The Breakthrough Emotional Eating Podcast

BEE #158: How To Break The Nighttime Eating Habit

• Kristin Jones

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Do you feel totally in control with food all day… only to lose it at night?

The house gets quiet. Your guard drops. The cravings hit.
 And suddenly you’re back in the pantry—again—wondering why this keeps happening.

In this episode, Kristin Jones breaks down why nighttime is the hardest window for emotional eaters—and why it has nothing to do with willpower, discipline, or “being good enough.”

You’ll learn what’s actually going on in your brain after dinner, including:

  • Why decision fatigue and emotional backlog explode at night
  • How daytime restriction fuels nighttime urges
  • Why rules like “don’t eat after 7” backfire (and make cravings louder)

Then Kristin walks you through a simple, brain-based 5-step system that helps calm nighttime cravings fast—without shame, dieting, or white-knuckling:

  • How to build a truly satisfying dinner that prevents rebound snacking
  • Why planning a snack can reduce overeating
  • A 2-minute emotional pause that stops the urge before it takes over
  • The “permission protocol” that rebuilds trust with food
  • A tracking method that reinforces progress instead of guilt

You’ll hear real-life examples, exact phrases to use in the moment, and reassurance you may have needed for years:
 Nothing is wrong with you. Your brain learned this pattern—and patterns can be changed.

✨ Bonus: Kristin is sharing a FREE 3-Day Nighttime Snacking Reset, complete with a printable tracker, so you can put this into practice immediately and start having calmer nights—starting tonight.

If evenings are your toughest time with food, this episode (and the reset) will help you:

  • Reduce nighttime cravings
  • Stop the binge-and-reset cycle
  • Wake up without shame or “starting over” energy

👉 Download the FREE 3-Day Nighttime Snacking Reset HERE.
📤 Share this episode with a friend who struggles after dark.
⭐ And if this resonated, subscribe and leave a quick review—it helps more women find support they didn’t know existed.

Connect with me online:

1. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristinjonescoaching/
2. You Tube channel, Kristin Jones Coaching: https://www.youtube.com/@KristinJonesCoaching44

3. You Tube channel, Breakthrough Emotional Eating Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@breakthroughpodcast-44
3 . Website: https://www.kristinjonescoaching.com

If you want to learn how to stop nighttime eating, get my 3 Day Nighttime Snacking Reset: https://go.kristinjonescoaching.com/nighttime-snacking-reset

Needing more specific and direct support for your emotional eating and overeating? Check out my online course, Stop Dieting Start Feeling, and my personalized coaching program, Breakthrough To You.

If you found this episode helpful, don't forget to leave a review on the platform you used to listen and share it with your friends on your Instagram stories. Also, be sure to follow me on Instagram @breakthroughemotionaleating, and don't hesitate to slide into my DMs to share your thoughts ...

SPEAKER_00:

Do you want to lose weight but struggle to stay committed to a meal plan because you constantly feel hungry? Does food provide you comfort when you're bored, angry, lonely, or sad? If so, you are in the right place. My name is Kristen Jones, and I'm a life coach specializing in emotional eating and weight loss. And I'm also a lifelong emotional eater. I want to provide you with information, motivation, and support so you too can learn to manage your issues with food and develop a healthy relationship with yourself. Welcome to the Breakthrough Emotional Eating Podcast. So if you are a woman who does great during the day, you follow your plan, you do all the things, you come home and you feel really good about your eating, and then all of a sudden the wheels come off, and everything after dinner becomes a battle of how much food can I eat and when am I ever going to stop before I go to bed? If that is you, then this podcast is for you. And I have something very, very special for you. So one of the things that made me realize that I, one of the many things that made me realize that I was an emotional eater was the fact that when I was a school teacher, I couldn't wait to come home from school. When I didn't have a meeting or I didn't have some place to go, I didn't have the chiropractor to go to. And I got to come home right after school. And I was always so exhausted. And I would come home, and the moment I got home, just anxiety kicked in because I knew I was home alone with all the food in my house. And I literally would eat from the time I got home. And the only thing that stopped me from eating was the fact that I had to go to bed because I had to get up early to go to the gym the next morning. And nothing was going to stop me from going to the gym. It was, I was in a food obsession and exercise obsession time in my life. And it was so hard because I literally, I think I probably went almost two and a half or three years with always eating at night and always eating most of my calories throughout my day in the evening after, in theory, dinner. I never ate dinner. I just snacked all the time. I snacked from the time I came home until the time I went to bed. And so this has always been something very close to my heart, something that has been very challenging for me, and still at times can be challenging. But I have discovered a trick, so to speak. And then I will kind of lay out my five-step plan for how you can, in a very short period of time, um, make some changes about this. So welcome to the podcast. Super happy that you're here. Um and so there are many reasons why nighttime is such an easy time for people to kind of, especially emotional eaters, but anyone to get kind of sucked into eating after dinner. One thing, nights are quiet. You've also had a lot of emotions throughout the day that you probably haven't processed, and they are all catching up with you. And so emotions start to kind of backlog and they start to pile up, and you start to feel them more intensely as the evening goes on. And probably the main reason why people eat at night is it's a form of reward for what you've done throughout the day that you probably haven't gotten accolades for, you haven't gotten acknowledgement for. When we don't take care of ourselves during the day, that nighttime, that quiet time is a great opportunity for us to make ourselves feel better and to comfort ourselves. And that over time can become a habit. And it becomes a habit loop that your brain gets used to and your brain expects. And that is part of the issue. The most important thing that I could tell you today and for this podcast is that it is not about willpower. It is not about holding on and white knuckling it, and I'm gonna get through the evening, and I'm just gonna resist, resist, resist, and I'm gonna need to have discipline and I'm gonna get this done. That's not gonna take care of things. So the most important thing that I want you to know to know is that by the end of this episode, that I'm gonna give you some simple steps that you can take, that you can take tonight, and you can start in three days to see a change in your eating at night. So that's pretty exciting. So, again, why is the evening such a hard time of the day for people? Well, there is something very important that happens to us throughout the day, and it happens in the evenings specifically, and that is that we have been making decisions all day long. From the moment you wake up, you are making decisions about do I turn on the heat? Do I get in the shower first? Do I go make coffee? Do I brush my teeth first? What am I gonna have for lunch? What am I gonna wear to work? All of those little tiny decisions that we make throughout the day that by the end of the day, we have what's called decision fatigue. And decision fatigue is a real thing that we have just made so many decisions throughout the day, and our brain is tired and it's tired of making decisions and it wants to feel better, it wants to be comforted, and it wants to not have to make any more decisions. And so that is, it can be very depleting for our brain and our for our energy throughout the day. Um, as I said earlier, there is a backlog of emotions that have happened throughout the day that are catching up to us as well. And if we are not a person, and most emotional eaters are not, we don't process our emotions during the day. We just kind of push them aside. And when the evening rolls around, that's when we start to process. And that's when we start to process, and we don't do it in the healthiest way because we are also feeling all of those pent-up emotions that we that have that have stockpiled and built up. And the intensity and the pressure of those of those emotions has built up as well. So it's it's a very vulnerable time for most people. Um, as I said, this becomes a habit. It becomes a habit that our brain expects. We teach our brain our behavior. So whatever we do, our brain comes to expect it. So if you eat after dinner every night, your brain is going to expect to be fed every night. So that becomes, it becomes a habit and it becomes something that just becomes so natural for you. But over time, it becomes a very destructive habit. And it's something that you definitely, if you are concerned about your weight or you're seeing an increase in your weight, and you're seeing an increase in your lack of control around food, that can be that can be troublesome, and that's when we start need to start looking at the habits and the things that we're doing. And this was me 1000%. When you restrict food throughout the day, your body and your mind can only withstand that for a certain amount of time. And the evening, because it's a calm time, it's quiet, and we are so exhausted that if we have in any way restricted ourselves throughout the day, what your brain tells you is you have excess calories that you can eat. And so you think, well, I've got all these calories because I didn't eat anything all day. But you've also restricted yourself. And that doesn't feel good to our brain. It doesn't feel good to our bodies. And so we start to eat to make up for those calories, but there is no way that we could ever know how many calories we've eaten, how many calories we've quote unquote saved. We really haven't saved any, but our body starts to crave food, and oftentimes we cannot dictate or keep track of or monitor ourselves and do that snacking in a way that is in any way positive for us. So it really has a very uh a very negative uh result for us because again, we end up feeling incredibly out of control. So again, nighttime eating isn't about hunger, but it's about relief that you are giving to yourself, you're giving to your emotions, and you're giving to your brain. So one of the things that, and I will never forget my my dad would always say this well, just stop eating. Just stop eating at night. When you get full, just stop eating. And my dad never had an issue with his weight. My dad never had an issue with being obsessed about food. He didn't really care about food. Um, and he could eat and then he could stop eating. And he just couldn't understand why my mom and I couldn't do that. It just didn't make any sense to him. And and I now understand why, because it wasn't, it wasn't something that he battled with. But for those of us who do have emotional issues and we do uh struggle with our use of food to soothe our emotions, we we just you know, people will just say, well, just don't eat at night. And that's not that's not gonna, that's not gonna work. And the reason why it doesn't work is because when we avoid food, our obsession with it increases because our brain realizes that we are restricting or we're denying ourselves, and our brain then wants things, it turns into overdrive and it wants things even more. It also brings in a huge pattern of guilt and shame and a cycle that oftentimes can be very, very destructive for us. And it it really can the guilt and the shame that we feel over our eating and our lack of control of our eating is what really causes most of the problems that we have because we get into this cycle of wanting food, then giving in, then feeling guilt and shame. Then that makes us feel bad. So we want to make ourselves feel better, and so we start eating again. And it's that really that that really destructive cycle that can, it's what I call the triangle of doom, and it can really do a number on us emotionally as well as um as mentally and physically as well. And one of the reasons why to just saying, you know, just don't eat at night, is that becomes a rule. And rules are not what we need. What we need is structure, we need a plan. And so that is why I created this five-step plan is because we don't need more discipline, we don't need more willpower. We just need a different rhythm and we need a different process to go through. So the the idea of this five-step reset is what I call it, because it's not rules, it's not restricting yourself, it's not telling yourself you can't have anything, it's just it's a reset. And so when I explain it to you, you'll understand that it isn't denying and it's not restricting, and it's not telling yourself you can't have anything, and it's not overindulging, it's giving yourself the option. And when our brain has options available to it, it is much better at making better decisions when we have options. When we have a dead end street or when we're backed into a corner, like anything else, like a wild animal or anybody who's threatened, you come out defensive and you come out on the aggressive. And that doesn't, doesn't serve us in the long run. So one of the things that I'm always looking for is how can I, in the immediate, in the the most immediate time, how can I help my clients as well as anyone out there that is struggling with emotional eating and struggling with some aspect of it. And nighttime eating, since I first started doing this, has always been probably the biggest trigger and the biggest hot button topic that my that my followers have wanted answers to. And so, because of that, I really wanted to come up with and figure out a process that I could help them with. And it wasn't until about maybe a month and a half ago that I was able to come up with this process. And so I created the three-day nighttime snacking reset. And it is a five-step process that you um that you take yourself through, and it's three days, and you take it through three days, and you will start to see changes immediately because we are doing something that is changing the pattern that our brain has uh adopted and that our brain is is used to. And in this case, three days can really make a significant change. So there are five steps to this process. So, step number one is to eat a satisfying dinner. Now, I ate at night because I didn't eat dinner. I I ate a meal at school at lunch, and then the snacking began as soon as I got home from school. I did not ever eat dinner, I didn't put food on a plate. I didn't, because in my mind it was like, well, if I just eat light things and eat a bunch of small things and I'm standing up, then I'm not really eating that much. And so I never had any idea how much food I was eating, but it wasn't ever anything that was satisfying to me. Now, I want to be very specific with what satisfying means. Satisfying means that you need to have the main portion of your dinner be a protein because you need something that has sustenance, that has fat, and that has protein, and that it's going to take a while to digest. And it also has to be something that you want to eat. You have to like and enjoy the foods that you're eating. But it needs to have protein, it needs to have fat, it needs to have fiber, and it needs to be flavorful and something that you enjoy. It is absolutely non-negotiable. Undereating is what drives nighttime cravings. Step number two is that you need to plan, not deny, not restrict, but plan an evening snack. Now, for me and for my followers, they know I really say three meals a day with no snacking. But the only way that you are going to address your nighttime eating is to acknowledge that the nighttime eating is happening and to allow yourself to have a snack and to have that evening plan. Plan your evening food, whatever it is. And don't look at, well, I'm going to look at how many calories and what, you know, what would be the most calorie-specific. No, you have to pick something that you actually want. But you also have to commit to just eating one thing. You're planning a snack, you're planning an evening meal, and it is going to be something that you desire. It has to be, because this will not work if you are just trying to trick your brain, because your brain is not going to fall for it. Um it's by planning a snack, you are reducing your impulses because you're actually giving yourself permission. But step number three is the most important thing. So when you get to that point where you're like, okay, I have my my snack. I've given myself that that that snack that I've planned, and I'm really excited about it. Before you take advantage of it and you have it, you give yourself a two-minute pause. A two-minute pause to just sit with your emotions, to sit with how you're feeling, and to add and to really check in with yourself how am I feeling? How is the evening going? What's happened today? What are my emotions? And name your emotions. When we don't name how we're feeling, we are actually denying that we're even having emotions. So we need to name our emotions, name how you feel, give it a name, say how you're feeling, and give yourself two minutes. Give, take some deep breaths, acknowledge your emotions, and then at that point, we come to step number four, which is the permission protocol. And the permission protocol is you ask yourself the very important question do I still want to eat this? And it's okay if I do, but do I still want to eat it after I've kind of processed my emotions, I've thought about how I feel. Do I still feel the desire to eat this? And if you do, that is absolutely okay. Because when we give ourselves permission, permission reduces overeating because we're not feeling like we're doing something in secret. We're not, we're not cheating. I hate that word, but we're not cheating on ourselves. We're not, we're not, we're not letting ourselves down. We're actually doing something that we've already planned. And and that's okay, but it reduces because we've given ourselves permission. That reduces our desire to overeat. And then step five is to track your wins. And your win is whether you've decided to eat your snack. If you decide to eat your snack, that's a win. If you decide to not eat your snack, that's a win. They're both wins. And what you do is you acknowledge that you have gone through this process, you have awareness over perfection because many people will think, well, perfection would be not eating and not and denying ourselves. No, because we've already given ourselves permission. So it's a win no matter what. But we also end up having an evening where we're informed, we're aware, we're not trying to be perfect, but we've also learned. We've learned, okay, what was I feeling today? How did my day go today? How, how can I think about for the Tomorrow. What do I want to do tomorrow? What do I want? How do I want tomorrow to be different? And how do I want to approach tomorrow evening as well? So tracking your wins and really acknowledging those wins and acknowledging what has happened and acknowledging the process is really important. And there's a tracking form in this guide that I've given you, that I but that I can give you. This tracking form allows you to be able to track your wins. And honestly, tracking is such an important thing because it gives our brain that little dopamine hit of, oh, I did something. I'm following up. I'm writing it down. And our brain gets really excited about that. It seems so silly. And it seems so like kindergarten teacher, like, oh, you get a sticker, but you know what? Our brain, it doesn't matter how old we are. Our brain responds, our dopamine system responds to those rewards. And so you want to keep doing that. You want to do that. You want to track your wins. You want to give yourself credit and you want to acknowledge when you've been successful. And this is a win-win. So you're going to be successful no matter what. So what changes? What are the changes that happen after just a few nights? Well, you start to feel fewer cravings because you already know that you can do this. You know that you can give yourself a snack. You know that you can plan it. So you have fewer cravings. You have less food chatter because you are planning this. You're giving yourself permission. You are feel calmer in the evening because you're not going into it feeling like, oh my God, I've got to like buckle down, have lots of discipline, have lots of willpower. You don't have to do that. That's not necessary. And you are less likely to overeat. So you don't have to have that, well, I'll start tomorrow, I'll restart because I've overdone it tonight. You've given yourself permission to have that snack, and that's gonna be enough because you tell your brain that that's gonna be enough. And it also increases your trust in yourself around food because you've set up a plan, you've set up a system, and you've given yourself that permission and you've empowered yourself to make better choices for yourself in that moment and moving forward. And one of the most powerful things that we can do is when nighttime eating is a problem, when we can conquer a night, our daytime become so much easier. So, so really addressing nighttime eating can change the trajectory of all of your days. And so it's really important that you give yourself the ability to be able to try this and put this into practice and actually start to feel more successful about the days that you have. So uh what I really want to encourage you to do is the the three-day nighttime snacking reset is a uh it's a guide and it is available. Uh, the link will be in the the show notes. It includes all five steps, it gives you detailed information about each of the steps. There's a tracking form, and it will empower you to be able to uh take the steps that you need to take. And it's only three days, the steps that you need to take to start to really conquer this nighttime eating because it is such a challenging thing for emotional eaters. So, again, who's this for? It's for emotional eaters, it's for women who do great all day and the wheels come off at night, and it's for anyone who feels like they're stuck in a nighttime habit loop that is just not serving their bodies. And so what this includes is includes a full five-step plan, a printable tracker, and it's something that you can start tonight immediately. So you definitely, I want you to download this and I want you to at least see it and say, okay, you know what? Let me see if this is something that I can do. And it's something, and it is something that's doable. It's doable, it's not a long-term commitment, it's not a thousand steps, and it's not something that is going to be in any way that's disruptive, that's that's tricking you. It's actually working with your brain instead of working against it. And so I also encourage you that when you download this and when you opt in for it, send this to somebody that you know and you love and you know struggles with nighttime eating. You want your girlfriends in on this too. You want anyone in your family, any friends that you have, you want to give them the opportunity to at least take the first steps in reaching towards overcoming this incredibly challenging habit that is so common with emotional eaters. So again, I just want to make sure that you know there is nothing wrong with you. Your brain's not that doesn't need to be fixed, your brain isn't broken, it's not anything that is your fault. This is your brain doing its job. It's following the patterns that have been established, and we can change those patterns tonight. And so I really, really want you to click the link in the show notes and download this incredibly powerful guide. It'll create calmer evenings for you. It'll help you feel more confident and have more trust in yourself and your trust in food and in all things in your life. And when you are able to conquer this, you will know that there is nothing in your life, there is no goal that you can't reach. And sometimes we just need that little help. We need that process, we need to do something different. And this is definitely something different. And you deserve to have evenings that are full of peace, that are filled with joy, and that allow you to be your best self. So, again, click the link in the show notes, download the three-day nighttime snacking reset, send it to a friend, and let me know how this works for you because I know it is going to be incredibly successful. So, thank you so much for listening to this podcast. Thank you for being a part of my community. I hope this is helpful. If it is, please send me a message. Let me know how helpful it is. And if you are so inclined, I would love for you to leave a review on whatever platform you're listening to this podcast or watching this video on YouTube. Please leave a review. It is so incredibly helpful and it guides me and allows me to be able to provide more valuable information and more valuable content for you and help you to start taking the steps that you need to overcome your emotional eating, your nighttime eating, and to live your best life. All right, take care. I'll see you next week. Thank you for listening to this week's episode. If you are interested in learning more about how I can help you understand and manage your emotional eating, including the use of hypnosis to uncover the root cause of your eating, go to my website, Kristen Jones Coaching dot com.