Snacking after 9pm?

Moshebelle1

I've heard many times that you should stop eating a few hours before bed (8pm? 9pm?) so that the calories don't just sit there overnight not being burned, but I find I have to have a small healthy snack before bed or else I can't fall asleep!- 100-150 calories or so. Do others eat before bed? Or do you stop eating earlier?

GoatBoat66

Nutrient timing doesn't matter. You could eat 90% of your calories right before bed and, if you are still running a deficit, continue to lose weight. BMR is not appreciably lower when sleeping than behind the desk, anyhow.

nanainkent

I used to get hungry after 8pm and would eat something up to 200 calories. I would plan for it. But then someone on this site explained it like this, If that rule were true then all of France would be overweight because they have thier dinner at 8pm. And I thought wow, thats right. So I put a small meal in the spot I used for dinner (5pm) and moved my dinner to 6:30 to 7pm and now even though I budget for a snack after 8 I ususally do not want it.

SideSteel

I've heard many times that you should stop eating a few hours before bed (8pm? 9pm?) so that the calories don't just sit there overnight not being burned, but I find I have to have a small healthy snack before bed or else I can't fall asleep!- 100-150 calories or so. Do others eat before bed? Or do you stop eating earlier?

Focus on total daily intake and how you feel. If you feel fine and you're eating the right total number of calories then you'll do well.

The problem with the "don't eat at night" theory is that it completely neglects looking at the big picture. To nerd out a bit here, when you're talking about fat loss you need to consider what happens over large periods of time and not what happens in very short snapshots.

Fat loss happens when fat oxidation exceeds fat storage. If you eat all of your calories at night, you are blunting fat oxidation and increasing fat storage during your sleep. However, if you eat all of your calories at night, you are also increasing fat oxidation during the day because you're not eating during the day.

Where you end up on this will be largely governed by total energy balance (calories). The more you eat at night, the less you eat during the day. Fat oxidation decreases at night and fat storage goes up, but during the day fat oxidation increases and storage goes down. In a calorie deficit, oxidation exceeds storage regardless of when you are eating.

The cliffs, as I said previously, are to just hit your daily intake goals and the short term periods of oxidation/storage will manage themselves without you having to pay any attention to it.

magerum

It doesn't make a difference. I eat, literally, right up to the point of going to bed. I typically eat ~1500 calories between 8:30 PM and 9:30 PM then right to bed. It hasn't hampered any of my goals, including weight loss. I just ate less when loosing weight, timing had not effect.

Sarauk2sf

I've heard many times that you should stop eating a few hours before bed (8pm? 9pm?) so that the calories don't just sit there overnight not being burned, but I find I have to have a small healthy snack before bed or else I can't fall asleep!- 100-150 calories or so. Do others eat before bed? Or do you stop eating earlier?

Total myth (SideSteel above explains why very well above). You can eat in bed if you want. I eat a bowl of ice-cream in bed every night and have my largest meal at about an hour or two before I go to bed - has not stopped or hindered my weight loss.

jzammetti

I agreewith everyone else - timing does not matter. I eat virtually every day within a half hour of sleeping (150 - 350 calories, usually) and it has not hindered my weight loss.

LoraF83

I've heard many times that you should stop eating a few hours before bed (8pm? 9pm?) so that the calories don't just sit there overnight not being burned, but I find I have to have a small healthy snack before bed or else I can't fall asleep!- 100-150 calories or so. Do others eat before bed? Or do you stop eating earlier?

Focus on total daily intake and how you feel. If you feel fine and you're eating the right total number of calories then you'll do well.

The problem with the "don't eat at night" theory is that it completely neglects looking at the big picture. To nerd out a bit here, when you're talking about fat loss you need to consider what happens over large periods of time and not what happens in very short snapshots.

Fat loss happens when fat oxidation exceeds fat storage. If you eat all of your calories at night, you are blunting fat oxidation and increasing fat storage during your sleep. However, if you eat all of your calories at night, you are also increasing fat oxidation during the day because you're not eating during the day.

Where you end up on this will be largely governed by total energy balance (calories). The more you eat at night, the less you eat during the day. Fat oxidation decreases at night and fat storage goes up, but during the day fat oxidation increases and storage goes down. In a calorie deficit, oxidation exceeds storage regardless of when you are eating.

The cliffs, as I said previously, are to just hit your daily intake goals and the short term periods of oxidation/storage will manage themselves without you having to pay any attention to it.

Listen to this man!! He's knows his stuff

And just for example - I eat a 500-600 calorie dinner sometimes at 10pm. I regularly have snacks right before bed. I eat when I want. And it's obviously working. As long as you have a calorie deficit, you should lose weight.

Cliffslosinit

I've heard many times that you should stop eating a few hours before bed (8pm? 9pm?) so that the calories don't just sit there overnight not being burned, but I find I have to have a small healthy snack before bed or else I can't fall asleep!- 100-150 calories or so. Do others eat before bed? Or do you stop eating earlier?

Focus on total daily intake and how you feel. If you feel fine and you're eating the right total number of calories then you'll do well.

The problem with the "don't eat at night" theory is that it completely neglects looking at the big picture. To nerd out a bit here, when you're talking about fat loss you need to consider what happens over large periods of time and not what happens in very short snapshots.

Fat loss happens when fat oxidation exceeds fat storage. If you eat all of your calories at night, you are blunting fat oxidation and increasing fat storage during your sleep. However, if you eat all of your calories at night, you are also increasing fat oxidation during the day because you're not eating during the day.

Where you end up on this will be largely governed by total energy balance (calories). The more you eat at night, the less you eat during the day. Fat oxidation decreases at night and fat storage goes up, but during the day fat oxidation increases and storage goes down. In a calorie deficit, oxidation exceeds storage regardless of when you are eating.

The cliffs, as I said previously, are to just hit your daily intake goals and the short term periods of oxidation/storage will manage themselves without you having to pay any attention to it.

He is the only one who calls me "cliffs".......and yes listen to him!

kenazfehu

I love a bedtime snack, about 100 calories worth.

Fozzi43

I don't eat right before bed as it gives me a tummy ache.
But there's no reason why you can't as long as it doesn't go over your goal.

Acg67

Nutrient timing doesn't matter. You could eat 90% of your calories right before bed and, if you are still running a deficit, continue to lose weight. BMR is not appreciably lower when sleeping than behind the desk, anyhow.

It does if you're this guy

stephdeeable

A lot of the time I work until 9:30 pm, have a full on meal around 10:30 and go to bed an hour or hour and a half later. It hasn't seemed to slow me down at all.

If I didn't eat past 7pm, I'd barely be able to eat some days.

magerum

Nutrient timing doesn't matter. You could eat 90% of your calories right before bed and, if you are still running a deficit, continue to lose weight. BMR is not appreciably lower when sleeping than behind the desk, anyhow.

It does if you're this guy

^^ WIN!

CoderGal

I've heard many times that you should stop eating a few hours before bed (8pm? 9pm?) so that the calories don't just sit there overnight not being burned, but I find I have to have a small healthy snack before bed or else I can't fall asleep!- 100-150 calories or so. Do others eat before bed? Or do you stop eating earlier?

Some people here (who are in jealously great shape) summed this up pretty nicely with common sense and knowledge but I'll add a timbit from experience just to solidify things:

I've decided to take up IF (Intermediate fasting) last week. In other words, I eat the same amount of calories I did but I do it between 2-10pm. Haven't gained an ounce weight or width wise. Previously I usually ate breakfast at 7, lunch at about 12, and supper at 5. Out of all the things I've read I cannot find anything that shows timing matters when it comes to losing weight.

There's only one thing that I know of that affects timing when it comes to eating (not losing weight) and it's these little creatures:
http://phys.org/news170688849.html

Basically it says if you switch timing dramatically it takes time for your body to figure out when to tell you you're hungry because it likes to figure out when food is around. I guess it's a defense mechanism. Your body realizes traits in time when food is around so it makes you hungry when it thinks the clock is hitting food time if you haven't eaten then. If you change timing dramatically it well temporarily tell you you're hungry when you use to eat, even if you've eaten a crap ton throughout the day. Since I've dramatically switched my diet from eating smaller meals at different times I feel hungry at odd times even though I know I'm not because it's usually after I ate a significantly large meal. If you're changing routine and stick to it, that hungry feeling should go away if you're eating enough food...because you're body also tells you to eat when it knows you're starving yourself from food or nutrients.

If you eat at night, and you want to eat at night, keep eating at night...because as far as weight loss goes, it does not matter if you stop eating at night and eat all those night snacks in the morning. And You'll likely feel hungry for a while at that time if you stop eating snacks then.

drmerc

Depends on your time zone

marly328

I'm reading a book called "CLEAN". It's an awesome book with tons of valuable information. It's not the time of night that you eat, as much as the importance of making sure you have 12 hours before your next meal in order to let your body digest and detox. Detoxification takes place after the 8th hour. If you eat your last item an 9pm then don't eat anything the next day until 9am. This will ensure your body goes through the healthiest digestion possible. Google the book, you will love it!

Cranktastic

Depends on your time zone

heh.

I eat when I am hungry. And i tend to be more hungry later in the day, so that is when I eat most. I changed my food categories so they dont even have the titles Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner anymore.

drmerc

I'm reading a book called "CLEAN". It's an awesome book with tons of valuable information. It's not the time of night that you eat, as much as the importance of making sure you have 12 hours before your next meal in order to let your body digest and detox. Detoxification takes place after the 8th hour. If you eat your last item an 9pm then don't eat anything the next day until 9am. This will ensure your body goes through the healthiest digestion possible. Google the book, you will love it!

My body likes to detox 24 hours a day even if I've eaten

zaph0d

Total mythology. I regularly eat dinner at 9:30 or 10PM. Often eat a snack right before heading to bed.

SoDamnHungry

I'm reading a book called "CLEAN". It's an awesome book with tons of valuable information. It's not the time of night that you eat, as much as the importance of making sure you have 12 hours before your next meal in order to let your body digest and detox. Detoxification takes place after the 8th hour. If you eat your last item an 9pm then don't eat anything the next day until 9am. This will ensure your body goes through the healthiest digestion possible. Google the book, you will love it!

After the 8th hour...as in when you haven't eaten for 8 hours? And then it takes 4 to detox?