I am continuing to want to use this forum to help break bad habits. I recently moved to a new apartment, and I am still getting settled in. For at least a month, I had not eaten between the hours of 8pm and 7am. Off and on throughout the past 10 - 15 years, I have had the urge to get some kind of snack around 1 or 2am. I keep wanting to stop doing it, but just recently, I have discovered that it is especially bad for reflux, which I discovered I have back around 2013. So now I really need to stop doing it. I have a little food log that I am trying to use to log my eating habits, and end the middle of the night snacking. I have gotten slightly complacent with it over the past week or so, but I need to get consistent with it. For the past 2 nights, I have gotten up around 1am and had a little snack. Prior to that, I had about 7 or 8 days of non-middle-of-the night snacking. So here is to new beginnings, and working on one day at a time, one night at a time. Calorie count around 1500, no snacking at 1am!!
Struggle to break bad habits - Weight Loss Support
Struggle to break bad habits
Hi briGuyIndy,
Just curious to know, where did you get the number 1500 from for your calorie count? Some of the others here will know more about this, but that seems quite low for a man? I have a feeling there are websites where you can put in your weight and they will tell you how many calories you should be eating in order to lose weight.
Could the reason you’re snacking be that you aren’t eating enough? Or the foods are not filling you up.
No judgement here, purely trying to understand more about the situation, is it normal that you are usually awake at 1am? I ask wanting to know if it’s hunger that’s keeping your awake or waking you up? Or if being awake at 1am is your usual routine anyway?
Have you posted in the daily diary? That way we can see what you’re eating and help you make tweaks.
I agree completely, Be-yourself 
Eating too little never works well in the long run
I completely respect your response, and I will tell you where the 1500 calorie count idea came from. I don't know if you've ever noticed People Magazine editions where they talk about weight loss success stories, but I randomly noticed one in 2015 where they featured a 6'3" man who wanted to lose some weight, and he had apparently done some of his own research and came up with the 1500 number on his own. His body type seemed about average, like mine. His entire strategy was "take the calorie count down to 1500 per day, and start swimming." I don't remember how much weight he lost, or how long it took him to lose it, but he had success. I do remember it seemed like a lot of weight. So around that time I discovered MyFitnessPal, and started counting calories. At one point I lost around 20 pounds and almost started feeling less of a need for the app. I wanted to lose about 15 more at that point, but sadly got complacent. But that's where that number came from. The only reason that I got up at that time to eat was purely stress/emotional, not hunger. I felt stressed out about something, and just felt like having an awesome taste in my mouth to calm down, no hunger was present at all. I have thought about doing a little research on that calorie count, but I will also admit that I snack on a lot of apples, spinach, and broccoli many days. I am getting a decent amount of protein, and will be incorporating more of that into my diet. But that's ultimately where that calorie number came from.
Thanks for your reply briGuyIndy.
I don’t really know People Magazine, is it a magazine which is likely to spread gossip and false news or is it more like a type of journal and written by credible sources?
If it’s a gossip magazine, then I think we need to remember that when reading the stories, and take them with a pinch of salt. Also remember, although you might be the same height/build as the man who appeared in the story, he’s not you. You are a different person and what worked for him might not work for you.
If you’re interested in reading about health, nutrition and weight loss then I suggest that you choose experts/credible sources who know what they’re talking about. Some others on here might be able to recommend people. I listened to a podcast by Dr Rupy Aujla who talks about strategies to be healthier (where losing weight is a side effect) which include things like
- eating more protein (especially at breakfast)
- eating more fiber
- eating an earlier dinner
- eat less UPFs (ultra processed foods)
He also talks about the importance of getting enough sleep on weight loss.
I would personally rethink that 1500 calories a day. In this podcast I listened to he does talk about eating too little calories. It’s very interesting.
Part of you problem may be that you snack a lot on apples which are very sweet which affects you hormones and make you hungry. Talking about calories alone makes no sense as you need to be careful about where those calories are coming from. Fat storage is controled by insulin levels so if you eat foods which raise your insulin level i.e. carbohydrates especialy refined ones and sweet ones your body will store fat irrespective of your calorie count. Your body will also learn to reduce its energy usage if you restrict calories whichwill make you gain even more weight if you relax the restriction resulting in 'yo yo dieting'.
Hi, it's hard to break habits, but maybe when you wake up at 1am, put on a healthy podcast instead of reaching for a snack? I think too, that if you fall asleep listening to something it will get into your subconscious more.
The Diary of a CEO with Steven Barclet is on YouTube, and he interviews different people, but a lot are health experts - Dr Chris Van Tulleken on UPFs, Dr Tim Spector founder of ZOE on healthy gut for example.
Or there's good podcasts on BBC Sounds if you are able to access that. Again Dr Chris van Tulleken does one, with his twin brother Dr Xand about exercise. And why some people - like Chris -are motivated to workout and enjoy it. Whilst others -like Xand - are not 😁 It's really fun and interesting especially as they are identical, both are up-to-date with the latest health information, and both highly motivated men generally. So why are they so different regarding exercise?!
Anyway, best of luck changing your habit!
Breaking bad habits can be really tough. We all have those things we know we should change, but sometimes it feels impossible. I've found that having a plan helps a lot. Setting small, achievable goals and finding alternatives can make a difference. I recently came across betterme.world/articles/how..., which provides resources for building healthier habits and staying on track. Their tips and programs might help if you're looking to make some positive changes!
Hi Jonathan1998 thanks for your support and welcome to our weight loss support forum.
May I ask if you would like to join us and become an active member or are you just visiting?
Either way is fine by us
Hi - it is tough getting into new habits and chucking out the old ones.
Have you tried to distract yourself by giving yourself some other treat ( non foody) if you find yourself waking in the middle of the night for a snack? Or giving yourself a healthy supper alternative before bedtime in case that helps with not waking up hungry.It sounds like your body has got into the habit of waking up at this time and it is about patiently retraining your body either to sleep on - or if you wake using a diversionary tactic so you dont automatically fill that time with snacking,
I truly appreciate your comment, although I have discovered over the last decade or so that I have issues with reflux. I need to start following certain reflux rules and dietary guidelines. I have discovered that refluxers can't eat for 2 - 3 hours before bed, and then not all night long, and then eat in the morning. And I need to get much better about stopping eating at 8pm, and then not eat again until about 7am. I have several books on reflux and I need to read through all of them, and get better about cooking reflux specialty recipes. I have a food log that I am trying to use to monitor my eating habits, and I keep getting complacent with it. Thankfully I have had 2 nights where I didn't eat at night, and I need to keep that up as long as possible.
Day 1- Time to bin that chocolate! (Hello everyone!)
Why do things go downhill in the evenings?
Why is loosing weight too fast bad for you?
So overwhelmed 😔
