Q about late night snacking and calories

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ashmx250
ashmx250 Posts: 52 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I have about 830 calories left in my day and its already almost 8:30 pm, I just havent had the chance to eat much this evening. My question is, what is better for me at this point?: To get a snack this late at night to try and fill the calories I need? Or to just go without eating anything for the rest of the night? Is late night snacking really as bad as people say it is? and why?

Replies

  • DeanneLea
    DeanneLea Posts: 261
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    Your body doesn't know what time it is. I enjoy my late snack snack most days so I just save the cals for it. If you're hungry, definitely eat something. If not, a glass of milk or something would be a good way to at least get some of those cals in.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,121 Member
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    It doesn't matter when you eat. Eat and go to bed. Your body does not care. That is a myth about eating past a certain time.

    You should try to eat some of that 800+ calories you have left.
  • Toddrific
    Toddrific Posts: 1,114 Member
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    Although your body does know what time it is, in this case it doesn't really matter.

    Some reasons you should truly avoid late night snacking are:

    You eat mindlessly.

    You have stomach issues such as GERD.

    If you are purposefully eating, you are good to go.
  • ashmx250
    ashmx250 Posts: 52 Member
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    Thanks for the input. I've found myself doing this lately,... making sure I'm not eating too much throughout the day then I realize late at night that I have a few hundred calories left and not sure what to do with them! So,.. the whole "eating late is bad" thing is a myth then? Isn't there something about not eating carbs before you go to bed too? Is that false as well?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,121 Member
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    Yes, that is false too. The "don't eat carbs at night" thing mostly applies to people who have trouble with carbs in general. If you are someone who is getting enough fat and protein, you probably don't have the problem of over-eating carbs at night.

    Insulin production decreases dramatically at night. It is common for people to binge on sugars, bready desserts, chips etc while they are watching TV. It's more a behavior warning than a nutrition warning.

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