Help! I can’t stop overeating at night

Do you feel like you eat “good” all day but come evening (or afternoon) you can’t stop overeating? Does this make you worry you don’t have enough willpower? Or, that you are failing to eat well? You are not alone!

This is a scenario we see often. Unfortunately, it can lead to an unhealthy promise to “be good” and restrict eating the next day. This is a sure fire way to a difficult and poor relationship with food. Fortunately, we are here to let you in on a secret: majority of the time, overeating at night is not due to a lack of discipline. Instead of beating yourself up for not having enough willpower, here are the top root causes we know as Dietitians when it comes to overeating at night.

Not eating regularly throughout the day

Your body needs a regular stream of fuel across the day to function and stay alive. In particular, your brain needs a top-up of food every three to four hours. This is because it cannot keep a back-up store of fuel to draw upon. When you don’t regularly eat, your brain will send very strong signals that build up over the day to overeat.

Not eating enough at meals and snacks

If you are eating regularly across the day but not including enough calories and nutrients, this can contribute to overeating later. Including a combination of fat, carbohydrate, protein and fibre is important for satisfying your body and preventing overeating. How much you need is incredibly individual and changes day-to-day. Working with a Dietitian will support you in understanding your needs.

Restricting certain foods

So you eat regularly and enough during the day but still struggle with overeating? Check in with whether or not you are restricting certain foods. Rules around limiting or completely eliminating certain foods trigger fixation and a drive to overeat this food. We call this the “forbidden fruit” effect. This might look like telling yourself you cannot eat bread in a sandwich for lunch, nuts on your morning porridge or chocolate at morning tea. 

Mindless eating

If you eat regular meals and snacks with enough calories and nutrients and don’t place mental restrictions around food, overeating may be triggered by mindless eating. To feel full and satisfied from food, eating mindfully and truly engaging your senses without distractions is key. When eating mindlessly, it is easy to either eat past the point of fullness or not quite reach the point of satisfaction. This creates lingering hunger which can trigger overeating later.

If overeating is something you struggle with and you want to feel empowered with strategies to manage it, our team are here for you. Book in with one of our Accredited Practising Dietitians for personalised and non-judgemental support.