how long to stop eating before bed?

Cal28

Both my Personal Trainer, my Doctor & Womens Health Magazine all say at least 2 hours before... (a main meal, not just eating generally)

Although I struggle with this, I get up at 5am and if I try and get the 8 hours sleep (again recommended for those trying to lose weight) this means I need to try & be in bed by 9pm.
Bit of a pain as I go straight to the gym after work & only get home at 7.30 so by the time I cook dinner it's 1 1/2 hours at very best. :frown:

alisonlynn1976

Sometimes I literally go to sleep right after eating dinner because that's the only way I can work my schedule. I am still losing weight just fine. The "no food after certain time" thing is just a way to restrict calories. It's aimed at people who would otherwise snack on junk food at night. There is nothing else magical about eating at certain times of day or not.

AH2013

I'm doing intermittent fasting and they suggest eating only for an 8 hour period. I usually break my fast, after workout, around 11.30am and finish eating around 7.30pm. It allows your body time to digest what you've eaten the previous day before adding more food. I don't starve, I eat all my cals and protein. I no longer wake up with a stomach ache from eating late and then going to bed, and am not hungry in the mornings either. It also stops me binging in the evenings and I enjoy that discipline.

You're going to get so many different opinions but I guess, just eat if you're hungry but give your body time to digest it.

SweeDecadence92

Eat when you want. I usually have a bowl of soup with a slice of toast while I'm sitting in bed, before I fall asleep. Hasn't had any negative consequences, nor have I seen any studies that would that this is improper, unhealthy or bad for weight loss.

JBnyc99

I asked a similar question and all that responded said EAT to lose! If you leave TOO much time between meals your metabolism slows. Overwhelmed by the response from people who eat at bedtime on a regular basis AND lose, I just shrug and say, oh well. If I need to I do. I never want to go to bed with a "full" stomach, but I don't mind waiting an hour and then going to bed. So far, it hasn't hurt me!

I think it is like asking if you should eat your exercise calories.

yeah, i see a mixture of opinions. most people seem to eat and go to sleep i suppose. i only asked because i used to eat more frequently before bedtime and wake up with terrible stomach pains, something to do with heartburn it turns out.

*
thanks for the opinions all, even the borerline rude ones.

if someone isnt on your page or up to your speed or thinks otherwise, dont act like they're a complete idiot!

OP,...you just gave a perfectly good reason for YOU not to eat so late,...stomach pains, heartburn, etc. If that is still the case, then you have your answer. Either don't eat so late, or try something lighter which will not make you feel ill.

Personally, I have been eating right before bed for the better part of the past 30+ years, and have never experienced any sort of discomfort or illness. So for me, I very often will eat while in bed, and will do so again tonight.

Eating late, or any time for that matter, should not have any measurable affect on your ability to lose fat. The timing of your meals simply comes down to personal preference.

Over the past year or so, I lost all of the weight I gained after an injury,...and nearly every night during that time, I ate 500-1000 cals within an hour of falling asleep. FYI,...it varies, but I normally go to sleep between 2am-6am.

JBnyc99

Ughhh. 3 year old post. ;(

snugglein

I'd say 3-4 hours.. that's what I hear all the time..

_EndGame_

I have been told, by both my doctor and MFP users, that it doesn't matter when you eat.

The whole eating before bed thing, apparently, is just a myth.

_EndGame_

Just to add, I swim in the evenings, usually finish somewhere around 9pm, I eat at around 11pm, and I'm in bed for 12. It's never affected my weight loss.

89nunu

how did this topic make it back from the ashes?

I usually eat my last food in bed wich is well annoying cause you have to get back up again and brush your teeth... someone should invent a bedside toothbrushing system, like what they have at the dentist.

Edit for spelling

Squidgeypaws007

Since this is a 3yo post I'd love to know how the eating before bed thing turned out for the OP - did she stop eating 2 hours before bed? Or eat right up until time to sleep? The mystery is too much to bear....!

Therealobi1

I was told by my Dr. not to eat 2 hrs before bed. Helps with acid not coming back up your esophagus etc.

This is true for me. The pain is too much for me so I try and stick to this. Nothing to do with weight loss just dont wont to wake up in pain.

mcibty

how did this topic make it back from the ashes?

I usually eat my last food in bed wich is well annoying cause you have to get back up again and brush your teeth... someone should invent a bedside toothbrushing system, like what they have at the dentist.

Edit for spelling

This. You can eat until you fall asleep in bed, it doesn't matter.

jennifer_417

Irrelevant. It doesn't matter WHEN you eat, only (barring a health problem) HOW MUCH you eat. Calories In <Calories Out.

jennifer_417

Wow, misinformation a-plenty. You can eat any time. There is no magic cutoff time.

you are misinformed........ you have to give your body time to to digest your hormones time to do their thing, because if u dont stop eating after 9pm your body won't slip into a deep sleep, so you wont be as rested which causes you to be hungrier in the morning

Where on earth did you hear that? I will remember that as I have my last meal tonight 11:30pm, before I fall into a deep sleep. And yes I will wake up hungry. If only there was a solution to that problem... oh wait... I can eat my breakfast!

*gigglesnort* :flowerforyou:

anneyeats

Takes about 4 hours for your body to digest food. "Breakfast like a king, lunch like a commoner and supper like a pauper!

grantwashere

Just to add, I swim in the evenings, usually finish somewhere around 9pm, I eat at around 11pm, and I'm in bed for 12. It's never affected my weight loss.

And lost 130 lbs. Seems to me, the opposite arguments are invalid. We are trying to do what he has done. If he is getting phenomenal results, how can you waste any of your time wondering when the proper time to eat is?

ell_v131

Meal timing has been proven irrelevant to weight loss, so it's completely up to your Personal preference. I snack all the way up till bedtime and I'm losing steadily.

thesupremeforce

This topic came back because no one gave the correct answer: MIDNIGHT!

allana1111

I don't eat after 7 because I go to bed around 10...it seems to have boosted my weight loss but I don't know for sure since I also eat healthy/work out etc.

Unknown

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