No food after 8pm??

blakejohn

a protein shake just before bed everynight if you sleep 6 to 8 hours thats a long time with no fuel

BobbyDaniel

I usually have a late snack, a low cal fudge bar or something of that sort, between 9 and 10 each evening and it hasn't had any negative effects on me. I think the key is avoiding the pigging out that late, which does add to the calorie total, but for me also makes me wake up hungrier than usual.

stroutman81

Mini-fasts, as what we see overnight, aren't harmful to metabolism or body composition based on the available data. In fact, our metabolism tends to spike upward during the early stages of fasting. But it's really a matter of hair-splitting.

precious71701

Awesome weight loss....keep it up....congrats...

brneydgrlie

The most important thing is calories in vs calories out overall, but if you want to get technical there is a physiological difference in how your body processes food - especially sugars - while sleeping versus while being awake. If you eat a bunch of sugary snacks and then go straight to bed it can disrupt your sleep (i.e. your muscle repair) and also those sugars are more likely to go straight to fat cells because you aren't moving at all to burn them off. Because of this I've read that some trainers advise eating most of your daily carbs/sugars in the morning and off and don't have any after about 4pm (this is if weight loss is your goal). This is to make sure the body can burn them off before bed.

But again, the most important thing - the only thing that matters to the vast majority of us unless you are a body builder or in a medical study - is to be as active as possible and eat fewer calories than you burn.

Personally, I try to stop eating at least 2 hours before going to bed. Not because of a calorie issue, but because of digestion. I sleep better when I do this. Also, if I eat right before going to bed, it sometimes gives me heartburn.

popsicle33

I used to believe eating late caused weight gain, but after some research I'm not so sure.

I found this really great article about it...take a look.

http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSI/9273/35323/432544.html?d=dmtHMSContent

I just scanned this article and it is compelling. It makes sense to think that if one remains within reasonable calorie intake, perhaps time of day matters less than I thought. I physically feel better in the mornings, however, when had a light dinner the night before (most of us do!) Thanks for the interesting info.

emsibun

What an interesting discussion!

I stopped snacking in the evening on less active days when I began my weight loss journey - I'm watching to see if there are calories left to use in the evening now since I only joined yesterday and have been logging food for only two days.

Yesterday I wasn't so active and only exercised once (which counts as a not very active day for me since I usually walk in the morning and afternoon). I only had 100 calories spare after dinner and wasn't hungry so had no snack.

Now today is much different. According to my pedometer I've walked over 16500 steps today - half of that would be carrying moderately heavy grocery bags as well. That's 'out walking' since I take the pedometer off when I get home and put it on the table. After this amount of activity I know for sure that I will be hungry later. :laugh: I hope that after my dinner there's some calories left for a snack!

This won't change my habits. I'll still have a snack in the evening if I've been active all day because I'll be hungry. It will change what I choose to eat though

mcointreau

I think snacking late is OK, I just try try to do it about an hour before I go to bed, while I am still sitting up so the food really travels down to the stomach. Did you know taking pills right before bed is one of the leading causes of reflux? I learned that from my stepdad who was a leading gastroenterologist.

Anyhoo -- I do think it's good to try and keep food at night light and easy to digest. Protein also helps you wake up with good blood sugar levels.

RMinVA

I used to believe eating late caused weight gain, but after some research I'm not so sure.

I found this really great article about it...take a look.

http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSI/9273/35323/432544.html?d=dmtHMSContent

I just scanned this article and it is compelling. It makes sense to think that if one remains within reasonable calorie intake, perhaps time of day matters less than I thought. I physically feel better in the mornings, however, when had a light dinner the night before (most of us do!) Thanks for the interesting info.

I think it depends on the person but I can't sleep if I eat too much after 8pm. And since I'm usually just sitting down for dinner then, I'm never hungry before bed anyway.

jewelzz

I don't eat 3hrs before bed.So if I go to bed at 12 I stop eating at 9,works for me:bigsmile: