Why can't I eat at night?

myfitnessnmhoy

Dr. Oz says that "eating at night makes you gain weight" is...a MYTH!! *whew* Glad that's cleared up. NEXT!! :laugh:

Wait... If Dr. Oz says it, then I have to start questioning it.

hailzp

Night food is the best food!

meshashesha2012

i eat all times of the day and it hasnt hindered my weight loss. i've even had times where i've woken up in the middle asleep was HUNGRY. ran to the fridge and grabbed a handful of strawberries and apiece of cold chicken ate it and went back to sleep

Lol-I have done this too-but didn't feel the need to air that dirty laundry. But I am under the impression that my calorie burning aliens work 24/7/365. Maybe other people's calorie burning aliens come from another planet where they don't have such a rigorous work schedule? Now I'm just getting silly (even though this is the second thread in which I've mentioned my calorie burning aliens) I know there's no shortage of garbage posted as "advice" (I guess my calorie burning aliens fall under that umbrella) I really was curious behind the reasoning.

:laugh: @ my dirty laundry.. it's true though. there i am, awake thinking its because i have to use the bathroom and no it's because i'm hungry. i then rush off, shove something in my mouth and go back to sleep. i do feel guilty about not brushing my teeth again, but that only lasts for the 10 seconds it take me to go back to sleep.

but really, from what i've noticed the people i know who believe this are on severe calorie restricted diets (ie cayenne pepper for breakfast, slim fast for lunch and can of tuna and orange for dinner :laugh: ) so in order for their crazy diet to work, they can't go over their calories and they've already eaten that by 8. anything after that time is just extra calories that will delay their results

tlc12078

I dont believe every thing every one up here say. I eat at nite sometimes n I am still losing, so why not I think, but the thing is, if you get indigestion you should wait for a bit. Dont lay down right after eating cus then your indigestion can most likely act up. I see a gastro specialist cus I have bad gerd.

myfitnessnmhoy

Lol-I have done this too-but didn't feel the need to air that dirty laundry. But I am under the impression that my calorie burning aliens work 24/7/365. Maybe other people's calorie burning aliens come from another planet where they don't have such a rigorous work schedule? Now I'm just getting silly

I don't think so at all. Well, OK, with the aliens bit. I'd go with faeries. But whatever.

I strongly suspect that some people's metabolisms DO kickstart in the morning with the introduction of calories. I've tried breakfast-skipping and it sucks for me. I'm tired, logy, and just all-around even more miserable a bastage to put up with than usual.

But that's me. I have friends who wake up happy but find that anything other than coffee before noon messes them up.

Experiment. Play with different sized meals at different times. Find what works for you. Then encourage others to do the same without mistaking the rules that work for you with rules that might work for them.

crisanderson27

I guess next time I will try to spell it out for people lol it sounded like he was being smart, but anywho! I always hear from doctors and online and whatnot that it isn't good to eat at night, but I don't think I've ever heard an actual explanation. Logically it makes sense that if you're sedentary at night you wouldn't burn them, but who knows!

You burn quite a few calories just keeping your organs going, you know. Over 1400 a day for me.

Then there's the fact that if you don't burn all the calories while you're sleeping, you will continue to burn them the next day.

Logic.

again, I don't need the smart *kitten* attacks. I was trying to explain my thought process, which I never said was correct, by any means. I'm done with this post.

Ugh..thin skinned, this one.

No smart assery there either hun...but have a wonderful evening!

The "Logic." statement just wasn't necessary considering it was in response to my "logical" thinking, and yes, I'll be the first to admit I'm sensitive. So be it.

Well, I still hope you have a wonderful night .

:flowerforyou:

lol right back atcha, thanks.

Dont mind me. I just wanted the reply chain to be really long.

Gotcha.

OSC_ESD

~ I honestly believe everybody has to find what works for them ... eat at night and see if you gain weight, if not ... eat whenever you want. I have tested this theory and can honestly say I see a gain every time I " graze " before bed .... BUT, this doesn't mean it is an actual " weight gain " ... the mystery about our digestive system and how our bodies will determine what stays and what burns off is where people get confused. Just as sodium plays a huge part in " water weight gain " .... simple choices at night play a huge part in the " grazing periods ".

Again ... don't rely too heavenly on the scale, go with how you look and feel. If your body is hungry at night ... fuel it ! The idea is to make " healthy choices " ... some will say if you stay under your calorie goal you will not gain weight, period. I say test that theory and eat a Big Mac, Large Fries and Milkshake right before you crash for the night and see what the scale says in the morning ! Call me crazy ... but I am almost willing to bet there will be a " few " pounds difference ...

The real question is ... are those pounds here to stay ???? It's diabolical trying to figure all this out, reading all the forums .... do this, don't do that ... truth is ... just find what works for YOU !

Best of luck my friend ... all I know is the journey is worth it. Chin up and carry on ! :flowerforyou:

myfitnessnmhoy

~ I honestly believe everybody has to find what works for them ... eat at night and see if you gain weight, if not ... eat whenever you want. I have tested this theory and can honestly say I see a gain every time I " graze " before bed .... BUT, this doesn't mean it is an actual " weight gain " ... the mystery about our digestive system and how our bodies will determine what stays and what burns off is where people get confused. Just as sodium plays a huge part in " water weight gain " .... simple choices at night play a huge part in the " grazing periods ".

My wife and I had an interesting discussion about this the other day. She's a "eat after 8, gain weight" believer, and I constantly have a snack after 8 because I hate going to bed hungry.

I got home from a long cycle ride at 7:30 and sat down and proceeded to eat a 2,000 calorie meal because I had just toasted off 3 hours worth of intense cycling. The next morning, sure enough, I weighed 2 pounds more and my wife hassled me over it no end (jokingly and lovingly, of course). Now I know for SURE that a 7,000 calorie excess in a day is required to gain 2 pounds of fat, and I actually ate a net of just under 900 calories the day before but I simply could not fit any more food down. So I knew it wasn't fat gain.

Then about 10AM I had a very large bowel movement. The next day, my weight was right down where it had been.

I think this may be part of where the myth came from. If you eat really late at night, your body (being asleep) might not fully process all the food until you get up and start moving around again, so you're just holding on to "used food" and the scale doesn't differentiate between that, water retention, and actual fat.

Or it might be anecdotal evidence on my part proving nothing. But it certainly explained that one incident quite well.

RonSwanson66

TMI

myfitnessnmhoy

TMI

Should I describe the accompanying "crescendo in B-Flat"?

MissFit0101

uh ... calories can't tell time.

shayleeloves

I think it depends on the person. For me, when I eat late at night it isn't good for my body. It keeps me up, can make me sick or nauseas, and I don't think the food digests as well as it would during the day. But that's just me. It works for many people....

capnwo85

I actually set an alarm to wake up @ 2am just to eat. ....Still drop weight.

RaeN81

I personally ate whenever I needed to when I was actively losing weight and it did not stall my loss. If you find it has effects you adversely (indigestion, whatever), then don't eat before bed. The research is split on this topic--I really think you can make a personal choice on this one.

CharisSunny

The only major con to eating late (as for what I know) is the threat of heartburn you may have from eating then getting immediately horizontal.

I leave the gym at nine, ravenous!!! I eat, I even have a snack then I knock out about 1AM.

I'm good
I think you run a greater metabolic risk when you spend the night hungry because u REFUSE to eat after this Jedi-suggested 7PM poppycock,

leomom72

i heard you can..your body doesnt know what time it is, calories are calories..they will be consumed no matter how late it is..good luck

auroranflash

You can eat whenever you want. I save most calories for the evening because that's when I'm hungriest. Don't listen to anyone who says otherwise. I've lost almost 20lbs and I know several who have lost even more eating well after they're supposed to have, based on trainers' recommendations.

Heatherdl52

I seem to have the same problem. Eat most of my cals in evening meal . Interested in if that is good or not. Not too hungry during the day, but try to eat well, but the bulk is only about 2 hours before bed.

ebelliss

your digestive system is actually most active when you are sleeping! it is controlled by the parasympathetic nervous system, which is what calms you down, slows your heart rate, BP etc. which is what is happening when you are sleeping. so eating at night should not be a problem at all, it might even be a good thing! but again, i think it just has to do with personal preferences

BondBomb

I dont believe every thing every one up here say. I eat at nite sometimes n I am still losing, so why not I think, but the thing is, if you get indigestion you should wait for a bit. Dont lay down right after eating cus then your indigestion can most likely act up. I see a gastro specialist cus I have bad gerd.

Oddly enough I find this to be the most interesting reply. You said you don't believe everyone 'up here'. This has me fascinated. Do you see the Internet as up? And no I'm not trying to be an *kitten*. I just tend to focus on things that catch my attention.

Joy2hymn

I believe it is because your bin produces melatonin at night and melatonin unlike seratonin or Testosterone, melatonin induce the cycles of sleep called REM. While in REM your body heals and burns calories, muscles grow, muscles burn the calories while sleeping! In fact sleeping is the best thing for your muscles after a workout! A personal trainer once told me that a good 8 hrs of sleep is better than a stretch before working out. Anyways melatonin doesn't break down food. Hormones however play a huge role in weight lose. It is true you burn calories while sleeping, but really if you eat late make it light because while you do burn calories while sleeping, as you get closer to bed you have few calories in your stomach and so that is less work your body had to do and also. Calories is energy! At bed time you don't need energy.

I was an RN for 2 years I might be wrong, but this does play a role in the why it's not good to eat before bed time

SingeSange

Personally I sleep better if I have a carb about an hour to an hour and a half before I go to bed. I'm not a big carb eater, more proteins in my diet, but a piece of toast before bed (and not even every night) often will help me sleep better.

naomi8888

I dont believe every thing every one up here say. I eat at nite sometimes n I am still losing, so why not I think, but the thing is, if you get indigestion you should wait for a bit. Dont lay down right after eating cus then your indigestion can most likely act up. I see a gastro specialist cus I have bad gerd.

Oddly enough I find this to be the most interesting reply. You said you don't believe everyone 'up here'. This has me fascinated. Do you see the Internet as up? And no I'm not trying to be an *kitten*. I just tend to focus on things that catch my attention.

Haha I missed that one too. But I don't even believe in the Internet. If it's there, then how come you can't see it?

(seriously a girl I was at school with actually said that!)

Sheilav330

You can eat at night your body can't tell time!! i always eat a bowl of cereal least an hr or so before bed and it has not affected me in anyway so the not eating at night thing is just a myth.

Duck_Puddle

But I am under the impression that my calorie burning aliens work 24/7/365. Maybe other people's calorie burning aliens come from another planet where they don't have such a rigorous work schedule?

Apparently, some people have diurnal calorie-burning aliens.

The insulin-fairie, on the other hand? That b!tch never sleeps!

I think in my case, the insulin-fairie is terrified of my dogs. I can't say I blame her-but they clearly are protecting me from her evil witchery.

lilbpixie

This is why:

HaHaHa This^^^^^^^^

runfatmanrun

I usually eat a serving of peanut butter within 30 minutes of going to bed. Doesn't seem to have a big effect on my weight loss.

danasings

This is why:

HaHaHa This^^^^^^^^

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! (most people born after 1984 don't get the joke, though!)

Mommy2Avaj

This link has an answer to the question, and some other interesting things. Ignore the racy photos. Although the muscle bound hunk got my attention lol
http://www.simplyshredded.com/top-10-muscle-myths-we-test-research-the-10-biggest-axioms-of-bodybuilding.html

lkcuts

I've spent WAY too much time on these forums today, but I've seen at least 7 people emphatically state that you shouldn't eat x number of hours before you go to bed (x being 2/3 hrs or a cutoff of 7/8pm which I'm assuming translates to 2/3/4 hrs before bed). I will eat a total of 1500 calories today. I'm eating about 650 of those now (it's 9pm where I am), and I'll probably have another 200-300 in my pj's in my bed in a couple of hours. I'll go to "bed" around 11.

This is my daily routine-except I'm eating dinner earlier than usual. I'm not terribly interested in changing my schedule (unless there is a compelling reason to do so)-I'm just curious why I "can't" successfully lose weight eating at night. Since I've seen it posted several times today-I'm hoping someone can chime in and let me know the physiological reasoning behind why eating at night is bad for me.

Not eating at night because you will gain weight is an old tail. Digestion takes place ALL the time, in fact digestion IS the Aging process...whatever that means to you, maybe eat less -age less? Anyway, eat whenever you can tolerate it. Everyone can't eat at night before laying down because of digestion problems as well as stomach problems. When I was younger, I could eat anytime and hop right in the bed...NOW, the food might come back up in My throat and I HATE laying down on a full stomach. NOT to mention that a full stomach is NOT conducive to sex-making or Love-making. Whatever, Do what You can Tolerate. It's NOT good staying on MFP Forums to much, Tales and Shyt Flies here with all kind of weight and health myths...you may blow your success if you follow forum advice to much. Forums are READ and FOLLOW AT YOUR OWN RISK!