Do you stop eating at a certain time at night? HELP!

Lisa1971
Lisa1971 Posts: 3,069 Member
edited September 20 in Food and Nutrition
I only ask because at 9pm I was still hungry and had a bowl of cheerios with milk. I hadn't eaten all of my calories for the day so that's why I had it. BUT I know that eating at night is "bad." Now what? Should I make sure I eat all of my calories earlier (even though after dinner I was full) or go ahead and have a snack before bed if it's under my calorie goal?

HELP!

Replies

  • ivykivy
    ivykivy Posts: 2,970 Member
    I eat before bed. If I didn't I wake up in the middle of the night starving. I still lose weight. Just control what you eat.
  • crystal_sapphire
    crystal_sapphire Posts: 1,205 Member
    Eating at night isn't "bad", though it is best to try not eating 2-3 hours before bed to allow digestion and emptying of stomach contents into the small bowel during that time frame. However, it still comes down to calories in versus out, so if you were in your perimeter, you should be fine.
  • 00trayn
    00trayn Posts: 1,849 Member
    I tend to eat a dessert or snack around 9-10pm, and I'm usually in bed by 11:30pm. It hasn't affected my weight loss at all so far. I try not to make it too heavy, sometimes I'll blend a smoothie, or have a Skinny Cow ice cream bar or some reduced fat cookies and Silk soy milk. I tend to have 3 meals and 2 snacks throughout the day and I'm not hungry when I go to bed. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to fall asleep.
  • NA
  • mommyhof3
    mommyhof3 Posts: 551 Member
    I don't eat past 9pm only because when I do eat close to my bedtime I have strange dreams. lol
  • CSimpson
    CSimpson Posts: 20
    I've read that it's not necessarily a bad thing to have something to eat later in the evening if you are hungry. I usually try to pick something healthy and filling. I've found that if I consume most of my calories during the work day and after a work out I'm usually hungry later in the evening and wake up in the early morning looking for something to snack on.
  • I have a rule for myself that "no eating after 8pm". I am usually in bed by 10 so this is reasonable. And it helps me to better guage my calories during the day. Like, I know after dinner I will have a low cal ice cream bar and that's 100-140 calories depending on what I reach for. I start eating at about 8:30 in the morning with breakfast. After lunchtime, I see where I'm at caloriewise and plan dinner. This also keeps me from snacking in front of the tv. If I were to snack, it's not the healthy stuff I reach for at that time of night so this just puts a stop to it for me.
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