Bedtime Eating Question

Bocch
Bocch Posts: 191 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a small problem. I am usually good and can easily eat well for Breakfast,Lunch and Supper. However, I get hungry before going to bed. Very hungry. Hungry to the point of not being able to sleep. I am thinking of trying to eat cereal before bed due to it being low in calories. What do ya think?

Replies

  • scarlett_k
    scarlett_k Posts: 812 Member
    Nothing wrong with eating before bed although you ideally want to leave at least half an hour between eating/drinking and brushing your teeth. You could alternatively try eating more in the day - if I am genuinely ravenous at bedtime it's a sure sign I'm not eating enough.
  • MichelleMcKeeRN
    MichelleMcKeeRN Posts: 450 Member
    I would probably try to increase protein and fat calories slightly at dinner. I find protein and fat hold me over much better than carbs. I generally drink tea in the evening although if you are so hungry you can’t sleep, this won’t help.
  • Skyler103
    Skyler103 Posts: 121 Member
    I also get hungry before bed and find I can't sleep on an empty stomach. I've been eating fruit before bed lately. I've been getting some really good peaches lately. It doesn't matter what or when you eat, just leave enough calories for yourself to have a snack.

  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,464 Member
    I need protein before bedtime to get me thru the night. I plan for and have a string cheese, turkey sausage stick, or protein bar late at night.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,745 Member
    If I'm really hungry, I can't sleep, so I often have an apple or banana or a slice of cheese before bed. Cereal is 200+ calories while fruit or cheese is only about 100. Figure out how many calories you can afford to eat to decide what you eat.
  • JBanx256
    JBanx256 Posts: 1,479 Member
    I eat a small meal right before bed almost every night. As long as you've allocated for it, not a big deal.
  • yweight2020
    yweight2020 Posts: 591 Member
    As long as you don't have acid reflux problems or anything similar I guess bed time eating could be fine, when I eat before bed and lay down the food trys to come back up. We need to eat hours before generally so our food can digest.

    But you've been given good advice above I like adding more protein and fat to keep you satiated from dinner or even as a after dinner snack. Make sure you're eating enough at all your meals and drinking enough water to be hydrated as well.

    Best of care.🥩🍗🧀🍤🦀🥛🥛🥛🥛🥦🥬🍎🍌🍋🥚🍳🍽🙃😉
  • ByteLily
    ByteLily Posts: 52 Member
    I went through a phase that I got starving at bed time too. If I could manage to sleep , I would wake up in the night ravenous. Cereal did work for me. A nice, seedy one like special k , or my favorite mesa sunrise by nature's path. It's very filling and the serving size is generous.
  • russellholtslander1
    russellholtslander1 Posts: 285 Member
    I can't really relate. I think of cravings as warning signs, so being " hungry " before bed, would cause me to panic, and look for a solution to that problem.

    I'm guessing that you ate the proper number of calories, so you shouldn't be hungry.. real hunger takes 2-3 days, so what you have are cravings.

    The diet you are on, ALLOWS cravings to happen, so you now have to deal with them. So you will be eating extra calories. More than what you are supposed to anyways. It's possible you still have a caloric deficit, and can still lose weight, depending on how much cereal you eat before bedtime.

    Obviously, when people get cravings, they indulge eventually. Otherwise, you don't feel good.

    My only advice is to satisfy your cravings, track it, and see how it affects you. If weight loss is a goal, and you stop losing, then you have a problem, besides having cravings... one that HAS to be fixed somehow.. if you are still happy, and becoming healthier, despite having cravings and indulging them , then enjoy.

    Lots of great suggestions on how to live with cravings. It normal for many people now, because they all eat the foods which cause cravings.. but always remember these suggestions are on how to deal with those cravings.. with little concern how that affects your health.. it covers up one problem, but make sure it doesn't create another one.. weight gain, higher blood sugars if that is an issue with you... etc.

    The suggestions are only good, if you get the same good results, when you follow them.. always let results tell you what is right. Good Luck.
  • westrich20940
    westrich20940 Posts: 921 Member
    Without knowing whether or not you're actually eating enough it's hard to give an answer to you.

    Is this 'hunger' actual hunger...? If so, then you simply need to eat something at that time since you're hungry.

    If you've calculated your calorie goal correctly and have a deficit that is attainable (not aggressive) and you are 'hungry'....you could be: thirsty, having a craving (are you hungry for something specific?), bored, anxious, etc.....

    What you describe - so hungry that you can't sleep -- makes it sound to me like you are actually hungry. Or thirsty.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I usually eat dinner around 7:30 or 8 PM and usually retire to bed to read around 9 or 9:30. It really doesn't matter as long as you are hitting your calorie targets.

    Eat dinner later or just make sure you have calories allocated for a bed time snack. You may also want to evaluate the rest of your day and what your calorie intake is and what you're eating. Even when I'm cutting weight, I'm rarely hungry save for when actual mealtime rolls around.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,002 Member
    If you're hungry to the point that you can't sleep I would guess you are not eating enough. Time to re-evaluate.
    What are your stats, routine, goals etc?
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    I occasionally eat something before going to bed, but I wouldn't choose cereal since it's fast-burning carbs. I choose protein instead because my body will ahve to work on it longer, and that usually gives me enough time to get to sleep. My current go-to is a yummy fragrant pressed tofu snack or a measured serving of nuts or peanut butter.
  • kenziestabes
    kenziestabes Posts: 338 Member
    I pre-log and reserve my "before bed" snack. Sat in on a health and wellness course, and the instructor mentioned digesting fat well when asleep. When I'm getting ready for bed, I usually eat something with protein/fat, like string cheese and take my fish oil pills at night rather than in the morning. I've found it helps me sleep through the night and not wake up hungry. After all, I have more self control at 10:30 at night than I do at 2:00 in the morning.
  • ideas2
    ideas2 Posts: 1,261 Member
    I have struggled with feeling I have to eat at night and not being able to sleep until I do. I knew that functional medicine doctors often recommend trying to have a 12 hour window of not eating, but I just did not think I could do it. Then I was introduced to the concept of ¨metabolic inflexibility¨ and found articles like this https://www.susandopart.com/2019/12/7-steps-to-increase-metabolic-flexibility-your-key-to-health-in-2020/ I realized that my prior weight loss experiences of eating multiple small meals had caused some longer terms issues for me. In case this is something you relate to, since reading this article and doing some exploring of time restricted eating, I have actually been able to get through it and avoid eating and am really starting to feel better. Now when I am hungry at night I do not see it as a problem and think of it as deprivation, I think of it as working toward the long term better functioning of my metabolism. My prior approach of trying to find something small to satisfy me never really dealt with my problem.

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