How late do you eat?

TraumaNurse2B

Hi I'm new here and was wondering if anyone had any ideas of how late is too late to eat. I know they used to say 2 hours before bed but there have been some studies done in the Journal of Nutrition that now say maybe not. Its all about calories in/calories out. Last night I was 200 calories under my goal of 1200. I didn't eat anything 1, because I wasn't really hungry, and 2 it was around 10 at night. I go to bed about an hour later and all of the sudden I'm starving. Would it be safe to eat say a bowl of shredded wheat at that time or should I just suck it up and go to sleep like I did last night?

babicak3z

i dont eat pass 6pm i will drink water but i wont consume anything past 6pm. and if i am hungry which is rarely i will eat some fruit. but i think when u are first starting to diet u should start off light and work your way up. i think at first mine was 8pm then 6pm came in affect somewhere

JacksMom12

Meal timing is irrelevant. If I have calories left, I like to eat them in bed, while catching up on game of thrones... Right before I go to sleep. Only possible negative side effect of that is possible crumbs in bed. I HATE crumbs in bed...

chris1816

It absolutely does not matter.

Seriously, there is no magical "Witching Hour" where your body magically tells the laws of physics to go *kitten* themselves.

Eat something protein rich right before bed if you want, as long as it is within your calories.

jzaz903

You can eat whenever you want, as long as you stay within your calorie goal. You could eat all of your calories at 9pm before you go to bed, if you wanted. Not that I recommend that, but you could.

I stop eating around 7, but I go to bed around 8pm as well. I'm an early bed-early rise person.

RUNN3Rmom

I work evenings so I will eat at 10 if I am hungry. The next time you could down a glass of water and wait 10 minutes to see if the urge to eat passes.

Bob314159

I believe its not important as far as calories.The only concern is acid reflux and disturbing your sleep.

I will eat small amounts even at 3am and then go sleep.

tsh0ck

until about 1 or 2 a.m. because calories can't tell time.

UpEarly

I keep a stash of bacon under my pillow. :-)

Kidding, kidding! I don't have a set time that I stop eating, but I find I sleep better if I'm not too full when I get into bed. I usually have a snack around 9:00 and go to bed around 10:00 or 10:30.

mes1119

eat if you're hungry and it fits your calories/macros.

kayleesays

I eat always. A calorie deficit is a calorie deficit. I work night shift, so I eat all night, then I eat right before I go to bed.

supplemama

I don't eat after 8pm! I find I don't sleep well if I eat within 2 hours of going to bed. If I'm 'hungry' after dinner, I realize that's usually just my old fat mind wanting to be greedy LOL.

LaurenAOK

I eat as late as I want. It doesn't matter one bit

ElviraCross

I typically fall asleep between 12-1am and I typically eat around 8-9pm, I don't follow any rules of what time to eat. My husband gets off work late a lot and we ALWAYS eat dinner together.

We had dinner together once at midnight, lol.

Bobby_Clerici

I eat up to about 30 minutes before bed.
Some say not to eat past this time or that...:noway:
Sorry, I will end up pigging out at 12 midnight. I need to eat a small snack before bed or I'd lay there obsessing on the leftovers in the fridge. Sometimes I wonder what my younger self would say about me now.
I was poor and truly hungry at times.
Whatever, I am just doing what I need to do to keep from ruining a whole day's worth of progress.
Good Luck :bigsmile:

irisheyez718

I eat a cup of ice cream most nights at midnight. It doesn't matter what time you eat.

10goal13

It doesn't matter about timing, your body doesn't know what time it is, it doesn't say oo its 9pm i am gonna make you gain 2 lbs if you eat anything now on, you shoulda ate earlier then you wouldn't have gained anything. Why is it any different if you eat at 9am or 11pm? The calories in the food you eat do not magically change according to the time of the day.

I personally eat up to midnight some nights but mostly around 11pm i have my last snack.

Madelinew22

Like other ppl have said, I eat right up untill I go to bed I can't sleep if I'm hungry and WATER (ha) is not gonna ease my stomach growls

Fitnsexy12

If you get hungry you should eat some raw vegetables, it has little calories and good in fiber. Broccoli, spinach, etc, no dressings though. You should also drink some water, b/c sometimes we may think we are hungry when indeed water would satisfy us just fine.

CaseRat

Same as most of the above; I eat right before bet if I have calories left to fill in.
Occasionally I'll have to cram my face with 1,500 calories in the last 2 hours before bed (definitely not complaining) after not eating at work

CharmaineD2012

I'm on a Dr supervised diet & have to drink a protein shake 1 hour before bed.(80-100 calories & at least 15grams of protein)
By having a high protein drink(I prefer chocolate) it keeps your metabolism going through the night so I don't wake up as hungry.
As for timing it all depends on your schedule, I go to bed 9-9:30 so I don't eat anything after 7pm, I drink my shake at 8. As long as you have a high protein snack you should be ok, but you should stay away from carbs late at night.

CaseRat

If you get hungry you should eat some raw vegetables, it has little calories and good in fiber. Broccoli, spinach, etc, no dressings though. You should also drink some water, b/c sometimes we may think we are hungry when indeed water would satisfy us just fine.

She had 200 calories left over, and that's taking into consideration the fact she's only on 1,200cals a day. We can assume she probably was actually hungry.

BaDaSsBrUnEtTe

I don't think it matters what time you eat. But I don't eat anything after dinner. So I'm usually done eating for the day by 6:00pm. I will still drink water though.

livies_mommy

until about 1 or 2 a.m. because calories can't tell time.

^^this

CaseRat

As long as you have a high protein snack you should be ok, but you should stay away from carbs late at night.

Also, this is proven to be nonsense. If you've got carbs left in your macros; eat the carbs. They will not 'make you fat' if they fit into your calorie goals and macros, especially considering you're at a large deficit and only on 1,200kcal a day. They'll get processed the same as they normally would.

CaseRat

oops.

CaseRat

oops.

workoutgirl23

My cut off for the day is about midnight. whatever calories i eat for the day, have to be some time before midnight. i don't really think it matters if you eat right before bed. i eat before bed a lot.

Nerdy_Rose

I frequently eat dinner at 11p.m. ,1a.m., etc. and it has not negatively impacted my weight loss.

dawnitalinn

I once was recommend by my Naturopathic Dr.many years ago to eat 2oz of chicken and 1/4 cup brown rice close to bed time. It keeps your metabolism moving longer. If eating too close to bed time keeps you awake you need to eat a little bit earlier than 30 min before if you can. But I will say this I lost weight during that time even though I thought it would be a problem eating that close to bed it really wasn't. Don't go to bed hungry, especially if you have calories left to eat.

mkbledsoe

It would probably be better not to eat past 10 pm, but I am a night owl so it is really difficult for me. In the end I just decided that I had to do what works best for me. After all, I have to do this for the rest of my life so it has to be something I will maintain. I eat when I am hungry plain and simple.