Eating at night

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gobifree59
gobifree59 Posts: 56 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've heard from various fitness gurus that you shouldn't eat after your dinner hour for max. weight loss
you won't burn the calories off since you're less active at night, etc. But, let's say you still have 500 cal. left in your calorie budget. Do you think you will gain weight by eating those at night? Some nights I am really hungry and I wonder if I'm eating something, let's say around 9pm, that it will turn to fat. Do you snack at night or not?
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Replies

  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    Everyone is going to be different. I dont believe in anything that says "you cant eat after X:XXpm" because of how everyone is different.

    For me, I cant eat after 8pm otherwise I will have the worst horrors for nightmares.
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
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    i snack late, sometimes i even save up calories because i love a late night snack, and I've been doing well, it doesn't seem to be something that hinders me. I think if it's really a "snack" it's fine, though I might avoid going for all 500 left over calories right before bed.
  • ZugTheMegasaurus
    ZugTheMegasaurus Posts: 801 Member
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    Meal timing does not matter. The reason that's a commonly-mentioned tip is because many people tend to snack mindlessly at night and overeat. But if you're within your calorie intake goal for the day, it doesn't matter at all what time you eat.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    It doesn't matter what time you eat - for weight-loss purposes anyway. Obviously, if late-night eating gives you indigestion or keeps you awake, then it might not be a good idea. I generally eat over half my calories after 7pm. I have my evening meal, and I usually have a snack right before I go to bed. I've not had any problems losing.

    The body stores excess calories as fat, but then it still burns them off later when you're not eating. Don't be afraid of fat storage. As long as you're in a deficit, it all balances out and you'll still end up losing more fat than you store.

    Some people eat every couple of hours, some people have three square meals and no snacks, other people just have one big meal with all their calories in the evening. I haven't seen any research showing that eating late in the day actually has an effect on fat loss.
  • Heyyleigh
    Heyyleigh Posts: 268 Member
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    I suffer from eating at night, I can go all day and be fine and night falls and I am in the kitchen. For me I crave cereal. My daughter got me a choc protien shake mix and I am going to try this with some semi sweet choc chips. Maybe it will help. It is all about calories in verses calories out. I dont think you would want to have a high carb snack at night and go to bed. Common sense will tell me that. I always have alot of cals left over and i just dont eat them all... but for me it is the choice of food I eat! Kids cereal is not the right choice at night even with skim milk ;)
  • woodsygirl
    woodsygirl Posts: 354 Member
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    I always have a 9pm snack, but I usually do not go to bed until 12pm. I usually have frozen cherries, greek yogurt, and wheat bran mixed together. I see it as another opportunity to get in my protein :)
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
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    I save calories so I can eat at night.
  • misslady72
    misslady72 Posts: 37 Member
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    No expert...but I eat at night esp if I'm far from goal. I try not to eat a lot or heavy because I get nightmares when I eat bad at night. However, sometimes I will have a piece of cheese or a 100 cal pack of almonds in the evenings. I also normally don't go to bed till 11 or 12.
  • PayneAS
    PayneAS Posts: 669 Member
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    There are scientific studies that have shown that the time you eat (or even skipping breakfast) doesn't matter. With that said, there are some people who do better when they don't eat at night or if they eat breakfast. I stay up so late at night that it is better for me to have a late-night snack and I even have a category for it on my food diary so I can log the food.
  • Kiaraalb
    Kiaraalb Posts: 6 Member
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    I try not to eat after 7 which has been kind of hard since I get off of work at 6 but I have been sticking to it and lost 8 pounds in a week but I dont know if its because of that.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    I go to bed every night with a 500-600 calorie snack (around 10:30 p.m.) and have lost a few pounds in the process.. It is a total myth, just make sure you hit your macros and caloric intake for that day... Best of Luck......
  • lifescircle
    lifescircle Posts: 108
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    Good topic. I don't like to go to be hungry. So the no eating after 7 or 8 just didn't click with me. Mind you, I don't sleep well on a full stomach either, so a snack works for me. And of course, keeping it at or below my recommended intake. I usually have a snack unless I eat a late dinner.
  • FuneralDiner
    FuneralDiner Posts: 438 Member
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    Hogswash.

    I eat at about 2am every night and I've lost 7lbs in a month.
  • avocado12
    avocado12 Posts: 197 Member
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    Everyone is different but I do not eat after 4-5pm.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    I've heard from various fitness gurus that you shouldn't eat after your dinner hour for max. weight loss
    you won't burn the calories off since you're less active at night, etc. But, let's say you still have 500 cal. left in your calorie budget. Do you think you will gain weight by eating those at night? Some nights I am really hungry and I wonder if I'm eating something, let's say around 9pm, that it will turn to fat. Do you snack at night or not?

    Makes no difference.

    Anyone telling you that nighttime calories are stored as fat is ignoring the fact that, even IF they did, that fat would be oxidized given a calorie deficit.

    If you eat more of your calories at night you are oxidizing more fat during the day. If you eat all your calories during the day you are oxidizing more fat at night. The bonus is, you don't need to worry about it at all -- all that matters is that fat oxidation exceeds storage and if your diet is reasonable IN TOTAL (regardless of timing or frequency), then this will take care of itself.

    Cliffs: Eat your food even if you eat it in bed.
  • TravisBurns
    TravisBurns Posts: 354 Member
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    Night eating and weight gain is a myth. Here is one of the MANY articles talking about it. You eat when you're hungry. The problem isn't when you eat it's how much it is. People tend to overeat at night more often.
    http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/myth-debunked-late-night-eating-does-not-cause-weight-gain.html#b
  • LisaWilson2012
    LisaWilson2012 Posts: 118 Member
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    Low calorie jelly is my secret weopon for this. I have the Hartley's low-calorie pots which contain less than 10 calories per pot and taste lovely. They are not heavy so they are great to eat litterally just before you go to bed and are totally guilt free!
  • JGC31
    JGC31 Posts: 1 Member
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    Hi,

    Food does not have a higher calorific value if eaten late at evening or night. If this was true I'm sure we would only see 3rd world countries, with only minimal amounts to eat, only eating at night.

    Your stomach does not know the time!
  • kylejh
    kylejh Posts: 221 Member
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    I usually have about 1,000 calories left after dinner, and snack once or twice in the evening (and still normally end each day with 400-500 calories remaining). Some evenings it is after 10pm that I have my 2nd evening snack. It seems to not have any affect on weight loss, as I have been doing it for 6 months and keep losing weight each week.
  • AmandaInGA
    AmandaInGA Posts: 122 Member
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    I've heard from various fitness gurus that you shouldn't eat after your dinner hour for max. weight loss
    you won't burn the calories off since you're less active at night, etc. But, let's say you still have 500 cal. left in your calorie budget. Do you think you will gain weight by eating those at night? Some nights I am really hungry and I wonder if I'm eating something, let's say around 9pm, that it will turn to fat. Do you snack at night or not?

    I usually try not to eat at night after 7pm, but that is just so i don't end up with heart burn or nightmares while sleeping LOL However, if I do want a snack, I get a large handful (about 15 or so) grapes or cherries to eat, that are well less than 100 calories and are filling

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