Evening eating time limit: is there one?

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1sisrat
1sisrat Posts: 267 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have heard that it is recommended not to eat within 3 hours before going to bed. For me that is between 8-9 pm. I hear that it is hard for your body to eat once the night time comes, as we are diurnal creature.

I have also heard that it depends on the person's body. My husband can eat at any time and doesn't gain weight (I know men's bodies are different than womens). Which one is true, or is it as ambigious as: it depends on the person. Not eating after about 8:30 pm seems to be working for me, I'm just curious as to if it is a general thing or is it ambiguous.

Replies

  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
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    It's a common misconception. Eating at night is fine. It's your overall nutrition which is more important than the time of day. I hear that some people have trouble sleeping if they've eaten late, but that's a separate issue. I sleep like a baby these days, and I'm usually eating up to 15 minutes before bed.
  • ppiinnkkmmoonn
    ppiinnkkmmoonn Posts: 418
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    i eat mostly at night it where i eat most of my cals anyway. i vary wit my bed time to though sometimes 11 or 12 sometimes 10. so i dont know i mean i guess it depends on what you eat too.
  • modernfemme
    modernfemme Posts: 454 Member
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    I've heard that if you eat a heavy meal 30 minutes before bed, your body is up processing it and you can wake up pretty tired.

    With that being said, I oftentimes eat a piece of fruit or something before hitting the hay and I seem to be okay haha.
  • KarenBorter
    KarenBorter Posts: 1,157 Member
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    I agree with Pinkmoon

    Also ... remember that your body doesn't know what time it is but honestly eating a full meal then going straight to bed isn't the greatest idea either. I have eaten up to 1 hour before bed thru this journey and have been just fine.
  • CassieLEO
    CassieLEO Posts: 757 Member
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    My nutiritonist said that eating up to 2 hours before bedtime is fine.
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
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    My nutiritonist said that eating up to 2 hours before bedtime is fine.

    that;s what i do. and then i eat again right before. hehehe :bigsmile:
  • 1sisrat
    1sisrat Posts: 267 Member
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    thanks! I usually snack on some fruit and tea in the evenings and feel fine. My husband and I were discussing this over breakfast before work this morning.
  • phil6707
    phil6707 Posts: 541 Member
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    also to keep in mind, digestion does not start immediatly after you eat
  • MyNameIsNotBob
    MyNameIsNotBob Posts: 565 Member
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    I sometimes eat *in* my sleep (hence the section devoted to "midnight snacks" in my diary). But I'm still losing weight.

    I think the sleep-eating thing must be genetic. Both my mother and grandmother would eat peanut butter in their sleep... and so do I! (Okay, in all fairness, I'm not 100% asleep... but not 100% awake, either!)
  • snowflakelaia
    snowflakelaia Posts: 214
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    I usually eat dinner at 4.30pm and never later than 6pm. It feels better for me this way. Eating a small snack at 8pm is fine as long as I go to bed 2 hours after that. It also depends on the quality of the food you eat, of course.

    Do what works best for your body, and you'll be fine. Listen to it. ^_^

    smiles and sunshine.
  • SpencerR
    SpencerR Posts: 37
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    I found not eating or drinking 2 hours before best works best for me. Also limit your carbs as the day progresses. It becomes harder to preocess foods later in the day especially carbs
  • bmontgomery87
    bmontgomery87 Posts: 1,260 Member
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    I found not eating or drinking 2 hours before best works best for me. Also limit your carbs as the day progresses. It becomes harder to preocess foods later in the day especially carbs

    You retarded brah?
    Nutrient timing isn't important. You can eat carbs at bed time, doesn't affect you differently.
  • KarenBorter
    KarenBorter Posts: 1,157 Member
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    I found not eating or drinking 2 hours before best works best for me. Also limit your carbs as the day progresses. It becomes harder to preocess foods later in the day especially carbs

    You retarded brah?
    Nutrient timing isn't important. You can eat carbs at bed time, doesn't affect you differently.

    To be fair he did say "works best for me" ...

    Funny thing about this weight loss deal, it's an individual sport and sometimes mind over body is what works for some people. Frankly, I eat a skinny cow ice cream about 1 hour before bed and it didn't hinder my loss in the slightest.

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