Eating before bed = weight GAIN

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My wonderful mother keeps telling me this thing she heard on Oprah 10 years ago. Apparently a doctor on that show said if you eat right before bed, all those calories will go towards fat.

Is there any truth to this?
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Replies

  • kirstenb13
    kirstenb13 Posts: 181 Member
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    Nope, your body doesn't operate on a 24 hour schedule for energy consumption. What matters is a calorie deficit over a larger amount of time, not what time of day these calories are eaten.
  • trjjoy
    trjjoy Posts: 666 Member
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    I nearly always eat before bed. It has made no difference to my weight loss.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Was it Dr. Oz by chance? He was wrong.
  • joncooper1980
    joncooper1980 Posts: 96 Member
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    Quite the contrary, if you are following a weight training program its actually beneficial to eat something directly before you go to bod to help your body repair muscle damage.
  • abhijeetchar
    abhijeetchar Posts: 20 Member
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    Its all about calories. Eat less than your daily goal, you wont gain. Before or after does not really matters.
  • brynnaewilliams
    brynnaewilliams Posts: 3 Member
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    So I don't quite understand the goals here . Are you supposed to eat less then the goal? If so why is it a goal ?
  • pinggolfer96
    pinggolfer96 Posts: 2,248 Member
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    I sometimes eat 1200 cals before bed....weight will still go down as long as I'm in an overall deficit. You metabolism doesn't shut down when you go to sleep
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    So I don't quite understand the goals here . Are you supposed to eat less then the goal? If so why is it a goal ?

    You don't want to go over your goal or you won't lose weight.

    You don't want to be too far under your goal or you risk health problems and burnout.
  • elsinora
    elsinora Posts: 398 Member
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    Nope.
  • Mavrick_RN
    Mavrick_RN Posts: 439 Member
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    Saddam Hussein was still alive and Twitter was just being born. A lot has changed in 10 years.

    Stop living in the past.
  • Shrinking_Erin
    Shrinking_Erin Posts: 125 Member
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    @Mavrick_RN Right on. ; )
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    People need to understand that their food does not digest immediately upon being swallowed. Most people are constantly digesting food from prior meals, morning, noon, and night. Eating right before bedtime doesn't change that process to put the food toward fat stores.
  • Dreven1989
    Dreven1989 Posts: 17 Member
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    This did work for me for a while, but purely because that meal before bed was an extra meal. Which obviously meant extra calories.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    OP--where are you coming up with these myths? This is the 2nd one. No, it's not true. I advise you to follow the boards on MFP and learn a few truths instead.
  • melonaulait
    melonaulait Posts: 769 Member
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    I like to eat at any time. B)
  • tkphotogirl
    tkphotogirl Posts: 245 Member
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    Nope. I snack before I sleep most nights.
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
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    The only time eating right before bedtime causes weight gain is if you weigh yourself first thing the next morning (while the food/waste is still in your body). Completely artifactual.
  • Microscopes
    Microscopes Posts: 92 Member
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    OP--where are you coming up with these myths? This is the 2nd one. No, it's not true. I advise you to follow the boards on MFP and learn a few truths instead.

    Did you read my original post? I said in the first sentence that my mother told me this. She means well.
  • Microscopes
    Microscopes Posts: 92 Member
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    Mavrick_RN wrote: »
    Saddam Hussein was still alive and Twitter was just being born. A lot has changed in 10 years.

    Stop living in the past.

    Sort of an odd response.

    Nothing to do with living in the past. Simply asking if it was true.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    edited March 2016
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    Mavrick_RN wrote: »
    Saddam Hussein was still alive and Twitter was just being born. A lot has changed in 10 years.

    Stop living in the past.

    Sort of an odd response.

    Nothing to do with living in the past. Simply asking if it was true.

    Editing because I clearly can't forum before coffee.

    The post was a joke because you referenced dated weight loss advice.

    Tell your mom to stop watching Oprah reruns. Eating before bed doesn't hinder weight loss.