How late is "too late" to take protein at night?

brazilnut05
brazilnut05 Posts: 40 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So my schedule is a little crazy due to working night shift (7pm to 7am) 3 nights a week. Nope. NOT a stripper- I'm a nurse! My sleep schedule is screwed up as well, to say the least. I guess what I'm wondering is, how late in the day (before you go to bed) will you consume a protein shake or high protein meal? Thanks for your input.

Replies

  • fitnessfreddie
    fitnessfreddie Posts: 74 Member
    Your metabolism can't tell time, won't really make a difference. Some say though that a heavy meal before bed might wake you up at night?? Protein shakes can be taken whenever, casein protein is designed to be taken right before sleep.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    doesn't matter.
  • brazilnut05
    brazilnut05 Posts: 40 Member
    The salesperson at GNC literally told me, "don't drink a protein shake before bed or it'll make you fat." Umm, ok.
    I'm beginning to see why so many people on this site bash that place!

    I've heard a lot regarding glutamine aiding in muscle recovery, but never tried it. Any recommended brands? GNC?? (I kid! I kid! :tongue: ) ...But seriously. Thanks for the advice!!
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    yeah, not many nutrition qualifications required to work there :tongue:

    The only thing I take (that I've researched) for muscle recovery is magnesium as some studies have shown that consuming above the RDA amounts could be more optimal (just like how RDA protein intakes are low for athletes). It's not a miracle pill or anything but any
  • DawnEH612
    DawnEH612 Posts: 574 Member
    Time is irrelevant in regards to gaining weight. However, it could be beneficial to have some slow absorbing protein before bed. In fact, i read, in multiple places over the years that having a small amount of protein before bed is actually a good thing. It helps keep you satiated during the night, prevents muscle from being used during the body's repair process. I have protein every night. I ave lost over 70 pounds from my heaviest weight. I would not listen to GNC guy.they are trained to sell GNC products. They really dont even know much about the other, non GNC products in the store.
    Go to a website like bodybuilding.com.
    Check these out: http://news.menshealth.com/the-best-thing-to-eat-before-bed/2012/02/24/
    http://www.simplyshredded.com/top-10-muscle-myths-we-test-research-the-10-biggest-axioms-of-bodybuilding.html. (See myth 1)
  • fitnessfreddie
    fitnessfreddie Posts: 74 Member
    I've tried glutamine and noticed no different for DOMS. I wouldn't waste the money on it. Your body produces it naturally.
  • NickG1757
    NickG1757 Posts: 7 Member
    It doesn't matter whatsoever :)
  • victoire713
    victoire713 Posts: 720 Member
    I recommend actually drinking 8 ounces of Boost before bed. It actually helped me with my weight loss. For awhile, then I quit and then my weight returned...Hmm...I need to start taking my own advice lol.
  • Arkhos
    Arkhos Posts: 290 Member
    Was reading this recently showing that it's actually beneficial to consume a high protein meal just prior to bed:

    http://www.humanengine.com/index.php/articles/nutrition/item/nutrient-timing-endures-circadian-rhythm-protein-timing?category_id=3


    That’s 2 well controlled studies in favor of eating much of your daily protein intake later in the day. However, these studies cannot tell us if it was the energy or just the protein timing that caused the positive effects.

    Enter Jordan et al. (2010). These white-coat-wearing amigos compared two groups receiving a carbohydrate and a protein beverage at breakfast and about 10 hours after waking up and they measured nitrogen balance, a measure of daily protein balance and lean tissue growth. One group received the carbs at breakfast and the protein later in the day and the other group received the carbs later in the day and the protein at breakfast. The group receiving the protein later in the day had a significantly more positive nitrogen balance than the group receiving the protein at breakfast. Because the study authors controlled for carb and therefore energy timing, only the protein timing could have caused this difference. The most remarkable thing about this study is that the protein beverage only contained 15 grams of protein in a diet containing more than sufficient protein and still they found a significant effect.

    Conclusion

    Energy intake and macros are far from all that matters in a diet and can’t be considered strictly more important than nutrient timing. CRPT, the timing of your protein intake over the day, can aid both muscle gains during a bulk and muscle retention during a cut. It’s so important that it can make the difference between significant hypertrophy and complete stagnation. There is still much that needs clarification by future research, but all current evidence points in the direction that you should consume a significant amount of your daily protein intake later in the day. Whether energy timing also has an effect and what the optimal timing is remain uncertain at this point.

    Let CRPT serve as an illustration that, even in a time where the strength community is getting back to basics, sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference.

    Take home message: Consume at least a single meal with a good portion of protein in the hours before going to sleep.
  • brazilnut05
    brazilnut05 Posts: 40 Member
    ^^Thanks for the info! Guess I will try this and see what happens... :wink:
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    It depends on what time you fall asleep. Drinking a protein shake while sleeping could pose a potential choking hazard so I would recommend drinking it before sleeping. I would allow enough time between drinking a protein shake and sleeping that you're able to brush your teeth. Other than that, as late as you'd like.
  • BonaFideUK
    BonaFideUK Posts: 313 Member
    meal timing is broscience, take it whenever you want.
  • ChanceTakr2131
    ChanceTakr2131 Posts: 96
    I'm not a stripper either.

    I don't usually do protein after 7pm.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    Eat whenever you want.

    I aim for 2000 calories a day and it is not unusual for me to eat 65% of that in the 5 hours right before bed (with up to 500 calories 30 minutes before I sleep).
  • Sycoholic
    Sycoholic Posts: 282 Member
    If you're really taxing your muscles you would most likely want a casein protein shake before bed. I take mine right before I hit the pillow. Currently I'm taking MusclePharm's Combat. However, I lift heavy almost every day of the week and consume upwards of 200g of protein a day. It's not a lot of calories and the protein repairs your muscles while you sleep instead of fasting. I know I've noticed a speedier recovery from lifting since I started that.

    Take whatever you hear with a grain of salt. I doesn't matter if it comes from GNC or somebody at a gym. I'm actually happy with my GNC. The guys there have made solid recommendations and seem to know what they're talking about. Drinking a protein shake at night won't make you fat.... however, consuming large amounts of calories will as you're about to go to sleep and not burn any of it off as fuel.
  • woofers1803
    woofers1803 Posts: 23
    Casein protein or at least a glass of milk at night (or right before you go to bed) helps with muscle recovery if you are lifting heavy. Makes a huge difference if you are doing a program like Stronglifts. I've found it's more the type of protein than the timing in terms of muscle recovery while sleeping. Casein protein is slower to absorb than whey and soy, and it allows the body to keep rebuilding the muscle over night/sleep time. For whey protein, GNC isn't that bad of a place to go as long as you don't listen to a thing they tell you! If you can, get a combination protein with both whey and casein and use it after your workouts and then either just casein protein or milk at bed time and you will hurt less. Made all the difference in the world. Since I moved over to using different proteins for different purposes, I've hardly ever been sore and I have been seeing HUGE improvement in the weight room too.

    Experiment with timing. What works for one person may not work best for another. If you're still super sore on one schedule, try a different time!
  • Cp731
    Cp731 Posts: 3,195 Member
    It depends on what time you fall asleep. Drinking a protein shake while sleeping could pose a potential choking hazard so I would recommend drinking it before sleeping. I would allow enough time between drinking a protein shake and sleeping that you're able to brush your teeth. Other than that, as late as you'd like.

    Pffffffffffffffttttttttttttttt, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Yea a lot of fuuuuuny here
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    It is never too late to take protein. Even if you have to take it in the middle of the night. Just wake up and take it to your hearts content.
  • brazilnut05
    brazilnut05 Posts: 40 Member
    It depends on what time you fall asleep. Drinking a protein shake while sleeping could pose a potential choking hazard so I would recommend drinking it before sleeping. I would allow enough time between drinking a protein shake and sleeping that you're able to brush your teeth. Other than that, as late as you'd like.

    I've had my fair share of patients with aspiration pneumonia at work. Usually they end up septic and on a mechanical ventilator. FUN! :noway:
  • brazilnut05
    brazilnut05 Posts: 40 Member
    I'm not a stripper either.

    I don't usually do protein after 7pm.

    NICE! I've always wanted to take pole dancing classes. It looks freakin' hard!
  • JJordon
    JJordon Posts: 857 Member
    Its... NEVER... TOOO... LATE....!
  • brazilnut05
    brazilnut05 Posts: 40 Member
    Casein protein or at least a glass of milk at night (or right before you go to bed) helps with muscle recovery if you are lifting heavy. Makes a huge difference if you are doing a program like Stronglifts. I've found it's more the type of protein than the timing in terms of muscle recovery while sleeping. Casein protein is slower to absorb than whey and soy, and it allows the body to keep rebuilding the muscle over night/sleep time. For whey protein, GNC isn't that bad of a place to go as long as you don't listen to a thing they tell you! If you can, get a combination protein with both whey and casein and use it after your workouts and then either just casein protein or milk at bed time and you will hurt less. Made all the difference in the world. Since I moved over to using different proteins for different purposes, I've hardly ever been sore and I have been seeing HUGE improvement in the weight room too.

    Experiment with timing. What works for one person may not work best for another. If you're still super sore on one schedule, try a different time!

    Good to know. The protein I currently use is whey based with leucine and a bunch of other amino acids (Its the GNC Amplified Wheybolic Extreme). I'll have to look into the casein type.

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