Problems eating late

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  • pnmacgeorge
    pnmacgeorge Posts: 5 Member
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    I've starting brushing and flossing my teeth around 7:00 p.m.; this way I am less likely to eat because then I will have to brush and floss again.
  • deebrown1374
    deebrown1374 Posts: 6
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    I have just had a conversation with a dietitian so I will try to help you. Do you exercise? And if you do how much and what kind?



    I do everything from boot camp, yoga, zumba, eliptical, cycling, to just plain running anywhere from 1-3 miles...
  • Sarah_Slimdown
    Sarah_Slimdown Posts: 4
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    I've heard the main reasoning behind avoiding eating before you go to bed is basically because your body will be going into a state of rest- not moving, inactive. Therefore, it will not process the foods as quickly or as entirely as if you engaged in activity. I also have a problem with late-night snacking, and often that's when my brain (not my body) starts screaming, CHOCOLATE WHERE IS IT NOW I NEED NOW CHOCOLATE. I've found that a cup of cocoa, a cup of herbal tea, a fruit, a small bag of popcorn, some gum, or a little frozen yogurt can keep me from going crazy, but even then, I try to brush my teeth and keep from eating an hour before bedtime. It's been said that you should go to bed without an empty or a full stomach, and that you should wake up ready (and hungry-ish) for breakfast.

    I'd like to emphasize that the importance of calories is only so much. You can have 100 calories worth of pasta salad or 100 calories of beans or 100 calories of celery or 100 calories of spinach, but what really matters is the nutritional value. If you've "saved up" calories, make sure you "saved up" on fats and sugars (though sugars in fruits aren't hardly as harmful as in processed foods).

    I'd also suggest, when you get cravings at night, to try a guided meditation, engage in a quiet hobby (knitting, sketching, etc), listen to music, or reading to get your mind off of it.

    Hope this helps! Best of luck!!
  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
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    I've heard the main reasoning behind avoiding eating before you go to bed is basically because your body will be going into a state of rest- not moving, inactive. Therefore, it will not process the foods as quickly or as entirely as if you engaged in activity. I also have a problem with late-night snacking, and often that's when my brain (not my body) starts screaming, CHOCOLATE WHERE IS IT NOW I NEED NOW CHOCOLATE. I've found that a cup of cocoa, a cup of herbal tea, a fruit, a small bag of popcorn, some gum, or a little frozen yogurt can keep me from going crazy, but even then, I try to brush my teeth and keep from eating an hour before bedtime. It's been said that you should go to bed without an empty or a full stomach, and that you should wake up ready (and hungry-ish) for breakfast.

    I'd like to emphasize that the importance of calories is only so much. You can have 100 calories worth of pasta salad or 100 calories of beans or 100 calories of celery or 100 calories of spinach, but what really matters is the nutritional value. If you've "saved up" calories, make sure you "saved up" on fats and sugars (though sugars in fruits aren't hardly as harmful as in processed foods).

    I'd also suggest, when you get cravings at night, to try a guided meditation, engage in a quiet hobby (knitting, sketching, etc), listen to music, or reading to get your mind off of it.

    Hope this helps! Best of luck!!

    That reasoning is wrong, you are free to eat whenever you want :)
  • southerndream24
    southerndream24 Posts: 303 Member
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    Eat whenever you want. It doesn't matter as long as your within you calories and macros. It's a myth. I say this being someone who always eats something within an hour of going to bed.
  • brenn24179
    brenn24179 Posts: 2,144 Member
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    I am a night owl, I am not going to bed hungry so it is usually tuna, peanut butter, sugarfree jello, cantelope or watermelon, sugarless gum, lunchmeat rolled up without bread.
  • SailorKnightWing
    SailorKnightWing Posts: 875 Member
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    The idea that you're not supposed to eat x number of hours before bed came about through a misunderstanding of the study results. It turns out that most pre-bed snacking is more importantly surplus calories. Most people eat up their daily calories by dinner, and therefore snacking after dinner is really overeating, which does cause weight gain.

    If you plan for eating calories late at night and don't go over your calorie goals, you will not gain weight from it.
  • Majda1234_wechange
    Majda1234_wechange Posts: 100 Member
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    Yes, in that case i can help since i am in a similar situation. No carbs(rice, pasta, bread etc) after 6pm, you should aim for lean protein(turkey, chicken, seafood etc) with some baked or cooked vegetables. It doesn't really matter that much how close to bedtime but the dietitian told me it is optimal to aim 3 hours prior, not because of weight gain but because many people tend to have trouble sleeping.Other than that it shouldn't matter.
  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
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    Yes, in that case i can help since i am in a similar situation. No carbs(rice, pasta, bread etc) after 6pm, you should aim for lean protein(turkey, chicken, seafood etc) with some baked or cooked vegetables. It doesn't really matter that much how close to bedtime but the dietitian told me it is optimal to aim 3 hours prior, not because of weight gain but because many people tend to have trouble sleeping.Other than that it shouldn't matter.

    Latest studies have shown eating carbs before bed increase fat loss.
  • kittenful
    kittenful Posts: 318 Member
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    I can't sleep if I'm hungry. My stomach will not let me. My solution? I eat a piece of snack cheese. I flippin' LOVE cheese, and I can then sleep happily. I make sure I leave room for it in my food diary, too, just in case.
  • 99clmsntgr
    99clmsntgr Posts: 777 Member
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    one Oreo double stuff - 70 calories ;)

    Who in the hell eats just one double stuff oreo? :wink: You need two, otherwise you cannot build and consume a the quadruple-stuf!
  • Majda1234_wechange
    Majda1234_wechange Posts: 100 Member
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    Yes, in that case i can help since i am in a similar situation. No carbs(rice, pasta, bread etc) after 6pm, you should aim for lean protein(turkey, chicken, seafood etc) with some baked or cooked vegetables. It doesn't really matter that much how close to bedtime but the dietitian told me it is optimal to aim 3 hours prior, not because of weight gain but because many people tend to have trouble sleeping.Other than that it shouldn't matter.

    Latest studies have shown eating carbs before bed increase fat loss.

    I am just saying what the dietitians have told me. They are also trainers at the gym so i do trust their knowledge about the stuff.
  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
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    Yes, in that case i can help since i am in a similar situation. No carbs(rice, pasta, bread etc) after 6pm, you should aim for lean protein(turkey, chicken, seafood etc) with some baked or cooked vegetables. It doesn't really matter that much how close to bedtime but the dietitian told me it is optimal to aim 3 hours prior, not because of weight gain but because many people tend to have trouble sleeping.Other than that it shouldn't matter.

    Latest studies have shown eating carbs before bed increase fat loss.

    I am just saying what the dietitians have told me. They are also trainers at the gym so i do trust their knowledge about the stuff.

    And not to be rude, I am just telling you that they are wrong.
  • JustUla
    JustUla Posts: 20
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    If it fits into your calorie budget, eat whenever.
    However, if you are done eating for the day and have no calories left and are struggling with late night eating when that is the case, a trick that works really well for me is to brush and floss my teeth. That way I'm ready for bed, even though I may not be going to bed right then, and I am just lazy enough that this keeps me from eating anymore because I don't want to brush and floss again. :)
  • MzManiak
    MzManiak Posts: 1,361 Member
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    Pft. I don't even get dinner made until after 7... I eat ice cream or poptarts Or both! around midnight often... no problems here! I digest it just fine, sleep happy, and wake up NOT 5 pounds heavier, that's for sure. :huh:
  • ajaxe432
    ajaxe432 Posts: 608 Member
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    Eating late makes you gain weight....myth....Eating way late makes me feel like crap in the morning.....truth!
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    It's too late if you're already sleeping. Because choking. Otherwise eat whenever you like. I like to snack a lot in the evenings and it hasn't hurt my progress; just choose the meal timing that allows you to stick to your calorie goal.
  • pattyzink3
    pattyzink3 Posts: 1
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    I have this same issue. I am always wanting to snack at night and get paranoid about doing so. It was great to read all this info!
  • michellechawner
    michellechawner Posts: 892
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    I don't eat dinner until 7 or 8 at night, because hell, that's the way my schedule works.

    You can eat WHENEVER you want. I don't care if you wake up at 2 AM and eat all your calories then.

    I usually eat dinner at 7 or 8, snack at 9 or 10, then bed. And usually I eat then get right in bed for the night. I lost weight (17 pounds on here, and 25 prior to being on here).

    Just stay within your calories limits of the day - doesn't matter when you eat :)
  • warmvanillasugar1
    warmvanillasugar1 Posts: 17 Member
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    I used to have this problem too and I still do sometimes. I've heard you should eat your last meal 2-3 times before you go to sleep. Another trick I found helpful is try going to sleep earlier! It seems simple, but it works for me. :)

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