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Werewolf Syndrome - Night Eating
I ran into this wonderful term in an otherwise mediocre book published in
1998 by the American Diabetes Association called "Diabetes Burnout". The book attempts to help people who are getting nowhere following the ADA's dreadful high carb. As you might predict, it doesn't have a lot to say except to tell people its okay to feel like a total failure when your attempts to change your blood sugar don't work. Fortunately, by flushing the ADA diet down the toilet and cutting your carbs you can do a lot to succeed in controlling diabetes, but the one thing that did impress me was the chapter on "Werewolf Syndrome" which is described as eating perfectly all day and then chugging down twice your weight in food after the sun goes down. Been there. Done that. Still do it if I'm not careful. According to the book, there are a couple things that cause this to happen. 1. Not eating enough during the day. If you mistakenly eat a tiny breakfast and lunch taking advantage of not being hungry, you may end up really hungry later on in the day and that may trigger the night eating excess. The book doesn't say this, but my take on it is that another problem is that when you eat a tiny breakfast and tiny lunch and then have a large, low carb, dinner, you may be pushing up your blood sugar quite high with the PROTEIN in the dinner which turns into carb via gluconeogenesis. That might be enough to cause rebound hunger even if you keep your carbs low. The solution is to eat a bigger breakfast and lunch and a smaller dinner. 2. Conditioned habits. You see the TV and instantly reach for some snack food because you've always nibbled snacks while you watch TV. Often the same happens when you read at night. The solution here is to become more aware. Why does watching TV have to imply nibbling? The answer may be because the TV is pounding you with food ads with lucious pictures of food that are triggering an insulin response. If that's the case, well, why not just read a book--and not a cookbook or diet book! If it's just habit, you'll have to break the habit which means changing your behavior for a week or two. 3. Availability. I made a huge improvement in my night eating by putting my chocolate and sunflower seed stash in a drawer in my office rather than in the drawer in the night stand next to the bed. When I have to put down the book, get up and walk through the whole house to get that nibble, I tend to think about it a lot more about doing than when it's just right there and I just have to reach out, grab a bite, after turning the page. I find it impossible to eat and hang on my computer at the same time, so having the food by the computer isn't a problem and the study works for me. You might have to put your stuff in the garage . . . 4. Conscious eating. The book suggests that you sit down and eat whatever it is that gets you going on your night rampage but do it with total attention, not, as most of us do, while we are in the middle of doing something else. (I'm not sure that would work for me.) 5. Loneliness. If Food equals Love and you are eating at night because that is when it hits you how lonely you feel, the book suggests it is time to call a friend, go out to some event or get some help with whatever is keeping you lonely. I'm not entirely sold on these facile psychological explanations, but certainly hanging out with a friend beats hanging out with the fridge. Any more ideas? This is an issue I run into quite frequently . . . -- Jenny - Low Carbing for 4 years. At goal for weight. Type 2 diabetes, hba1c 5.2. Cut the carbs to respond to my email address! Low carb facts and figures, my weight-loss photos, tips, recipes, strategies for dealing with diabetes and more at http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/ Looking for help controlling your blood sugar? Visit http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/...0Diagnosed.htm |
#2
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Werewolf Syndrome - Night Eating
"Jenny" wrote in message ... According to the book, there are a couple things that cause this to happen. Any more ideas? This is an issue I run into quite frequently . . . sleep deprivation may have something to do with it. if you're up in the middle of the night, you're probably not sleeping as much as you should. sleep deprivation is linked to increased cortisol levels, which peak during the hours you should be sleeping. insulin levels can also go up if you're not sleeping enough. i work night shift. i don't get enough sleep, and it sucks. and i often find i'm *starving* late at night. i've gained 40 pounds since i started shift work. i've lost that weight on SBD, thank goodness, but i'm sure the schedule had something to do with gaining it. everyone on my shift is fat. -kelly |
#3
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Werewolf Syndrome - Night Eating
If my dog would just NOT wake me up in the middle of the night, I'd be
better off! When she doesn't whine to go out at 4am, I don't wake up and eat anything. But, if I wake up... I am hungry and I want food. Weird thing is ... I wake up after sleeping a full night, and I don't have the same response....I don't want to think about breakfast for at least an hour or two. *shrug* I'm weird. jen. |
#4
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Werewolf Syndrome - Night Eating
I am a werewolf eater, or used to be. Since starting Atkins, its
pretty much gone. It would almost feel as if I was sleepwalking and pigging out. Wake up the next morning and think to myself what the hell did I do, when looking at the counter and sink. Then I used to have a sleep issue, sleep deprived. Hang on the internet and munch food, or watch tv and munch away. I used to skip breakfast, have a lite dinner lunch and dinner too. Not many snacks in between. Now if I get hungry in the middle of the night, I don't have high carb snacks or food to eat, so it won't hurt me so bad. My sleep has improved too. I wish you luck, know how you feel. Sunshyne |
#5
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Werewolf Syndrome - Night Eating
Kelly,
Sleep deprivation definitely worsens insulin resistance. I don't eat after I go to sleep, however, just in the evening when I'm all relaxed, done with my day and curled up with my usual good book. Once I get to sleep food becomes extremely unappealing and I can't eat breakfast until I've been away for a while. The thought of waking up from a sound sleep to eat is scary, but I have read that people do it. -- Jenny - Low Carbing for 4 years. At goal for weight. Type 2 diabetes, hba1c 5.2. Cut the carbs to respond to my email address! Low carb facts and figures, my weight-loss photos, tips, recipes, strategies for dealing with diabetes and more at http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/ Looking for help controlling your blood sugar? Visit http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/...0Diagnosed.htm "kc" wrote in message ... "Jenny" wrote in message ... According to the book, there are a couple things that cause this to happen. Any more ideas? This is an issue I run into quite frequently . . . sleep deprivation may have something to do with it. if you're up in the middle of the night, you're probably not sleeping as much as you should. sleep deprivation is linked to increased cortisol levels, which peak during the hours you should be sleeping. insulin levels can also go up if you're not sleeping enough. i work night shift. i don't get enough sleep, and it sucks. and i often find i'm *starving* late at night. i've gained 40 pounds since i started shift work. i've lost that weight on SBD, thank goodness, but i'm sure the schedule had something to do with gaining it. everyone on my shift is fat. -kelly |
#6
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Werewolf Syndrome - Night Eating
When that happens (fortunately it isn't often), if I am really truly hungry
and it doesn't pass quickly I will drink a can of Advant-Edge vanilla shake. It is 100 calories and just enough to stop the hunger feelings and let me go back to sleep. If I do that I usually am not hungry for breakfast when I finally do get up. -- Evelyn (To reply to me personally, remove sox) "kc" wrote in message ... "Jenny" wrote in message ... According to the book, there are a couple things that cause this to happen. Any more ideas? This is an issue I run into quite frequently . . . sleep deprivation may have something to do with it. if you're up in the middle of the night, you're probably not sleeping as much as you should. sleep deprivation is linked to increased cortisol levels, which peak during the hours you should be sleeping. insulin levels can also go up if you're not sleeping enough. i work night shift. i don't get enough sleep, and it sucks. and i often find i'm *starving* late at night. i've gained 40 pounds since i started shift work. i've lost that weight on SBD, thank goodness, but i'm sure the schedule had something to do with gaining it. everyone on my shift is fat. -kelly |
#7
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Werewolf Syndrome - Night Eating
was the chapter on "Werewolf Syndrome" which is described as
eating perfectly all day and then chugging down twice your weight in food after the sun goes down. Been there. Done that. Still do it if I'm not careful -- Jenny - Low Carbing for 4 years. At goal for weight. Type 2 diabetes, I never was a night eater. But lately, when I wake from a sound sleep, I have a spoonful of peanut butter or an ounce of cheese. It has to be something calorie dense. Then I'm fine and go back to bed. On the nights I can't sleep, like tonight, I drink peppermint tea or hot chocolate. Not hungry in the slightest. Yvonne |
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