When should I stop eating at night?

TaushasJourney
TaushasJourney Posts: 143
edited September 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone! I've heard that it is a good idea to stop eating at a specific time of night (usually around 6pm) if you're trying to lose weight. I would like to try this to try to limit my late-night snacking. I am a night owl, and while my schedule isn't very regular, I'm usually up by 10-11am, and asleep by 2-3am. I'm wondering when I should stop eating at night--is there a recommended number of hours before bed?

Replies

  • wdwghettogirl
    wdwghettogirl Posts: 559 Member
    I've heard you shouldn't eat 2 or 3 hours before sleeping, but I don't know for sure. Myself, I try not to eat past 8pm but I can have all the water I want. :)
  • elliecolorado
    elliecolorado Posts: 1,040
    Personally I think that not eating before going to bed is a myth. More often than not I eat something at midnight or 1am right before I go to bed and I haven't had any problems with it. I still lose consistently (2-3lbs a week).
  • californiagirl10
    californiagirl10 Posts: 57
    I dont eat past 5:30-6pm! & I go to bed between 11pm & 2am.... I go to bed hungry but, I would rather go to bed hungry then full of food and sleeppppp on a full tummy...
  • W0zzie
    W0zzie Posts: 262 Member
    @elliecolorado - yup Personally I think Bollocks! I often - in fact - very often have a hot chocolate / Milo & something small within the hour before bed at 11pm and it hasn't seemed to have done me any harm yet.

    I have actually seen a post or article too debunking the theory but unfortunately I don't think I saved it so can't pass it on as a reference. Ahhh and I seem to remember it being said it's not about the time it's about what it is you eat - ie often late night stacks for a lot of people are notoriously hi fat sugary luxuries - there's the problem - not the time of day.

    End of the day - I reckon - do what works for you. If you "like" a late night snack then try - if you think it's causing you grief then stop for 2 weeks or more (only that change) & see if it makes any difference.
  • Losingitin2011
    Losingitin2011 Posts: 572 Member
    It is a myth. Stop eating at night when you're full.

    http://midmohealth.wordpress.com/2009/08/03/myth-eating-before-bed-contributes-to-weight-gain/
  • bsexton3
    bsexton3 Posts: 472 Member
    Stop eating before you fall asleep.

    Late night eating is usually overeating. There are articles about your metabolism slowing down while you sleep so you digest slower, but I don't buy it. I find that if I am under calories in a day, the weight comes off. If that snack right before bed is over calories, I gain weight. Figure out what works for you.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    I really think this is a personal thing.

    For me, NOT eating before bed means I will wake up starving in the middle of the night and starving in the middle of the night CAN lead me to make bad food choices. It's better for me to eat something good for me BEFORE bed and avoid the middle of the night starving.

    So. I always eat before bed and I've lost 53lbs. I've actually heard that eating before bed can help keep your metabolism up during the night, but you'll find a lot of conflicting info out there.

    Try it and see what works for YOU.
  • TaushasJourney
    TaushasJourney Posts: 143
    Thanks everyone! I guess it didn't occur to me that people believed eating late slowed down your metabolism. I'm just concerned because I do tend to graze the entire evening, even when I'm full. It's just boredom eating. I will try to stop eating after I eat dinner when I am full, and I won't eat again unless I'm actually hungry. I'm just a little concerned about waking up hungry in the night, but I guess it's not a huge deal if I do! :)
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    If I don't watch myself -- I turn into a night grazer too. It's just about the only bad habit that has carried over from my "other life". I try and figure out ahead of time what I'll eat - then I eat only those things. If I know what I'm going to have as I go into snacky, grazing mode it seems to help me control what I'm eating.

    I usually have dinner and dessert. Then I try drinking 40oz of water in the next couple hours. Then I have a snack (like cottage cheese and a banana or something like that) and then more water. Like I said, I ALWAYS eat before bed just to keep me from waking up and gorging on something I shouldn't be gorging on.
  • Helena4
    Helena4 Posts: 124
    It's personal preference.

    Some will tell you it's a load of rubbish & others swear by it.

    Personally, I try not to eat after I've had my evening meal unless it's fruit or healthy and small...also, WATER WATER WATER :)
  • unsuspectingfish
    unsuspectingfish Posts: 1,176 Member
    I'm definitely of the "it's what, no when you eat" school. I normally get up at noon and go to bed at 4 AM. I used to eat right up until I went to bed, but, since I've started eating better, I'm usually still full from dinner until about 1 or 2 AM, at which point, if I'm hungry enough, I'll have a small snack. If I go to bed hungry, I wake up hungry, and then I feel sort of ill, so I don't eat as much for breakfast, and then my whole day is crappy.
  • Sezmo83
    Sezmo83 Posts: 331 Member
    I have dinner around 5pm and by 11pm I'm genuinely hungry again. I save calories for something to eat then so that I can sleep. If I went to bed hungry I'd wake up after a couple of hours and be unable to get back to sleep until I'd eaten. I don't believe that eating past a certain time causes weight gain.
  • Crystalchaos72
    Crystalchaos72 Posts: 531
    I personally eat all hrs of the day/ night. I work 3rd shift so my schedule is wacky when I am off for the weekend. I try to plan ahead so I incorporate snacks into my "calorie budget" . Then if I need to modify it I can just remove it from my diary. And make the necessary changes. If you know you are a night snacker just make healthy choices and plan for it in your daily caloric needs diary, that way there is no guilt and you are prepared. I eat before bed all the time and it hasn't affected my progress at all. Everyone is different and the best of luck :)
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