Info of the Day: "Stop eating Late."

SergeantSunshine_reused

Well I'm not an expert but follow Tom Venuto's guidence- he said you should eat for what you are about to do. You don't need carbs before bed since you don't need to fuel exercise. His theory also factors in body type- I'm an endomorph, so i should be eating my carbs during the day when I have more time to burn them off. Some people are more carb-sensitive than others.

I think it depends a lot on the individual as well as the size of the deficit. What do you eat before bed?

i'm familiar with his writing, i have burn the fat feed the muscle. i eat ben and jerry's and other stuff before bed, depends on how many cals i have left and what i can fit in there

Well you're lucky then! Eating ice cream before bed won't work for most people, but all the power too you, you look fantastic!

thank you for the compliment, but really there is no magic fairy that will turn the ice cream into fat for people running a caloric deficit and eating it before bed

Completely true. Its not just him. You could probably do it too and be fine if it fits in your macros. I have a dessert most nights before bed if I have the calories and am relatively lean and still losing :]

sweetsarahj

Well I'm not an expert but follow Tom Venuto's guidence- he said you should eat for what you are about to do. You don't need carbs before bed since you don't need to fuel exercise. His theory also factors in body type- I'm an endomorph, so i should be eating my carbs during the day when I have more time to burn them off. Some people are more carb-sensitive than others.

I think it depends a lot on the individual as well as the size of the deficit. What do you eat before bed?

i'm familiar with his writing, i have burn the fat feed the muscle. i eat ben and jerry's and other stuff before bed, depends on how many cals i have left and what i can fit in there

Well you're lucky then! Eating ice cream before bed won't work for most people, but all the power too you, you look fantastic!

thank you for the compliment, but really there is no magic fairy that will turn the ice cream into fat for people running a caloric deficit and eating it before bed

That's ok, we can agree to disagree. You obviously know what works for you Everyone has different genetics and reacts to food differently, and there's a reason Tom Ventuo listed ice cream as the number one "food that turns to fat"

albayin

Whenever I eat before bed, I will have nightmares. That's the only reason to stop me from eating too late. But I also heard people who skip dinner "seem" having quicker weight loss but I have never tried that. I figure with one less meal, it essentially means cutting back the calorie intake. In that sense, skipping dinner, breakfast, or lunch should make no difference, or should it?

SergeantSunshine_reused

Whenever I eat before bed, I will have nightmares. That's the only reason to stop me from eating too late. But I also heard people who skip dinner "seem" having quicker weight loss but I have never tried that. I figure with one less meal, it essentially means cutting back the calorie intake. In that sense, skipping dinner, breakfast, or lunch should make no difference, or should it?

Exactly. It doesnt matter at all. Meal timing is irrelevant!

SueInAz

Whenever I eat before bed, I will have nightmares. That's the only reason to stop me from eating too late. But I also heard people who skip dinner "seem" having quicker weight loss but I have never tried that. I figure with one less meal, it essentially means cutting back the calorie intake. In that sense, skipping dinner, breakfast, or lunch should make no difference, or should it?

If you're eating less calories than your BMR it can definitely hurt you.

I've also read that spreading the same amount of calories over 3 meals, as opposed to two, will up your metabolism a bit. That was talking about skipping breakfast in particular, but if you're going 16-20 hours without eating (lunch to breakfast), you can't be doing your body much good. I know there are those who eat all of their calories in a 5 hour window, but I can't imagine that works for everyone. I know I would be one very grumpy person.

albayin

Whenever I eat before bed, I will have nightmares. That's the only reason to stop me from eating too late. But I also heard people who skip dinner "seem" having quicker weight loss but I have never tried that. I figure with one less meal, it essentially means cutting back the calorie intake. In that sense, skipping dinner, breakfast, or lunch should make no difference, or should it?

If you're eating less calories than your BMR it can definitely hurt you.

I've also read that spreading the same amount of calories over 3 meals, as opposed to two, will up your metabolism a bit. That was talking about skipping breakfast in particular, but if you're going 16-20 hours without eating (lunch to breakfast), you can't be doing your body much good. I know there are those who eat all of their calories in a 5 hour window, but I can't imagine that works for everyone. I know I would be one very grumpy person.

I get what you mean and I don't disagree. However, I don't want to sound too judgemental to those who choose to skip a meal as their approach either. Who know. They might have got all the calories with 2 meals.

I myself can't skip any meal, especially dinner.

ninerbuff

This is a myth. Total calorie intake in 24 hours is the SAME whether you ate it a 7pm or 11:59pm.

wolfchild59

According to my BodyMedia Fit charts I burn .9-1.1 calories per minute when I sleep. I burn 1-1.2 calories per minute when I'm sitting at my desk at work or on my couch at home.

When I'm awake, I eat something (meal or snack) every three hours or so. I sleep for about six-seven hours each night.

Which means, technically, if I eat something close to bedtime, my body actually has more time to burn that and turn it into energy than while I'm awake and sitting on my *kitten* at work.

So while I tend try to not to eat too terribly close to bedtime, if I do, I don't stress about it.

Michelle_M2002

If I'm hungry, I can't sleep. So if I feel hungry before bed, I have a snack. One of my favorites is a glass of warm milk with a bit of honey and a pinch of sea salt.

Oh, and I don't eat breakfast as soon as I get up either. I'm not hungry . If I try to force myself to eat, it makes me nauseous. So even though I'm up by 8am, I typically don't eat until 10:00 or 10:30, ESPECIALLY if I'm going to go work out first thing in the morning, like I did today.

So if I didn't eat after 7pm, and then ate breakfast at 10:30 am, that's more than 15 hours without eating.. and sorry, but I can't do that! So, yeah, I typically have a snack around 9pm.

So to say that NO ONE should eat within 3 hours of bedtime EVER is just not true. If it works for you, that's great. But it doesn't work for everyone. And if someone is feeling hungry at 7pm, then they should eat something healthy, rather than try to hold off and then either spend the night tossing and turning because they can't sleep due to hunger pains, or they cave in and then gorge themselves on junk food and over eat.

God bless!

mamax5

I do tire of all these scientific things that make loosing weight difficult. When I lost 40 lbs the first time around. I was eating lasagna....steak and potatoes, burgers, hotdogs, bread and all kinds of things! I even had candy and icecream. All I did was watch my portions sizes. I gained weigh back because I lost motivation and hit a plateau. I think a lot of these "rules" discourage a lot of people when it comes to weightloss. If you eat too much...watch your portions....if you eat crap, eat more healthy things and less crap. Watch your calories, that's the biggest thing. The more I loose with the way I am and with what I eat I fully believe the whole calories in calories out. I lost 6 lbs in two weeks and I had been known to eat chips right before bed...gasp!

Choclat_Pearl

I RESPECT everyone's comments! YOU have to pick and choose what works for you...Info of the Day: is "just" that - INFO...It's not to persuade anyone to one side or the other...If you do not like the post...you really don't have to waste ur time with a comment 'I'M JUST SAYING" I also, DO NOT expect anyone to do what I do. What works for me works for "me" everything doesn't work for everybody...Have a Blessed & Awesome Day!


Smooches.

ninerbuff

I do tire of all these scientific things that make loosing weight difficult. When I lost 40 lbs the first time around. I was eating lasagna....steak and potatoes, burgers, hotdogs, bread and all kinds of things! I even had candy and icecream. All I did was watch my portions sizes. I gained weigh back because I lost motivation and hit a plateau. I think a lot of these "rules" discourage a lot of people when it comes to weightloss. If you eat too much...watch your portions....if you eat crap, eat more healthy things and less crap. Watch your calories, that's the biggest thing. The more I loose with the way I am and with what I eat I fully believe the whole calories in calories out. I lost 6 lbs in two weeks and I had been known to eat chips right before bed...gasp!

You should still try to eat some nutritious foods to supplement essentials, but other than that I agree with you on portions and moderation. I've eaten that way for most of my life and haven't had any hardly any large weight gain.

Thesoundofwolf

I knew not to eat before bed, I just didn't know that magical 'time to stop'.. not that I junk around. >.> .. ok maybe a little, but I'm breaking that habbit, I swear!

I just can't say no to late night popcorn and tv. ;-; It is my weaknesssssssssss.. so I get the 100cal snack bags, yes they cost more, and are retarded to try to heat up, but its the right portion and stops me from eating the entire bag.

Plus, I have insomia... like terrible insomia. I average 3AM bed, 10AM wake up. Roughly around there, if at all.

I'm hoping diet and excersize will help my insomia, along with my doctor's percribed sleepaid.. ;-;

JessPL

Nice post Mz! Very informative

AngelikaLumiere

When I first started on MFP I mentioned that I got grumpy in the evenings because I wasn't eating before bed and I got a LOT of negative feedback. Well it's been a month and, this is what I know is true, for me. I can't eat within three hours of bedtime, because it makes it harder for me to get to sleep and stay asleep, I don't wake up hungry and so I forget to eat, sometimes until dinner, and because it sometimes results in acid re flux which makes me anxious and anxiety eating is an issue with me. You combine just these three problems and I gain weight, whenever I slip into the eating late habit. I am probably not the only one with one or more of these issues. So to all those dogmatic people out there who say the only thing that matters is calorie intake, not the time you eat, I say, take a chill pill, but calorie intake is only one part of weight loss and for some people timing IS important.

bcattoes

I am a late night eater because that's what fits my schedule and I've never had a problem sleeping or losing weight because I have a late dinner. BUT, there is some evidence (below) that eating late inhibits weight loss. Who knows, maybe I would have lost faster if I'd eaten earlier. Maybe not. This article doesn't mention what the study considered "late night".


http://blogs.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/2009/09/beware-of-late-night-eating.html
Northwestern University has just come out with a study that shows what a lot of people don’t want to hear: eating when the body prefers to be sleeping (ahem, when it’s dark outside and most of your neighbors are in bed) can have an impact on weight gain – regardless of your calorie load for the day. Timing your meals, it turns out, plays a much bigger role in your weight equation than previously thought.

kiesh82

for weight loss it makes no difference if you eat 3 hrs before bed or 1 min before bed

Word.

I think that people hear some of these weight loss theories so much that they take them as fact without ever really stopping to wonder if they make sense or are even true. If I am hungry I eat. Period. I'm losing 1.5 lbs/week on average (I set my calorie goal for a 1lb/week loss).

ninerbuff

I RESPECT everyone's comments! YOU have to pick and choose what works for you...Info of the Day: is "just" that - INFO...It's not to persuade anyone to one side or the other...If you do not like the post...you really don't have to waste ur time with a comment 'I'M JUST SAYING" I also, DO NOT expect anyone to do what I do. What works for me works for "me" everything doesn't work for everybody...Have a Blessed & Awesome Day!


Smooches.

But the thread heading makes it seem as if it's an article based or science based fact, when it isn't. Maybe if you would have put "Eating late doesn't work for me" then it would be based more on your opinion.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I RESPECT everyone's comments! YOU have to pick and choose what works for you...Info of the Day: is "just" that - INFO...It's not to persuade anyone to one side or the other...If you do not like the post...you really don't have to waste ur time with a comment 'I'M JUST SAYING" I also, DO NOT expect anyone to do what I do. What works for me works for "me" everything doesn't work for everybody...Have a Blessed & Awesome Day!


Smooches.

But the thread heading makes it seem as if it's an article based or science based fact, when it isn't. Maybe if you would have put "Eating late doesn't work for me" then it would be based more on your opinion.

This^^ And, heck if it's out there then it will get dialogue. The reason that putting a restriction on eating late sometimes works for people is because it tends to keep them from snacking on empty calories. It is a myth that when in any given 24 hour period you eat matters, the only thing that reall matters is what you eat.

Now, if you don't want dialogue, then you can always blog instead of post.

engineman312

I eat IN bed....I'm not doing this right, am I?

this cracked me up.

Sweet13_Princess

I understand the philosophy, but late night is the only time I actually feel hungry! I always allot calories for a 9pm snack, even though I got o bed aroun d 11pm. I'd be ravenous if I didn't!

Even when a person sleeps, their body keeps working. That's how skin repairs itself. Interesting theory, but I'm not sure I quite believe it!

Shannon

Biggipooh

I eat just like you. Hate, eating so late, because then I just can't sleep very well. I actually go to bed a little hungry. Love it, when my stomach is flat in the morning.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I eat IN bed....I'm not doing this right, am I?

Depends what you're eating . . .

DestinyDarbi

for weight loss it makes no difference if you eat 3 hrs before bed or 1 min before bed

Ok.. I gotta ask.. Why the heck does my Wii Fit tell me not to eat after 6 PM!? I have done zero research on this.. I just accepted that little square robot on my Wii Fit screen was telling me the truth. But if I weigh on it, and I gain, it says that it could be because I am eating too late and that this can cause my food to be stored as fat. Stupid little liar... Not that I ever took its advice anyway... :laugh:

Personally, if I eat too much before bed, my tummy hurts the next morning.. but I have to eat at least a snack or I wake up starving in the middle of the night!! But if it really doesn't matter, I think we should send a letter to the Wii Fit people.. hehe :grumble:

AngelikaLumiere

I have just read about twenty articles from various sources and it seems the "experts" are as divided on this issue as the contributors to this Topic.
Most of them agree, as I think we do, that if you eat more than you burn, no matter when you eat it, you will not loose weight. However, if the calorie intake and exercise remains constant, there are some studies that show eating earlier in the day leads to more rapid weight loss, however eating later in the day leads to better maintenance of lean body mass.

8rules

I swear, I see more unsubstantiated advice preached as gospel in MFP forums...

I eat some nice slow protein and some nice fat before bed on strength days.

Growth hormones peak at night, protein and fat aid in production of growth hormone. In fact, good luck getting high testosterone levels on a very low fat diet. So I give my body what it needs for that peak.

And I also digest just fine over night. I will not share the evidence with you, but if you want proof, just eat some corn on the cob before bed and check the results when read the paper the next day.

Things slow in your sleep, they do not stop.

I think this advice is spot on for certain people seeking comfort, but hardly any realistic weight loss advice.

I think for some though, not eating at night would result in one less meal a day. Which could help weight loss.