Dr. Oz: Emotional Eating, Weight Loss & Why Do We Snack At Night?

Dr. Oz: Night Eating

Dr. Oz talked on his show today about night eating. We can all follow a diet for most of the day, but there’s something about the night that makes us cheat.

Tina has been a night eater for as long as she remembers. She tries to eat healthy throughout the day, starting with a shake full of kale and berries. Her snacks are healthy and include a handful of almonds, yogurt, or an apple. She even follows Dr. Oz’s advice, giving her body nutrient-dense food. At dinner, she said she’s not even that hungry.

But when the sun goes down, she gets cravings due to stress and boredom. She said she snacks in front of the couch with things like ice cream, chocolate-covered marshmallows, and salt and vinegar chips. Sometimes she even makes French fries.

She said she had lost some weight, but she gained it almost all back from night eating. So how can she stop?

Dr. Oz: Why Do We Snack at Night?

Dr. Oz said she obviously has willpower, since she does such good things during the day. But what happens at night? Tina said at night, she’s usually by herself. Her stress takes over and she reaches for a snack.

Dr. Oz took her to the Truth Tube. Tina kept a food journal for Dr. Oz. He said overall, she was doing really good. She’s eating high fiber, protein-centered food. Low fat, low sodium. Dr. Oz gave her a high five.

But the part that concerns him is the night eating, of course. They charted her food journal and showed that 69 percent of her calories is consumed after 8 p.m. Large amounts of nighttime calories can lead to weight gain, heartburn, and sleep quality.

Dr. Oz: Overcoming Snacking

Dr. Oz said the first step to overcoming night eating is learning why you eat. Dr. Oz introduced Tina to Dr. James Rosser, who had a personal struggle with his weight. Dr. Rosser has a genetic predisposition to weight gain. Then he chose a stress rich profession as a surgeon. He gained a lot of weight.

14 years ago, he went to war with his weight. He’s gone from 460 to his current weight at 303. Dr. Rosser said he’s okay with not being “the cute one like Dr. Oz”. But he did say overcoming your weight is an everyday battle.

Dr. Oz: Emotional Eating

Dr. Rosser has some “emergency counter measure” tips. He said the big thing is to know you’re not alone. Most nighttime eating is stress-induced. When you reach for something to eat at night, ask yourself if you’re physically hungry or if it’s emotional hunger.

If it comes on quickly, is a craving for something specific, and ends with feelings of remorse, it’s emotional hunger. If you identify it as emotional hunger, take five minutes to think about it and debate whether you really want that food. Do a self-examination to find out why you’re really eating.

This was just the beginning of Dr. Rosser’s great tips for ending night snacking.