Eating late at night?
TaraTaraTara76
Posts: 89 Member
Hi, I have heard a million times to not eat at night yet I always seem to but I don't go over my calories. Since I'm still in my calorie range won't it be ok? Has this been debunked yet, is it true or false that you'll gain because of this? PS add me as a friend if you want, need more.
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As long as you don't go over calories it shouldn't cause problems with losing weight. I think the bigger issue for some people is that eating late at night can impact sleep. For some people not getting adequate sleep leads to over eating. Unless it causes you to over eat or get poor sleep it is fine.3
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No problem to eat whenever you like, just as long as you're within your calories and it doesn't cause you some sort of discomfort.4
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I don't know if it's ever been debunked as I don't think it was ever a serious hypothesis in the first place, just a myth that people kept repeating to each other. Eat whenever you like, it's the total calories that matter.5
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It can be useful for those who DON'T count calories, and most people don't count calories. Late eating tends to be excessive and mindless, and if you have a certain cutoff time, it can make sticking to appropriate calories easier (without counting). But it can also backfire. If you prefer to eat late, then a strategy that goes against your inclinations, can make you rebel. So, a lot of ifs there. It's just about getting in structure to your eating. Calorie counting can provide enough structure if you do it right.3
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Meal timing is not important.4
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Meal timing is not important...BUT...late at night tends to be a trigger for unhealthy snacking for those of us that eat when anxious, bored, or the like.1
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TaraTaraTara76 wrote: »Hi, I have heard a million times to not eat at night yet I always seem to but I don't go over my calories. Since I'm still in my calorie range won't it be ok? Has this been debunked yet, is it true or false that you'll gain because of this? PS add me as a friend if you want, need more.
As others pointed out, it doesn't really matter (neither does meal frequency), but its a strategy to limit the ability to take in calories for those who don't calorie count.2 -
Nope. I ate dinner at 9:30 last night, just like almost every Thursday night.1
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Eat when you are awake. Calculate your calorie deficit in intervals of 24 or 168 hours. People are awake, generally, 2/3 of the day and sleeping 1/3 of the day. It does not matter where the sun is when you are awake. Just eat within your calorie deficit when you are awake.
There are things you can eat that will cause water to stay in your body for a few hours. Those things are called "salty foods". There are a few things you can do that will cause water to stay in your body for a few hours. Those things are called "stress". There is one thing you can do to promote the bodily discharge of the excess water caused by salt and cortisol (which comes from stress), and that is "drink water, a lot of water, and then more water".
If you eat salty foods shortly before sleeping and neglect to drink water, a lot of water, and then more water before sleeping, you will gain water weight in the morning. If instead you eat salty foods before sleeping and then drink water, a lot of water, and then more water before sleeping, you will not sleep well. Pick your poison. Or just don't eat salty foods close to bedtime.1 -
It's fine.
My husband is a night eater. That's just how he's happy. He eats less during the day and doesn't eat at night to over his total calories for the day. He has lost 100 lbs. since February. 2 -
I was starving last night (8pm) after a second workout so I had three bowls of cereal haha.
I woke up to my weekly weigh in and I still lost weight.
Calories in vs calories out.
But i still wouldnt recommend eating so late because if you go straight to bed it can cause digestive problems >__< (cramps, bloat, gas, trouble sleeping etc)1 -
TaraTaraTara76 wrote: »Hi, I have heard a million times to not eat at night yet I always seem to but I don't go over my calories. Since I'm still in my calorie range won't it be ok? Has this been debunked yet, is it true or false that you'll gain because of this? PS add me as a friend if you want, need more.
Eating at night is fine so long as it doesn't cause digestive issues when you go to bed. Things like "don't eat carbs after X 'oclock" or "Don't eat anything after Y 'oclock", etc are simply ways that people control calories without counting calories...then they get overblown into these myths that somehow we'll turn into pumpkins or something if we violate these tenants...
yeah...millions of years of human evolution and for whatever reason our bodies can't function properly if we eat at night...3 -
Don't worry about it. The problems arise for most people when they mindlessly snack at night after eating their calories for the day. That's what that general advice is supposed to be directed towards. Even at that, the body doesn't run on a 24 hour clock and automatically gains 5 lbs because you ate a big meal at 10pm. That's why MFP shows a weekly Net Calories. You can overeat for 3 days in a row, but if your calorie deficit for the next 3 or 4 cancels that out, you will still lose weight that week. Consider how Weight Watchers allows you to bank points for a week. The body is an organic machine: add fuel to the tank in various levels on various days and regardless of timing, the fuel levels don't go to storage. Only when there's excess fuel compared to consumption does storage happen.1
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VeganFaceHole wrote: »
But i still wouldnt recommend eating so late because if you go straight to bed it can cause digestive problems >__< (cramps, bloat, gas, trouble sleeping etc)
I'd like to see a cite for that.
It'd have to be a pretty heavy meal to ever cause me any issues. I regularly don't get home until 10:30pm to have my main meal of the day. I work all day then go to the gym toward out, then go play a couple hours of volleyball twice a week and I can't eat before hand as I'd be nauseated. So, at 10:30, I'll scarf down anything from burgers to casseroles. My digestive system is cast iron I believe.
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It's fine, I always have a big bowl of oatmeal at night, if I eat lots of carbs early in the day I'm just hungry all day and I HATE having to go to bed hungry, it's one thing I just refuse to do.4
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I'd like to see a cite for that.
It'd have to be a pretty heavy meal to ever cause me any issues. I regularly don't get home until 10:30pm to have my main meal of the day. I work all day then go to the gym toward out, then go play a couple hours of volleyball twice a week and I can't eat before hand as I'd be nauseated. So, at 10:30, I'll scarf down anything from burgers to casseroles. My digestive system is cast iron I believe.
Oh I was speaking from personal experience hehe.
But Im the type to get queesy and sick really easy so my stomach is naturally weak.
Im jealous!
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okay so it seems to be okay if you stay within your calorie range and you still get your sleep.3
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No issue, as long as you're within calorie goal.
There've been times when I exercised in the early evening, and routinely ate dinner very late (9-10PM), shortly before bed. My weight gain/loss/stability didn't change from times when I routinely ate dinner hours before bed. Sometimes I didn't sleep as well if I ate heavily right before bed, but that's a whole different issue.1 -
VeganFaceHole wrote: »
Oh I was speaking from personal experience hehe.
But Im the type to get queesy and sick really easy so my stomach is naturally weak.
Im jealous!
Oh, haha, I thought you meant people in general. It's a funny thing, but some mornings if I wait too long to eat, I get nauseated. Yet nothing else bothers my digestion. Not greasy, fried foods, not heavy foods, not even my daily high dosage iron pill. I think I've only ever even been sick from a hangover once in my life. Mind you, that's possibly why I can manage to put on weight so easily. Perhaps if it bothered me a little more, I wouldn't indulge as much.1 -
Eat whatever time of day suits you, it doesn't matter. Just stay within your calorie goals and you'll be fine. The only time it would matter to me is if I wanted to do a fasted burn in the morning and ate really late, but honestly there's no real proof a fasted burn is any better than a non-fasted burn. I say if you have the calories left, eat it. I eat a bowl of no sugar added ice cream with copped dark chocolate on it many nights of the week.. it helps me reach my fiber macros.
Usually that's after 8pm at night if I have the excess calories left. 1 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »... somehow we'll turn into pumpkins or something if we violate these tenants...
Please do not violate the tenants. Not even if they skip rent.2 -
CattOfTheGarage wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »... somehow we'll turn into pumpkins or something if we violate these tenants...
Please do not violate the tenants. Not even if they skip rent.
Oops...that's what happens with auto correct...1 -
VeganFaceHole wrote: »I was starving last night (8pm) after a second workout so I had three bowls of cereal haha.
I woke up to my weekly weigh in and I still lost weight.
Calories in vs calories out.
But i still wouldnt recommend eating so late because if you go straight to bed it can cause digestive problems >__< (cramps, bloat, gas, trouble sleeping etc)
For some, yes, but not everyone. Thursday nights I eat around 9:30 then go to bed between 10 and 11. Saturdays I eat at 5:30 and go to bed right after (I work third shift Saturday nights). I've never felt any ill effects from eating late/just before bed.1 -
VeganFaceHole wrote: »I was starving last night (8pm) after a second workout so I had three bowls of cereal haha.
I woke up to my weekly weigh in and I still lost weight.
Calories in vs calories out.
But i still wouldnt recommend eating so late because if you go straight to bed it can cause digestive problems >__< (cramps, bloat, gas, trouble sleeping etc)
But not everyone has those problems if they eat late at night right before bed.
I sleep much better with food on my stomach.2 -
I eat up to 11:30pm. Then go to bed within an hour.
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Yeah, I'm one of the ones who doesn't sleep well if I eat right before bed. But I find it depends on what it is. If I eat something light I'm fine, but if it's something heavy (like a full meal vs. a snack) then yeah I don't sleep well.
Also, I'm not sure if there's any science to this ? But it seems I'm heavier in the mornings if I ate right before bed versus mornings I ate hours before bed.1
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