Really need help-stuck in a major food rut!

Question
Hi,
I had a nutrition question that has been bothering me for quite some time
now. Basically I have developed a very weird eating pattern that I really want
to change, but I'm not sure how. Im at a healthy weight and always have been
but I'm also constantly worried about gaining weight. My patterns seem to be
keeping me in shape but not satisfying me any longer! Ill try and explain my
routine:
Breakfast is light with a 90 cal yogurt and some fruit
Lunch is always a salad with fat free low carb dressing with some tuna on it,
and maybe a slice of light bread
snack around 4 is a 100 calorie snack pack
I eat a late dinner around 8 and it is always the same- a huge pile of veggies
with salsa, a salad with fat free dressing again and a few salt free pretzels
now heres my problem.. i eat light all day because at night i like to eat a lot. I
don't know why, but i could go a whole day without eating but I have a hard
time stopping eating at night. so i save my calories and have a 100 calorie
pop corn single bag, 2 or 3 sugar free jellos, an apple, a low fat cheese stick
and sometimes a bite of chocolate or a few more pretzels or I will munch on
cereal. some nights it is less than this- just pop corn fruit and a cheeze stick,
but some nights it is more and I go on a small binge. Its so hard for me to
control my cravings at night and I dont understand why but it is obviously
verry frusterating. Do you have any sugjestiong to keep me satisfied and
content all day and at night as well?
I don't eat meat- just fish and eggs and I do live on a college campus so its
hard for me to cook, but when i go home i usually stay on the same pattern
but maybe a little more junk food.
Any tips!? I would soooo greatly appreciate it!
Sincerely,
Julia

Answer
Julia,
This isn't really a food problem- and it isn't that uncommon. Boredom causes the night binge. During the day you are out with people doing things, being a part of things- but at night nothing is going on and the TV only entertains so much, so you eat to fill up the space.

My suggestion for that is to get a hobby. Find something that occupies your mind and at least part of your body to do in the evenings. You could try knitting, or get a yoga DVD. You could try puzzles, invite people over for board games, read, or meditate.

My food suggestion is to make small changes throughout your day. A drastic change is going to send you spinning, since you have such a strong structure already in place. I believe that you are actually craving foods because you aren't giving your body what it needs- the most obvious lack is protein. Try adding a hardboiled egg to your breakfast routine for one week. The next week add a cheese stick to your snack.

I am not 100% sure but my estimate on your "binge" from what you said is about 400- 500 calories. If you are normally active and don't have any health problems, this amount of calories (considering what you are eating during the day) is probably what you need to stay alive! Don't feel guilty about eating- it is a biological imperative- and there is nothing wrong with it!

Hope this helps,
Lela Simon

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