late night protein

NoAdditives

I need ideas for protein snacks to eat fairly close to bedtime. I go to the gym first thing in the morning (before breakfast) but now that I'm pregnant I want to make sure my blood sugar isn't too low. So I need to avoid carbs and would like to avoid fats as well. My go to snack would be beef jerky, but since I'm pregnant I can't eat it. (It can potentially have listeria which causes miscarriages.) Since I'd like to avoid fats I don't want to eat nuts or peanut butter or anything like that.

Newfiedan

Well late at night I would opt for casein protein, either from milk or powder as it is slower digesting and tends to give a longer release period while sleeping, but being that you are pregnant I would not be sure how that would impact your body so check with a doc first to be sure that it is a good idea. I am also unsure about the idea of fat loss while pregnant, you do not want to chance hurting the baby's growth/health. Good fats are essential for proper body function and carbs are not the enemy, you just need better choices of carbs especially when pregnant. So olive oil, omega 3, fish, salmon, eggs.

xraychick77

to starve off blood sugar drops you need to eat carbs low on the glycemic index. protein does nothing.

davejlee

Tofu
Lean turkey or chicken
Protein shake. There are some which are low in calories, fats and carbs.

However, I would opt for some pre-workout carbs. You need that energy for a workout.

NoAdditives

Well late at night I would opt for casein protein, either from milk or powder as it is slower digesting and tends to give a longer release period while sleeping, but being that you are pregnant I would not be sure how that would impact your body so check with a doc first to be sure that it is a good idea. I am also unsure about the idea of fat loss while pregnant, you do not want to chance hurting the baby's growth/health. Good fats are essential for proper body function and carbs are not the enemy, you just need better choices of carbs especially when pregnant. So olive oil, omega 3, fish, salmon, eggs.

to starve off blood sugar drops you need to eat carbs low on the glycemic index. protein does nothing.

Not to sound rude, but this is my third pregnancy, I know what I'm doing. I'm not trying for weight loss right now, though if this pregnancy is like my last two, I'll lose for the half while still eating normally. I know that I need fats and carbs, I'm nor trying to avoid them completely, just right before bed. Both are used for energy and if I sleep right after eating them they'll just get stored as fat, which is not what I need. Protein digests slower and will be better for me. I had gestational diabetes with my last pregnancy, I know all about blood sugar spikes and crashes. Low GI carbs aren't going to help, they'll make me feel worse in the morning.

NoAdditives

I'll look into some new protein shakes. The problem is that I won't consume any artificial sweeteners and the selection of natural shakes that taste good and also have low carbs/sugar/etc. are slim, especially since I hate the taste of Stevia. But, I'm low on my current powder, so I'll look for a good casein shake.

I've been doing my workouts before breakfast for a little while now, I've had no problem with a lack of energy. I just wish I could eat some jerky! It seems like I crave it big time with each pregnancy.

FitToFab

cottage cheese on toast....

dave4d

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=14865670

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=15217500

Some interesting articles on pregnancy, and obesity dealing with carbs.

NoAdditives

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=14865670

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=15217500

Some interesting articles on pregnancy, and obesity dealing with carbs.

Well, I've conquered my sugar addiction and I'm craving vegetables, so this baby shouldn't be all about sugar. And as I said, I'm not trying to cut out carbs from my entire diet, I just don't want to eat them right before bed. They digest too quickly and make me so hungry in the morning that I'm sick to my stomach (and no, it's not morning sickness). I like protein at night because it takes longer to digest, making me less hungry in the morning and able to exercise without needing breakfast first.

Which, by the way, I've been doing for a while with success and is something that I have to do in order to get a decent workout in. I have to wake up early and get to the gym so that I can hopefully be home before my kids wake up so that my insomniac husband doesn't have to get up with them. I'm not a morning person and am not interested in getting an hour earlier than I already do just so that I can get some breakfast in before I work out. I have a protein shake immediately after exercising, I even bring it to the gym with me and drink it on the way home. And a little while after that I have breakfast with my kids.

Just so everyone knows, I'm not starving myself, I'm not trying to actively lose weight, although it really wouldn't hurt anything. I'm eat 2-3 times what I ate when I was pregnant with my daughter and I had horrendous morning sickness for almost 6 months. I'm still early in my first trimester and at this point, the baby really doesn't need much in the way of nutrition. Pregnant women really aren't supposed to start eating more until at least the second trimester and even then it's only supposed to be 300 extra calories. As long as an overweight woman is taking prenatal vitamins and is eating a healthy, balanced diet, there's no real reason to eat those extra calories.

eating4balance

-Greek yogurt with a handful of fresh blueberries (healthy carbs)
-Egg beaters or egg whites
-Deli meat like turkey or ham (I like to cut this into thin strips and cook in a sprayed skillet-Tastes like bacon )

Newfiedan

What I had said was not an attack on you just to be clear, I was just concerned given what you had stated with the original post, I am a parent of a little boy and I just want to make sure that it is done in a healthy manner is all. I have seen some pretty strange ideas on here from people including mothers who are nursing, pregnant and otherwise trying to lose weight. I believe in a healthy approach to fat loss and not extremist behavior. I am not saying that you are being that way just wanted to make sure you have your priorities set right which from the sounds of it you do. There are natural sources of casein protein, but I am pretty sure that you can opt for a good powder if you search around for it. I am not an expert like I said but I do take the time to educate myself about what is available to get the best results from my goal so I would be happy to offer you any help I can in that regard. Best of luck in finding what you are looking for.