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Going to bed hungry
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Replies
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1. Going to bed hungry and miserable while in a calorie deficit = weight loss
2. Going to bed full (or content) and happy while in a calorie deficit = weight loss
I choose door number 2.6 -
The trick is to eat before bed! But just eat the right foods before bed; slow-digesting protein, like cottage cheese or a piece of skinless chicken, coupled with low-carb fruit or vegetables3
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allaboutthecake wrote: »allaboutthecake wrote: »Interesting debate. I switched from allowing myself the calories for later at night (which made me grumpy during the day), to eating my calories during the day and going to bed a tad on the "li'l empty" side but not starving. A few other changes in my intake, other than this, finally dropping weight like crazy. Is it cuz I have longer of a "fast" so to speak? Whose to say. But I am happier stuffing my face during the day and not eating anything sometimes as long as 16hrs till next day. You could also say am more of a "breakfast/lunch" person than a "dinner" person. Very rarely do I find myself wanting to munch at night on chips or treats or even uncomfortable enough to graze the kitchen. And hey, no cleanup!
you just created a calorie deficit….going to bed full or not has 100% nothing to do with it.
Same amount of calories as when I ate it later in the evening.
so you just magically started burning more calories because you were not as full before bed? Sorry not buying it…
were you using a food scale during this time?
logging every bit of food?
etc, etc...
1. Could be magic? Who knows. I like eating all of my food during the day. so all my allotted calories were burned up...er...eaten... usually by 3pm.
2. Yep.
3. Yep.
It could be hard for you to understand...not knowing any of my health history. So I'll give you that.
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The trick is to eat before bed! But just eat the right foods before bed; slow-digesting protein, like cottage cheese or a piece of skinless chicken, coupled with low-carb fruit or vegetables
Others told me I would sleep better if I had some carbs before bed. What's the reason behind your recommendation?1 -
I cant sleep if I go to bed hungry, I always eat at least 200 calories less than an hour before going to bed1
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Going on 1am, and I'll eat a little more before going to sleep. Spread your calories out through the day as it suits you. For me, that doesn't include being hungry when I go to sleep.2
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lemurcat12 wrote: »The trick is to eat before bed! But just eat the right foods before bed; slow-digesting protein, like cottage cheese or a piece of skinless chicken, coupled with low-carb fruit or vegetables
Others told me I would sleep better if I had some carbs before bed. What's the reason behind your recommendation?
Slow-digesting protein repairs muscles while you sleep, and low-carb vegetables help you sleep.1 -
allaboutthecake wrote: »allaboutthecake wrote: »allaboutthecake wrote: »Interesting debate. I switched from allowing myself the calories for later at night (which made me grumpy during the day), to eating my calories during the day and going to bed a tad on the "li'l empty" side but not starving. A few other changes in my intake, other than this, finally dropping weight like crazy. Is it cuz I have longer of a "fast" so to speak? Whose to say. But I am happier stuffing my face during the day and not eating anything sometimes as long as 16hrs till next day. You could also say am more of a "breakfast/lunch" person than a "dinner" person. Very rarely do I find myself wanting to munch at night on chips or treats or even uncomfortable enough to graze the kitchen. And hey, no cleanup!
you just created a calorie deficit….going to bed full or not has 100% nothing to do with it.
Same amount of calories as when I ate it later in the evening.
so you just magically started burning more calories because you were not as full before bed? Sorry not buying it…
were you using a food scale during this time?
logging every bit of food?
etc, etc...
1. Could be magic? Who knows. I like eating all of my food during the day. so all my allotted calories were burned up...er...eaten... usually by 3pm.
2. Yep.
3. Yep.
It could be hard for you to understand...not knowing any of my health history. So I'll give you that.
Does your health history allow you to defy physics?
6 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »The trick is to eat before bed! But just eat the right foods before bed; slow-digesting protein, like cottage cheese or a piece of skinless chicken, coupled with low-carb fruit or vegetables
Others told me I would sleep better if I had some carbs before bed. What's the reason behind your recommendation?
Slow-digesting protein repairs muscles while you sleep, and low-carb vegetables help you sleep.
The others said carbs would help me sleep.
Weird to call vegetables low carb, as they are mostly carb -- they are just low calorie. But the one thing I usually have before bed is protein and vegetables (that's always part of my dinner, which is late) so whatever. (Cottage cheese doesn't seem all that slow digesting, and I don't eat boneless skinless chicken breast much, because there are much tastier protein options.)
Your claims are inconsistent with the other stuff I've read about nutrient timing (protein plus carbs after a workout or within a few hours of one), but since I don't think I'm at a level where I really need to worry about nutrient timing I'm not going to fret much.0 -
allaboutthecake wrote: »allaboutthecake wrote: »allaboutthecake wrote: »Interesting debate. I switched from allowing myself the calories for later at night (which made me grumpy during the day), to eating my calories during the day and going to bed a tad on the "li'l empty" side but not starving. A few other changes in my intake, other than this, finally dropping weight like crazy. Is it cuz I have longer of a "fast" so to speak? Whose to say. But I am happier stuffing my face during the day and not eating anything sometimes as long as 16hrs till next day. You could also say am more of a "breakfast/lunch" person than a "dinner" person. Very rarely do I find myself wanting to munch at night on chips or treats or even uncomfortable enough to graze the kitchen. And hey, no cleanup!
you just created a calorie deficit….going to bed full or not has 100% nothing to do with it.
Same amount of calories as when I ate it later in the evening.
so you just magically started burning more calories because you were not as full before bed? Sorry not buying it…
were you using a food scale during this time?
logging every bit of food?
etc, etc...
1. Could be magic? Who knows. I like eating all of my food during the day. so all my allotted calories were burned up...er...eaten... usually by 3pm.
2. Yep.
3. Yep.
It could be hard for you to understand...not knowing any of my health history. So I'll give you that.
Does your health history allow you to defy physics?
? ? I don't understand your question.
1 -
I hate eating late at night
That's why I get drunk and eat dinner right before bed5 -
I eat a small snack before I go to bed if I feel bona fide hunger at any level. Otherwise, I wind up waking, craving buttered toast (carb & fat?) and milk (sugar?). Which is not such a bad thing, but I'd rather sleep through.0
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I eat a small snack before bed. It's hard to sleep with a grumbly tummy. It's also hard to sleep with a full tummy (IMO). Happy medium works for me.0
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Im all for hitting the sack vs staying up with mindless eating. But I could not go to bed being literally hungry. Even if its 100-200 calories. Which is why I plan my 6 meals a day. Im either full for larger dinner or have a protein shake after my small dinner and evening workout.
So people think that if I go to bed hungry that I will wake up with more weight loss (over time?) than if I go to bed with food in my stomach? - more than just the weight of that food itself?
Ive heard the body burns fat at rest- and while asleep- so would the body be burning the food vs fat stores based simply on a few hours between meals? Meaning- if I eat dinner at 4pm and go to bed hungry- that my body will burn fat stores moreso than if I had a 200 calories snack at 7:30 before bed?
Im afraid I just can get on board with that mentality.0 -
Mapalicious wrote: »I don't lose weight if I'm not slightly hungry at bed-time. I am hungry on maintenance. It doesn't matter how much I balance things, or how much I work with a registered dietician/nutritionist. I have an incredibly voracious appetite and I can pack down food like my life depended on it.
I don't go to bed lightheaded/grumpy/starving. But I go to bed with a slight empty feeling. I'm with @njaalla on this one. If I'm too hungry, I know I'm up too late.
I eat a small meal at 9am, medium lunch at 12-1pm, a medium to large snack at 4pm, and a large dinner around 7 or 7:30pm. By 11, I could happily eat again. Because I flipping love eating. But I just go to bed instead.
But that 11pm hunger is almost right in line with the time split between all your other meals and how you have them spread throughout the day. So having a piece of fruit or a small snack wouldn't be outrageous. Ya know?0 -
This is one of the reasons I'm in bed by 7:30 most nights. If I'm out in the living room (which is right next to the kitchen) watching tv the munchies are stronger then if I'm snuggled up in bed watching tv, I really couldn't be bothered getting up and walking down to the kitchen to make something.1
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What helps me with any after dinner (mindless) snacking beyond what is real hunger--- I brush and floss my teeth and use Listerine- nothing tastes good after all that! LOL.3
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queenliz99 wrote: »It's hard to sleep with grumbling stomach and it is not necessary.arditarose wrote: »I don't know. I go to bed with a full tummy. I really like it. It's comfortable for me to eat up until bed time. Meal timing doesn't really matter for weight loss given you are in a calorie deficit.I know this is a hotly-debated topic, but I thought I would share a little observation that I made...
Earlier, I Googled "how to go to bed hungry", since I am a big time late-night eater... The results were literally 50/50... Every other result said "do it and you'll burn fat". The other half said , "don't do it because you'll sabotage your efforts".. it's no wonder people are so confused. At least I'm confused.. and frustrated.
FWIW, I am going to TRY to go to bed hungry tonight to see what effect it has on me. I guess that's the only reliable answer I'm going to get.
I dont understand what you are trying to say. Going to bed full or hung has zero bearing on whether you are going to burn fat or not. If you are in a calorie deficit for the day then you will burn fat, if you are not then you won't; I don't understand why this is so hard to grasp…1. Going to bed hungry and miserable while in a calorie deficit = weight loss
2. Going to bed full (or content) and happy while in a calorie deficit = weight loss
I choose door number 2.
Amen to all of this. I usually save my largest meal for before bed. Carbs make me sleep like a baby. NOM
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allaboutthecake wrote: »allaboutthecake wrote: »allaboutthecake wrote: »Interesting debate. I switched from allowing myself the calories for later at night (which made me grumpy during the day), to eating my calories during the day and going to bed a tad on the "li'l empty" side but not starving. A few other changes in my intake, other than this, finally dropping weight like crazy. Is it cuz I have longer of a "fast" so to speak? Whose to say. But I am happier stuffing my face during the day and not eating anything sometimes as long as 16hrs till next day. You could also say am more of a "breakfast/lunch" person than a "dinner" person. Very rarely do I find myself wanting to munch at night on chips or treats or even uncomfortable enough to graze the kitchen. And hey, no cleanup!
you just created a calorie deficit….going to bed full or not has 100% nothing to do with it.
Same amount of calories as when I ate it later in the evening.
so you just magically started burning more calories because you were not as full before bed? Sorry not buying it…
were you using a food scale during this time?
logging every bit of food?
etc, etc...
1. Could be magic? Who knows. I like eating all of my food during the day. so all my allotted calories were burned up...er...eaten... usually by 3pm.
It takes most people 1.5 days to digest food. Your calories are not "burned up" by the end of the day. Time of the day matters not. But more power to you if you want to continue to believe so.
3 -
MommyMeggo wrote: »What helps me with any after dinner (mindless) snacking beyond what is real hunger--- I brush and floss my teeth and use Listerine- nothing tastes good after all that! LOL.
Great tactic. I do that sometimes too, even in the middle of the day if I don't want to start eating yet.
2
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