Man's Comment to Wife Eating Crackers in Bed at 5:30 a.m. Divides Internet

A man warning his wife that she's snacking too much has divided the internet, as people insist that she shouldn't have a snack bin in the bedroom anyway.

Reddit user u/Sunny-loco248 shared a post on March 11 to the AITA [Am I The A******?] subforum, explaining that while she tries to be healthy, "late night snacks are a vice." The poster and her husband both have endocrine disorders, which cause cravings throughout the night.

The endocrine system is known as a network of glands that regulate bodily functions. There are several different endocrine disorders, including hyperthyroidism, Cushing syndrome and osteoporosis. The most common is diabetes.

The effects vary depending on the specific disorder, but weight gain and cravings are common among several of the disorders, as an endocrine disorder can impact an individual's metabolism.

The woman said that having a snack bin in the bedroom isn't a medical necessity; it's purely a choice that they made for when they can't fight their temptations. However, when the poster woke up at 5:30 a.m. one night to grab some crackers, her husband made a comment about how unhealthy it was to be eating at such a time.

"He sleeps heavy, so I was shocked I woke him," the Redditor wrote. "He responded, 'why are you eating right now?' I say I'm sorry, I haven't been able to sleep all night and now I'm hungry. To which he says, 'for someone who is concerned about their weight, this is the worst time to be eating.'"

However, the Redditor said she's not actually concerned about her weight. While she has sometimes "said minor comments in the past like 'These pants make my butt look huge,' she's actually "completely happy with my weight and the way I look."

The husband claimed he was trying to help by telling her "It's not healthy" to snack so much, but the poster said she felt like he was picking on her, and that she was being gaslit as he was behaving as though his comments were welcome and requested.

"I have never asked him to monitor what I eat. He is saying that I am saying and doing things I never did, and then makes me feel bad because I'm calling him out," she wrote, adding that her husband "stormed out" of the room.

Registered dietitian and gut health expert Kim Kulp spoke to Newsweek about the importance of focusing on eating habits throughout the day to ensure the body is getting everything it needs, reducing the need for snacking at night. Kulp has spent eight years counseling outpatients at a behavioral health center, where she says night eating was a common occurrence.

"It's important to not skip meals, and make sure there is a combination of protein, carbohydrates that include fiber, and some healthy fat," Kulp told Newsweek. "Starting with breakfast, and not going more than four hours without food during the day can help reduce the appetite-stimulating hormone, which can drive night cravings."

Kulp, who is also the owner of Gut Health Connection, noted that people should reflect upon whether it's genuine hunger, or if it's more of a habit than necessity.

"The behavior may need to be changed, like removing the snack bin from the bedroom," she said. "If they're hungry, then having a small snack available, like fruit and a small handful of nuts, may satisfy the hunger enough to fall asleep without over-eating."

It appears that the Reddit user might not have got the reaction she expected from her post, as many people felt both she and her husband were in the wrong.

"A snack bin is weird, but OP's husband eats snacks in the bedroom in the middle of the night too. If he feels it's ok for him to do so, then how is OP an [a******]?"

Another person suggested moving the snack bin, which seems to be the source of many problems: "If they're disturbing each other, they should still move the snacks out of the bedroom. It doesn't really matter if they both do it, nobody likes being woken."

Newsweek reached out to u/Sunny-loco248 via Reddit message for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.

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