Opinions about eating at night!

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Tiana405
Tiana405 Posts: 270 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'd like to hear some opinions or facts about eating late....

I'm working 19.5 hours today and have been eating every few hours like I'm supposed to be. I just ate my healthy black bean burrito (470 calories) and feeling guilty,even though I'll be up for another 4.5 hours. Was it okay to eat it this late? Also, I'm going to have enough time to eat a snack before bed..... but not sure if I'm supposed to or if it matters. If I do, I'm at 96 calories under my caloric intake. If not... I'll be at 120 under. Is that a big deal?

HELP! : )

Replies

  • kelika71
    kelika71 Posts: 778 Member
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    Relax! I eat late all the time. Unless you have a health condition that makes eating at night unbearable (heartburn) then time your meals accordingly. Otherwise, it doesn't matter if you eat 1-2 hours before bed. Sometimes, I've eaten right up to the point I've crawled in bed.
    You see where my ticker stands. ;) Just a myth "don't eat late/before bed."
  • precioustypeoflove
    precioustypeoflove Posts: 197 Member
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    Relax! I eat late all the time. Unless you have a health condition that makes eating at night unbearable (heartburn) then time your meals accordingly. Otherwise, it doesn't matter if you eat 1-2 hours before bed. Sometimes, I've eaten right up to the point I've crawled in bed.
    You see where my ticker stands. ;) Just a myth "don't eat late/before bed."


    lol I always wondered that also but i c ur living proof wtg !
  • spaboleo
    spaboleo Posts: 172
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    As I am a university student I don't have ANY daily rhytm or regular sleep cycle.
    Sometimes I go to bed at 5a.m. sometimes I get up that early :smile: ...or even pull all-nighters.

    Avoid the last one and try to get your needed sleep every day...put it together with healthy nutrition and you'll be fine :smile:
    No matter when you eat :wink:
  • Tiana405
    Tiana405 Posts: 270 Member
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    Relax! I eat late all the time. Unless you have a health condition that makes eating at night unbearable (heartburn) then time your meals accordingly. Otherwise, it doesn't matter if you eat 1-2 hours before bed. Sometimes, I've eaten right up to the point I've crawled in bed.
    You see where my ticker stands. ;) Just a myth "don't eat late/before bed."

    OH WOW! 95 lbs lost?! What an inspiration! hmm... maybe I'm gonna start eating late all the time. In bed! Fall asleep with food in my lap/mouth, etc! Thank you so much for letting me know that it's okay as long as I'm still healthy about it! (((kelika71)))
  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
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    I would almost say that eating 5 hours before you go to sleep is too soon if you don't want to eat again because you'll be starving right when you try to fall asleep. On top of that, if you sleep for at least 6 hours, you are then starving yourself for 11 hours, if not more. I like to have a small snack just before I go to sleep, yogurt, granola bar (100-150 calorie range), so that I'm not hungry when I try to go to sleep. I go to sleep a lot easier if I'm not hungry. Speaking of which, what do I want for a snack? :smile:
  • singer201
    singer201 Posts: 560 Member
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    I get off work at midnight and I ALWAYS eat something when I get home. It used to be anything and everything--and way too much, but now I plan ahead of time what my midnight snack will be so I stay within my calorie goals. I'm usually up for another hour after I eat, but eating at night doesn't seem to make any difference for me in weight loss or heartburn.
  • kelika71
    kelika71 Posts: 778 Member
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    I don't think I'd listen to spaboleo on skipping that last snack. One or two times, fine. Regularly, I wouldn't. I'm a type 2 Diabetic and that last snack can be crucial to maintaining normal levels of blood sugar...not just for me, for anyone.

    I usually do a piece of whole grain toast and 1 Tbs. peanut butter. Ironically, I just read recently where that's one of the better snacks to have. I wish I could remember where so I could quote it for you (I assure you it was a reputable quote).

    And, thank you!! :) Good luck to you!
  • Tiana405
    Tiana405 Posts: 270 Member
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    So, from what I'm hearing, as long as it's within my caloric range and isn't a bowl of junk, I'm good! : ) Cool! I refuse to have my body go in to "starvation mode". Don't wanna turn in to a zombie or a cannibal and have my body consume its own muscle tissue! EEK!!! *not that that would happen just b/c i skipped 1 snack*
  • spaboleo
    spaboleo Posts: 172
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    I don't think I'd listen to spaboleo on skipping that last snack. One or two times, fine. Regularly, I wouldn't. I'm a type 2 Diabetic and that last snack can be crucial to maintaining normal levels of blood sugar...not just for me, for anyone.

    I usually do a piece of whole grain toast and 1 Tbs. peanut butter. Ironically, I just read recently where that's one of the better snacks to have. I wish I could remember where so I could quote it for you (I assure you it was a reputable quote).

    And, thank you!! :) Good luck to you!

    Never said that...:grumble:
    I was talking about "avoiding to pull all-nighters" ...
  • kelika71
    kelika71 Posts: 778 Member
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    I don't think I'd listen to spaboleo on skipping that last snack. One or two times, fine. Regularly, I wouldn't. I'm a type 2 Diabetic and that last snack can be crucial to maintaining normal levels of blood sugar...not just for me, for anyone.

    I usually do a piece of whole grain toast and 1 Tbs. peanut butter. Ironically, I just read recently where that's one of the better snacks to have. I wish I could remember where so I could quote it for you (I assure you it was a reputable quote).

    And, thank you!! :) Good luck to you!

    Never said that...:grumble:
    I was talking about "avoiding to pull all-nighters" ...

    My apologies. I misunderstood.
  • RiiNaCHiiCK09
    RiiNaCHiiCK09 Posts: 109 Member
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    vie heard its technically good to not eat 3 hours before you go to bed bc of digestion BUUUT i think if you're going to be up anyways, I think you should eat. I definitely don't want you starving yourself!!!
  • reymemo
    reymemo Posts: 8
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    So, from what I'm hearing, as long as it's within my caloric range and isn't a bowl of junk, I'm good! : ) Cool! I refuse to have my body go in to "starvation mode". Don't wanna turn in to a zombie or a cannibal and have my body consume its own muscle tissue! EEK!!! *not that that would happen just b/c i skipped 1 snack*
    Not sure how you are about dairy products but Ive read that milk is the perfect bedtime snack because you get those nutrients while you're sleeping. If it's a solid snack you want, cottage cheese/greek yogurt is also a good choice, low on carbs and high on protein.
  • Mayor_West
    Mayor_West Posts: 246 Member
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    Eating late at night can be very beneficial. As people have noted, any time spent between your last meal (e.g. dinner) and breakfast the following morning can stretch to 11-12 hours of not eating. It's also no secret that eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day helps to keep our metabolisms higher, so our bodies are more efficient at burning calories throughout the day. This effect also carries over while we're asleep- by eating foods that are slow-digesting before bed, our bodies actually continue burning calories for a longer period of time.

    Of course, this doesn't mean you can eat anything and get the same effect. Carbs should be eliminated, simply because their very nature is to provide energy to the body, which the body doesn't need when it comes time to sleep and could cause trouble getting to sleep. However, protein- especially slow-digesting varieties such as cottage cheese, milk or casein protein- and healthy fats, such as nuts, peanut butter, etc. are ideal in this regard.
  • klininger
    klininger Posts: 44
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    Bump! I want to show this to someone later!

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