3-4 hours before bed?

mbaker566

I do fine I do better on the whole weight loss thing if I do not eat later. but it is certainly not a scientific thing for me. I do not binge and I stay within my cico but I do better overall if I do not eat later in the night.

but studies have shown it's not a thing and it doesn't matter when you eat so long as you are eating at a deficit. I would say it really is a personal preference thing and what works for you and your body

NerdyNix

cocolattes wrote: »

i always save some calories at the end of my day for cocoa pebbles....

What are cocoa pebbles?!

kshama2001

whmscll

I like to save room in my calorie allowance to have some sort of snack around 9-10 at night. That way I don't feel hungry when I go to bed and am not hungry in the morning until my stomach "wakes up."

kshama2001

Sounds like the problem with eating late is from overeating due to not eating enough earlier. Personally, I need to eat something before bed or hunger will wake me up at 3 AM. I have oatmeal and fruit, which is about 200 calories, and if I'm hungrier, I throw in an egg, which is better than it sounds.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/26/opinion/sunday/the-dangers-of-eating-late-at-night.html
http://www.businessinsider.com/eating-late-causes-indigestion-and-weight-gain-2015-1

...Our bodies aren't designed to eat a big meal and collapse on the couch or the bed afterwards. Sitting upright helps us digest — it lets gravity do the work of keeping the contents of our stomach down. In people with heartburn, laying down can cause the acid in the stomach to leak out into the esophagus, or "foodpipe," causing reflux.

Since the stomach takes about three hours to empty itself, waiting at least this amount of time before laying down or sleeping is a good idea.

Koufman's thinking — backed by decades of sage medical advice — has been borne out by recent research. A 2005 study of the nighttime eating habits of 350 people found that eating dinner within 3 hours of bedtime was positively associated with their risk of developing reflux symptoms, even after controlling for smoking, body mass index, and other factors that could affect heartburn.

Waiting so long to eat that you are ravenous by dinnertime can also cause you to eat too quickly and overstuff yourself. Since your brain takes about 20 minutes to register a full stomach, you could eat too much before you know you're satiated. If this is happening more than one or two nights a week, it could be causing you to gain weight...

NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner

Last night I ate my 40g of chocolate in bed. I'm a winner.

cwolfman13

0neel0vee wrote: »

Hi, I'm new and trying to lose around 30 pounds. I have heard from alot of people that not eating 3-4 hours before you go to bed helps you lose weight. But I've also heard alot of people say that it's bull. I was just wondering if some of you guys recommend that or do this and have seen results?

You have to consider that many of these "tips" and pointers are coming from the perspective of people who are not calorie counting...so one way to control caloric intake without counting could be to not eat anything after 6 or not eat anything 3-4 hours before bed, etc. These types of "tips" as well as other diets and what not are designed to do one thing...put you in a calorie deficit...because that's really the most important aspect of weight loss and any diet that works does so on that premise.

I lost over 40 Lbs and I eat dinner every night around 8:30/9:00 PM and I'm in bed by 10.

ExRelaySprinter

0neel0vee wrote: »

I have heard from alot of people that not eating 3-4 hours before you go to bed helps you lose weight.

That would probably make me put on weight!
I'd be waking up in the middle of the night with a rumbling stomach and be starving hungry.
Which in turn, would make me just gorge on anything to hand.
Not a good idea.

DeguelloTex

I almost always have yogurt, protein powder, and strawberries not long before I go to sleep. Hasn't stopped me from losing 110 pounds.

ndj1979

I always have ice cream about an hour before bed and I have no issues with losing weight.

PaulaWallaDingDong

If I don't eat before bed, I'll get sidetracked at the fridge when I get up to use the rest room. Might as well get it out of the way when you are aware of what you're eating and of sound enough mind to log it.

lindaloo1213

I have never had an issue with weight loss and timing of food/sleep especially as a night shifter.
But..i do have issues if I eat certain foods triggering my reflux if I eat them right before bed.

The only other downside to eating right before bed is I usually wake up sooooo hungry. But Really no biggie i jist make sure I have a plan for that morning hunger.

kshama2001

DeguelloTex wrote: »

I almost always have yogurt, protein powder, and strawberries not long before I go to sleep. Hasn't stopped me from losing 110 pounds.

Sounds good!

Hornsby

If it someone controls your cravings or helps you mentally to stay within your calorie goals then yes, it will help you lose weight. If your calorie intake isn't an issue, it doesn't matter when you eat.

jaga13

0neel0vee wrote: »

Hi, I'm new and trying to lose around 30 pounds. I have heard from alot of people that not eating 3-4 hours before you go to bed helps you lose weight. But I've also heard alot of people say that it's bull. I was just wondering if some of you guys recommend that or do this and have seen results?

The only way abstaining from eating 3-4 hours before bed helps you lose weight is if you don't replace that food elsewhere during the day. So if you normally eat a 200 calorie snack at night, and you stop doing that (but keep everything else consistent during the day), then yes, you would lose weight.

The same could be true if you stop eating an afternoon snack, or stop drinking. As long as you don't replace the calories.

I'm not a fan of these types of rules. Personally, I start my day early and am usually no longer hungry after my 5pm dinner. Most nights I just go to bed early without any evening eating. It's very rare that I'm actually hungry, though for fun I might enjoy a small treat. But that's just how I feel most nights. Do what works for you.

benzieboxx

Your body is going to use calories the same way no matter the time of day. That whole thing of not eating before bed got started because it's bad for your digestive system i.e it leads to heart burn in the morning or what have you.