E14 - Cravings Strike at Night

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Welcome to the Mindful Balance Mini Podcast.

If you are a woman over 40,

ready to break free from fad diets

and discover the power of balance and confidence

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I'm your host, I'm Rachel, a nutrition and mindset coach

and I'm going to break down everything you need to know

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Hey, and welcome back.

I am so excited for today's episode

because it almost feels like I'm about to tell you a secret.

It is something that we rarely really discuss openly

and that is the topic of nighttime eating.

You see, many of us have no problem

admitting how we struggle with food and overeating,

but when it comes to admitting

this one specific one, nighttime eating,

it makes total sense.

However, nobody really wants to admit it.

Seriously, it is one of the most shamed cover topics,

So we are going to put it out into the light and remove the secrecy around it and break it down.

Let me take it for you step by step. What does it look like in action?

One way is if you finally get some downtime after a busy day.

The kids are asleep or busy doing their own things and it's your time now.

You let's say snuggle on the couch and you start watching your favorite Netflix show

and before you even realize it you have gone through an entire bag of popcorn

and you are now eyeing the ice cream in the freezer.

you can barely remember tasting that popcorn.

And it's gone.

On to the next snack.

Or maybe you've had a tough day at work.

Your boss, let's say, criticized you in a team meeting,

and it's still stinging, right?

You walk into an empty home.

Maybe your partner is out, let's say.

And what do you do immediately? You head to the pantry, you grab a pack of cookies,

you're not even hungry, but each bite seems to quiet that critical voice inside your head

just a little bit. Another scenario could be that you've had a satisfying balanced dinner,

You are not hungry, but you find yourself craving something sweet the moment you are done.

You may be thinking, "I'll just have one piece of chocolate." But as you eat that one piece,

your brain tells you, "You know what? One more won't really hurt." And before you know it,

You guessed it, you have eaten half the chocolate bar.

And then that inner voice says, well, you've already gone this far,

you might as well finish it.

I will give you one more example, just because this one was me for many years.

So I thought that maybe one of you will be also able to relate to it.

So in this scenario, you are mostly proud of yourself on making healthy choices throughout

the day, right? You have worked really hard, you resisted lots of snacks, let's say. Really not

too bad overall, right? But as soon as everyone in the house falls asleep, you are back in the

kitchen for, let's just say, a small snack, which almost always turns into more than you

intended.

The house is quiet and there is a mix of shame and relief that nobody is witnessing you or

your midnight detour into the pantry.

So what is happening here?

Well, obviously, it's nighttime, right?

It's a time when you can finally escape the noise, the long and endless to-do list,

and all the external expectations that you have during the day.

Nighttime is when you can just be, finally just be, right?

But sometimes that, let's say, that calm, and it's really not so much of a calm, it

can morph into something way less comforting, almost haunting.

Nighttime is like a mirror.

It's the first time all day that you get to truly see yourself, your thoughts and your

emotions. An entire day of distractions goes away and then it's just you. You're left alone

with your thoughts and your feelings and it's no wonder why so many of us seek some kind of comfort

and often that comfort comes in the form of food because let's admit it that's the comfort that we

all know to find. So now it is starting to make sense why nighttime is such a

battleground when it comes to eating. So what are the psychological triggers that

make it feel like such a war during that specific part of our day? First off, I

want to mention sleep procrastination. Raise your hand if you've ever postponed

going to bed just to carve out a little bit more me time. If you're not raising

your hand right now, I think you may not be telling the truth because it is so

common. After running around all day and taking care of everyone else's needs, it

It is completely normal to want some time for us.

So what do we do?

Instead of winding down, we wind ourselves up, basically, by grazing through the pantry

or scrolling through social media.

Not exactly the logical thing that we should be doing when we need that calm.

But wait, it gets even more interesting. How many of us tie our sense of relief and relaxation to

food? Again, you get home, you kick off your shoes and you think, "I deserve a treat." And that's

exactly where we get tangled. Even when what we might really need is rest, connection, or just

a moment of alone time, food becomes our go-to source of comfort.

And this begs the question, so what?

So food does feel good, so what?

And I'll tell you what, I have worked with so many women, none of them actually believed

that it felt good.

they have to literally give themselves permission to eat so they can feel how

bloated, heavy and uncomfortable it feels to go to bed after eating way more than

their body needs. But more often than not they already knew it. They did not truly

believe that it felt good to overeat or to consume such a large quantity of food

over such a short time right before getting to bed. This is why I also want

to mention one last piece of this puzzle and that is secret eating. When the house

is quiet and nobody is watching, it is so much easier to indulge because there's

no judgment. There's nobody there to judge us, even if the only judgment out

there is really our own. It's as if we are checked out as we grant ourselves

this permission to engage in behaviors that we might usually resist or may not

allow ourself when other people are around us. Kind of like no one saw it so

it didn't really happen. But don't worry I am going to help you here and we are

going to do it by creating awareness of the internal narrative and those little

lies they're actually not so little that we tell ourselves to justify our actions.

So the first lie is more is better. That is a lie. More is not better. After a day

of self-control, the nighttime can become this like I would call it free-for-all.

But let's be real for a second. It's not true. I know that no one who woke up with

the food hangover said that she felt amazing in her body after a night of eating.

So really very, very sneaky little thought that more is better is actually part of the

problem.

And the second lie is the old belief that food equals comfort.

I'm going to say it again, the thought that food equals comfort.

Now it's true that food can be comforting, but it's also, let's not forget it, it is

a temporary fix for a much deeper emotional need.

Think of it this way, if you had, let's say, a leaky roof, you wouldn't just keep placing

buckets under the leak. I assume so, correct? You would fix the roof and using

food as a bandage for emotional needs that aren't being met is never, never a

long-term solution. So this is what I want you to do. When you hear your brain

telling you one of these lies. The first one, "more is better" and/or "food is

comfort." My favorite phrase to use is "we are not doing that anymore." We are done

with these lies. And once you notice and talk back to your brain, you can't

unlearn it. It's so powerful and just know that your thoughts are not facts

and you can challenge them. I know that there's a lot to digest here. I know, I

know that. But understanding the psychology behind our actions is the

first step towards creating a healthier, happier relationship with food.

As we wrap up here, I always want you to remember that you are far from being alone. This is so

common and you can rewrite that story. I'm sending you lots of love. You have got this. All right,

I'll see you next time. Bye.

Thank you for tuning in to the Mindful Balance Podcast today. I hope you enjoyed our conversation

and find inspiration to find your unique balance and confidence. Remember that the journey continues

on Instagram. You can find me @rachelemmanutrition. That is one word where I share daily nuggets of

wisdom to help you reach your goals with ease. If you loved today's episode, don't

forget to subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review. Your feedback fuels

our mission to empower more women on their mindful balance journey. Until next

time, take care and stay mindful. Bye!

Thank you for listening to The Mindful Balance. The Mindful Balance is brought

to you by Rachel Emma Nutrition. Our editing and mixing engineer is Michael

Plawner. Our theme song is "Good Feelings" by Bold Gleason. The information in this

podcast does not substitute for medical or psychological advice and is intended

for educational purposes only. Please consult a qualified health professional

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