Eating Late--really detrimental?

megganjana

Eating something before you go to bed is highly reccomended because if you've noticed, that when you eat before you go to bed, you wake up hungry. And breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So as long as you're working out and eating right, eating something before bed is just fine.

ShapeUpSidney

well that sux, but the energy i get from my meals i feel helps me in the gym. i do 25 minutes of cardio in the morning and 25 minutes of cardio in the evening and inbetween all that about an hour and a half of weight lifting.

Oh it can help you stay energized for your workout, of course. I've had to take a break in the middle of a gym sesh to eat on several occasions. It just wont do anything to change your metabolic rate.

amaodonnell

I doubt the clock has anything to do with losing weight. Some of the smallest people I know, stay up a majority of the night. And what they do eat, sucks! One person I know lives off of ice cream and mountain dew it seems and he is the size of my thigh. He's in his 40s so now I don't even think "His metabolism will slow down one day..."

AmberMagdalena

if i wake up in the middle of the night and feel like snaking i will, i eat just about every 2 hours to keep my metabolism on fire.

meal frequency does nothing to boost metabolism...that is a myth

well that sux, but the energy i get from my meals i feel helps me in the gym. i do 25 minutes of cardio in the morning and 25 minutes of cardio in the evening and inbetween all that about an hour and a half of weight lifting.

Aye, Buddy, if it works for you, there's no arguing that! Different strokes for different folks!

badbull69

Im a firm believer that eating carbs after 7 will add some bodyweight. Your body will not process the carbs during the night as it does during the day. Therefore since they have no where to go, they attach to your fat cells, making them bigger.

When I cut, lose bodyfat, I have no carbs (breads, rice, sweet potatoes) after 3pm. If Im adding mass, I will eat carbs up to 7pm.

that is my two cents.

They attach to your fat cells huh?

Don't you know that they have tiny hooks? It's a well known scientific fact

Tiny hooks???

lemonadem

Only if the late night eating causes you to exceed your total daily intake. (So basically, it doesn't matter).

I will eat until I run out of calories or fall asleep.

This. and This.

It's not true at all. You can eat right up till you go to bed without it effecting your weight loss, assuming you are still in a caloric deficit

I frequently eat right before bed, and have had success losing weight

drmerc

Im a firm believer that eating carbs after 7 will add some bodyweight. Your body will not process the carbs during the night as it does during the day. Therefore since they have no where to go, they attach to your fat cells, making them bigger.

When I cut, lose bodyfat, I have no carbs (breads, rice, sweet potatoes) after 3pm. If Im adding mass, I will eat carbs up to 7pm.

that is my two cents.

They attach to your fat cells huh?

That is what I have read and been told by several trainers. These trainers compete. I have seen the results from their workout and diets. I do believe there is a difference between working out and diet to look good and feel good AND working out and diet for competing. Diets for competition are much more strict and harsh.... As of my late afternoon snack, I will be only at 86g of good carbs for the day. The rest of the evening, my carbs will come from veggies, and low amounts, I might hit 95g for the day.

I guess that settles it

runnerjenn0708

I eat bacon in bed, I'll spare you the other details.

^ Coolest guy EVER. I LOVE bacon. I would marry bacon, but my wife would disapprove.

TWO coolest GUYS EVER!!!!!! Bacon rocks.. even MORE SO in bed !!!!!!!!!!!!

missbis

I will consider it B.S. until I find academic research to support it. I think the idea is that you run out of calories near the end of the day or some people have a problem with binging at night. Like so many others have said in this thread, as long as you don't exceed your calories, it doesn't matter what time you eat. Some of us have later schedules and can't help it!

missbis

Found this excerpted from The British Medical Journal in 2008 concerning health myths:

"Vreeman and Carroll write that at first glance, some scientific studies seem to support this idea. But just because obesity and eating more meals at night are associated, it does not mean that one causes the other. People gain weight when they consume more calories overall than they burn. Eating more meals and taking in more calories makes you gain weight regardless of when the calories are consumed. The bottom line, they say, is that the time of day or night when one eats is irrelevant."

Correlation =/= causation

Ilbrantdai

Cool, thanks for all the replies guys. I was considering this last night around 10pm while I sat starving in my bed!

Acg67

Found this excerpted from The British Medical Journal in 2008 concerning health myths:

"Vreeman and Carroll write that at first glance, some scientific studies seem to support this idea. But just because obesity and eating more meals at night are associated, it does not mean that one causes the other. People gain weight when they consume more calories overall than they burn. Eating more meals and taking in more calories makes you gain weight regardless of when the calories are consumed. The bottom line, they say, is that the time of day or night when one eats is irrelevant."

Correlation =/= causation

Pfft science, more importantly do Dr Oz and Jillian agree?

musdoit2

I eat at night and it does not seem to have any effect on my weight loss, besides it helps me fall asleep, going to bed with the growlies keeps me wide awake..Also I always will leave some room for my snack so I keep my calories under...

alyssamiller77

That is what I have read and been told by several trainers. These trainers compete. I have seen the results from their workout and diets. I do believe there is a difference between working out and diet to look good and feel good AND working out and diet for competing. Diets for competition are much more strict and harsh.... As of my late afternoon snack, I will be only at 86g of good carbs for the day. The rest of the evening, my carbs will come from veggies, and low amounts, I might hit 95g for the day.

OK so this is some evidence toward the benefits of a low carb diet when trying to severely cut body fat %, but how does that in any way apply to the discussion about the time of day in which you eat those carbs? I don't compete, I don't have any medical degrees, but what I do have is a body that is 34 pounds lighter than it was just 6 months ago, a body that boasts an impressive (to me) 9% body fat. I've put on about an inch of muscle in by biceps and I'm fortunate enough to now be sporting a six pack. All the while I've been eating plenty of carbs (200-300g per day) and eating a good sized snack before bed EVERY evening. So obviously my carbs aren't "attaching" themselves to my fat cells.

The reality is your body adds fat when it has a surplus of calories. Fat is just a way that your body can store up reserves of energy for later use.

Ilbrantdai

Found this excerpted from The British Medical Journal in 2008 concerning health myths:

"Vreeman and Carroll write that at first glance, some scientific studies seem to support this idea. But just because obesity and eating more meals at night are associated, it does not mean that one causes the other. People gain weight when they consume more calories overall than they burn. Eating more meals and taking in more calories makes you gain weight regardless of when the calories are consumed. The bottom line, they say, is that the time of day or night when one eats is irrelevant."

Correlation =/= causation

Pfft science, more importantly do Dr Oz and Jillian agree?

Hahahaha

badbull69

That is what I have read and been told by several trainers. These trainers compete. I have seen the results from their workout and diets. I do believe there is a difference between working out and diet to look good and feel good AND working out and diet for competing. Diets for competition are much more strict and harsh.... As of my late afternoon snack, I will be only at 86g of good carbs for the day. The rest of the evening, my carbs will come from veggies, and low amounts, I might hit 95g for the day.

OK so this is some evidence toward the benefits of a low carb diet when trying to severely cut body fat %, but how does that in any way apply to the discussion about the time of day in which you eat those carbs? I don't compete, I don't have any medical degrees, but what I do have is a body that is 34 pounds lighter than it was just 6 months ago, a body that boasts an impressive (to me) 9% body fat. I've put on about an inch of muscle in by biceps and I'm fortunate enough to now be sporting a six pack. All the while I've been eating plenty of carbs (200-300g per day) and eating a good sized snack before bed EVERY evening. So obviously my carbs aren't "attaching" themselves to my fat cells.

The reality is your body adds fat when it has a surplus of calories. Fat is just a way that your body can store up reserves of energy for later use.

Was stateing thru my experience, (reality, reading, listening to trainers) that I have been told not to eat carbs past 7pm. According to Kris Gethin, C.E.O. of bodybuilding.com in his diet, you can have carbs for a post workout meal in the evening and that is it. Its laid out in his book. Body by Design, the last carb meal is at 3p.m.

Im not saying its for everyone, but I have found it beneficial to my diet and training. I have seen results.

In conclusion, I dont eat carbs late at night (when cutting).....just saying.

wirralmum

I eat bacon in bed, I'll spare you the other details.

Hahahahaha :-)

OP, I agree with what most people here have said - as long as you remain within your calorie limits, it doesn't matter what time you eat. Eat and enjoy.

MyFeistyEvolution

Answer is no. You're body doesn't know what time it is, nor does it care. As long as you are eating within your calories and macros, you will be fine.

I will say, however, eating crap food late at night may cause an upset tummy right before bed...but that's about it.

JDMPWR

It will not cause you to gain weight as long as you are still in a deficit, but keep in mind that your metabolism is not as rapid during sleep. You may wake up and see a increase in your body weight because your body may not be done digesting the food you ate just a few hours previous OR you have not gone to the washroom, to well, you can figure it out from here.

ShapeUpSidney

Was stateing thru my experience, (reality, reading, listening to trainers) that I have been told not to eat carbs past 7pm. According to Kris Gethin, C.E.O. of bodybuilding.com in his diet, you can have carbs for a post workout meal in the evening and that is it. Its laid out in his book. Body by Design, the last carb meal is at 3p.m.

Im not saying its for everyone, but I have found it beneficial to my diet and training. I have seen results.

In conclusion, I dont eat carbs late at night (when cutting).....just saying.

Beyond being a massage therapist and "sports therapist" with what amounts to LESS THAN a college education, Kris Gethin has absolutely NO credentials to speak of. He is a marketing genius, that is self-evident. There are TOMES out there from people with DECADES of nutritional education and research that say otherwise.

Then you have people like me and others, who successfully nosh on carbs whenever with no consequences whatsoever. Broscience will never be real science, but whatever works for you...