Going to bed hungry

UncleRiotous

I think one question is how hungry is hungry. If I'm properly "I haven't eaten since lunchtime" hungry then I would eat some more (bear in mind that with your calorie levels if you go over by 100 calories you'll still be loosing weight, just more slowly). I quite often go to bed feeling "peckish", like I'd quite like some more to eat but that's not quite the same as hungry.

mssgeni

Guilty. I try not to eat a few hours before going to sleep and I'll have my heaviest meal (ideally) at my breakfast or lunch and the lightest my dinner. If I'm absolutely starving before going to sleep or if I need to fill my calories then I'll have something like a Slim Fast or a non-fat yogurt. I may be wrong but I always thought it's best to not to eat before going to bed =/

tinyzombie

I never go to bed hungry, because it's really difficult for me to fall asleep while hungry, and I'll inevitably wake up halfway through the night from hunger pangs. I actually keep a small container of whole almonds on my desk in my bedroom, and if I'm hungry, but not enough to be worth making a cheese sandwich or whatever, I'll just eat a few of those right before bed to satiate myself.

jofjltncb6

Guilty. I try not to eat a few hours before going to sleep and I'll have my heaviest meal (ideally) at my breakfast or lunch and the lightest my dinner. If I'm absolutely starving before going to sleep or if I need to fill my calories then I'll have something like a Slim Fast or a non-fat yogurt. I may be wrong but I always thought it's best to not to eat before going to bed =/

The only reason not to eat close to sleeping is if it negatively affects your sleeping. (Meal timing has no/almost no impact on weight loss.)

c1estmoi

Being hungry prevents me from relaxing and getting to sleep. I wait a while and if I'm still hungry I get up and eat a bowl of cereal or drink a glass of milk. That usually satisfies me and the next thing I know it's morning. Whatever calorie goal you set for yourself, just make sure to log what you ate at night. You may find that if you don't add those calories on a regular basis, it won't matter if you adjust your goal. Or adjust it up to 1400 calories from 1200 (which in my opinion is too low if you are getting some exercise in). Regardless, good luck and be good to yourself. We do not have to suffer, just be smart.

tinyzombie

I do all the time. when i finish my calories for the day... i shut it all down. If i find i get hungry at bedtime.. I can wait until the morning to eat and start the next day. I feel more in control when i can be hungry and realize i won't die. That it is part of mastering the skinny mentality. Skinny people eat when they get hungry..and they could be hungry for a few hours and don't freak.

I'm not trying to argue, but didn't you contradict yourself a little bit? "If i find i get hungry at bedtime.. I can wait until the morning to eat and start the next day." And then, "Skinny people eat when they get hungry." If skinny people always eat when they're hungry, like you're saying, they'd eat before bed when they're hungry, whether they're finished with their calories or not, right?

Besides that, I've heard many times in the past that intentionally keeping yourself hungry slows down your metabolism. I just have to wonder if going to bed hungry frequently would have much effect on your metabolism. I'm no doctor, so I don't know, just a thought.

dad106

I do all the time. when i finish my calories for the day... i shut it all down. If i find i get hungry at bedtime.. I can wait until the morning to eat and start the next day. I feel more in control when i can be hungry and realize i won't die. That it is part of mastering the skinny mentality. Skinny people eat when they get hungry..and they could be hungry for a few hours and don't freak.

Not sure what skinny people you hang with but when this skinny girl wants food, I get food.

There is no reason to be hungry ever when dieting.. you can be satisfied and still lose weight.

bubbli71

going to bed genuinely hungry is the worst!! My tummy burns, my heart races and I cant sleep. I feel like my blood is toxic.
Even just a boiled egg or som egg whites is enough to calm it all down.
I dont believe you have to eat much to get rid of that feeling, just something thats solid enough thats its not going to wear off in 10 mins

CharityGC

Depends on what time I fall asleep but, as a general rule, no. Sometimes I go to bed at 10:00, only to be awake two hours later and end up getting hungry. But I'm usually too lazy to get up and eat at that time.

LivMinusTen

No, I can't go to bed hungry. I sometimes wake up at 4 am because I am hungry and can't sleep. Some yoghurt or fruit helps. I bought a mix of chia seeds with fibre in it. A tablespoon is 65 calories and I do feel full because of it.

luvmy5guys

A lot of times I feel hungry but I know it is just in my mind because I am use to eating while watching tv at night...but I always save 100 cal for bedtime and either grab a skinny cow ice cream sandwich or a handful of pretzels

raeleek

Guilty. I try not to eat a few hours before going to sleep and I'll have my heaviest meal (ideally) at my breakfast or lunch and the lightest my dinner. If I'm absolutely starving before going to sleep or if I need to fill my calories then I'll have something like a Slim Fast or a non-fat yogurt. I may be wrong but I always thought it's best to not to eat before going to bed =/

The only reason not to eat close to sleeping is if it negatively affects your sleeping. (Meal timing has no/almost no impact on weight loss.)

Yup. Calories in calories out.

I do try avoid eating a few hours before bed, per recommendation of my gi dr, only because of gi issues .

Lilith5

It's a rare occasion I go to bed hungry and if I am I eat something. I don't see myself as a big eater I cant eat till about 11 in the morning anyway, I have my set meal (dinner) but apart from that it really depends if I'm hungry. But if I am hungry I don't stop myself

Coquette6

I can't sleep if I'm hungry. I go to bed somewhere between 11 and 1 am, and around 10-10:30 I'll have a fairly large snack. My go to is low fat yogurt with a couple tablespoons of protein powder and some fruit added in. Keeps the hunger off until I get to sleep but it's not so much that I can't sleep.

deksgrl

If I am hungry before bed or if I wake up in the night hungry, I just have a glass of milk and that usually holds me over until morning. 2% milk, not skim. I don't know if skim would do the same.

JessicaRobin67

I can't go to bed hungry or my sugar will drop...plus, I won't be able to sleep.

RSD73

I go to bed hungry all the time. I stop eating when I reach my caloric limit. No more food!
I hope that at night my body is busy eating all the fat around my hips

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

Except on cheat days, I save calories for a protein-based snack right before bed. I pre-enter it and adjust it to meet my nutrition requirements for the day. I never go to bed hungry. I wake up all night if I even try.

As others have said, eating before bed is not going to impact your weight loss if what you eat is within your calorie guidelines.

lndsay85

You should eat something small before bed to prevent hunger. If you go to bed hungry, you run the risk of your sugar dropping, your liver kicking in and creating sugar, and waking up with high sugar. to keep your glycemic levels stable, eat a small high protein meal before bed. :-)

wahmx3

I always have an evening snack, I can't sleep if I am hungry and I need my sleep.