Eat Late or Not At All?

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Clarity22
Clarity22 Posts: 24
in Health and Weight Loss
so lately my schedule has been wacky and although I do well with me diet most of the time some days I just dont get to during normal hours...so I wind up with like 800 calories clocked in by 8-9 o'clock at night. I've been so focused that I haven't been eating passed 8PM despite hunger. I know the obvious answer is t eat more during normal hours but I'm wondering which is the lesser of two evils; eating late or not eating enough?


thoughts?

Replies

  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
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    I think it is ok to eat any time at all; if you are hungry, your body needs the fuel--don't allow ongoing deficits or you will go catabolic and stop losing weight.

    blessings.
  • AriesGrl
    AriesGrl Posts: 174 Member
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    def better to eat late then not at all....I eat a bowl of cereal everynight litterally right before I lay down to go to bed and It dosen't affect me at all...so I say eat but I would try if poosible to avoid super heavy stuff....that's my 2 cents=)
  • girlwapp
    girlwapp Posts: 136 Member
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    If you're only hitting 800 calories, eat late. That's too few, it's not healthy. Also, if you can make your earlier meals denser (i.e. more calorie-rich) it might help.
  • icerose137
    icerose137 Posts: 318 Member
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    I think it would depend too on what you eat that late. Like if you eat a candy bar and go straight to bed, your body will give you about 30 minutes to burn it off then store it as fat. But if you eat a slow absorption such as protein I think you'd be better off in the long run.
  • RaeN81
    RaeN81 Posts: 534 Member
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    I think in this case, eating late will be better than not at all. A healthy late night snack will do your body some good--you aren't eating very much and it could stall your metabolism. I have a snack every night around 9 p.m. (and did while I was losing) and it never slowed down my weight loss.
  • SMarie10
    SMarie10 Posts: 956 Member
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    Girlwapp is right. It really does not matter what time your eat, just try and get in your calories.... Have something on hand you can snarf down like cereal or fruit.
  • husker_gal
    husker_gal Posts: 462 Member
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    eat. period. If you are below your calories and you are hungry then eat. I wouldn't put a lot of stock into what time you are eating. Just make sure you stay up for an hour or so after eating so that you can digest the food out of your stomach and into your intestines. The only real risk you have from eating late at night is just if you lie down after eating you can get heartburn. Hope this helped! :smile:
  • Jillyrabbit
    Jillyrabbit Posts: 11
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    Depends on when you are planning to go to bed would be my opinion. If you are going to be up 3+ hours I would go ahead and eat something, if going right to bed...No. And a trainer told me once to eat more protein and less carbs before bedtime. Hope this helps.

    :glasses:
  • saj96003
    saj96003 Posts: 19
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    I have this same problem, too. We all do the best we can and have to do what works with our lifestyles, schedules and bodies. I agree that eating something healthy is better than not eating at all. Good luck!
  • LauraLu0312
    LauraLu0312 Posts: 1
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    I have a blog on this subject, and I say, "Kudos to late night eaters!" You see, my opinion is that your set of rules doesn't necessarily have to include traditional restrictions. Everyone has a different schedule, and you aren't really gonna change your life just so dinnertime as inconveniently before 8pm? No way.

    My concerns:
    #1) WHAT are you eating late at night? Make sure it's light and healthy, and of course enjoyable.
    #2) If you eat late at night, will you still be hungry enough to have your breakfast the next morning?
    #3) Does your late night snack/meal upset your tummy and disrupt your sleep?

    If you have questions or want suggestions, feel free to ask! Read my blog on "why these traditional diet tips don't work!"

    Kudos.
  • simply_healthy
    simply_healthy Posts: 175 Member
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    You might want to make ur day meals more denser and also try to have more proteins and lot of veggies n salad in ur late night meal.. It might help !

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