Eating Late....

rebeccamcarthur1
rebeccamcarthur1 Posts: 14 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
From my understanding that you should eat (recharge) after your workout. Unfortunately I do not get my workouts in until about 8pm (because I have kids) and I work out for about an hour maybe a little more. I have always heard you shouldn't eat after 8pm but I don't know what to do. Can someone help me. What should I do?

Replies

  • helplesslyhappy
    helplesslyhappy Posts: 43
    1) Consult Here

    2) Consult Dr. Google

    3) Here's my opinion: You can eat, just what exactly are you thinking? Don't go for carbs, don't go for fruits, just vegetables and protein if I were you....Maybe a scoop of peanut butter and veggies to munch on.

    Don't forget to brush your teeth! :) HTH
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    Eat when it works for you. Meal timing is about personal preference.

    I regularly eat hundreds of calories after 7pm. I usually have dinner around 8 or 9. It has not impacted my weight loss in the slightest.

    And you can eat carbs at night if you want - the only reason you shouldn't eat something at a certain time is if it makes you feel sick or impacts your sleep.
  • yowza101
    yowza101 Posts: 196 Member
    Many ions ago, when my son was a toddler, that was the only time I got to work out was after he was asleep. I remember just having a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. A lot of calories are burnt during an hour workout. I just knew that if I just ate a piece of fruit, I will wake up in the middle of the night looking for food because I was hungry.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Unless it causes you indigestion, affects your sleep, or brings you over your calorie total for the day, eating late at night is not a problem.
  • LilRedRooster
    LilRedRooster Posts: 1,421 Member
    Time has no effect on whether or not you lose weight, and as long as you aren't going over your calories for the day, or it's affecting your sleep, go for it.
  • SergeiKay
    SergeiKay Posts: 90 Member
    YES! I'm so glad people are starting to fight to old "don't eat at night" or "no carbs at night" deal.
    Excellent point, eat what you need, when you need it. If It Fits Your Macros (and fiber).
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    You can eat whenever you want.
  • KatieJane83
    KatieJane83 Posts: 2,002 Member
    Just more reinforcement here. Meal timing means nothing, unless it affects your sleep. I regularly eat a lot of calories after 9pm, anduusually don't start eating until at least noon. *gasp* 2 broken rules! Never affected my weight loss though! Do what works for you.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I eat dinner between 8 & 9 every night...sometimes even after 9PM...this has not stopped me from losing 25 Lbs in the past 5 months.

    So, whatever you need to do so long as it fits your calorie goals and macros. I don't generally have a lot after a workout...just some protein to aid in recover and some fruit or something. I'm not usually hungry until about an hour or two after my workout...then I eat dinner.
  • zenchild
    zenchild Posts: 680 Member
    I went through all of Insanity eating late. I have to get up at 6 for work and I just couldn't stomach the thought of getting up even earlier to torture myself. I'd get home from work, unwind for a few minutes and start my workout at 6:30 or 7. I'd be done an hour later and then make my lunch and coffee for the next day and take a shower. I didn't eat until 8:30 or 9. That worked well for me. I had to drink a small protein shake right after my workout so I didn't overeat for dinner but other than that it was fine. I lost weight without being miserable.
  • rebeccamcarthur1
    rebeccamcarthur1 Posts: 14 Member
    Thank you everyone. I just wanted to make sure. Especially since I come home from my workout and usually shower and then hit the sack. Thanks for your input!
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    Eat whenever you want. On the days I go to the gym we eat dinner around 9:00. All this crap about not eating after 6 or whatever is ridiculous.
  • ddyf
    ddyf Posts: 1
    i'm new here and haven't posted yet since i'm just now learning about concepts such as bmr, tdee, etc. there is clearly a good deal of excellent info on this site; however, i felt compelled to speak up on this one because there's some misleading info being provided...

    eating late (more accurately, laying down after eating) may not affect weight loss, but it can certainly lead to problems w/digestive reflux. i'm not in the healthcare field, but this is well known and accepted info...

    the esophagus has a valve which is responsible for keeping food/acid from backing up into the esophagus from the stomach. laying down prior to full digestion can cause that valve to weaken and not seal correctly. once that occurs, we are subject to reflux. if anyone has ever experienced it, you already know how uncomfortable it can be.

    hope this helps someone out there.
  • mikeberthold
    mikeberthold Posts: 24 Member
    I usually work out between 8:30 and 9:30, shower then have my snack. From yogurt to a sandwich and even a bowl of chips depending on the day, when I'm hitting the sack and how many calories I have left in my budget.

    I usually go to sleep around 11:30/12 and it hasn't hurt me yet. Well, other than the fact I should probably sleep more.
  • debrag12
    debrag12 Posts: 1,071 Member
    On. The days I work we eat dinner tbetweenn 9-10pm.

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