When should you stop eating for the day?

2

Replies

  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
    It has been proven that eating right before bed is bad for digestion and if you are trying to get healthy then hurting your digestion is not smart. But it is 2-3 hours before bed, whenever that is.

    Proven where and by whom? SHENANIGANS I say. SHENANIGANS. I generally have a bowl of cereal with milk meant to grow big calves shortly before going to bed and my digestion is fine.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
    I have read 'somewhere' that our bodies produce a hormone called Leptin at nite during sleep that controls our appetite and metabolism and this is when we actually lose the weight.. I've been instructed to try not to eat after 6pm however I'm working out at time and don't get home until 8pm.. then I was instructed not to eat after my 8:30pm snack and go 12hrs until the next meal.. which seems to be working for me... Any thoughts?

    Whoever is "instructing" you is spouting junk science but if it's not going to hurt you and if it's working for you there's no reason to change it.
  • mdandres
    mdandres Posts: 15
    I have read that your body metabolizes food at a relatively stable rate throughout the day, for example, if you just lay in bed all day, you metabolize food at the same rate at 1pm as 1am. The difference is that you are active throughout the day so people misinterpreted this as having lower metabolism at when you are asleep.

    The reason they say to not eat past a certain time is because you are more likely to have uncontrollable food urgings and binging at night so to prevent this, they make this little tip/rule to not eat past a certain time.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I stop eating when I have reached my calorie goal, or when I go to bed, whichever comes first.
  • KBrenOH
    KBrenOH Posts: 704 Member
    I've heard 3hrs before going to bed. I think that has more to do with getting the food digested before laying down so heartburn isn't a factor. If you're up, no matter what time it is, your body is working so it needs fuel.

    this is probably most accurate from what I've read.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    It has been proven that eating right before bed is bad for digestion and if you are trying to get healthy then hurting your digestion is not smart. But it is 2-3 hours before bed, whenever that is.

    Proven where and by whom? SHENANIGANS I say. SHENANIGANS. I generally have a bowl of cereal with milk meant to grow big calves shortly before going to bed and my digestion is fine.

    Night time cereal is the best!
  • bradthemedic
    bradthemedic Posts: 623 Member
    Whenever you want. There's no reason to stop at any particular time on the clock. Your body doesn't work that way.
  • mgmlap
    mgmlap Posts: 1,377 Member
    when i am actually in bed ready to go to sleep..I dont stop eating cause the sun goes down..It has not hindered any weight loss
  • rosebudbutterfly
    rosebudbutterfly Posts: 26 Member
    I log them into the next day since it's after midnight.
  • coyoteo
    coyoteo Posts: 532 Member
    Until you brush your teeth. After that it's a crime. And immoral. And leads to the death of baby seals.
  • domgirl85
    domgirl85 Posts: 295 Member
    When people say not to eat after 6-8pm, it's based on past suggestions when people went to bed much earlier than most of us do. Just plan not to eat a couple hours before whatever time YOU go to bed.
  • MemphisKitten
    MemphisKitten Posts: 878 Member
    Basically we are a culture of people who like to be busy all day and then come home and binge at night. If you don't eat large amounts of food immediately before you go to bed, you'll probably be fine. I have bedtime snacks all the time if I'm hungry, but I try to eat an apple or some steamed veges. :flowerforyou:
  • SylentZee
    SylentZee Posts: 262
    Everyone's schedule is different, so I guess it really depends.

    I work a 9-5 so I normally get home around 6 and eat dinner then head to the gym around 8:30ish. By the time I get back it's 10:30 and I drink my post workout protein mix with water.

    I agree with having a small snack before bed, if your hungry, but not an entire meal lol.
  • needles85365
    needles85365 Posts: 491 Member
    I work shift work and my days are never the same. I try not to eat for an hour before I go to bed, only because I get heartburn otherwise. I think that not eating after 8 has been proven to be a myth but hey if it works for some people keep doing it.
  • 2pupsmama
    2pupsmama Posts: 77
    I have read 'somewhere' that our bodies produce a hormone called Leptin at nite during sleep that controls our appetite and metabolism and this is when we actually lose the weight.. I've been instructed to try not to eat after 6pm however I'm working out at time and don't get home until 8pm.. then I was instructed not to eat after my 8:30pm snack and go 12hrs until the next meal.. which seems to be working for me... Any thoughts?

    Whoever is "instructing" you is spouting junk science but if it's not going to hurt you and if it's working for you there's no reason to change it.

    I go to bed around 9 and get up at 5. So your no eating 830-830 works for me just because it does. No science involved.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    For quite some time in history, people would typically go to sleep in the early evening, wake up again around midnight-2am, eat, have sex, or commit petty crimes, then go back to sleep. I'm trying to reinstate the movement
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    When you run out of calories. There is no reason to set an arbitrary time on the clock to stop eating unless eating close to bedtime causes you any kind of issues when you are sleeping.
  • _Elemenopee_
    _Elemenopee_ Posts: 2,665 Member
    For quite some time in history, people would typically go to sleep in the early evening, wake up again around midnight-2am, eat, have sex, or commit petty crimes, then go back to sleep. I'm trying to reinstate the movement

    I would support this movement!
  • Yaya1976
    Yaya1976 Posts: 357 Member
    I eat my last meal after I come home from the gym, which is about 7ish, but if I get hungry an still have calories left over, I'll eat :drinker:
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
    I try to swallow the last bite before I fall asleep, to minimize the choking hazard.

    Not eating after a given hour is a myth that has been disproven over and over, but still will not die. Your body doesn't have a clock and your metabolism works 24 hours a day unless you're dead - in which case you have bigger problems than what time to stop eating.

    That shoulda ended the tread :indifferent:
  • 76tech
    76tech Posts: 1,455 Member
    For quite some time in history, people would typically go to sleep in the early evening, wake up again around midnight-2am, eat, have sex, or commit petty crimes, then go back to sleep. I'm trying to reinstate the movement

    I would support this movement!

    me too. except replace the "or" with an "and"
  • ki4yxo
    ki4yxo Posts: 709 Member
    It has been proven that eating right before bed is bad for digestion and if you are trying to get healthy then hurting your digestion is not smart. But it is 2-3 hours before bed, whenever that is.

    I eat right before I go to bed, and have lost over 30 lbs.
    I'm living proof this is BS. :tongue:


    The real question is, when you wake up at midnight and have a snack, do you log it on today's calories, or tomorrow's calories?



    I count my days from when I wake up,
    to when I go to sleep. If I eat dinner at
    2:30am, I count it the day before. If I
    wake up in the middle of the morning,
    I count it in the next day. :wink:
  • teryx123
    teryx123 Posts: 57 Member
    I don't think there is one answer at all. I have found with all matters concerning weight loss and fitness that experimentation with my own body has been the only reliable guide. My needs have also changed as I have aged, so even for me there is no constant. To that end, I will not bother posting what works for me. I will say that eating my last meal early enough for the food to settle has always been a benefit. Digestion debates aside, I tend to sleep better on a calm stomach. Quality sleep is essential to everything.
  • _Elemenopee_
    _Elemenopee_ Posts: 2,665 Member
    For quite some time in history, people would typically go to sleep in the early evening, wake up again around midnight-2am, eat, have sex, or commit petty crimes, then go back to sleep. I'm trying to reinstate the movement

    I would support this movement!

    me too. except replace the "or" with an "and"

    Good catch, amendments to the movement noted.

    All in favor, say I
  • _Timmeh_
    _Timmeh_ Posts: 2,096 Member
    I heard from my best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw someone out at 31 Flavors last night....well they said 1 hour before bed.
  • escloflowneCHANGED
    escloflowneCHANGED Posts: 3,038 Member
    For quite some time in history, people would typically go to sleep in the early evening, wake up again around midnight-2am, eat, have sex, or commit petty crimes, then go back to sleep. I'm trying to reinstate the movement

    I would support this movement!

    me too. except replace the "or" with an "and"

    Good catch, amendments to the movement noted.

    All in favor, say I

    I
  • footiechick82
    footiechick82 Posts: 1,203 Member
    IF you eat before bed, I'm told cottage cheese or anything with protein is best.

    I don't eat at least 2 hours before bed or I get nightmares and stomach aches. Also, when I did, I put on a few lbs :/

    So, I eat my dinner, a snack around 7-7:30pm and I'm done for the night.
  • iiijeniii
    iiijeniii Posts: 82 Member
    I
  • Thomasm198
    Thomasm198 Posts: 3,189 Member
    I generally try not to eat while I'm asleep.
  • carlynicoleelliotte
    carlynicoleelliotte Posts: 2
    Sleep deprivation and appetite control[edit]

    Sleep plays a vital role in regulating metabolism and appetite. When sleep deprived, the metabolic system will be out of balance, which will ultimately affect the dietary choices people make. Teens who are sleep deprived crave more carbohydrates. Sleep deprivation is a risk factor for obesity among young adults.[4]

    There are two hormones, leptin and ghrelin, that are important in appetite control. Leptin, released by adipose tissue, is a hormone that inhibits appetite and increases energy expenditure. Ghrelin, released from the stomach, is a hormone that increases appetite and reduces energy expenditure. Sleep deprivation can cause a 19% decrease in the level of leptin. Subjects were deprived of sleep for 2 nights (4 hours per night) and got compensation of sleep for the next 2 nights (10 hours per night). Leptin levels decreased by 18% and ghrelin levels increased by 28%. There was an increase in hunger level by 23 which is probably due to the reduction leptin level. Subjects also preferred high carbohydrate foods (sweets, salty food and starchy food). Craving for salty food increased by 45%. Sleep deprivation can cause people to intake food for emotional/psychological need rather than caloric need of the body.[1][2]

    Chronic sleep deprivation (less than 8 hours of sleep) was associated with increase in body mass index (BMI). In the Wisconsin sleep cohort study of 1024 patients, the shorter sleep durations showed reduced levels of leptin and elevated levels of ghrelin. In a study with 3000 patients, it has been found that men and women who sleep less than 5 hours have elevated body mass index (BMI). In another study that followed about 70.000 women for 16 years, there was a significant increase in body weight in those who slept 5 hours or less compared to those who slept 7–8 hours.[1][2][5]

    As sleep time decreased over time from the 1950s to 2000s from about 8.5 hours to 6.5 hours, there has been an increase in the prevalence of obesity from about 10% to about 23%.[2]


    Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_and_metabolism

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