this ‘skinny fat’ feeling some time now, I’ve got this recurring acid reflux, bloatedness and general heaviness that gets to my head. I don’t know how else to explain it. However, since I started on 5:2, my head is clearer, I have spring in my walk and the acid reflux hasn’t reared its ugly head. My better half believes I’m unduly ‘punishing’ myself and doing IF ‘just because I can’. He is right in the sense that I’m doing it because I cannot run marathon distances as he does, my days are pretty sedentary, and this is one aspect of my life I can take control of and stick to, but he is wrong about it being a punishment, I just want to have a healthier lifestyle and I can already see it improving my wellbeing.

LA Chubster

6:08 pm
24 Jan 16
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Glad you’re feeling so many positives!

I live most of my life as a bag of cement. But recently someone suggested setting a timer (I have one on my cell phone so it’s always with me anyway). At 30-minute intervals I just stop what I’m doing and move.

I’m in my third day of it. The first day I just got up and walked around my house. It was only about 150 steps at each interval but I felt more alert mentally as a result. The next day I jogged them out. Silly. But I felt my heart rate elevate slightly and I could do that for a day. The third day I started thinking about getting some hand weights to add a bit to the effort.

Yesterday it was a little silly. It was a weekend and the house was full of people. So I just didn’t do it after lunch. Today will be much the same. But I might get outside and take a walk. It looks like it will be a beautiful early Spring-like day here in Los Angeles.

This 30-minute interval of moving might work for you too, london.

And then might I suggest you check what you’re snaking on late at night? A snack isn’t a bad idea if it helps you be comfortable and ready for sleep. And certainly with only one full meal you’re entitled to the fuel your metabolism requires. But is there sugar in your snack? Would you be better served by something protein?

I certainly don’t know. Just asking. But I’d encourage you to keep experimenting to find what works for you.

Keep on keeping on!