Eating before bed

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mjb123
mjb123 Posts: 19
in Motivation and Support
Does anyone else have a habit of eating before bed? It started with my pregnancies. I was so sick that I would need to nibble on something right before I fell asleep. It has turned into a horrible habit now. I cannot fall asleep unless I have a full stomach. I've tried drinking water but then I'm up all night going to the bathroom. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Replies

  • getfitdiva
    getfitdiva Posts: 1,148 Member
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    It was a must before bed when I was pregnant with both. I would have cereal, a PB&J or chocolate milk. Now I just stay away from the food and if I need something I would just drink to get me full. A low cal hot cocoa or chocolate skim milk isn't too bad.
  • winnebella
    winnebella Posts: 5
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    Try not to eat anything after seven oclock.. if you must.. eat a piece of fruit, or lowfat yogurt!
  • Simonscat
    Simonscat Posts: 249
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    Try not to eat anything after seven oclock.. if you must.. eat a piece of fruit, or lowfat yogurt!

    Depends on what time you go to bed...! Eat 3 hrs before you intend on sleeping.
  • jenniffer86
    jenniffer86 Posts: 65 Member
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    hmmm... that's a toughy and i'm the same way! .. well sorta. I need to snack, not nessarily have a full stomach.
    I'm working on it too.
    I suggest, to just try to at least limit urself to only low calorie healthy filling foods.. ie; veggies and dip, or peice of fruit, yogurt with grapes.. mmmmm that's pretty filling...
    what about a fruit smootie.. maybe not before bed, but like an hour or so before bed.. they are filling and they satisfiy my sweet craving and thrist.

    Water is the best option however.. I dont mind getting up to pee ;) lol
    good luck!
    At least u realise it's a problem, and your working to fix it.
    just take it one step at a time, you'll get there!
  • Simonscat
    Simonscat Posts: 249
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    Try not to eat anything after seven oclock.. if you must.. eat a piece of fruit, or lowfat yogurt!

    Depends on what time you go to bed...! Eat 3 hrs before you intend on sleeping.
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
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    Some people can't sleep with food in their belly; some can't sleep on an empty stomach. If you need to eat something - have something light not heavy. There is nothing wrong with eating before bed. Our bodies burn calories all night.

    "a 160-pound person who sleeps eight hours will lose roughly 549 calories in the process"

    from:
    http://ask.yahoo.com/20060913.html

    so if we toss and turn in our sleep does that mean we burn more?
  • workoutqueen628
    workoutqueen628 Posts: 220
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    Eating a light snack 2 hrs before bed ain't gonna kill you. Go for something high in protein and low in carbs. Some yogurt or milk are my faves
  • lisafrancis629
    lisafrancis629 Posts: 287
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    I usually have a 40 calorie sugar free fudgesicle. Satisfies the snack and chocolate craving.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    Try not to eat anything after seven oclock.. if you must.. eat a piece of fruit, or lowfat yogurt!

    There's actually nothing wrong with eating late. It's a common "myth" that has been debunked on multiple threads. It's best to avoid eating IMMEDIATELY before bed if you are prone to heartburn, but many people (myself included) freqently eat as late as 9, 10, 11 o'clock without any negative repercussions. For some people, it just fits our eating pattern and lifestyle, and there really isn't anything wrong with it. Your digestive system does not "shut down" at night and it does not impact weight loss in any meaningful way.

    The flip side is if you can't controll your late night eating, then you should keep it to a minimum - it's not a problem for me because I have planned, portioned snacks late at night after my workouts, but if you can't do that, then you should try to just stay out of the kitchen or stick to things with definitive portions (a mini-bag of popcorn, a 100 calorie pack of almonds, etc.).
  • emmyvera
    emmyvera Posts: 599 Member
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    I like hot tea. It warms me up and relaxes me. I find that it helps with any cravings. And it doesn't effect my "getting up in the middle of the night to pee".
  • steph61391
    steph61391 Posts: 5
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    Eating before bed is not a bad thing actually. Lets say you have 200 calories left over from earlier in the day and you decided to eat at 10:00 as long as you stay within 200 calories or less then your fine. So its not hurting your body because you still need those calories and the food isn't going to sit it will eventually burn up in the night. I hope this was helpful. Good Luck :]
  • Cristy_AZ
    Cristy_AZ Posts: 986
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    Try not to eat anything after seven oclock.. if you must.. eat a piece of fruit, or lowfat yogurt!

    There's actually nothing wrong with eating late. It's a common "myth" that has been debunked on multiple threads. It's best to avoid eating IMMEDIATELY before bed if you are prone to heartburn, but many people (myself included) freqently eat as late as 9, 10, 11 o'clock without any negative repercussions. For some people, it just fits our eating pattern and lifestyle, and there really isn't anything wrong with it. Your digestive system does not "shut down" at night and it does not impact weight loss in any meaningful way.

    The flip side is if you can't controll your late night eating, then you should keep it to a minimum - it's not a problem for me because I have planned, portioned snacks late at night after my workouts, but if you can't do that, then you should try to just stay out of the kitchen or stick to things with definitive portions (a mini-bag of popcorn, a 100 calorie pack of almonds, etc.).

    Thanks for this. Our schedule makes it so if I want to eat dinner with my husband and go to bed and wake up at the same time as him (all things that are very important to me) I end up eating sometimes an hour or so before bed, I am losing weight, so I guessed it was OK, but so many people say don't eat late in the day! I'm trying to spread my calories out throughout the day. But this is helpful info. Thanks. As far as the question posted. I think if your tummy needs to be full before you can sleep then have a light snack, as long as you are staying in your calorie goals I don't see the harm.
  • monicanicoletta
    monicanicoletta Posts: 176 Member
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    Didn't have time to read everyone's post so if someone already said this I apologize. But my boyfriend who is a certified personal trainer & in school to be an athletic trainer has told me I HAVE to have something right before i go to bed. That its not okay to go to bed on an empty stomach because my metabolism will slow down and i wont burn as many calories. He recommends something small of course such as a small cup of cottage cheese or cup of skim/nonfat milk!

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