No Carbs at Dinner?

I like carbs at night. I sleep well.

Why?

I eat carbs whenever I want to eat carbs. I've lost roughly 40 Lbs total and counting. Carbs aren't the devil. You may benefit from a reduction in carbs if you are for the most part sedentary and don't really exercise and/or you have some resistance to insulin...other than that, it's not going to make a lick of difference.

Why would you restrict carbs at dinner? Not judging or disagreeing. Genuinely curious about what it's supposed to accomplish?

I had read this in a Jillian Michaels book. It was all about hormone/sugar regulation (particularly gherelin...spelling?). Thought someone might know a bit more about this idea in particular.

Jillian is talking out of her *kitten*.

talking to Patrick - and you're talking out of your belly. I don't think I've ever even seen your *kitten* and we've been friends forever. hmmm...

taking to Patrick - and you're talking out of your belly. I don't think I've ever even seen your *kitten* and we've been friends forever. hmmm...

My belly likes carbs. At night.

Why?

I eat carbs whenever I want to eat carbs. I've lost roughly 40 Lbs total and counting. Carbs aren't the devil. You may benefit from a reduction in carbs if you are for the most part sedentary and don't really exercise and/or you have some resistance to insulin...other than that, it's not going to make a lick of difference.

I guess I wonder if I do have some resistance to insulin. My grandmother was diabetic (the acquired type...cannot remember which one that is). I have been a pretty serious athlete in the past, yet have always had a layer of padding on me. I don't eat process foods and I kick the $@#%@$ of the fittest looking people at the gym. I do not understand why I have this extra weight. It doesn't make a lot of sense really.

You might just want to get some blood work done, that way you know which direction you need to take, if any. I was having a hard time at one point despite restricting my calories, etc..It may actually be nothing at all...for me, the issue was nothing as serious as being insulin resistant...it was that I was vitamin D deficient...started taking 5,000 IU as per my doctor and getting some sunshine...voila...fat melt.

I eat no to low carbs at dinner. But I eat meat lol. So dinner is often some form of fish/meat with lots of cooked and fresh veges. Its not the only thing I'm doing though.

Not trying to pick a fight...but aren't most veggies carbs?

I guess I was thinking of starchy carbs.

I tried it when I did the Tone It Up plan where you're not allowed 'starch' after lunch. The problem was that I didn't feel full in the evenings, and that led to headaches, crankiness towards bedtime, and impacted the quality of my sleep.

Allegedly, you won't burn off the calories since you're going to bed in a few hours, but the reality is that it's calories in and out over time that counts. Anything stored overnight will be burned off in the morning. It's like saying your car only needs gas in the mornings, but if you go for a drive in the evening, the tank can be empty.

Wondering if anyone has tried this. I did so once and it seemed to work (but it could have been a host of other things...particularly that my weight training was really intense then). Thinking about taking it up again. Don't have a lot to lose and I eat fairly well...definitely under my calorie limit each day (1200....I am only 4'11).

Has anyone done this? Had it work? Have a sense of why or why it didn't work?

My hesitancy is around how things would need to change re: my cooking (husband does most of it and is great at it.....I tend to set kitchens aflame!) and the fact that I don't eat meat which makes this a bit of a challenge.

Any thoughts, ideas, stories, would be much appreciated!
thanks!

Not to derail your carb question, but I am 4' 11" and I consume between 1400-1600 cals daily. I cycle 20 miles and lost 4 lbs and 2 inches off of my thighs, and an inch from my buttinsky. Are you netting 1200 daily?

Why would you restrict carbs at dinner? Not judging or disagreeing. Genuinely curious about what it's supposed to accomplish?

I had read this in a Jillian Michaels book. It was all about hormone/sugar regulation (particularly gherelin...spelling?). Thought someone might know a bit more about this idea in particular.

Jillian is talking out of her *kitten*.

No she isn't.

Simple truth, carbs increase blood sugar and blood sugar spikes cause hunger which increases Gherelin, the hormone responsible for stimulating hunger, so when you spike blood sugar you are increasing Gherelin. Do it at night and it results in night snacking which for many people is the reason they battle with weight. You want to fight your body chemistry? Be my guest. Eat carbs to your hearts content until you die from diabetes. To the rest of you out there seeking real solutions to control your cravings: Reduce your carb intake all day , but especially at night. At least balance your consumption with equal amounts of protein, fiber and a bit of fat so it promotes slower sugar absorption. You will see a change in hunger almost immediately.

For MANY people reducing carbs results in controlling blood sugar spikes is the BEST way to control irrational hunger cravings and ANYONE who has a lick of food and digestion science knows this.

Jillian Michaels is no fool. She has made a respectable living teaching millions of people how to manage their weight and get in shape and from what I can tell with an legit motivation to do what is right. I have had the pleasure to meet her and she is awesome. Her concepts are not anti carb, but she does push be responsible in your eating and bed educate about how food affects your body.

I think the people who tell others that they can eat as many carbs as they want without consequence are the ones talking out of their *kitten*.

And to answer the OP question. I have reduced my carb intake to 125 on my cardio days and under a 100 grams on my strength training days. I eat most of my carbs directly after my workout which ends usually around 1 pm. My meal at night has few carbs, just enough for digestion and sleep, and lots of protein and fiber to balance it out.

I have little to no cravings all day when I control my carb intake and that is even while I do Intermittent Fasting 16:8 (I don't eat from 9 pm to 1 pm the next day). I don't even crave food during my fasting window. The only time I am hungry now is after my workout. The rest of the time I have to be mindful of eating my calorie target because have little hunger urge. (Which is the Gherelin response)

Why would you restrict carbs at dinner? Not judging or disagreeing. Genuinely curious about what it's supposed to accomplish?

I had read this in a Jillian Michaels book. It was all about hormone/sugar regulation (particularly gherelin...spelling?). Thought someone might know a bit more about this idea in particular.

Jillian is talking out of her *kitten*.

No she isn't.

Simple truth, carbs increase blood sugar and blood sugar spikes cause hunger which increases Gherelin, the hormone responsible for stimulating hunger, so when you spike blood sugar you are increasing Gherelin. Do it at night and it results in night snacking which for many people is the reason they battle with weight. You want to fight your body chemistry? Be my guest. Eat carbs to your hearts content until you die from diabetes. To the rest of you out there seeking real solutions to control your cravings: Reduce your carb intake all day , but especially at night. At least balance your consumption with equal amounts of protein, fiber and a bit of fat so it promotes slower sugar absorption. You will see a change in hunger almost immediately.

For MANY people reducing carbs results in controlling blood sugar spikes is the BEST way to control irrational hunger cravings and ANYONE who has a lick of food and digestion science knows this.

Jillian Michaels is no fool. She has made a respectable living teaching millions of people how to manage their weight and get in shape and from what I can tell with an legit motivation to do what is right. I have had the pleasure to meet her and she is awesome. Her concepts are not anti carb, but she does push be responsible in your eating and bed educate about how food affects your body.

I think the people who tell others that they can eat as many carbs as they want without consequence are the ones talking out of their *kitten*.

How about showing some research that backs up these assertions......

Why would you restrict carbs at dinner? Not judging or disagreeing. Genuinely curious about what it's supposed to accomplish?

I had read this in a Jillian Michaels book. It was all about hormone/sugar regulation (particularly gherelin...spelling?). Thought someone might know a bit more about this idea in particular.

Jillian is talking out of her *kitten*.

No she isn't.

Simple truth, carbs increase blood sugar and blood sugar spikes cause hunger which increases Gherelin, the hormone responsible for stimulating hunger, so when you spike blood sugar you are increasing Gherelin. Do it at night and it results in night snacking which for many people is the reason they battle with weight. You want to fight your body chemistry? Be my guest. Eat carbs to your hearts content until you die from diabetes. To the rest of you out there seeking real solutions to control your cravings: Reduce your carb intake all day , but especially at night. At least balance your consumption with equal amounts of protein, fiber and a bit of fat so it promotes slower sugar absorption. You will see a change in hunger almost immediately.

We are on a calorie counting website where people are aware of their energy intake. The argument that carbohydrate stimulates hunger and therefore causes overeating is irrelevant in a population that tracks energy intake.

Secondarily I'm well aware that ghrelin is a hunger stimulating hormone. It's also adaptive to feeding patterns which is why intake methods such as Intermittent Fasting tend to work well for adherence in some populations. Which by the way, typically consist of people eating more of their food intake at night.

For MANY people reducing carbs results in controlling blood sugar spikes is the BEST way to control irrational hunger cravings and ANYONE who has a lick of food and digestion science knows this.

Now tell me if it's the reduction in carbohydrate or the increase in protein that causes the increased satiation.

I think the people who tell others that they can eat as many carbs as they want without consequence are the ones talking out of their *kitten*.

Have you seen anyone ever say that you can eat as many carbs as they want? Was that mentioned in this thread or anywhere else?

The notion I'm disagreeing with is that you need to avoid carbohydrate specifically in the evening. Carbohydrates are not the evil lipogenic food that people make them out to be.

Many, many people do very well eating most of their carbs in the evening.

There's no reason to fear it provided you are controlling your total energy intake. It's up to the dieter to choose whichever nutrient timing protocol maximizes performance and satiation and believe it or not, for some people that involves evening carbohydrates.


Finally

You want to fight your body chemistry? Be my guest. Eat carbs to your hearts content until you die from diabetes

LMAO


OH, and:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21475137

*sigh*

I used to be strict about my new lifestyle, but I still kept losing even after I started eating carbs at dinner. You need to eat carbs to live; restricting them after certain times doesn't make a difference (unless you've got an insulin-resistance disorder of some sort). I just make sure to try and reach my macros in a given caloric amount. It doesn't matter to me WHEN I eat it anymore.

So you're saying I have to eat bread and potatos and pasta to live? That's BS. I've eaten low carb for years, my health is perfect although I'm carrying a bit more body fat than I want right now.