Eating late at night? Y/N? Why?

methadoneugly
methadoneugly Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
A couple of hours before bed, around 12 am, I will very often get pangs of genuine hunger. My question is, would it be more damaging to ignore the pangs and not eat until morning than it would be to eat so late at night?
«13456

Replies

  • tryclyn
    tryclyn Posts: 2,414 Member
    Time of day has nothing to do with it. If you have calories left, eat if you're hungry.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    if you look at my diary, you will see that every night - especially on workout nights - I eat between 500 to 1200 calories after dinner. Have done this for 2 and a half years and it has not affected my weight loss. If you have the calories, eat them. If you don't, go to bed.

    I am just a night owl, so I my body doesn't really get going until after lunch most days (I'm awake... just not really functional!) so I eat very small breakfast and lunches typically.
  • methadoneugly
    methadoneugly Posts: 4
    Thanks guys, appreciate it :)
  • kayrich75
    kayrich75 Posts: 11 Member
    Iwas lead to believe you should try and have your last meal 3 hours before going to sleep as you dont burn off the calories and your body will store the fat. im not sure how true this is but i use this method. try eating more earlier in the evening then you
    should avoid getting hunger pangs later on
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Timing has nothing to do with weight loss. Unless if impacts your motivation/discipline or your quality of sleep, I wouln't worry about it.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    Iwas lead to believe you should try and have your last meal 3 hours before going to sleep as you dont burn off the calories and your body will store the fat. im not sure how true this is but i use this method. try eating more earlier in the evening then you
    should avoid getting hunger pangs later on

    your body just doesn't work that way. Your body can "even out" the energy flow (food intake) on a daily basis without you trying to worry about it. It is all about overall intake versus expenditure. It is more of a preference about when you want to eat.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Iwas lead to believe you should try and have your last meal 3 hours before going to sleep as you dont burn off the calories and your body will store the fat. im not sure how true this is but i use this method. try eating more earlier in the evening then you
    should avoid getting hunger pangs later on

    Your body doesn't stop functioning at night. In fact, while you sleep is when the bulk of your recovery happens. You'll still burn the cals, I assure you.
  • glamouritz64
    glamouritz64 Posts: 85 Member
    Time of day has nothing to do with it. If you have calories left, eat if you're hungry.

    I completely disagree with this statement. Every person's body composition is different, and the way our bodies breakdown calories is different. Also, depending on WHAT you eat before going to bed (and how often you do it) can be problematic.

    I generally try to stop ALL eating/snacking at 9:00 p.m., regardless of the time I go to bed. The only exception is if I'm skating on a particular night (the session is from 9p-1a).

    But if you're STARVING, then I suggest having some sort of protein, or a piece of fruit. Stay away from starches and foods that are high in fat and sodium.
  • MissyGorman2012
    MissyGorman2012 Posts: 52
    If I'm hungry I will get up and eat a protein snack just to curb it enough to fall asleep. Usually a babybel cheese or something. I do try and stay away from carbs at night but I don't avoid eating altogether if I'm hungry and I need it.
  • Lyssa62
    Lyssa62 Posts: 930 Member
    Time of day has nothing to do with it. If you have calories left, eat if you're hungry.

    ^^^ this -- I've lost 34 lbs and am usually eating a bag of popcorn right before bed while I'm journaling. Hasn't hurt me since. I know people who eat a meal before bed due to shifts at work and it doesn't seem to bother their weight loss. A meal wouldn't work for me because then I couldn't sleep...but a light snack like popcorn, nuts, fruit works for me
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Time of day has nothing to do with it. If you have calories left, eat if you're hungry.

    I completely disagree with this statement. Every person's body composition is different, and the way our bodies breakdown calories is different. Also, depending on WHAT you eat before going to bed (and how often you do it) can be problematic.

    You can disagree, but medical conditions aside we are all very similar in the biological processes that happen. We all gain weight from energy surpluses and we all need a deficit to lose weight because thermodynamics.

    We certainly have different preferences so in that regard you might feel a certain way about when you eat, but simply put: you don't gain weight from eating at a specific time if you're eating in a calorie deficit.
  • chervil6
    chervil6 Posts: 236 Member
    Time of day has nothing to do with it. If you have calories left, eat if you're hungry.


    this ^^^^^ and even if u have no calories left have something small , or even hot skimmed milk , always does the rick for me :)
  • Juliejustsaying
    Juliejustsaying Posts: 2,332 Member
    As a general rule I won't eat after 6pm, it seems my body stores it and I always gain weight...but that is me, and it may just be my perception, I don't really know, but I stick with my rule as best I can.
  • Crankstr
    Crankstr Posts: 3,958 Member
    Time of day has nothing to do with it. If you have calories left, eat if you're hungry.

    I completely disagree with this statement. Every person's body composition is different, and the way our bodies breakdown calories is different. Also, depending on WHAT you eat before going to bed (and how often you do it) can be problematic.

    I generally try to stop ALL eating/snacking at 9:00 p.m., regardless of the time I go to bed. The only exception is if I'm skating on a particular night (the session is from 9p-1a).

    But if you're STARVING, then I suggest having some sort of protein, or a piece of fruit. Stay away from starches and foods that are high in fat and sodium.

    i mostly disagree with this statement.


    my favorite time to eat is 9pm
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    As a general rule I won't eat after 6pm, it seems my body stores it and I always gain weight...but that is me, and it may just be my perception, I don't really know, but I stick with my rule as best I can.

    It is your perception or its food weight in your stomach. You do not gain extra fat strictly due to night time eating. It's not how things work.
  • witchy_wife
    witchy_wife Posts: 792 Member
    If you are hungry, then eat. I don't think there is much scientific backing for the whole "do not eat so many hours before bed basis".

    Might give you indigestion though!
  • MissyGorman2012
    MissyGorman2012 Posts: 52
    and to add that many nights I don't even eat dinner till 9pm. So far I've never seen it have any effect. Again, I stay away from carbs at night and limit them to breakfast and lunch. I find the protein much more filling.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Time of day has nothing to do with it. If you have calories left, eat if you're hungry.

    This ^^

    We eat dinner late because that's what fits our schedule. Usually around 9:00 - 9:30, which might not be late for some, but us old folks typically turn in around 10:30.
  • escloflowneCHANGED
    escloflowneCHANGED Posts: 3,038 Member
    Time of day has nothing to do with it. If you have calories left, eat if you're hungry.

    I completely disagree with this statement. Every person's body composition is different, and the way our bodies breakdown calories is different. Also, depending on WHAT you eat before going to bed (and how often you do it) can be problematic.

    I generally try to stop ALL eating/snacking at 9:00 p.m., regardless of the time I go to bed. The only exception is if I'm skating on a particular night (the session is from 9p-1a).

    But if you're STARVING, then I suggest having some sort of protein, or a piece of fruit. Stay away from starches and foods that are high in fat and sodium.

    I completely disagree with this statement.
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    Yes, because I'm hungry.
  • BurtHuttz
    BurtHuttz Posts: 3,653 Member
    i mostly disagree with this statement.

    my favorite time to eat is 9pm

    I agree with this disagreement.
  • n0ob
    n0ob Posts: 2,390 Member
    when I was lifting 4-5 times a week and running every day and doing something on my "rest" days, I would wake up at 2-3 AM and eat 400 cals or so of peanut butter.

    Ah, to be young again...
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    I don't eat at all before I go to bed because my body completely shuts down when I sleep. I mean it. It goes into a metabolic coma, I burn no calories, and I wake up much heavier every day. That's why I don't weigh myself in the morning; I gain a tremendous amount of weight the night before because my body did absolutely no burning of fat or calories. It was completely shut down.
  • dg09
    dg09 Posts: 754
    Yes AND no.

    Eat all the way up to 11:59PM and then stop, any time after that you run the risk of turning into a gremlin.
  • miracole
    miracole Posts: 492 Member
    I definitely snack at night, even if it is the 5 minutes leading up to going to bed. But then again I also tend to do quite a bit of exercise at night (for example used my spin bike for 90 minutes last night starting at 8:45pm) and my long runs are always Saturday mornings so I carb load as necessary the night before both at dinner and in my snacking (love my stove top popcorn maker). Eating before bed often gives me more energy first thing in the morning as well. I tend to hit the snooze button a few too many times and then bring my breakfast in to work with me, if I haven't eaten a sufficient amount the night before the bus ride into work may make me feel nauseous from hunger!

    Sometimes I'll even fit in an extra calorie burn just so I CAN snack late at night. And my results speak for themselves!
  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
    I don't eat at all before I go to bed because my body completely shuts down when I sleep. I mean it. It goes into a metabolic coma, I burn no calories, and I wake up much heavier every day. That's why I don't weigh myself in the morning; I gain a tremendous amount of weight the night before because my body did absolutely no burning of fat or calories. It was completely shut down.

    lol

    Unless you die every night, I can assure you this does not happen.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I don't eat at all before I go to bed because my body completely shuts down when I sleep. I mean it. It goes into a metabolic coma, I burn no calories, and I wake up much heavier every day. That's why I don't weigh myself in the morning; I gain a tremendous amount of weight the night before because my body did absolutely no burning of fat or calories. It was completely shut down.

    Maybe you should set an alarm for the middle of the night so you can eat something to kick start it.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    I don't eat at all before I go to bed because my body completely shuts down when I sleep. I mean it. It goes into a metabolic coma, I burn no calories, and I wake up much heavier every day. That's why I don't weigh myself in the morning; I gain a tremendous amount of weight the night before because my body did absolutely no burning of fat or calories. It was completely shut down.

    lol

    Unless you die every night, I can assure you this does not happen.

    Perhaps I do. La petite mort.
  • glamouritz64
    glamouritz64 Posts: 85 Member
    Time of day has nothing to do with it. If you have calories left, eat if you're hungry.

    I completely disagree with this statement. Every person's body composition is different, and the way our bodies breakdown calories is different. Also, depending on WHAT you eat before going to bed (and how often you do it) can be problematic.

    You can disagree, but medical conditions aside we are all very similar in the biological processes that happen. We all gain weight from energy surpluses and we all need a deficit to lose weight because thermodynamics.

    We certainly have different preferences so in that regard you might feel a certain way about when you eat, but simply put: you don't gain weight from eating at a specific time if you're eating in a calorie deficit.

    So I guess "slow metabolisms" are a myth. Gotcha.
  • ahviendha
    ahviendha Posts: 1,291 Member
    yes. if i'm hungry i eat. or else i'm extra hungry in the mornings and also likely to faint or feel dizzy while working out.

Categories