Night Eating Syndrome

[kagiesen]

Hi all

I have not been posting for a long time. I have been visiting regularly, though, in my time as moderator obviously every day.

Just an update: since I got back from Europe, I have been above 60 kilos, and not been able to drop that weight. It actually went up to 63.4 on November 12.

Those of you who have known me for a long time will remember that about a year ago (during the program and an refeed), I had been struggling with something called "Night Eating Syndrome", which is caracterised by (amongst a few things) eating during the night, getting up at night to eat, several times, with no ability to control it, but whilst being conscious, eating more than 50% of your daily intake after dinner, morning anorexia (ie not being hungry and skipping breakfast, first meal lunch) etc.

During the program, I was pretty good, but I deviated (my consultant knew about all of this) with a few crackers per night. Once on maintenance, I slowly went back to my old ways. I knew there had been some success in treating it with the anti-depressant Zoloft, but I did not want to go down that track yet. Saliva test during the night confirmed high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and low levels of serotonin. I tried some melatonin and 5HTP, a serotonin pre-cursor, but with no avail,

Before I hit the 63.4, it had become really really bad. I ate totally healthy during the day, all maintenance food and serves, including at night for dinner, and even if I was totally full after dinner, I’d start on other things at about 8, bed at 10, first wake and small binge at 1130, then at probably 230, and 430. Never after 430, which is also a typical symptom. I hated it.

For the last 16 days, I have taken Zoloft. And what a change! From the first night I did not have the urge to eat at all during the night! First, I kept some crackers out (pantry has had a padlock to prevent me from eating chocolate and biscuits at night, fridge hasn’t), then I stopped that, and now I don’t even lock the pantry any more, unless on a particular day I feel vulnerable.

Weight has consistently dropped (as most of the extra calories I had were consumed during the night, which cuts out about 200 to 600 calories per night!). 61.6 this morning.

And I actually SLEEP at night now, whow! Bed at 1030, toilet once at about 3, then sleep til 6 or 630. Just great.

Unfortunately, in the study, the participants who went off Zoloft went back to night eating. Hmmm. There are some cognitive behaviorial things you can do, which is what I do as well, cos in about 6 months, once my body has got used to the new pattern, I want to drop the dosis, then eventually wean myself off.

But it is such a relief! No more stress about food, as I said, luckily, I have never had any urge to binge during the day.

I am mainly doing maintenance guidelines, combined with The Zone eating plan. Breakfast is 6 egg-white omelet with some veg, and a small serve of rolled oats or 1 slice of bread with 100% peanut spread. Lunch is meat or fish with veg, and dinner is anything in moderation, carbs mainly from vegetables, hardly any rice, no pasta, some bread. 50 gr chocolate some days. Sometimes a muffin. Anzac biscuits (sms’s recipe). I find that since I don’t eat at night anymore, I can eat a few more carbs during the day (as I am skipping the zillions of crackers or slices of bread with jam at night….).

So fingers crossed, without going back on the program, I will get under 60 again. Or actually, I don’t really care about that all that much, I’d be happy between 59 and 61, which is still under Cohens range (63 to 66 I think that was).

So all is good in Cohens land for me again, a weight lifted off my shoulder.

If anyone has the same symptoms, or doesn’t know if they might have it, I have read so much on it, just PM me, and I can probably help you a little.

Cheers

Katrin
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