late night dinners... any advice?

jinxiipandii wrote: »

I recently moved jobs so I work in the city. I leave for work at around 10am, have lunch around 3pm and get home always after midnight, by which time I'm starving again! I don't get tea breaks or any opportunity to eat sooner. .. and this routine in itself changes with my random nightshifts. My diet is terrible and I'm starting to gain some of the weight I originally lost before I moved which is making me miserable!

I need some advice as to what to eat that is quick and easy as I find myself living off things like sandwiches because by that point I'm too tired and need something to fill me but isn't too heavy to go straight to sleep on.

I know it's a tough ask and I shouldn't really be eating at that time but going from 3pm to 9 in the morning will be just as bad as my body will just store everything I do eat as fat
I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle :-(

There is no reason you shouldn't eat before bed/that late (unless you have trouble sleeping when eating that late). If you go to bed right after you eat, it will not cause you to gain fat. That is a myth. As long as you are in a calorie deficit you will lose weight.

Timing doesn't matter, caloric deficit does.

I like soup if you are looking for a change. I eat my larger meal during the day and then a smaller meal in the evening - I have only just started doing this and its working really well for me. I don't snack in the afternoon anymore and I have time to fit in exercise in the evening because I'm not cooking a big dinner - works for me, might work for you too! Good Luck! Calorie Deficit is whats important!

Personally I would eat my larger meal mid-day, mostly because I don't sleep well on a full, gurgling stomach. Today I'll be on the go from 2:30 until after 8:30 pm (not quite as extreme as you)--I'll probably eat 1/2 of my daily calories at lunch, have a protein bar in the car later, and then have a Chobani flip when I finally arrive home.

What do you do? Why can't you eat between 3-12am?

KarenJanine wrote: »

Batch cooking can be helpful when you're short on time to cook. Try preparing meals on non-work days which can be stored in individual portions in the freezer to heat up when you need something quick. Soups, stews, chillis, curries, etc are all good. These could also be made in a slow cooker, so very little effort required. Then when you get home from work pop one in the microwave and you're good to go. You could boil up some rice or pasta to go with it if you want a bigger meal.

pscarolina wrote: »

As others have said...doesn't matter when you eat. I teach after work a couple of nights a week & get home pretty late. I also don't like to eat out for lunch for a variety of reasons (time, quality of food, expense, calories). Sunday night is food prep night. This week I made a big pot of collard greens, a bunch of chicken, jasmine rice, sweet potatoes, coleslaw. That way I have things to pack for lunch & plenty of options when I get home late. If I run out of prepped food I can always make scrambled eggs/toast.

^^^^^^Both of these ^^^^^^^^

One of my favorite "light" dinners is a protein shake. You can get some whey powder and mix it with fruits and water/milk, or buy a pre-packaged one. If you toss some oats in there, it will make you a little more satisfied as well.

When I want a late or light dinner, I'll do one scoop of my protein powder with oats (which comes out to be 100cal for a scoop), and a banana and ice or water. It's tasty, and clocks in around 200 cals and I can sip on it while I do other things. If I'm still starving, I might have a little jerky or fruit afterwards. I'm not a big fan of big meals late at night.

Another quick suggestion I'll throw out there is fish. You can get frozen tuna, cod, tilapia, whatever and toss it in your fridge before you go to work. You can marinate it then, or squeeze some salt/pepper/lemon on there when it's cooking, but once it's defrosted it takes 4-6 minutes to cook, which is a blast and super low cal/high protein.