Going to bed hungry

sdoherty1000
sdoherty1000 Posts: 146 Member
edited September 27 in Health and Weight Loss
Lately I have been going to bed starving so my question is this. Is it better to go to bed to bed with the stomach making noises or eating a bowl of cereal 30mins before hand. I have been told not to eat for at least an hour and half before bed???

Replies

  • Samiwhereareyou
    Samiwhereareyou Posts: 277 Member
    just eat something light like half a sandwich or some fruit. I just ate half a cup of rice and I am about to get ready for bed. I dont like to starving myself. I would go with the bowl of cereal.
  • deadlift
    deadlift Posts: 5
    I have read not to eat 2 hours before bed, but I have big difficulty sleeping if I go to bed hungry, so I just try to eat something small an hour to two hours before. I don't think you need to go as far as going to bed with your stomach making noises, but you must wake up feeling slimmer every day!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,420 Member
    Myth.


    Save calories for a late snack. It is a "diet" myth that you can't eat X number of hours before bed. I always ate before bed when losing, and I can't sleep comfortably without a snack.

    Protein is best before bed, not carb-heavy cereal. Something like cottage cheese or yogurt is perfect.
  • registers
    registers Posts: 782 Member
    THe not eating before bed is a stupid theory. Here's why, Lets say you burn "3000 calories" in a day. and you eat "1500" in the morning, how many calories would you burn? 3000. What if you eat those 1500 calories before bed "3000" once again. People will argue "it will slow down your metabolism. It won't, because you're recovering from not eating during the day, so your muscles are going crazy for food, your metabolism would be higher as you sleep, repairing your muscles.

    YOu want to be refreshed during the day? IF you do, eat before bed.
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
    I agree with the above posters. Eat a little something to make the growlies go away but not to feel full. :)
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
    Never go to bed hungry.
  • elcar7
    elcar7 Posts: 124 Member
    hei!
    Eating right before going to bed isn't the best idea, because when you're lying down there can be an acid reflux from the stomach into the esophagus. This may cause heart burn and if you have it over longer periods some day it might cause a cancer (this is definitely not the nicest one you can imagine)
    the reflux can also be there even if you're not experiencing any pain like the heart burn. some people don't register it at all, others might have a "reflux cough" in the night/morning, which is very dry and won't get any better with drinking or so. they have also a voice, which sounds "damaged", because of the laryngitis the reflux causes, without them having any other problems

    the stomach's noises are most of the time when the sphincter muscle at the end of the stomach (and beginning of the small intestine) opens to suck in the next portion of food to be digested and nothing's in it/or not reachable (like when you're drinking with a straw at the surface of a liquid)
    it's most of the times just the start of the real hunger, if you can get yourself to concentrate on something else, and then go to bed fast, it'll go away ;)

    and the other point of view, if you're going to bed you've most probably eaten all your calories for the day, so it's better for your weight loss not to eat ;) When you're sleeping you won't feel the hunger any more and in the morning, most probably your hunger will be gone (or will be at a normal level)

    no i've told you a lot of scary stories. of course you also might not have some reflux at all, but (sorry to say) we bigger people are more likely to experience reflux, than thin people because the greater abdominal mass (the big belly) is pressing against the diaphragm.

    over all my advice would be not to eat in the evening before going to bed

    hope i could help you,
    lisa
  • DustinReiner
    DustinReiner Posts: 157 Member
    If you exercise, your muscles do most of their rebuilding at night, so I give them building blocks to work with. I drink a protein shake right before bed. I can't sleep hungry. (Jay Robb WHEY protein. ZERO fat, 110 calories, 26 grams of protein and NO sugar)

    While I've read the theory that YOU CAN eat before you go to bed, it just does like everything else goes to storage. I DON'T eat a carbo it goes to storage andwell I eat a low carb diet to eat away at the fat. I don't want to store any more. Thus the diet.

    It's your body, but I wouldn't eat ceral.

    Good luck in your goals!
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
    Go to bed earlier. :bigsmile:

    Seriously, SO many people don't get enough sleep, if you're one of them it might be worth thinking about!
  • sdoherty1000
    sdoherty1000 Posts: 146 Member
    thanks all for your reply
  • Elle408
    Elle408 Posts: 500 Member
    I generally always eat chocolate before bed, granted it's a light hot chocolate and one square or one piece of chocolate but it never did me any harm. As long as you're sticking to the calories in = calories out, it doesn't really matter when you eat that food. People get too hung up on rules! If you're hungry before bed, eat something! Save yourself a little of your calorie allowance specifically for that bedtime snack!
  • 4theking
    4theking Posts: 1,196 Member
    Eating at night will not hurt fat loss. I do it every night.
  • Sezmo83
    Sezmo83 Posts: 331 Member
    I purposely save some calories for something to eat around 11pm because I'm genuinely hungry then and if I go to bed hungry I will wake up after a couple of hours and be unable to get back to sleep because my stomach feels like it's eating itself. So then I'd have to get up and get something to eat and chances are it wouldn't be something healthy.
  • gayle4god2
    gayle4god2 Posts: 3
    Hi, my advice would be to count your calories before you eat, and keep enough to have that snack before bed time. Good Luck, Gayle
  • 1234lbsgone
    1234lbsgone Posts: 296 Member
    I prefer not to eat before bed. I've read and had it confirmed by my endocrinologist that it is best to "fast" during sleep. It allows energy to be directed towards hormones that are released at night. Certain hormones are not released if you are digesting during sleep. Digestion may also interrupt your sleep cycles. It doesn't really have anything to do with fatloss. Its strictly endocrine.

    Personally, I tend to stop eating at dinner. But if I have a snack later, I don't beat myself up about it. Usually, if I have a good dinner, I'm not hungry for a snack.

    Check with your doctor to be sure what is best for you.
  • phinners
    phinners Posts: 524 Member
    Lately I have been going to bed starving so my question is this. Is it better to go to bed to bed with the stomach making noises or eating a bowl of cereal 30mins before hand. I have been told not to eat for at least an hour and half before bed???
    Eat something. You'll feel better and more relaxed and your body with have the grub it needs. A bowl of cereal, a snack bar, a bit of toast.
  • swebb1103
    swebb1103 Posts: 200 Member
    I have popcorn an hour or two before going to bed - fills me up without killing my calorie count!
  • MyNameIsNotBob
    MyNameIsNotBob Posts: 565 Member
    I save myself a couple hundred calories for a midnight snack and it seems to help me.
  • kbanzhaf
    kbanzhaf Posts: 601 Member
    When I began this journey nearly five years ago, the dietician my doctor sent me to told me TO eat a snack in the evening so that my metabolism wouldn't slow down overnight. Same reason she told me to eat breakfast.

    During my active weight loss (which needs to begin again to get rid of these last 5-8 pounds), I would usually eat some yogurt, an apple, or a handful of almonds before I went to bed.

    Good luck!
    Kaye
  • AceH826
    AceH826 Posts: 19 Member
    I so know how that feels and I've woken up in the middle of the night hungry. So I've gotten in the habit of eating two oranges 2 hours before bed time which seems to help. For those times that I wake up I have a swig of OJ but if I have to get up more then a couple of times I'll have a banana.
  • sdoherty1000
    sdoherty1000 Posts: 146 Member
    Just wanted to say thanks for the comments. I bought some of those cereal packs that contains a set portion of 23-30grams and add a splash of milk. Im no longer going to bed hungry
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