Everyday Systems

Sometimes i have bad nights when i hardly sleep a wink and then of course i get hungry, especially after a successful no s day.

Anyone else have this problem? is it OK to have a fourth meal at 1:00AM?

Not sure how useful this is going to be but have you tried to have a hot milk with a tablespoon of honey instead? It will help you sleep and is easier on the stomach (unless you're lactose intolerant that is).

eschano wrote:Not sure how useful this is going to be but have you tried to have a hot milk with a tablespoon of honey instead? It will help you sleep and is easier on the stomach (unless you're lactose intolerant that is).

Thanks for your suggestion
I have tried hot milk actually but not with honey. Wouldn't that be against the No Sweets rule? I could try gettin different milk though as i buy skim milk for my husband. maybe I should get some regular milk for myself? Also I was wondering about getting an Atkins shake (not the chocolate variety) and see if that helps in the middle of the night. I can't sleep if I'm hungry.

Yes, I have them occasionally. It's like a mid night party.

They consist of beer, whiskey, saltines, chips, cheese, oreos and ice cream.

They are down from 3-4 per week to 1-2 per month.

Best cure, strengthen NOS habits.

HarmonicaLady wrote: Wouldn't that be against the No Sweets rule? I could try gettin different milk though as i buy skim milk for my husband. maybe I should get some regular milk for myself?

Since starting NoS I've switched to full-fat milk (organic) and find I use a lot less but get a lot more satisfaction so personally I'd recommend that.

As for the honey: from what Reinhard wrote in the book I gather that it's ok to use a bit as long as you don't heap loads in. As long as it tastes like mild with a hint of honey (as opposed to honey with milk) you're golden.

I always follow the 'would this count as a dessert?' question when figuring out if something is a sweet or not. A glass of milk gently sweetened? Probably not. A milkshake made with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream? Uh... probably

I also try and follow my planned eating for the day. If I planned four meals then fine. If I just want to add one because I'm hungry/tired/bored/stressed then I'll think again.

I'm up three or four times a night with a young baby, so I definitely sympathize! It can be really difficult.

In the first few weeks of No-S, I went with a small glass of full cream milk if I felt hungry at a night wake up. I also drink at least one large glass of water at every wake up. I have been very strict on no night time snacks, no matter what. This was really hard at first, but now, after 2 months, I seem to have re-trained my appetite, so I rarely feel ravenous and often don't even need a glass of milk. I'm still up most nights at 10pm, midnight, 2:30am and 4am, but I just don't feel that hungry. No-S does work to change your hunger signals, but it takes time.

ironchef wrote:I'm up three or four times a night with a young baby, so I definitely sympathize! It can be really difficult.

In the first few weeks of No-S, I went with a small glass of full cream milk if I felt hungry at a night wake up. I also drink at least one large glass of water at every wake up. I have been very strict on no night time snacks, no matter what. This was really hard at first, but now, after 2 months, I seem to have re-trained my appetite, so I rarely feel ravenous and often don't even need a glass of milk. I'm still up most nights at 10pm, midnight, 2:30am and 4am, but I just don't feel that hungry. No-S does work to change your hunger signals, but it takes time.

Thanks Ironchef!

I will think of you during my midnight wanderings!

on the milk and honey idea... I've been putting ginger in my cereal lately to help with inflammation and OH MY GOD, that ginger really makes the milk taste amazing. It's almost like eating super expensive and bad for you ice cream... (it also really helps to make the flax seed that I put in there not taste too bad either, lol) Try it sometime.

mastermesh wrote:on the milk and honey idea... I've been putting ginger in my cereal lately to help with inflammation and OH MY GOD, that ginger really makes the milk taste amazing. It's almost like eating super expensive and bad for you ice cream... (it also really helps to make the flax seed that I put in there not taste too bad either, lol) Try it sometime.

In my head the combination of milk and ginger is anything but amazing and certainly nothing like very good ice cream. Maybe it would help if I could stand the taste of milk....

After I bought into the intuitive eating approach to dieting, it took me a long time to realize that anticipation of being able to eat is sometimes a cause rather than a symptom of hunger. In other words, if you give in to the urge to eat at 1 AM, you will train your body to feel hunger. It's like giving in to a kid who whines. In our house, I use a terrific rule from my sister: "If you whine, cry, or complain, the answer is no." Do whatever you can to follow the No S rules -- full fat milk, lots of coffee in the morning, etc. -- and the long term reward will be you won't feel hungry and will be able to sleep at night. Back in the days when I tried traditional diets of "portion control", I often was undone by being awake in the night feeling like I was starving, literally starving, like someone in a concentration camp. It made no sense to me then but it does now. Constant restriction of amount eaten does result in the body feeling like it is starving.
Kathleen