Not Eating At Night

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Cytherea
Cytherea Posts: 515 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So we all know that you aren't supposed to eat at night or shortly before bed.

But I'm not sure *exactly* the reason for this. So my questions may be silly if I am misunderstanding the concept.

Sometimes, at night, if my stomach hurts, I'll take a Tums while I'm lying in bed. Or Advil, etc. if I have a headache. And I always take my birth control when I get in bed for the night. So is that messing up my body somehow? Is it ok to take medicine at night? It isn't "food" per se, but you are putting something into your stomach to be digested. And Tums have sugar in them.

Thoughts?

Replies

  • sara_m83
    sara_m83 Posts: 545 Member
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    I think we're told not to eat at night because our body is inactive once we go to bed and we don't actually use any of the calories we've just consumed. I think taking medications should be fine.
  • dfwtxmissy
    dfwtxmissy Posts: 102
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    There was an article posted that stated that your body's metabolism does not know day from night and the idea of not eating at night is a myth. Just eat something healthy. Carrot sticks, etc.
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    I have always eaten right up until bedtime.. and that was 60lbs ago.. if you are within your calories if doesnt matter what your metabolism is.. If you are hungry you should eat.
  • ron2282
    ron2282 Posts: 2,772 Member
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    I have a tablespoon of peanut butter right before I go up to bed every night. It keeps me from getting up in the middle of the night and eating, and it's had no negative impact on my weight loss.
  • faithjones83
    faithjones83 Posts: 28 Member
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    Thanks jrich1 I am sitting here at 11:17 hungry and reading this I was afriad to eat something because it is so late but I have lots of calories left in my day since I had a good workout. i think I'll have a special k bar
  • AnnaPixie
    AnnaPixie Posts: 7,439 Member
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    I think its a myth too. I've always been a night eater and its never bothered me or my weight loss. A calorie is a calorie, wether you consume it at 11am or 11pm. It doesnt just turn into 2 calories at 11pm??

    Your body doesnt shut down during sleep, its very active rebuilding your cells and dreaming. In fact, I once read you burn more calories sleeping than watching tv! And to the contrare, having something in your stomach keeps your metabolism running through the night, so its actually a good thing!!

    I think the only thing to watch is not eating TOO MUCH before bed is because you'll get indigestion and that will disturb your sleep.

    Definitly not good for you to go hungry before sleep. That will disturb sleep too.

    As for meds/supplements, I think it depends on the med. I have noticed that taking chromium before sleep keeps me awake. Anything with caffeine keeps me awake too. You just need to experiemnt with your own body, but dont be afraid of trying anything in life, we are all unique specimins and what's good for me may not be good for you :wink:

    Good luck :flowerforyou:
  • JennaGermain
    JennaGermain Posts: 71
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    I've also read that taking aspirin right before bed (especially for the sake of blood pressure) is more effective than taking it during the day.
  • billgiersberg
    billgiersberg Posts: 163
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    As a health-care worker, the thing about your post that caught my attention was the abdominal pain you mentioned. Being a guy I know very little about BC medications so I jumped on WebMD and did a quick check. This report (http://www.webmd.com/sex/birth-control/birth-control-pills?page=3) says, "It's best to take the pills at the same time every day. Take the pill each day either before breakfast or at bedtime." (Page 2). There are side effects to taking BC pills. Some are mild while some others are serious. Abdominal pain (stomach pain) is listed on page 3 of the report as being serious.

    If you are experiencing some type of abdominal discomfort, you should discuss it with your doctor.

    As to eating at night... I snack at night. It's a bad habit I'd like to break. Generally it does not cause me any problems unless I over indulge. Before I got serious about weight loss I over indulged often and suffered gastric reflux as a result. Left unchecked, the condition could cause erosion of the esophageal lining. I knew this but I persisted in over indulging anyway. Taking Tums was something I tried but I also knew it was like putting a band-aid on a festering wound. Until I took care of what caused the wound, the band-aid was ineffective. I got serious about weight loss and exercise several months ago. During that time I have not had any episodes of reflux even though I still snack, I just don't over indulge.

    Does eating at night add weight? Well, I've lost almost 27 pounds despite the fact I can't break the habit of midnight snacks. I think my exercise routines are the primary reason for my success along with my determination to reach my goal weight.
  • deagn5
    deagn5 Posts: 19 Member
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    if your stomach is hurting eat something simple peanut butter is a good idea or something else with protein instead of carbs that, if not used will turn into sugar. i WOULD NOT take advil. this can only worsen the problem because advil can bother some peoples stomach if not taken with something to eat, and could eventually cause ulcers, (not that i think you are headed in that direction). also if its happening every night, or often enough, you do not want to mask something that is an underlining issue. have you always taken you bcp at night, is the pain before or after you take it? maybe this needs to be changed in terms of time of day.
  • pfenixa
    pfenixa Posts: 194 Member
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    There was an article posted that stated that your body's metabolism does not know day from night and the idea of not eating at night is a myth. Just eat something healthy. Carrot sticks, etc.

    I had this exact question yesterday and this is the same thing I found. It's kinda like breakfast or snacking throughout the day: you don't have to but for alot of people that don't when it comes time to eat they are more prone to making bad food choices or eating too much to compensate. Someone that decides to have a late night snack may decide to go ahead and have that ice cream or junk food, so saying that the whole idea is bad for weight loss will deter people from doing it entirely. The only real negative aspect of late eating is that if your body isn't done digesting it can cause discomforts during the night.

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