Listening to my body and not really listening to my body.

THIS JUST IN….our bodies are kind of smart.

Our bodies try to tell us things to help us stay HEALTHY and not go overboard whether it is on food, exercise, work, sleep and play.  Do we listen to them or not?

I am getting really good when it comes to running/working out and listening to my body.  I KNOW what my body can and cannot handle right now.  I KNOW what is going to keep me healthy and what could end up re-injuring myself. Besides just my burning lungs telling me to stop and walk I am digging deep and listening to my body’s cues for when I should stop and walk.

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I am getting pretty bomb.com at listening to when my body’s signals to REST and when I need to Foam Roll and stretch my muscles.

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During the day I am doing great at listening to my body SCREAMING for a lb. of broccoli, whole grains, fruits and foods that make me feel good (fro-yo included on this list).

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(I had a grilled cheese and chicken sandwich….pretty good if I do say so myself).

What I am not so good about listening to is when my body is FULL at night.  I don’t really talk about this on the blog very often because HRG is meant to be a positive place and I know I will get some anonymous commenter saying that I should continue to eat that much when I do as much physical activity as I do but I don’t like the way it makes me feel.

I want to learn how to listen to my body at night when it says….you’ve had enough candy bars Janae, time to do something else.  I am not one to make guidelines like no eating after 9 or closing the kitchen down (because I would end up eating more….I don’t like ‘rules’) but instead take a hint from my SMART body and stop before I am uncomfortably full.

I am not saying this because of weight or because I want my love handles to magically melt away but because I know I am putting in earplugs when my body tells me that I should probably not indulge in the 4th slice of Costco cake.

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I love having a blog because I can share what I am working on and hopefully other’s out there can relate and we can all work on listening to our bodies together!

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Check out my guest post on the BEAUTIFUL BESS’S BLOG!!!

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What area do you need to LISTEN TO YOUR BODY MORE?

Is there a time of day (or day) that making healthy choices is especially tough?

-Night time calls me to eat bags of candy, my second (okay, third) helping of ice cream, and end up uncomfortably full.

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84 comments

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Night time is the worst for me too! Especially with mountain dew! Caffine is so addictive! I can go good all day, but then the fuzzy monster in my tummy screams feed me mountain dew or I will give you the headache from hell! I need to start listening to my body too. Last week I did pretty good. I learned you have to take it one day at a time. (Am I making any sense here?) I worry about me trying to listen to my body for the entire week. I have a problem just working on things like working out and listening to my body one step at a time. I tend to dwell on thinking “What am I going to eat this week or how much will I work out?” Ok, I lost you here with my rambling, but the moral of this is I understand what you are saying and I am on the same boat as you!
Have a great monday! :)

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I am exactly the same way!! I can eat healthy alll day, but at night, I have cravings. And have trouble stopping when I know I should!! I don’t know what to do.. sometimes hot tea helps!!

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Yo, that’s what’s up trtufhluly.

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I deal with this exact same issue, possibly for different reasons but with many of the same associated feelings. Thank you for sharing it because it helps to know that you are not alone. I am working tol imit unnecassary night time eating by avoiding foods that seem to be a trigger for that behavior. Have snack foods like chips will only lead to overreating on most days so its better to not have them around because they have no health benefit anyway. Thanks again :)

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I find myself wanting to eat huge portion sizes at night time, and I’m working on reversing that so my breakfasts will be like they should. I’m about to start reading Intuative Eating. It’s a book about learning how to listen to your body and its cravings. I think it will be pretty interesting! Maybe you should check it out, too! It could help you.

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YES NIGHT TIME!!! i always get peckish when im bored and then i eat even tho im not hungry and then its like… CARRIE? wtf?!>!

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This is a tough one!! It is so hard to use will power around desserts for me or if I’m going out to eat and thinking of a meal as a “splurge”. I try to live the 80/20 rule with healthy being my 80% but when I’m in the “20” zone, I just don’t want to listen to my body’s full cues!

Nighttime is probably hardest for me too since this is when I will feel hungry if I haven’t eaten enough during the day.

It sounds like you are doing so great with body cues during exercise- that is awesome! I actually was wondering if you had signals that you were ignoring when you were first injured? My fracture happened during at the end of a really awesome training week and I never would have guessed that I was run down and prone to a stress fracture. I want to be more in tune with my body as I rebound. Hopefully this will come.

Loved reading your post on the marathon this last weekend! Awesome 3 miles!!!

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I have the same problem – if I tell myself I CAN’T have something I want it a million times more!!! And when delicious food is in front of me it’s almost impossible not to eat it… so for the food I know is my weakness I don’t let myself put it on the weekly grocery list. If I crave it then I have to sit there and decide if I want it badly enough to go out to the store and get it – I can’t just walk over to the pantry and devour it.

I think the most important thing though if you do slip up and eat one-too-many (and by that I mean like 13 too many) pieces of dark chocolate (or whatever your vice is) that you aren’t TOO hard on yourself. Being negative just creates more stress and tension – so I try to say “okay so I was a McFat Face tonight – tomorrow is a whole new day and I can really focus on having extra healthy foods to make up for it” :)

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I definitely agree that nighttime is the worst time for me to tune out my body. I’m pretty good at listening to what I need during the day, but around 7 pm or later, my body telling me to snack is just crazy.

Some snacks turn into bigger snacks, and I know it’s the habit of snacking, and not my body actually craving something. I’m trying to listen more closely, but right now, it’s tough!

I always look forward to seeing photos of your mountains of broccoli, though, haha.

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Hi Janae! Well, I injured myself on that blasted half on saturday. I loved running it though. So i guess right now I need to listen to my body and recover instead of going out and running today like I REALLy REALLy want to! I have never had an IT band problem before and the foam roller KILLS but thanks to my awesome friend Amylee, I know I will be back in my running shoes soon! She referred me to a PT, brought over a foam roller, AND is watching my girls tomorrow so I can go get this checked out. Gotta love running friends who “get it”. btw that picture of you u eating chocolate cake is cracking me up.

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I think we all struggle with this to some degree. I know I can be really good all day but then when I am home at night and finally relaxing my body seems to take that as a sign that I should get to eat whatever I want in whatever quantity I want.

This might sound like a weird trick but a lot of times if I have ice cream or something else sweet I will brush my teeth immediately afterward so that I won’t go back for seconds. Because trust me, ice cream and toothpaste don’t mix…and I have this ridiculously long routine when brushing/flossing/rinsing with mouthwash, that I definitely don’t want to have to do all over again!

However, at the same time, sometimes it is good to indulge in those things and generally your body knows when you need it and when enough is enough. But with the amount of energy you are expending during the day, it may be that your body is craving calories and cake!

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I’m actively working on listening to my body’s signals more, as well. I’m a firm believer that if you listen to your body, it will tell you what it wants/needs and how much. If you can listen and follow that, your body will reward you! BUT, I’m a recovering binge eater so that’s not always as easy as it sounds. It’s something that I work everyday on. :)

I would say nighttime is my biggest struggle as well, but I’m getting much better with it.

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You are the grilled sandwich queen!

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I JUST wrote a blog post about this, and the comments were so helpful! I love the blogging community :)

I definitely am trying to be a more intuitive eater, and it’s always a struggle. But I just tell myself that I’m always going to be able to eat that cookie or ice cream tomorrow, so it’s not the end of the world if I don’t have that extra helping. I’m sure it’s something that everyone slowly works towards!

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I am the same way! Like clockwork, at 9pm my brain starts to whine for sweets, even though my body knows I’m not really hungry. It’s such a challenge to control this (and I still struggle nightly!), but I’m attempting to go to bed earlier to help. There’s no reason for me to stay up so late anyway, so I think this will be my best bet.

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Night time for me too is when I tend to eat more. Honestly, it’s my biggest meal! I don’t mind it though, because after a long day at work, I like to come home and veg out.

I get what you are saying though…sometimes I get caught up with just going through the motions of eating (say, ice cream for example) and ignore my body’s signals. Once I realize I am doing that, I take time to become more aware of my body and listen to it.

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It’s so hard to control nighttime food snacking! I was successful for a while last year withpreparing hot tea and crawling in bed, but then I started doing that at like 8:15 and it wasn’t any fun just sitting in bed with my tea cooling down progressively.

Balance is key.

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Loved your guest post!!! :D
I need to listen to my body when it says its hungry…..I can get pretty caught up in the “eating schedule” thing, and end up feeling unsatisfied, grumpy and likely to binge later!

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I always love your honesty, girl :D I used to suck at listening to my body in general. I would have specific times when I was allowed to eat, and force myself to eat only at those times even if I was hungry before, or not hungry during. Horrible. Rest was also something I couldn’t do. I’d never take a day off working out, and I’d never let myself sleep in, even if I woke up tired. Cravings too. I’d force myself to eat healthy even if I wanted chocolate or candy. I’m happy to say that I’m doing a lot better in most of those areas, and even when the nasty voices start popping up, they’re getting easier to squash. Learning to listen to our bodies is super tough, especially when we’ve been ignoring them and telling them what to do for so long…

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this may be weird, but sometimes i feel like its breakfast!! I will eat BOWLS of sugary cereal (umm.. cinnamon chex is the devil. plus cinnamon toast crunch. basically anything with cinnamon sugar!) or cinnamon toast! I just have to have sugar in the morning (ughh which needs to change now.)

ALSO… i just ordered the NB minimus trail shoes! I’ve been stalking them for over a week and then randomly they had a new color (grey+coral) and decided thats it, done. Can’t wait until they arrive :)

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Thank you for being so honest! Night time is definitely the hardest time for me too. Literally as soon as I finish dinner, I am thinking about what I want to eat next, no matter how satisfied or full I feel. Popping a piece of gum in help sometimes, but sadly I end up binging on food after dinner more often than not. Definitely something I am very aware of and need to work on!

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Yes, nighttime for me is sometimes rough. I can eat a second dinner if I stay up late…

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HELLO!!! CEREAL at 11pm! chocolate cheerios to be exact…

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Nighttime is definitely hard. Being at work all day I can breeze past any cravings I have but nighttime rolls around and all I can think about is what yummy food I want. Especially if it’s been a tough day and I’m thinking, “I NEED COMFORT!” I try not to keep things in my house that will lead to over indulging but it ends up leaving me frustrated and I end up eating odd foods instead that I didn’t even want in the first place!

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ahhhhh :) i have a new favorite cereal that is tasty @ 11pm!

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Thank you so much for sharing this! I have the exact same problem…except that it’s pretty much after every meal. I always feel the need to snack, even when I’m not hungry. I also think that I need to realize that my body is great the way it is, and it hasn’t changed in many years- so obviously what I’m doing isn’t so bad. Love this post :)

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A great post! You prove that you are human, too! I notice that when I don’t eat enough during the day, I want to snack more at night. If I eat on my regular schedule, I am fine!

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Hey J-
*too long comment alert*
I know what you mean about nightime hungry monsters. I have named mine. Which one is your?
1- Angry Hungry Monster – This monster demands food and it usually knows EXACTLY what it wants “protein” or “carbs” or “fat” — I just want like a tub of hummus or a veggie burger dipped in guacamole or something.

2- Emotional hungry/there is still leftover cookies monster – whole nother story. We all know it well.

If you have angry hungry monster despite being full (I am always stuffed when he visits) it means I have skimped on something my body needs during the day. I have a tendency to eat whatever I want. Sometimes? That means a pound of broccoli and salsa … then I pay for it later because my body needed more of the macros in an evenly distributed way.
Anyways, you probably have consulted a nutritionist and either way I would YES try and curtail the nightime eating but look into the WHY. If it’s emotional? Well.. Join the rest of the club (0:
If it is the angry hunger monster? Maybe revamp during the day?
Lots of love and GO you for learning to listen.
You can’t be a “firework” if you fizzle out before the big event. Long term. That’s what my friend who does Iron Man races says.
I don’t even run.

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Desserts call to me…especially where butter cream frosting is involved. Real ice cream too, that’s why I buy the “slow churned” stuff. I guess sometimes when dinner is really awesome I might want seconds too, but I try to slow myself down, wait a few minutes, and see if I’m really still hungry. If I get into a snacking mode, and really *shouldn’t* be hungry, I’ll drink some water first and see if I still feel like I need a snack 15 min later.

I don’t believe in the i.e “don’t eat after 9 pm” rule. Calories are calories, I don’t care when you eat them. Sometimes I have a late lunch because work can be crazy, and therefore I won’t be hungry until 8:30. Today would be a perfect example. I’m not going to skip dinner and wake up starving just to meet some weird rule about not eating within so many hours of going to bed (especially if I’m going to run in the morning!) Just my thoughts.

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Hey Janae! Love your blog, and can TOTALLY relate to this post. I eat well and perfect portions all day, then I get home, have dinner, and I’m ready to snack snack snack the night away. And there is nothing worse than going to bed full. Have you thought about any tricks you can try to curb your night time eating? I definitely understand and can relate to you on so many issues. If you ever want to chat we are all here for you! :)

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Definitely nighttime eating, too. I’m pretty bad about that one. Real bad.

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Oh my goodness this is SO me. I have serious self control problems with sweets and it gets like 200% worse at night. I should probably just go to bed earlier so I can’t eat more. Let me know if you figure out any good tricks.

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I have had a past with binge eating. Throughout my early 20’s I would diet all through the week, once the weekend would hit I would allow myself a treat and just did not know how to stop. I started including small treats here and there in my diet and that really helped. I still have bad thoughts with food at times, thinking “bad food,” and “good food.” I have to remind myself that no matter what, I just need to listen to my body, when it is full it is full.
I also have low blood sugar, which can make it worse. When it drops so low the first thing I want to do is grab sugar and that can sometimes lead to a HUGE crash. I have learned to monitor it was well with small meals and snacks.

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That time between getting off of work at 5 and eating dinner is the hardest time! I typically workout before dinner so eating something that will fuel me but isn’t junk is really hard sometimes!

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Yes, yes, ditto to what you said. I have the same problem. It’s really only at night too. What gives? What is it about night that makes us throw caution to the wind and beg for more sugar/carbs? If you figure it out, please share.

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you are wise dear friend. Listening is hard and it takes time. You will get there, knowing whats best for your body. I think we get in a habit of certain things, and even breaking them is hard, ya know? Keep us posted on how it goes. Bring on the dumbo ears and LISTEN!

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Oh girl—night time is bad for me too. I come in STARVING and more times than not and then I OVERDUE!!! I think the key for me is eating more through out the day–but I kind of enjoy eating alot at night–I try to make healthier choices if I am going to snack all night. e

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Step #1 : Go Buy “Eat What You Love , Love What You Eat” by Michelle May M.D.

Step #2: Make a fist and stare at it – that’s the size of your stomach.

Step #3: Open your hand and start at it – that’s the amount of food that will fit comfortable in your stomach IF you are hungry (another hand my fit if you are really hungry)

(Step 2 and 3 are discussed more in the book)

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I have a hard time listening to my body when it says “i’m hungry!!” 2 hours after breakfast. I need to buck up and eat! :)

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I think we all have those tough times. I’m ok in the evenings (maybe because I always eat dinner kind of late?) But I always have a tough time in between lunch and my afternoon workout. It’s really just mindless eating, and I’m not even really hungry. I think it’s just the stress of the day and being tired, but I haven’t found a good way to combat it. We’re all a work in progress!! You’ll get it figured out :)

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Ahhh I suck at listening to my body! I’m either stuck in a routine and won’t break out of it or I basically fall off the bandwagon and don’t do anything healthy!

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Janae…THIS is a tough one. I have been battling the sugar monster for 8mos now and it is rough. not gonna lie. I go through periods where I feel like I have a decent amount of control and then weeks where I just can’t stop myself from gorging on cake, doughnuts, candy, macdonalds etc even though I KNOW I feel so gross after and sick…
I think just do one day at a time. just say TODAY Iam not going ot eat more than ONE peice of cake and I am not going ot eat sugar after 9pm or whatever it is that works for you and just see if you can do it for one day. we all have to start somewhere.
Love you!

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Love your honesty!! My hardest time is b/t the hours of 2-4. I get into a total snack mode (heathy, but still…) when I know I’m not hungry b/c I have just had lunch. I know that it is a total mental game. My mentality is that I am about to have a killer 2+ hours of working out and I need to fuel up, so I just have an internal debate about what/how much/if to eat DAILY. So annoying!!!

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Completely guilty of this too. I’m such an ‘all or nothing’ person — once I start on the chocolate/candy/ice cream/cereal/chips/whatever, I just won’t stop. I have a lot of trouble portion-controlling my food (especially treats/junk food), especially at nighttime or when I’m bored.

I’ve started trying to compile a list of things to do…. so often I’m just eating because it fills in time and keeps me entertained for a bit. So I’m trying to make myself use this list of other things I could be doing: wash the dishes, do a crossword, go for a walk around the block, call my mum, work on my ipod playlists, read a book, etc etc…

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Love that first pic of you. And I hear you. My body doesn’t know the difference between enjoying 1 piece of chocolate and eating a whole bagful. Ugh.

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I deal with the exact same issue. I think I use night snacking as a deterrent from going to bed at an hour I think is too early or as a distraction while watching TV or am on the computer. We can join forces and start listening to our bodies better together!

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Ha I was just trying to over power the thoughts in my head and those thoughts were go eat candy go eat treats, you just finished dinner and your full but do it anyways.. Then I snuck in there so my kids wouldn’t see and did it them read this post. So I don’t feel as guilty now :), although I’m sure out of shape and not burning the calories like you so I’m much more guilty than you:). Love your blog!

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I hear you girl!
I have learned that I sometimes need to give myself a 20 minute break from the nightly snack to assess the stomach. Yeah, it seems in the moment that you are still hungry but I think that is your mind craving the sugar or carbs……..stop, do something else, and then see if the stomach is still hungry.
You are a smart lady, you will keep learning about your triggers and you will get better at it. It might take some practice……..and we are here for you through the learning curve!

Have a good night.

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I am uncomfortably full right now. Evenings are the worst for me because things finally slow down and I have time to think about food, even when I don’t need it.

And what love handles?? =)

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Like most of the other commenters, I have the same problem with controlling my night time eating. I’m really glad you posted this because I just spend a good 10 minutes reading all of the comments :)

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I find that if I don’t prepare I will eat bad food all day long. I’ll go through a drive thru instead of to a grocery store. Lunch time is usually the worst for me.
I’m trying to listen my body more. In fact, I was running tonight and had some pretty severe heel pain and your blog came to mind. I cut my run short and am now icing. Thanks for all of your advice.

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You are da bomb.com, girl!

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Janae…you are amazing. Thanks for sharing this – like all the commenters above me, I totally struggle with this too. I think part of it for me is not eating enough during the day, so then I feel that I have “extra” calories to use up at night. It’s worst for me when I go to my parent’s house for Sunday night dinner. My mum always makes something delicious so I’m totally OK with indulging a bit, but I always leave feeling so uncomfortably full because I just keep on eating second and third helpings of things. Let us know how you do with this, because it seems like we’re all struggling with this together!!

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I am so with you! I seriously don’t stop eating at night! I am really good until about 5pm and then from 5- sleep (which is usually 10 or 11) I don’t stop. I have to follow something salty with something sweet and then something healthy and then salty, sweet, healthy…viscous pattern! I go to bed sick all the time! I’m glad there are others like me :) thanks for being a sugar freak because I feel normal reading your blog :)

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Wow, that’s a really clever way of thiiknng about it!

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I think we would all be a lot better off if we listened to our bodies more often. They say that a lot of the difference between kids that are a healthy weight and ones that are overweight is that the healthier ones often eat less following a splurge- even if it’s not on purpose. When we were little our doctor told my mom to not pay attention at how much we eat at one meal, but over all throughout the week. Think back to our ancestors- they ate when they had food, or rationed it. They didn’t eat every 4 hours to “keep their metabolism going.” Recently I’ve been listening to my body more and realize that I was eating a lot of times only because I thought I needed to, not because I was hungry. This has really helped me to cut out extra snacking- or eat less at meals which allows for a little more snacking. You sure are one smart chica!

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I am so with you on the eating late at night thing. It’s a big struggle for me to say “Enough already!”.

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i love this and all of your honesty and simplicity. night time snacking is the worst for me too! I’m constantly trying to listen to my body but I think it’s a matter of trial and error! (multiple times!) haha

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I find it so tough to make healthy choices when I finish work – I’m always really hungry and I’ll happily just eat and eat and eat!

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Dude, I’m working on the same thing so it’s really great to read Im not the only one. My boyfriend says I’m the unhealthiest health nut he’s ever seen. I’m uuber disciplined for workouts, stretching, drinking water, eating right… until night time when I eat a bag of chocolate chips or a pound of gummy bears, two trips to get froyo. I too don’t know why i’m like that. A handful of treats is good enough and I hate being uncomfortable after all my hard work during the day… what to do. I guess listen to my body when it tells me it doesn’t actually want three cups of chocolate chips…

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Good for you girl!! It’s amazing to finally be able to listen to your body and give it what it wants and needs! I am just starting to learn to myself :)

And nighttime is the worst for me too.. Your honesty is soo refreshing! Your blog is my absolute favorite :)

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I have a really hard time after dinner too…most of the time my dinner HAS made me full – and I’ll have a yogurt or a chocolate an hour later just because everyone else in the house is having dessert then too. I’ve found it’s really helpful to leave the kitchen/the 1st floor before everyone else starts digging in…unless I truly still feel hungry after dinner. Feeling uncomfortably full is the worst – and it’s really hard not to feel guilty after!

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I love this post! It’s really hard for me to stop snacking after dinner too. It’s also hard for me to cut back on exercise. I’m always afraid I won’t be able to stop eating! Some days I take a 15 minute walk when I’m in that “why am i still eating” phase to get my thoughts straight and see if I really want that extra slice of cake :)

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A lot of times I find that nothing ever makes me full (especially when I run) so I feel like I am always eating! I really am always eating an grazing at night! Sometimes I beat myself up over it, but lately i’ve been trying not to!

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I need to do the same thing! Last night Mike and I ate WAY too much in the treats department and felt awful the whole time. We knew it was going to happen and we did it anyway! Definitely need to learn to listen and ACT on it!

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Ugh! Nighttime eating is the same for me. I have to mentally tell myself I’m not getting up and going to the kitchen.

Maybe you can try not having as many sweets in the house? If they aren’t there, you can’t eat them. This will make you happy and sad all at once. Sad that night because you didn’t have your awesome cake, but happy in the morning you did go overboard with the sweets. :-)

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I hear ya with the night stuff. Especially during this taper time. I do not sleep well and usually make my computer time after 11 pm. Somehow I can only type and comment on blogs if I’m stuffing my face….

I just read your previous post. Oh my, I can just feel myself in your shoes there. Totally understand your frustration. When I started running again in August, it was shocking to me that I could hold 7:30 pace for a full marathon a few months earlier and could not even make it one slow mile without my lungs exploding. Like gasping while my 9 year old tried to encourage me…… The bonus is that my legs were strong. YOUR legs are strong and they remember. It took me ONE month and I was able to run about 8 miles at pace and then another month and I could almost double that. It will come back SO fast. You’re in great shape!!

I’ve been so busy, but I still read and I think of you so often!! Don’t want to lose touch with a future Olympian:) Have a great day Janae!

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I need to listen to my body more during the day b/c many times I let myself get too hungry (before or after lunch) which results in never feeling satisfied & eating more at night… Work in progress!

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Nighttime is my problem too. I’m not sure why – it’s not like I’ve been starving myself all day. I’ve tried to cut back on the amount of candy/cake we have in the house, but I have also been known to eat chips and rice and anything else I can get my hands on. My coworker told me to drink a small glass of red wine and that would help with the sugar cravings. I’m not 100% sure it’s working but I’ve tried it for a few days. Not sure if it’s just that I’ve been so tired I’ve crashed before making it to the kitchen or if the wine is actually helping. My doctor also told me my sugar cravings might be related to dehydration and to drink a glass of water before consuming the sugar. All good ideas in theory, but nothing has worked extensively.

I usually feel worse in the morning – my belly is all bloated from too much fo0d and my clothes feel extra tight. It’s not fun.

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A bowl of cereal before bed….even when I am NOT hungry and I just ate dinner a few hours earlier. For whatever reason it triggers my brain to shut down and sleep. On the nights when I don’t eat a bowl, I have a harder time getting to sleep. It’s silly really!

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I am the same way…I don’t know why but every once in a while I just STUFF myself until I am so overly uncomfortably full. It is not a good feeling afterwards. I am working on just eating until I am COMFORTABLY satisfied. You’re not alone! Keep on keeping on girl!!!! :)

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i have the SAME problem. i snack and snack even when i’m not hungry just because it’s a habit. like you, i don’t make rules so i’m not going to go there. my hubby tells me not to worry because i’m skinny but it’s not about that…more about the way you feel and treat your body. ugh i get so frustrated with myself! glad i’m not the only one who struggles!

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eat more during the day. I know it may “seem” like you are eating enough during the day, but you aren’t obviously if this sort of thing keeps happening. think of it like this-
you are thin
because of the energy balance equation the size you are now is a result of eating approx X calories per day on average
currently a lot of the calories come from nighttime eating of cake and ice cream.
But it all evens out to your “maintenance” calories because you are still thin.
So really, if you just purposefully increase your earlier meals to be more caloric, after a few days your body will take the cue and begin to have less hunger at night.
I’ve been there, boy have I been there. It still happens sometimes when I increase mileage/activity and just keep eating the same amount. At some random time I will just be like OMG must have food, more more more.
Body knows what it needs, sometimes it just doesn’t speak as clearly as you might like.
(of course sometimes we just eat too much dessert because it’s deliciuos and a treat, but it doesn’t sound like that’s what is going on here, if it’s almost every night)

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I think about this subject ALOT. Probably because every.single.night it is on my mind. For me, its totally emotional eating. I come home from a stressful day at work and my evenings are ‘me’ time where I feel like I deserve to just treat myself with whatever..chocolate, chips, cereal, etc. Its a daily struggle but something we can always work to improve. Hot tea does help me sometimes. Or frozen fruit (grapes, pineapple, etc). Takes a while to eat and keeps your hands busy!

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I’m coming at it from another direction. I lost a lot of weight 10 years ago, and have been very focused on keeping it off ever since. About a month ago, I read Intuitive Eating, and decided I can trust myself. And since then, I’ve tried to. Which means when you all are trying to avoid the ice cream, I am doing my best to actually say yes to it and not beat myself up for it. Know what? It’s working. I’m not perfect, but I’m definitely better than I thought I would be.

That’s my experience, and I definitely can understand that it’s difficult not to follow habits. Best mental tool – stopping, and saying “I’ll have this later, maybe”. And later, most of the time I won’t want it.

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Ok first things first I have to get something off of my chest. I’m a new reader…and I’m obsessed. Whew. I feel better.

This post really speaks to me.

I learned the hard way that not listening to your body can get you in a lot of trouble and I think it’s super important to follow what it’s telling you. Whether thats to stop running, run harder, sleep, eat, or to stop eating. Balance and moderation is a pivitol part of being healthy and for me its something I definitely need to work on…

I think the first step of this is to create a fro-yo addiction support group.

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I lvoe this. it is sooo hard to do! Good for you. It is crazy hard, when you find the magic bullet let me know ;)

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I LOVE that photo of you walking down that dirt path, so pretty!

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Chocolate frosting on your face is attractive, I don’t care what anyone says!! Tell me you have the pic of you walking on the path framed? beautiful. I look at it and see “peace” and “serenity”.

Night-time is the WORST for me. I get the munchies soooo bad!!!

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Night time is the right time baby. NOT! Ughhh, but what do I do? Desert goes so well with the Bachelorette, The Housewives, So You Think You Can Dance. I mean really, it’s like Peanut Butter and Jelly…I need help! LOL!

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DITTO!

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I’ve been having massive sugar/sweets cravings at night also – I think it has to do with not getting enough protein during the day…
I just discovered your blog via sweet tooth sweet life, but I thought I’d pitch my two cents on the subject in case its helpful :)

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I also just discovered your website via the Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life blog. And I enjoyed your guest post so much I decided to add your blog to my favorites and I’m excited to be a new follower!
I’d say that night time is my worst time as well for snacking. Especially around 8-9 o’clock. That’s when dinner has been done for a few hours, it’s definitely not bed time, I’m tired of doing laundry, none of my shows are on TV, I’m bored… hmmm, time to raid the fridge and pantry! I’ve also heard that people may crave more when they’re tired at the end of the day because you’re body is like, “Yeah I’m tired, if you want me to keep going you better give me more fuel!” I’m sure my body is NOT asking for icecream and tortilla chips & salsa though! I’m looking forward to reading your future blog posts!

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Wow! I have always had the same problem. I think every woman or man has for that matter.

I try to eat healthy protein like nuts because it makes me full and i don’t really want anything else. Sometimes if im feeling snacky i eat dry fiber cereal because the fiber fills me up and its low calorie, low fat and low sugar!

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