I've had many nights opening the fridge after late work, so I really understand that feeling. Stress-induced binge eating is not due to weak willpower, but because the body's qi has become stagnant and digestive energy has collapsed. The key is to address it step by step based on your constitution. 1. **First, open up the chest and inner area.** When stress accumulates, it causes liver depression (肝鬱), leading to chest tightness and halted digestive energy. Acupuncture or herbal acupuncture can circulate qi in the chest and abdomen, easing breathing and making the stomach feel comfortable. 2. **Determine whether your constitution involves blood stasis (瘀血) or phlegm-fluid retention (痰飮).** Long-held emotions can congeal into blood stasis in the body, triggering nighttime binge eating. A damp constitution becomes phlegm-fluid retention, making the body heavy and driving cravings for stimulating foods. The herbal medicine direction differs based on this distinction. 3. **Restoring spleen deficiency (脾虛) is central.** Binge eating further exhausts the stomach, leading to spleen deficiency, which then causes fatigue the next day and prompts another binge. Eating warm, simple meals at set times gradually restores digestive power. 4. **Clear damp-heat and regulate metabolic pathways.** Stress adds heat to phlegm-fluid, creating damp-heat that stimulates appetite and perpetuates the binge cycle. Using constitution-appropriate prescriptions to remove heat and fluids from the body makes you feel lighter. 5. **Adjust prescriptions step by step.** Even over a short period, the constitution changes gradually. By visiting a clinic and observing your tongue and navel area, we reassess the proportions of blood stasis and phlegm-fluid, and address them accordingly. This is much less taxing in the long run. Don't whip yourself alone. I've tried that too, but actually, when the body becomes comfortable, the mouth follows. Take it slowly, step by step.