Going to bed hungry...

nomoreexcuses121

If you're hungry should you just ignore it or eat something small?

nebulinda

What I do is go to bed hungry. If I can't get to sleep after 20-30 minutes of being so hungry, I have a small snack.

laurenk182004

I was wondering this same thing. People say not to go to bed having just eaten, but they also say if you're hungry, eat! lol so I don't know the answer. I'm pregnant, so no matter what, I eat if I feel hungry. I'm not using MFP to lose weight at the moment. I'm using it to track my nutrients and food intake, and to keep the gain down because my doctor recomended it. (In case you were wondering lol)

Lauren

SammyPacks

It's not good to eat a lot before bed, but don't go to bed hungry either! Just get a snack if you're hungry, don't deny food to your body :P

healthyJenn0915

I typically just ignore the hunger and go to bed anyway. Not sure if that is the right thing to do or not!

chicky89

Alot of the time, when I'm "hungry" at night, Im bored and just want to snack. In this case, I will go to bed with nothing to eat. If I am really hungry, I will have a small snack!

Juneliliy

When I went to bed last night I was feeling satisfied. Around 3am I woke up due to a sudden noise and I was really hungry. I ignored it, but could not sleep. I ended up drinking 2 cups of water and that held me over until I woke up at 7am. But I felt as thought I was starving!!

KareninCanada

If it's real hunger, I'll have something like ww toast and peanut butter, because otherwise being hungry will keep me awake. Of course, then I wake up starving in the morning. Go figure.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I eat something healthy-- I never go hungry for any reason, and you can see that it has not hindered my progress. Actually I know that I'll want something right at bedtime so I always allocate a few calories for that.

Now if you have reflux, indigestion, or a problem just eating a small snack then it might not be for you. Otherwise, no reason to go hungry in my opinion. Also if you have eaten all your calories I often find that a cup of hot tea will satisfy me if I'm just wanting something. If I've eaten all my calories but am genuinely hungry I'll eat something like a handful of unsalted almonds, so I may go over by a little but I'm still going to bed with a deficit.

Fitness_4_Jess

If I am just a little hungry and kinda munchy I will go to bed if i am winding down for the night, but if I am STARVING I snack on something healthy.

chevy88grl

If I go to bed hungry, I will wake up in the middle of the night and this is when I binge eat.

I eat before I go to bed - every night.

Plus, I don't know about most of you, but there's no way I can fall asleep and stay asleep if I'm hungry (and that seems WAY too much like I'm on a diet!).

sarahness

i usually go to bed hungry. i drink a giant glass of water and then watch tv and lay in bed to get my mind off it.

sed484

Small snack is ok. The nutritionist I was seeing said if you have a late night snack absolutely make sure it is mostly protein, very little carbs.

chevy88grl

It's not good to eat a lot before bed, but don't go to bed hungry either! Just get a snack if you're hungry, don't deny food to your body :P

Why isn't it good to eat a lot before bed?

I work second shift and there are many nights I eat my "dinner" (chicken or fish and then rice or potatoes and a veggie too) within 30 mins to an hour of going to bed.

Lost nearly 60lbs. Have kept it off since Sept 2010. It depends on YOUR body and mine likes me to eat before bed.

chevy88grl

Small snack is ok. The nutritionist I was seeing said if you have a late night snack absolutely make sure it is mostly protein, very little carbs.

I eat carbs right before bed. It really depends on your body. There isn't a set in stone rule that says don't eat before bed or don't eat carbs.

A few nights ago, I seriously consumed over 100g of carbs within 45 mins of going to bed. Woke up the next morning at the exact same weight I've been for 18 months.

MsMo4DE

I felt like that last night (hungry at bedtime) and ended up drinking a glass of water, then made some non caffeinated herbal tea with a little bit of raw honey. After I drank it, I was fine and went to sleep. I realized today that the reason I was hungry is that I ate an early dinner and had a late workout forgetting to have a protein snack afterward.

KeepOnMoving

I rarely go to bed hungry unless I am really tired or not totally sure if I am hungry. I like really low fat, low calorie cereal in a small desert bowl with skim milk. That is about 100 to 150 calories and it keeps me satisfied until morning. Otherwise I may not sleep well, or wake up starving in the morning.

CyberEd312

I have a 1/2 cup of almonds and a big glass of 1% chocolate milk while in bed..... Gets me through the night and ready to eat a big breakfast when I wake up b4 heading to the gym.... As long as it fits into your daily caloric intake it doesn't matter when you eat. I guess the only thing that could stop you would be if you had acid reflux........

SHENITABEAUTIFUL

i usually dont eat before bed but if i do feel hungry i make sure its not just my body telling me im dehydrated first..sometimes you could just need to drink some water. if that doesnt help me then i nibble on some fruit

wildkatt7

it doesn't matter when you eat, so long as you eat your allotted calories... so if hungry, eat... I always eat within an hour of bed, otherwise I wake up shaky and ill... but you do need to listen to your body always...

Lusadi

Eat! Who wants to try to sleep starving?

laurenk182004

I have a 1/2 cup of almonds and a big glass of 1% chocolate milk while in bed..... Gets me through the night and ready to eat a big breakfast when I wake up b4 heading to the gym.... As long as it fits into your daily caloric intake it doesn't matter when you eat. I guess the only thing that could stop you would be if you had acid reflux........

301lbs lost?! I'd listen to this guy! lol Wtg on your amazing accomplishment!

swimmchick87

Is it affecting your sleep? That would be a big factor for me. If I was going to fall asleep anyway I see no point in eating. If I'm so hungry that it's going to keep me awake, I would eat something small. I usually plan a snack for around 8-9 that fits into my daily calories to avoid this problem.

martekinc1

I must agree with what several said in that every body is different. So you do need to do what works for your body. But chances are that late night eating could slow down the weight loss process. I typically like a little something closer to bed time. Something light that will tide me over, without making me full. If you are a coffee lover, I really enjoy a warm glass of Silk Vanilla Soy Milk (light) with a teaspoon of instant decaf coffee mixed in. It's only 70 calories and is so yummy. It also has good nutritional value. Or, a 1/2 c cottage cheese mixed with a 1/2 of a chopped apple and a few raisins is a great nighttime snack too.

Following is some information I got from a nutrition website that is spot on. I thought I would share.


What and when you eat at the end of the day can have a large impact on your weight. If you eat the right thing at the right time you can actually lose weight while you sleep. Eat the wrong thing at the wrong time and you can plan on waking up with a little more body fat in the morning.

To succsufully lose weight, you'll need to stop eating two - three hours before going to bed. You shold not feel starving before bed but you should feel slightly hungry. When you're trying to lose weight, slipping into bed at night feeling slightly hungry is actually a good thing. It's your body telling you that what you did that day is working -- you're losing body fat. If you don't feel this way, you're probably not losing fat.

Now lets say you follow your brain's directive and eat close to bedtime, your body will not dip into the fat it has stored away, and will probably even store some more. Every time you eat, your metabolism increases slightly. But this effect is lost or minimized late at night. You don't get the same metabolism-boosting benefit when you eat just before bed, because a couple of hours after dinner, your body begins preparing for sleep. This natural slackening of your metabolic rate overrides any metabolic boost you might get from eating. So once you hit the pillow, the only calories you're going to use are the basic calories you need to keep your heart beating and your lungs breathing and allow your eyes to move in REM sleep. This is only a minimal number of calories.

Things to Remember:

• Eating too much food, especially carbohydrates, late at night increases your body fat stores
• Eating high-glycemic carbs (pasta, potatoes, white rice, sugar, etc.) right before bed will spike your insulin levels and blunt nighttime Human Growth Hormone (HGH) production.
• That's very bad because about 80% of this fat-burning, muscle-building "super hormone" is released during sleep.
• If you fast for 11 hours (8 PM to 7 am for instance) your body will begin burning significant amounts of fat around the 5th hour (1 am) and continue to do so until you wake up.

Here are a few simple tips to make sure you get the most from your last meal of the day:

• Eat about 3 hours before going to bed - you'll have some time to burn off calories but you probably won't get too hungry before going to sleep
• Eat frequently throughout the day - small, healthy meals and snacks spaced about 3 hours apart - to minimize hunger cravings at night
• Your last meal should consist mainly of a lean protein (like baked chicken breast) and low-calorie, fibrous carbohydrates (veggies and fruits) - avoid all starchy carbs close to bedtime (breads, pastas, rice, potatoes, etc.)
• If, like many of us, you get big-time carb cravings right before bed.....eat some carbs! Just make sure they're the high-fiber, low-glycemic kind: apples, berries, peaches, plums, bran cereal, fresh vegetables, vegetable juice, etc.
• If you're currently strength training to build muscle, a great end-of-the-day meal option is low-fat cottage cheese (full of slowly-digested casein protein) with no-sugar-added fresh or canned fruit.

themommie

If I am truly hungry I will eat a little something, if I am just a little hungry or have the munchies i will try to have some herbal tea and go to bed

Hesslau

going to bed hungry seems to work best for me, however if you cannot fall asleep i would drink a glass of water and have maybe half a piece of fruit.

mamaminj

I'm glad to read a lot of you eat before going to bed. I've been "dieting" for 4 weeks now (just joined MFP today though) and have gone to bed most nights with a rumbling in my tummy. I eat a light dinner most nights and by 9:30 ish I'm hungry. I'll try having a little snack now without feeling so guilty (as long as I have calories left that is). Turns out I haven't been getting enough calories either...(usually around 1000) I don't understand why I'm not losing very much. Only 8 lbs in a month. I even started walking on the treadmill...no real change.

ashleab37

If I'm feeling hungry ~1hr before bed I'll have two hard boiled eggs, white only. It's enough to fill you up long past bed time and only ~30 calories, and will not make you feel bloated.

FitLink

Small snack is ok. The nutritionist I was seeing said if you have a late night snack absolutely make sure it is mostly protein, very little carbs.

I eat carbs right before bed. It really depends on your body. There isn't a set in stone rule that says don't eat before bed or don't eat carbs.

A few nights ago, I seriously consumed over 100g of carbs within 45 mins of going to bed. Woke up the next morning at the exact same weight I've been for 18 months.

It's not so much the weight loss thing but the fact that protein will even out the blood sugar so you don't wake up hungry and crabby and miserable.

econut2000

I'm glad to read a lot of you eat before going to bed. I've been "dieting" for 4 weeks now (just joined MFP today though) and have gone to bed most nights with a rumbling in my tummy. I eat a light dinner most nights and by 9:30 ish I'm hungry. I'll try having a little snack now without feeling so guilty (as long as I have calories left that is). Turns out I haven't been getting enough calories either...(usually around 1000) I don't understand why I'm not losing very much. Only 8 lbs in a month. I even started walking on the treadmill...no real change.

8 lbs in a month is a wonderful weight loss!! Don't let shows like the Biggest Loser (which I do love) give you unreasonable expectations about how much you should lose and how fast. 2 lbs/week is pretty much the max you should lose in a healthy way and not end up with flabby skin or too much shock to your system.

chevy88grl

Small snack is ok. The nutritionist I was seeing said if you have a late night snack absolutely make sure it is mostly protein, very little carbs.

I eat carbs right before bed. It really depends on your body. There isn't a set in stone rule that says don't eat before bed or don't eat carbs.

A few nights ago, I seriously consumed over 100g of carbs within 45 mins of going to bed. Woke up the next morning at the exact same weight I've been for 18 months.

It's not so much the weight loss thing but the fact that protein will even out the blood sugar so you don't wake up hungry and crabby and miserable.

Like I said, I ate carbs before bed the other night. Woke up feeling just as I always do - not crabby, miserable or overly hungry.

It is an individual thing. I don't have any issues with carbs. I can eat them all day, everyday. Perhaps someone with blood sugar issues would have problems, but I do not.