Will you gain weight if you eat before sleeping?

Lyadeia

You actually burn more calories while you are sleeping than you do exercising. I usually burn around 800 calories while sleeping, but only 300 in an exercise session.

It does NOT matter *when* you eat your calories as long as you are in a deficit for the day under your TDEE. The calorie deficit is what matters, not when you eat.

how did you measure your calories burnt during sleep?

Probably with an HRM.

I only use my HRM for cardio workouts. It's not accurate for anything else.

myfitnesspaller

You actually burn more calories while you are sleeping than you do exercising. I usually burn around 800 calories while sleeping, but only 300 in an exercise session.

It does NOT matter *when* you eat your calories as long as you are in a deficit for the day under your TDEE. The calorie deficit is what matters, not when you eat.

how did you measure your calories burnt during sleep?

Bodybugg

Oh I thought bodybugg was a hrm. so u need to wear a strap before sleeping?

EatPrayLove02

No! Your body doesn't have a clock.Only your mind does.However, you should eat, just like you said, an apple or something that is not really hard to digest.That way your sleep won't be affected

pinkraynedropjacki

You wont put on weight... but if you are like me you will sweat buckets if you do.

I have a habit of eating right before bed, like 5 mins before even. I'll sweat so much (yeah even in winter in a freezing house) that I have to get out of bed, grab a towel, dry off, get changed & then sleep with a towel under me.

If I don't eat before bed (say on a fasting day where I have nothing to eat at all all day) I don't sweat one little bit.


I think I may sweat my weight out at night lol.

Cindyinpg

I have a Bodymedia Fit, which is the same ad a BodyBugg. They are meant to be worn all the time, as they measure sleep efficiency as well as calories burned, steps taken etc. It's a fantastic motivational tool and I find it to be quite accurate. The original point here though, is that meal timing and frequency is a personal preference and won't help or hinder weight loss. It's all about calorie deficit.

myfitnesspaller

I have a Bodymedia Fit, which is the same ad a BodyBugg. They are meant to be worn all the time, as they measure sleep efficiency as well as calories burned, steps taken etc. It's a fantastic motivational tool and I find it to be quite accurate. The original point here though, is that meal timing and frequency is a personal preference and won't help or hinder weight loss. It's all about calorie deficit.

I see..so do you log in your calories burnt while sleeping too?

Cindyinpg

I have a Bodymedia Fit, which is the same ad a BodyBugg. They are meant to be worn all the time, as they measure sleep efficiency as well as calories burned, steps taken etc. It's a fantastic motivational tool and I find it to be quite accurate. The original point here though, is that meal timing and frequency is a personal preference and won't help or hinder weight loss. It's all about calorie deficit.

I see..so do you log in your calories burnt while sleeping too?

No, the BMF syncs with Myfitnesspal and basically only logs anything over my BMR. Just the same as when you log exercise. For example today I burned 2840 calories total, with sleep and everything, and after syncing, MFP said I earned 870 calories from exercise, therefore my BMR ( including 8 hours sleep) is around 2000. I try to lose 1.5 to 2lbs a week so I eat around 2000-2400 calories per day depending on activity etc.

leslturn8

It is advised to eat 2 hours before bed as to allow your body to focus on repairing rather than digesting.
Light foods that are fast burning are probably the best snack to eat if you were going to eat so close to bed time, that way most of it may already be going through your system.

If you do weights or HIIT, these activities are likely to continue to burn through the night and into the next day (s) depending on your level of hard work.

TheVimFuego

I eat the vast majority of my calories in the evening and I ensure that I have some lovely carby treats just before I go to bed.

Doesn't seem to be harming me.

Any doctor that says there is some magic in not eating after 6pm should not be dishing out nutritional advice.

It may. as others have said, be just to discourage snacking but there is no metabolic magic in it.

Think about it ... Does what you put in your gob immediately get digested or does it take a while to get fully processed? A while as in hours ...

MsPudding

But isnt is true because you're not burning anything or doing anything physical and the body stores the food as fat?

If you're asleep and you're not burning any calories it means you're dead.

AstroRocket

When my mum was studying to become a dietitian, she said that your digestive system shuts down about 6pm. I don't know if its true or not, I never saw proof of this, I guess she wanted me to be like her when she was my age lol (I never hear the end of it, "I was never that fat when I was your age" LOL gotta love mums though ay). I don't live by that silly rule anyway, I usually have dinner at 6 or after soo... :laugh:

Donald_Dozier_50

I don't sleep at night.................. or day............ Seriously I sleep like 2 hours every 48 to 72 hour period with the occasional sleep marathon so I eat pretty much when I want BUT that being said, I have had 5 doctors from 5 separate doctors offices who confirm it makes no difference what time you consume food.

For the person who said acid reflux, that is a separate issue and there is medication for it. I take it myself.

fineshrine

I never trust a doctor who gives nutrition advice.
They only get around 3 hours of nutritional training in school, each of my nutrition classes in college were longer than that :grumble:

your body cant tell what time it is. time is a perceived experience. the sun rises the sun sets, there arent EXACTLY 24 hours in a day either.

paleojoe

Only if it puts you in a caloric surplus... outside of that, the simple answer... the only answer, is no.

SideSteel

OP:

It doesn't really matter provided you're controlling total energy intake.

jwdieter

You actually burn more calories while you are sleeping than you do exercising. I usually burn around 800 calories while sleeping, but only 300 in an exercise session.

Honestly I did not know you could burn more sleeping. That's pretty interesting. I would be curious to find out how much I burn at night. I think I'd go get an hrm just to see. Thank you for that information.

Urgh. Basic body functions burn calories over time. Working out burns a lot more calories than sleeping.

thisismeraw

..if youre under your allotted calories for the day but eat, an apple for example, 1 hour before bed? Sometimes, work can be hectic and go on till 10-11pm. At this time, I get a tad bit hungry. So I was wondering if eating an apple or so (as long as Im under my calorie limit). But I read somewhere (cant confirm the authenticity) that if you eat before sleeping then it will be deposited as fat.

Is that trye at all? Or is that true for unhealthy junk food only?

I'm on a diet that doesn't allowed any food after 6 pm. My doctor is very strict about no food after 6, so it's not a myth.

But if I'm feeling really hungry, I can have a half glass of warm skim milk. It's allowed. It helps to calm the stomach.

My doctor recommends to have something to drink tat is easy to digest. This way my digestive system is also relaxing while I'm sleeping.

I'm not sure of the doctors reasoning behind the not eating after 6pm thing however it's been proven a myth over and over again.. If you eat 1500 calories between 7am and 6pm or 1500 calories between 5pm and 12 pm you will lose the same amount of weight provided your activity is the same.

bcattoes

No, I won't. I lost all my weight while eating 1/2 or more of my daily calories just before going to bed.