food before bed.... :/

jonesgrrl
jonesgrrl Posts: 8 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I usually don't eat alot during the day which makes my intake below the goal. I don't want to eat if im not hungry...yet at night I get more hungry and I know I'm below what i need to be.... calorie wise. I also don't want to eat before bed... so what's acceptable? Even if its veggies is it bad to eat before bed? Or stay below in my calories.? Any one in the same situation or have advice?
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Replies

  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    The time of day that you eat has no affect on your weight loss. It's all about calories in < calories out over a sustained period of time.

    That said, I try to refrain from eating late at night because I usually go into binge mode. But if you're logging and have room for more, go for it!
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
    Timing of meals has essentially no impact on weight loss. Eat when you like. As long as it doesn't interfere with your sleep, you could eat immediately before bed and not be affected. I often eat much of my food an hour before bed due to my schedule (12+ hour days at work followed by an hour of insanity doesn't leave much other time).
  • jonesgrrl
    jonesgrrl Posts: 8 Member
    I guess I grew being told you would gain weight if you eat 2 hours or less before bed.. that you don't burn any of the calories and it turns to fat.. ?
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    it's fine to eat before bed unless it gives you indigestion or disrupts your sleep, or causes you to binge or something. For weight loss purposes, it's not a problem. I'd say if you're not hungry through the day, and you are hungry in the evening, and you are under your calorie goal, then eating before bed is the ideal solution for you (providing it doesn't cause the problems I mentioned). I too prefer to eat lightly through the day and have most of my calories in the evening, and it hasn't affected my weight loss or maintenance at all.

    You don't stop burning calories while you sleep, you metabolism continues to work. Yes, you are less active then, but you make up for it when you are more active in the morning, but not eating as much. Fat is being stored and burned all the time, but it balances out dependent on how many calories you are consuming overall.
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
    Meal timing doesn't matter, its not like you die and stop burning calories when you sleep. Undereating however does matter, im not talking about a moderate deficit but a large deficit over a long period of time will screw up your metabolism.
  • bigjoost
    bigjoost Posts: 53
    Try to eat a good breakfast for a good week. It's just a rhythm that you made to eat at night and then not be hungry in the morning. I used to be the same but turned it around. Maybe the time you eat has nothing to do with weight loss, but studies show (I'll look up the links if you really want to) that there is a correlation between people that skip breakfast and people that are overweight.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    I guess I grew being told you would gain weight if you eat 2 hours or less before bed.. that you don't burn any of the calories and it turns to fat.. ?

    I hear that all the time from my mom. She's also told me it will make my metabolism slow down. Not sure how that works logically though. Although, she also says that it doesn't apply to my little brother. :huh:

    I eat dinner right before bed sometimes. Sometimes I get up in the middle of the night for a snack. As long as I have the calories for it and am not going over maintenance calories, its fine. It hasn't slowed my weight loss any.
  • jonesgrrl
    jonesgrrl Posts: 8 Member
    Thanks .. my dads the same way w me and my brother too. I always feel guilty for eating too close to bed time. But everyones actual journey and advice helps :)
  • mperrott2205
    mperrott2205 Posts: 737 Member
    You burn loads of calories in your sleep. You might be dreaming, but your body is still working.
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  • Truckergirl922
    Truckergirl922 Posts: 18
    Try to eat a good breakfast for a good week. It's just a rhythm that you made to eat at night and then not be hungry in the morning. I used to be the same but turned it around. Maybe the time you eat has nothing to do with weight loss, but studies show (I'll look up the links if you really want to) that there is a correlation between people that skip breakfast and people that are overweight.

    This is very true, especially for women. When people skip breakfast (break the fast), our bodies go into a "famine mode" and will store every calorie we consume whether it needs it or not. Once you start feeding your body more regularly and stop restricting yourself from eating during the day, the night binges will stop. Tell yourself it's okay to eat. You will lose weight easier if eat small meals several times a day as opposed to one or two big meals.
  • corsairpro
    corsairpro Posts: 13
    I would recommend eating fats / protein before bed - avoid carbs. Carbs break-down to sugar when digested and if you are fully at rest (as would be the case while asleep) then you would produce insulin to pull the excess sugar out of your blood - into fat tissue.

    Fats and proteins take longer to digest and don't cause an insulin spike - plus they are building blocks for cells in your body and if you are complimenting your nutrition with exercise, overnight is the ideal time to provide good nutrients for cellular repair or growth.
  • LarryDUk
    LarryDUk Posts: 279 Member
    Try to eat a good breakfast for a good week. It's just a rhythm that you made to eat at night and then not be hungry in the morning. I used to be the same but turned it around. Maybe the time you eat has nothing to do with weight loss, but studies show (I'll look up the links if you really want to) that there is a correlation between people that skip breakfast and people that are overweight.

    When 30% of the population is obese studies can show correlation between every thing you can think of. I could run one right now that says if you put your right shoe on first then you are more likely to die fat.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    I guess I grew being told you would gain weight if you eat 2 hours or less before bed.. that you don't burn any of the calories and it turns to fat.. ?

    Your metabolism keeps chugging along 24/7, 365 days a year......your heart keeps beating, you keep breathing, your brain is active (even if you're dreaming) and your body's caloric expenditure digesting the food (TEF) you ate is the same morning, noon or night.

    Eat when you feel like it.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Try to eat a good breakfast for a good week. It's just a rhythm that you made to eat at night and then not be hungry in the morning. I used to be the same but turned it around. Maybe the time you eat has nothing to do with weight loss, but studies show (I'll look up the links if you really want to) that there is a correlation between people that skip breakfast and people that are overweight.

    This is very true, especially for women. When people skip breakfast (break the fast), our bodies go into a "famine mode" and will store every calorie we consume whether it needs it or not. Once you start feeding your body more regularly and stop restricting yourself from eating during the day, the night binges will stop. Tell yourself it's okay to eat. You will lose weight easier if eat small meals several times a day as opposed to one or two big meals.
    No, this is not true.

    Also, eating several small meals a day suits some people, but not everyone. If I eat several small meals a day, I feel hungrier, obsessed with food and more likely to binge. Eating one medium meal and one large evening meal suits me fine.
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
    Ditto...ditto...ditto.. And ditto.

    I like steel cut oats as a before bed snack. Seems to last all night and I don't wake in the morning with my stomach crawling up my throat in search of food.
  • mjschumacher100
    mjschumacher100 Posts: 30
    Try to eat a good breakfast for a good week. It's just a rhythm that you made to eat at night and then not be hungry in the morning. I used to be the same but turned it around. Maybe the time you eat has nothing to do with weight loss, but studies show (I'll look up the links if you really want to) that there is a correlation between people that skip breakfast and people that are overweight.

    This is very true, especially for women. When people skip breakfast (break the fast), our bodies go into a "famine mode" and will store every calorie we consume whether it needs it or not. Once you start feeding your body more regularly and stop restricting yourself from eating during the day, the night binges will stop. Tell yourself it's okay to eat. You will lose weight easier if eat small meals several times a day as opposed to one or two big meals.

    Utter nonsense. Eat whenever you like. Don't eat too much, don't eat too little. It really doesn't matter when you eat, it really doesn't. And this 'body goes into famine mode' stuff, urgh, I just wish people had some science or learning to back up their spurious ideas before stating them as fact. It doesn't help anyone to essentially regurgitate lies.
  • mjschumacher100
    mjschumacher100 Posts: 30
    I would recommend eating fats / protein before bed - avoid carbs. Carbs break-down to sugar when digested and if you are fully at rest (as would be the case while asleep) then you would produce insulin to pull the excess sugar out of your blood - into fat tissue.

    Fats and proteins take longer to digest and don't cause an insulin spike - plus they are building blocks for cells in your body and if you are complimenting your nutrition with exercise, overnight is the ideal time to provide good nutrients for cellular repair or growth.

    Lol. More hogwash. I don't even know where to start but you do know that insulin is a protein right? And that protein itself is insulinogenic? And that you need insulin to spike and clear to create and feed muscle?

    Eat whatever you like before bed. Indeed there's plenty of evidence to show carbs before bed are massively beneficial hence the idea of carb backloading.
  • Lupercalia
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member
    Try to eat a good breakfast for a good week. It's just a rhythm that you made to eat at night and then not be hungry in the morning. I used to be the same but turned it around. Maybe the time you eat has nothing to do with weight loss, but studies show (I'll look up the links if you really want to) that there is a correlation between people that skip breakfast and people that are overweight.

    This is very true, especially for women. When people skip breakfast (break the fast), our bodies go into a "famine mode" and will store every calorie we consume whether it needs it or not. Once you start feeding your body more regularly and stop restricting yourself from eating during the day, the night binges will stop. Tell yourself it's okay to eat. You will lose weight easier if eat small meals several times a day as opposed to one or two big meals.

    Not true. I'm a woman who has lost a fair bit of weight and I don't eat breakfast. I eat two meals, no snacks.

    OP, if you think skipping breakfast leads to you wanting to overeat at night (which I don't think you were asking about in your first post), then try changing your meal timings around. Otherwise, meal timing doesn't matter. Eat when you want to.
  • Lupercalia
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member

    Lol. More hogwash. I don't even know where to start but you do know that insulin is a protein right? And that protein itself is insulinogenic? And that you need insulin to spike and clear to create and feed muscle?

    Eat whatever you like before bed. Indeed there's plenty of evidence to show carbs before bed are massively beneficial hence the idea of carb backloading.

    This!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I guess I grew being told you would gain weight if you eat 2 hours or less before bed.. that you don't burn any of the calories and it turns to fat.. ?

    BS alert ..no that is not true ...

    eat whenever you want, unless you have a hard time going to bed on a full stomach ....
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Try to eat a good breakfast for a good week. It's just a rhythm that you made to eat at night and then not be hungry in the morning. I used to be the same but turned it around. Maybe the time you eat has nothing to do with weight loss, but studies show (I'll look up the links if you really want to) that there is a correlation between people that skip breakfast and people that are overweight.

    more BS alert ...

    If that is the case then how do people do IF, skip breakfast, and lose weight..

    I skipped breakfast for about 8 months and leaned out and lost about 1% body fat ....

    please do post the links...and hopefully they are not from "yahoo answers"
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Try to eat a good breakfast for a good week. It's just a rhythm that you made to eat at night and then not be hungry in the morning. I used to be the same but turned it around. Maybe the time you eat has nothing to do with weight loss, but studies show (I'll look up the links if you really want to) that there is a correlation between people that skip breakfast and people that are overweight.

    This is very true, especially for women. When people skip breakfast (break the fast), our bodies go into a "famine mode" and will store every calorie we consume whether it needs it or not. Once you start feeding your body more regularly and stop restricting yourself from eating during the day, the night binges will stop. Tell yourself it's okay to eat. You will lose weight easier if eat small meals several times a day as opposed to one or two big meals.

    are you just making this stuff up?

    meal timing has nothing to do with metabolism...if you have one large meal or break it up into six meals the metabolic benefit is the same....

    OP ignore this...
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Try to eat a good breakfast for a good week. It's just a rhythm that you made to eat at night and then not be hungry in the morning. I used to be the same but turned it around. Maybe the time you eat has nothing to do with weight loss, but studies show (I'll look up the links if you really want to) that there is a correlation between people that skip breakfast and people that are overweight.

    When people skip breakfast (break the fast), our bodies go into a "famine mode" and will store every calorie we consume whether it needs it or not. Once you start feeding your body more regularly and stop restricting yourself from eating during the day, the night binges will stop. Tell yourself it's okay to eat. You will lose weight easier if eat small meals several times a day as opposed to one or two big meals.

    ^ This is entirely false. You do not accumulate fat in an energy deficit. You do not start "storing fat" because you skipped a meal. Skipping breakfast may lead to weight gain only if it causes someone to over-consume calories later in the day.
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
    Eat when you want, unless it effects your sleeping. I eat my biggest meal right before I go to sleep, and rarely eat breakfast. I found if I eat breakfast then I'm hungry all day long.
  • darkguardian419
    darkguardian419 Posts: 1,302 Member
    Try to eat a good breakfast for a good week. It's just a rhythm that you made to eat at night and then not be hungry in the morning. I used to be the same but turned it around. Maybe the time you eat has nothing to do with weight loss, but studies show (I'll look up the links if you really want to) that there is a correlation between people that skip breakfast and people that are overweight.

    I would love to see these studies...

    No seriously... please I really do want to see them.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    you could work out right after you eat, but you don't burn the calories that you just consumed. ever.
  • CrankMeUp
    CrankMeUp Posts: 2,860 Member
    Try to eat a good breakfast for a good week. It's just a rhythm that you made to eat at night and then not be hungry in the morning. I used to be the same but turned it around. Maybe the time you eat has nothing to do with weight loss, but studies show (I'll look up the links if you really want to) that there is a correlation between people that skip breakfast and people that are overweight.

    sorry, but plenty of people, including myself do not eat breakfast early in the day.

    I drink coffee in the morning, and dont break my fast until somewhere between noon and around 1:30pm.

    It has worked well for me. I love it because i enjoy eating more later in the day.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    Try to eat a good breakfast for a good week. It's just a rhythm that you made to eat at night and then not be hungry in the morning. I used to be the same but turned it around. Maybe the time you eat has nothing to do with weight loss, but studies show (I'll look up the links if you really want to) that there is a correlation between people that skip breakfast and people that are overweight.

    no..... just no.....
  • CrankMeUp
    CrankMeUp Posts: 2,860 Member
    Try to eat a good breakfast for a good week. It's just a rhythm that you made to eat at night and then not be hungry in the morning. I used to be the same but turned it around. Maybe the time you eat has nothing to do with weight loss, but studies show (I'll look up the links if you really want to) that there is a correlation between people that skip breakfast and people that are overweight.

    no..... just no.....

    :flowerforyou:

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