Any quick thoughts about how I can stop binge eating and watching RV late at night? I have a spouse and toddlers, so even though we have gotten rid of almost all sugar and processed foods and snacks, we invariably have some snacks in the house including peanut butter- ugh! Also, we tend to cook extra so that food so that it will last a couple of days. Instead of remaining stoic and developing good sleep habits, I wake up, watch late night TV and binge eat. Luckily I am exercising and running on a daily basis at least 2 miles, thanks to Fabulous App, but I need to somehow kick the nighttime binge food/TV pattern. I am trying to read or meditate after reading kids to sleep, but it’s not working- yet!

I have tried to change my evening routine recently and so at 10pm I take myself off to a quiet room and meditate for ten minutes, write in my journals and the have a wash and brush my teeth, as well as doing something nice like massaging my feet, it’s half an hour just for me and has broken the cycle of binge watching tv. I have also taken up knitting, which keeps my hands busy and is quite addictive, I don’t want to interrupt my flow by getting up and snacking. It’s not necessarily about looking at what you consider to be a bad habit but incorporating a new good habit instead, one which you enjoy and which is distracting and keeps your hands and mind busy but without being too stimulating in the evening. Starting small was the trick for me, rather than trying to change everything at once, then adding to it.

Binge eating is not a disorder or a disease but it is definitely a habit . You can change your habits by adding another habit at it's place ! I recently stopped eating packed food (chocolate, chips and any other processed food) And to be honest , i was obsessed and maybe even addicted to sugar. I knew that this was effecting me in the bad way and I should stop eating these kinds of food so i tried to replace them . But not with another food of course. When i actually felt like eating , i drank a cup of water SLOWLY! That's an actual method for smokers to quit but it's also effective when a food craving hits you. So you can try that . But never forget to be patient. Because changing habits takes time. Now encourage yourself to be at your best and give yourself some self love . I know you can do this !

Hello Fabulous!
To be honest, this is a weird habit, but here are some solutions that I will mention, which you probably have heard of; anyway, 1) make it a goal. Write it somewhere (a paper, preferably) and stick it somewhere that you can look at everyday. For instance, I want to learn a choreography, so as my 2019 goal, I will write “choreography” and stick that paper on my door, so I can always look at it when I am entering and leaving my room. 2) Tell someone about it, so they can remind you (personally, I think people telling me something is better than putting a reminder). 3) Learn the side effects; knowing the dangers to something helps a person in turning away from it, especially if the side effects have already been placed on your body; that way it is as if you are being forced to stop doing it. Consult a doctor to check if the side effects have settled on your body, and make it your 2019 goal; or six months goal.
I wish you the best in changing your bad habits to good ones!

Like you said, it’s not working YET! I think you should give it some time. If it doesn’t work I would just get a lock for your pantry and don’t unlock it until morning. I’m no expert but I hope this helps

Accept it. It's not your fault. You are perfectly fine just the way you are. And it doesn't mean you have to stop trying to change but the reason why changes too be out of self love. You have built a habit and the easiest way is to replace it with a good habits. First you need to recognise it as a habit and identify the trigger, the action and the reward. The trigger could be putting your kids to bed, the action is watching and eating but the reward only you can identify. It could be the taste and rush from eating but it could also be the feeling of getting some rest and peace of mind. Or something else entirely. Once you have identified the three requirements for a habit you can start to replace the action and the reward based on your findings. There are helpful guides on Google that can explain it way better than I. Good luck, you can do it

I had the same problem of binge eating at night. So I started a habit that tells my body – that's it for today. Drinking a hot cup of herbal tea. Not in the kitchen. Afterwards, the need to binge decreases, and it also soothes you towards sleep. It shouldn't necessarily be tea – I think you can choose any symbolic act, as long as you train your brain that this is a signal that it will not get any more food today.
Also, brushing my teeth helps. Having that strong mint taste in my mouth, the appetite decreases and I'm also too lazy to have to brush my teeth again later.

Please if you find the answer to that, let me know! So one thing is for sure. You are not alone. I also try to establish good habits at night instead of binge eating and watching tv. I find it easier to avoid that when I had something good going on for me during the day, like time for myself. Good luck to us both.

Use fresh nicely cabbage as a binge food, or fresh carrots. When I really need to do something I bribe myself, or reward, depends of the point of view. I say and pledge to myself, if I do certain amount of work I can watch one episode of my favourite TV show a week. If I stick to healthy eating I can eat one smaller bag of chips once a week. I try to put the plans in the schedule and create also a holes of time for myself, for relaxing, doing something different and it helps me to feel better and fresher for new goals

I have an alarm set on my phone to tell me when it is time to turn off my tv. At first i ignored it, i won't lie, but now it helps a ton!! As for the late night binging, i make sure it's s cookie tui get a snack, that way i can't just subconsciously just grab a snack. If you are going to grab something, peanut butter is a great snack!! Grab an apple or celery to cut up and eat it with. Good luck!!!

"He who has a 'why?' can tolerate any 'how?'."
– Friedrich Nietzsche

Find reasons for stopping your bad habits, figure out WHY you want to get better, and you'll tolerate any way to get better. If you aren't convinced that getting rid of those habits is important, then menial and unconvincing reasons to resume your life with the bad habits will emerge from "the impulsive child" as fabulous puts it. Reasons such as "well I didn't eat yesterday" (which is your fault) and "well this is the last time" (which it isn't). The point is, you MUST find the drive and purpose behind your change if you want it to carry importance within your life: this importance will enable you to execute on any 'how?' to move forwards towards any goal, not just yours. I wish I could say there were an external blueprint for executing on your plans, but it's ultimately up to you and so you need to convince yourself that you'll help yourself and family by ridding yourself of bad habits, and if you're headed towards the fridge, (or whatever the fridge may be in the fabulous community's case) VISUALISE. Every day I get up at 5:55 no matter what, and man are there days when it seems impossible, but right when I'm drifting off to sleep I picture basketball players waking up and putting in work at the gym (I'd like to play professionally) and that motivates me to wake up because basketball is my motivation. In your case, picture, so imagine their faces, smiling from ear to ear as you tell them that you've quit your habit and have been binge free for a week, a month, or a year. If that's not good enough motivation to turn back from the refrigerator, or the cigarette, or the syringe, then I'm not quite sure what is.

Cheers from your friend Nelson Jr.

Be patient with yourself and keep meditating even if it's just not seeming to take hold yet. Eventually begin to substitute that for TV and snacks but meditate where you don't have distractions like TV or computer. Small changes at first will become easier as time goes on. Try to substitute fruit for snacks,etc. You have a lot on your plate right now so make as much time for you as possible. I finally reached Stoicism after restarting a few times, trying to maintain it but it takes work some days. Good luck on your journey.

Gradually move to healthy snacks like cucumber. I would advise you to eat the cucumber with your normal snacks first. Do not do a straight replace. It is too taxing. Then over time eat more of the good stuff and less of the bad stuff. It's never an all or nothing situation.

Something that I’ve started doing is putting up electronics before bed. I will set my alarm on my phone and then put it up for the night. Brushing your teeth after dinner might discourage late night binge eating. Great job on exercising daily though!

Haha, seems like you like peanut butter! First of all, try switching out the peanut butter for almond butter, it’s healthier. Then, remove your phone, laptop, whatever, from your room. The radio waves coming from them will keep you awake. Finally, an hour before bed turn off all electronic devices, the blue light admitted from them isn’t good for getting a good nights rest. Hope I could help, sorry for typos! – Phoenix

A good way might be to put a sticky note on the cupboard or fridge to remind you to ask yourself to really think about if you need the snacks. Generally try not eating after 8/8:30pm. Eating late will cause a restless sleep and you’ll be more likely to wake up in the middle of the night…ie – giving you a chance to snack and watch tv. Your organs need a chance to rest as well to function properly (digestive system) think about how you need to give them a break at night time. A thing I do is put certain snacks in the freezer so it’s not easy for me to grab without thawing and heating up. Make sure since you’ve been working out that you’ve been getting enough protein and fibre during the day so you stay full longer. Try a hot bath before bed to help you unwind and sleep sound. If you find yourself still waking up at night try to have a hot caffeine free tea instead it should help as a sleep aid. Lastly, don’t be hard on yourself just be mindful of what you are doing and it will help you have more control of the situation. Good luck, you can do it. 🙂

Sounds to me like you'd have to not watch TV when you wake up and instead read or just think for 30 min and then try going back to sleep

Find something non electronic related that bring you joy! Like coloring/painting or knitting or something else that keeps your hands busy. I find I am less tempted to binge eat when my hands are busy. Then you can listen to podcasts or audio books. That helps me distance myself a little more from my phone and tv.

Well, this answer will be quick, although it will require some further research from your side.
Stopping right away with those “bad” habits will only be a temporary solution.
Search for “kaizen” online, maybe buy/download the corresponding book. It will consist of taking several small actions over a span of time to achieve the goal you want (e.g. eating healthier).

For example, do not immediately stop snacking. Instead try to throw away the first bite of your snack, and then eat the rest. And every time you take a snack, you throw away one bit more, until you have either no more appetite in that snack or there is no more snack left to eat.
It may sound silly, but give it a try.

Hope this helps!

I think you need a good motivation to support your determination. When you want to eat some snacks again,you should think about your goals and convince yourself with your motivation. Also you need do some other works as well, don’t buy and make too many snacks,control them in a reasonable range. You can eat some snacks sometimes at the beginning but you have to be aware you can’t eat too much of them. Give yourself some opportunities to eat some, for example twice a weak, don’t expect yourself too high, if you failed you still have another opportunity. Remember do some work before you eat that, such as buy less. Then give yourself some opportunity don’t force yourself do that everyday. Finally, make a effort everyday,even very small one! Hope that’s will help you! Have a good life 🙂

Perhaps you should change the snacks that are in the house for your children, turn them into fruit or jerky since they're healthier alternatives. Maybe you should use audible for reading books, since it's easier, and furthermore; don't think you have to meditate for thirty minutes, even 5 minutes a day is progress.