Stop Nighttime Overeating with the Simplified Similarity Strategy

Tell me if you’ve ever been in this situation:

You’ve made some changes in your nutrition in order to lean out a bit or cut a little body fat.

You do well for the first few days, and then on day 3 or 4, you eat exactly what you had prepped for breakfast, lunch, and your snack, and then….you get home, and can’t seem to STOP eating.

This continues for day 5, day 6, and so on. You do well following your plan during the day, and then once you get home from work, all bets are off.

First, you’re NOT alone, and second – listen up. I’ve got something for you to try.

Stop Nighttime Overeating with the Simplified Similarity Strategy

In this video, you’ll see:

-what you need to have in check before you implement this strategy

-what the heck this strategy even means?!

-how to implement this strategy

-how many times I can say strategy in one blog post

I’ve used this strategy with many a client, and I’m telling you, it works 90% of the time. It comes down to simplifying, eating in a similar manner, and then gradually adding more variety.

But before I even tell you how the strategy works, I need you to double check that you have these two things already in place:

1. You’re not restricting calories or intake during the day. Restricting intake during the day so you can have more food at night is a common behavior. While it works for some, for others, it throws off our hunger and fullness hormones way too much. So much, that after a few days of “dieting”  – and then restricting during the day, our leptin levels (signal that tells us we’re full) plummets and grehlin (the one that tells us we’re hungry) increases. This means that it’s hard for our bodies to really be able to tell when “we’ve had enough” in our nighttime meals.

To add to this, also make sure you’re not in too much of a deficit. If you cut your intake way too low, it’s hard to sustain in the long term.

2. You’re eating enough protein and not too many carbs during the day.

When I’m trying to lean out a bit – and keep my hunger hormones and insulin levels in check – there are two times when I like to have high carb meals: after my workouts and at my last meal of the day. This keeps my hunger hormones in check and my satiety – or my fullness factor – regulated pretty consistently throughout the day. When we start out day off with a high carb or low protein meal, we’re already putting the odds against ourselves as far as insulin and satiety levels are concerned – especially if you’re a PM exerciser.

Ok, with that said, let’s get to the strategy.

One way I like to help my clients who have problems with nighttime snacking or overeating is to simplify it by narrowing it down in their meal plan by eating the same two dinners and two nighttime snacks (just one per night, obviously, for a week or so.)

This means you get to choose two dinners – ones that are delicious and satisfying to you but still work for your plan – and two snacks to rotate through for the week.

Maybe it’s turkey chili and a bowl of yogurt + muesli. Maybe it’s grilled chicken sandwiches and a protein muffin.

Whatever it is, we’re simplifying it down to two choices for each.

The reasoning for this is that you know exactly what’s on the menu each night, so there’s no over-thinking about it. You know it fits your nutrition plan and your goals. You know you enjoy it. And you know it’s on the menu. Don’t leave room for anything extra, because a few, as we know, turns in to the bag.

If the thought of eating the same two meals and snacks at night makes your eyes widen, give yourself three choices. If you think you’ll still become bored with just three choices, please remember you’re only doing this for a week. If you become bored, come up with a go-to  alternative way to entertain yourself that’s not food for the week.

The goal of this strategy is also simple: breaking the habit. We continuously munch and crunch throughout the night because it’s out of habit. It was one of mine, too! I used the plop down on the couch, and immediately think I was hungry, no matter how soon after dinner it was. My mind simply became used to the habit of snacking when it was couch time each night.

Now, if your eating at night is more compulsive, (first, please seek the help and guidance of a therapist) I like to suggest that you place no rules of what you can and cannot eat, but rather, that any piece of food you eat after dinner must take you a minimum of 20 minutes to eat. I.e. eat painstakingly slowly.

I hope you found this helpful! If you have any post or topic requests for future posts, please let me know below!

What’s your main struggle, when it comes to nutrition?

***I am at capacity through June with my VIP One-on-One Online Coaching, but will have two spots available starting July 3rd. If you’ve been wondering about online training, or have been waiting to inquire or register, you can email me at yourtrainerpaige@gmail.com, or fill out the form HERE.**