13:40:23 Day 2, dash… nighttime eating reset challenge.
13:41:01 Day 2, Dash. Nighttime eating reset challenge.
13:42:30 Welcome to Day 2! Yesterday, we noticed why nighttime eating happens. Today, we're talking it.
13:42:36 Taking it further, and I'm going to teach you how to swap food for what you actually need.
13:42:42 So, when you want food at night, your body and brain are usually signaling something, but it might not be hunger.
13:42:49 Here's how to decode it. If you are exhausted, instead of food, your body might be craving rest.
13:42:55 So try swapping that snack for a bubble bath, or stretching, or even going to bed just a little bit earlier.
13:43:03 If you're craving connection. That late night snack might be your brain's way of saying, I need comfort.
13:43:11 Instead, ask your spouse or kids for a cuddle. Call a friend, connection fills you more than cookies ever will.
13:43:17 And if you're overwhelmed, because Lord knows I am half the time, right?
13:43:21 Food often numbs those feelings. But what if you swapped it for organizing your calendar? Let's take some stuff off that calendar.
13:43:29 Or journaling, or even just reading something light to decompress. The key is to reinforce.
13:43:37 With yourself, that this is exactly what I needed. That tells your brain, I know how to take care of myself.
13:43:44 And it doesn't include this extra food. When I started doing this, I noticed how different I felt. I wasn't white-knuckling food choices. I was actually meeting my needs.
13:43:55 It's so different when you start giving your body ex… and emotions exactly what it is that you need.
13:44:02 So, uh, let's see, I've got a few questions here. Uh, what if I don't know what I need?
13:44:10 Well, I think as women, we are… Always told what we're supposed to do, and it's rarely what we actually want to do. So, I would say that's very normal, that you might not know what to do.
13:44:21 What you need, and how to give yourself that. So, um, start with something. Guess what? It's okay if we get it wrong. Anything we think we're doing for ourself.
13:44:31 Is something amazing. And so, it might not be the right fit yet.
13:44:36 But just keep working through it. And so, I like to think that anything can be solved in a bubble bath with a good book. But, um, that's just me.
13:44:43 So, you can figure out what it is you need. The thing that's gonna happen is, if you really needed connection, and you're trying to… I always use this extreme example, and you're trying to clean a toilet to distract yourself from eating.
13:44:56 You're not going to want to clean that toilet, right? Because that was not the thing that you needed.
13:45:00 And so, if you find something that feels like. And you can exhale, that's fitting the need.
13:45:07 So, it's a swap for something that you still need. Um, something that you would want. So, what kind of comfort is it bringing you? What kind of thing is it?
13:45:17 And sometimes it's, um, a breath. A walk around the block. Um, something like that, but figuring it out, what you're feeling helps you figure out how to take care of that. And some of that's a learning process. That is the stuff I work with with women all the time.
13:45:32 Because we are not naturally taking care of ourselves. We take care of everyone else. You could probably predict everything that your children need ahead of time, your spouse.
13:45:42 But for yourself, it's a little bit harder. So, um, let's see, another question.
13:45:47 Uh, can I swap food for chores, like laundry? Um, you can, if it makes you feel good. I think I just mentioned that about the toilet. So, you can come clean my toilets if you want, uh, but yeah.
13:45:59 If swapping food is gonna, like, make you feel like you're being punished because you're now not getting the food, and you're having to do, what'd you say, laundry?
13:46:09 I would say that would feel like a punishment to me, but if it feels good to you, then sure, you can… you can do that, but.
13:46:16 I want to make sure that you're not punishing yourself. Sometimes people will be like.
13:46:21 Um, if I eat this, I have to do that now to, like… Uh, like, we've all become Catholic, and we're penance or something, but um… I'm not Catholic, and if I use that wrong, I'm sorry, but I think that's the right word.
13:46:33 And so, you're paying for it, basically. You're being punished or something. You have to make up for it.
13:46:38 And that's not what this is. And so, if you swap out a food, it should be meeting a need. It should… it should definitely bring you delight. And if laundry or toilets or whatever do that, then.
13:46:49 Yes, you can swap that out, but just caution. If it feels like punishment, then that's probably not a good swap, because I would give up.
13:46:57 Cleaning the toilet or the laundry and go back to food myself, even. So, let's see, I have a couple more. Uh, what if my family snacks at night? How do I avoid it?
13:47:08 Uh, you can do a few different things. So, when I work with my clients, we figure out, is that snack that important?
13:47:13 Um, at nighttime, eating, like, even with dinner, sitting down at the table together.
13:47:19 You can be in the room with them, even if they're snacking and you're not. If it's something you really want, like, you really want to be part of that snack.
13:47:28 Um, excitement, right? Then make sure that you're hungry. Uh, no… if you know that every Friday night is family movie night, and we always make popcorn.
13:47:37 Leave some extra room. Make sure that you're hungry when you go. Plan for it ahead of time.
13:47:42 Um, but if your family are snacking. It's not a personal judgment against you. They're not…
13:47:49 Most of the time. They're not intentionally trying to sabotage. Your weight loss, they are… Snacking. I mean, I did it for years, and so sometimes I still have snacks at nighttime, because sometimes that's.
13:48:02 Part of the event of the nighttime. But it doesn't need to be the event every nighttime.
13:48:08 And so I guess that would be what I would say, like, is it going to make a difference if you miss out on the snack? You can still hang out with them?
13:48:15 Um, and only you can decide that. And so, if it is something, then just make sure you're hungry. So you eat a little less for lunch, or maybe the snack is your dinner, or.
13:48:25 You swap out dinner for that, and you eat a little less at dinner, is, I guess, what I meant to say. Um, so, I hope that answers your question.
13:48:31 Uh, and those are definitely things I work with clients on.
13:48:34 Is figuring out what's important to them, and why is it important.
13:48:38 Is it a big deal if they don't do that, or that, um, they do it differently?
13:48:43 And so, those are… those are definitely things that we can work on together if you're interested.
13:48:50 Um… let's see here… Alright, what if I want food?
13:48:57 Did I read that right? What if I still want food after the swap?
13:49:01 Yes, right? In the beginning, I can almost guarantee you're still gonna want food after the swap. It's a new routine, a new habit.
13:49:09 And so, if you are used to having nighttime eating, as soon as that house gets quiet.
13:49:14 And you do the thing for yourself, you're gonna be like, and now it's time to eat the food. And so, in the beginning, it's going to be different. It will be different, and your brain and your body is going to want to do exactly the same thing.
13:49:25 And, um… So, the, uh… it's gonna take a minute to come up with something different, so…
13:49:35 Um, as you're… as you're creating it, if you do sometimes still have the food after you've swapped out the, uh, other activity that you're trying to do.
13:49:44 Just be graceful. Like, give yourself lots of grace. Know that you're not gonna get it perfect every single time.
13:49:50 And that's okay. It's okay, and uh… we'll just try again next time.
13:49:55 And maybe that thing wasn't the right swap. Maybe you have a little bit less food. I try to tell people it's never, ever too late.
13:50:04 To, um, do the next best thing for yourself. And so, maybe you grab the food and you spit it out.
13:50:10 Maybe you just recognize that you ate it, and did, you know, that you weren't physically hungry for it.
13:50:15 After the food, or we try to back that up so that we get better at, like, maybe we leave a Oreo in the bag, where before we ate the whole Oreo bag, or.
13:50:24 We eat the first bite, and then we're like, ugh, I didn't really want that. Or we take it out of our mouth, or we even start to predict that, like.
13:50:33 In this environment, in this, like, movie night on Friday nights, as we were talking about.
13:50:39 That usually gets me to want to eat. And so, when you start realizing things like that, you can start predicting that, too. So then you can set yourself up even ahead of time for success for that night before it ever happens. That's the kind of thing, like.
13:50:52 Planning ahead, knowing I'm probably gonna be snacky, or mine, a lot of times, is if I've had a real stressful day, I, especially if I'm home by myself that night, I know ahead of time I'm probably going to be, um, wanting something.
13:51:05 To calm down the stress, so I can plan ahead, like, what is it that I… I can plan.
13:51:11 Even before I get home, knowing that I'm probably gonna be stressed when I get home, I know my habit.
13:51:17 Is to sit by myself in the eating chair, or whatever it is, right? Uh, curled up in bed watching TV and munching on your favorite snacks. And so, am I used to, honest to goodness, be binging.
13:51:27 And I would go back and forth between sweet and salt.
13:51:30 And so, um, yeah, I was 230 pounds for a reason. I would eat the whole bag of chips, and then I would eat the whole carton of ice cream. And so… And anything less than that, I thought was me being successful, and I just kept getting that success to be before even now.
13:51:47 So now I can plan ahead. And so, on a night that I know I'm gonna be by myself, I'm gonna be extra stressed.
13:51:54 Sometimes I decide, you know, it's a good night for a walk. It's a good night for a book, or my favorite podcast, and I go for a walk outside.
13:52:01 Something that kind of, like, feels very loving to me. That's why I said earlier, it has to be that.
13:52:07 Whatever it is you're swapping this out for, it has to feel like, I take the most excellent care of myself.
13:52:14 When I do this. And it cannot feel like a punishment.
13:52:17 So, any more questions? Thanks, Patty, girl, I see you're on there.
13:52:23 I think I'm looking okay today. I did have to go put some lip gloss on before I got on here.
13:52:28 Um… let's see. Alright, I guess that's all the questions. So, this is why, uh, coaching is so powerful. It's not just about distracting yourself.
13:52:39 It's about learning how to meet your needs. Directly, so that food isn't your default. Because it has been. It's been all of our default for a very long time.
13:52:47 So that's exactly how I help you practice. In my Sustainable Success program. So.
13:52:53 I am getting, um, ready to start my next group, and it's October 6th. I would love to have you there.
13:53:02 Um, the 12-week program where we dive in and, uh, really solidify making.
13:53:09 Basic habits. So simple and doable that you can be consistent with them. And so, I don't want it to be another to-do list type thing for you. I want it to be so easy that.
13:53:20 It's just the next thing that you take the most excellent care of yourself with.
13:53:23 And so we all know what healthy habits are, but figuring out how to do them.
13:53:28 So that they are simple enough to do them, so that they don't feel like a bunch of extra rules on our to-do list.
13:53:34 That's how we're gonna lose weight sustainably, keep it off, so… Um, if that's something that interests you, go to my, uh, website, CoachingCara.com forward slash success, and you can learn all about it.
13:53:45 Uh, this is a 5-day challenge, and today is day 2, so if you're starting with me today, you can watch yesterday's already posted.
13:53:52 And if you, uh, want to mark your calendar, I will be back on for the next 3 days in a row.
