Determined To Succeed

There are certain songs that will live forever. FOREVER, I tell you. Songs that make you tap your toes, chair dance in your car (c’mon, you know you do that from time to time) and sing along to when they come on the radio (or “shuffle” play on your iPod).

One of those songs for me is from what is arguably the greatest soundtrack ever, “Saturday Night Fever.” On that record (CD, MP3 download…whatever you kids call your new-fangled listening device of choice these days) is “Night Fever” by the Bee Gees. It has been well-over thirty years since that soundtrack was released and I still don’t quite know what Barry Gibb (the bearded one) is saying/singing in his high falsetto disco anthem. Hell, when I try to “sing” the damn thing all I end up doing is trying to imitate the high-pitched notes not sing the lyrics. I don’t even think dogs can hear singing that high. But tt’s fun, goofy and cheesy, like me. It’s got a great beat and I can dance to it. I give it an 87.

But something struck me last night as I ate a pretty late dinner – I have an eating problem. I’m a night eater. So sing it with me. “Night eater, night eat-tah. He’s got a way to chew it…”

Seriously, though, night eating is a problem for me. Even when I eat dinner at a reasonable hour there is something in my head that makes me want to eat late at night. I’m not even really that hungry. I just want to eat something. Anything. It could be chips, granola bars, ice-cream (which is deadly), leftovers, a Lean Cuisine, cookie, fries, bagel, cinnamon roll…anything. If it’s within reach, it better watch out ’cause I’m gonna boogie my way over to it, do the Tony Manero finger-pointy dance thingie, grab it and consume it.

But that can be bad, very, very bad, for two reasons.

One, according to Martica Heaner, M.A., M.Ed., some research has shown that way that that food calories are distributed may affect hunger—and that, in turn, could affect weight gain. A 1999 study in the journal Appetite found that when lean, healthy men spread their meals evenly throughout the day—as opposed to eating larger meals more infrequently—they were less hungry. Other studies have shown that people who skip breakfast, or who delay eating earlier in the day, are more likely to binge later.

Going for long periods without eating creates a state where the body is low on fuel. Metabolism may slow to preserve energy, and the body may be more sensitive to the calories that come later—it may be more likely to store those calories as fat and not use them. Irregular eating usually leads to eating larger meals to make up for the energy deficit. A big meal may overload the body’s capacity to use those calories, and the extra may be more likely to be stored as fat.

Irregular eating is probably more of a problem than night eating. People who skip breakfast often shift their caloric intake to later in the day, eating the majority of their daily calories at night. Many obese people (like moi) display eating behaviors that often involve skipping breakfast (something I have been truly guilty of in the past). Further, since the body slows down in the evening, calories consumed at night may be more likely to be stored rather than used. Not only is a person less active, but all cells operate according to fluctuations in their patterns of activity throughout a 24-hour period. Body processes—such as gut motility in digestion or the absorption of nutrients from food—also seem to operate on a kind of body clock showing decreased activity at night.

Very interestink (said using a very bad German accent).

Two, eating late gives me weird dreams, man. I mean weird (but that’s a whole other blog for a whole other day)

So how can I (and you) curb being a “night eater, night eat-tah…?” Let’s all try these simple steps:

• Most people try to eat too few calories during the day only to binge late at night. Eat 3 good meals during the day with 1 or 2 between meal snacks. Eating more frequent, smaller meals will prevent you from feeling hungry throughout the day. And if you’re eating fiber and proteins and drinking enough water, you’ll actually feel fuller for longer periods of time and will not have the urge to snack so often. Here’s a sample eating schedule you (and I) can adopt:

1. 7:00 a.m. – Eat breakfast
2. 10:00 a.m. – Eat a light snack
3. 12:00 p.m. – Eat lunch
4. 4:00 p.m. – Eat a another snack
5. 7:00 p.m. – Eat a small dinner with a treat

• A good insurance policy is to eat most of your calories before 6 PM. Generally, the rule of the thumb is to not eat anything within 3 hours of your bedtime. And, if you must eat, then eat something healthy like a piece of fruit or a very small handful of nuts.
• When you feel the urge to eat late at night, try drinking 2 or more cups of water. You can also make a cup of herbal tea sweeten with honey or artificial sugar. Hot liquids have a soothing effect on emotions and appetite.
• Remind yourself that it’s normal to feel hungry late and that night eating, night eat-ting comes from habitually eating late. Breaking this habit is like learning to quit smoking. Remind yourself of your weight loss goal and one of the keys to losing this weight is to STOP late night eating. The temptation to snack late at night will not be as great if you don’t give into the urge for several weeks.
• Much late night eating after dinner can be avoided by hiding the junk food. Put foods that you’re prone to eat late at night out of sight. Better yet, don’t buy junk food at all and keep healthier snacks in da houze.
• Tell yourself to “suck it!” Suck on hard candy. Most hard candy have only a few calories and they give you the satisfaction of snacking.
• Keep a written copy of your eating diary (if you keep one) in view, which will keep your goal of losing weight firmly fixed in your mind.
• Some people have great success by simply brushing their teeth late at night. This method has been known to curb late night eating for many people.
• The most vulnerable time for eating late is 1 hour after dinner right up to bedtime. Keep your life interesting by working on a favorite hobby (like Disco dancing, or finding out what the hell Barry Gibb is actually singing when he sings “Night Fever“) and NOT watching TV. The ads on TV can subconsciously trigger the impulse to eat. Boredom is your biggest danger to late night eating.

That’s it. I start my Tuesday a half-pound up from yesterday (grrrrrr). But, as I am always fond of saying “I will work it off,” and I will. And later on,  when it gets to be about the time I lay my head down to sleep I’ll I will keep these tips in mind…

…especially the one about occupying one’s mind with other things, for I would rather have a Bee Gees song stuck in my head all night rather than stuff my face and gain weight back.