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Going to bed hungry
AmyOwl73
Posts: 45 Member
I know this is a hotly-debated topic, but I thought I would share a little observation that I made...
Earlier, I Googled "how to go to bed hungry", since I am a big time late-night eater... The results were literally 50/50... Every other result said "do it and you'll burn fat". The other half said , "don't do it because you'll sabotage your efforts".. it's no wonder people are so confused. At least I'm confused.. and frustrated.
FWIW, I am going to TRY to go to bed hungry tonight to see what effect it has on me. I guess that's the only reliable answer I'm going to get.
Earlier, I Googled "how to go to bed hungry", since I am a big time late-night eater... The results were literally 50/50... Every other result said "do it and you'll burn fat". The other half said , "don't do it because you'll sabotage your efforts".. it's no wonder people are so confused. At least I'm confused.. and frustrated.
FWIW, I am going to TRY to go to bed hungry tonight to see what effect it has on me. I guess that's the only reliable answer I'm going to get.
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Replies
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It's hard to sleep with grumbling stomach and it is not necessary.6
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Getting hungry is an indicator for me that it's time to finally go to bed. I eat dinner at a normal time, but when I stay awake too long, I get hungry again. Going to bed when I'm just a little bit hungry works for me - given that I'm tired, too.9
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I don't know. I go to bed with a full tummy. I really like it. It's comfortable for me to eat up until bed time. Meal timing doesn't really matter for weight loss given you are in a calorie deficit.3
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I just go to bed too if I get hungry. I eat dinner at a really normal time, but like someone else replied, if I stay up too long after that I'll get hungry again, so I'll just go to sleep if I start to feel like I need food. Being a little hungry before you go to sleep doesn't hurt anyone.0
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I guess it probably depends if you're going to bed really hungry or if it's more of a hmm I could eat something.3
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I don't lose weight if I'm not slightly hungry at bed-time. I am hungry on maintenance. It doesn't matter how much I balance things, or how much I work with a registered dietician/nutritionist. I have an incredibly voracious appetite and I can pack down food like my life depended on it.
I don't go to bed lightheaded/grumpy/starving. But I go to bed with a slight empty feeling. I'm with @njaalla on this one. If I'm too hungry, I know I'm up too late.
I eat a small meal at 9am, medium lunch at 12-1pm, a medium to large snack at 4pm, and a large dinner around 7 or 7:30pm. By 11, I could happily eat again. Because I flipping love eating. But I just go to bed instead.6 -
I know this is a hotly-debated topic, but I thought I would share a little observation that I made...
Earlier, I Googled "how to go to bed hungry", since I am a big time late-night eater... The results were literally 50/50... Every other result said "do it and you'll burn fat". The other half said , "don't do it because you'll sabotage your efforts".. it's no wonder people are so confused. At least I'm confused.. and frustrated.
FWIW, I am going to TRY to go to bed hungry tonight to see what effect it has on me. I guess that's the only reliable answer I'm going to get.
I dont understand what you are trying to say. Going to bed full or hung has zero bearing on whether you are going to burn fat or not. If you are in a calorie deficit for the day then you will burn fat, if you are not then you won't; I don't understand why this is so hard to grasp…
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I think it really depends on HOW hungry you are. If you are sooo hungry your tummy is growling at you it will definitely have a negative effect on your sleep and your mood the next day. But, if your just "I could eat, but I could wait" kinda hungry then that is fine. I often will have a cup or 2 of decaf hot tea in the evening after dinner to help curb late night snacking. I know when I do avoid eating shortly before bed / after dinner I generally sleep better and feel good the next day.0
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I eat dinner late, like 9 or 10. So no, I don't go to bed hungry. I'm not really hungry anyway, though--I'd think I was eating wrong if I was hungry much, for me it's just a signal that it's my habitual mealtime or more likely that it's past it.0
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If you have calories left I don't see the point of going to bed hungry.
If you don't have calories left you might drink a glass of water and wait 20 minutes or so.
If you are always hungry at night maybe rethink your calorie goal, plan a snack, eat more protein foods.
I can see people who are being very restrictive believing they can't eat at night and the next day eating even more.2 -
Why not just save enough calories to have a bed time snack? Personally, I can't sleep if I'm hungry. There's also no reason why you should have to go 12 hours without eating. Don't eat after 7 pm? What if you're not having breakfast until 7 am? That's basically fasting for half the day every day. I don't see why that's necessary or desirable, and I don't even consider it a healthy thing to do.3
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lisawinning4losing wrote: »Why not just save enough calories to have a bed time snack?
I agree. Nothing wrong with a little fruit or a glass of milk before bedtime. No need to suffer.
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I believe it has been shown time and again that timing is irrelevant to weight loss and really whether you go to bed hungry is personal preference. I don't like to go to bed hungry, I have a tea and a snack in the hour before bed. Otherwise I wake up hungry. However, if I eat big right before bed, I get whacky dreams.1
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Kriss_tastic wrote: »=/ i've never understood why people are going to bed hungry. Plan your day better, honestly, if youre hungry then you need to figure out why. Save some calories for at night, have a snack, If i had to lose my last 93 pounds forever starving at bedtime i would of lost my mind.
Couldn't have put it better myself!2 -
Interesting debate. I switched from allowing myself the calories for later at night (which made me grumpy during the day), to eating my calories during the day and going to bed a tad on the "li'l empty" side but not starving. A few other changes in my intake, other than this, finally dropping weight like crazy. Is it cuz I have longer of a "fast" so to speak? Whose to say. But I am happier stuffing my face during the day and not eating anything sometimes as long as 16hrs till next day. You could also say am more of a "breakfast/lunch" person than a "dinner" person. Very rarely do I find myself wanting to munch at night on chips or treats or even uncomfortable enough to graze the kitchen. And hey, no cleanup!1
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allaboutthecake wrote: »Interesting debate. I switched from allowing myself the calories for later at night (which made me grumpy during the day), to eating my calories during the day and going to bed a tad on the "li'l empty" side but not starving. A few other changes in my intake, other than this, finally dropping weight like crazy. Is it cuz I have longer of a "fast" so to speak? Whose to say. But I am happier stuffing my face during the day and not eating anything sometimes as long as 16hrs till next day. You could also say am more of a "breakfast/lunch" person than a "dinner" person. Very rarely do I find myself wanting to munch at night on chips or treats or even uncomfortable enough to graze the kitchen. And hey, no cleanup!
you just created a calorie deficit….going to bed full or not has 100% nothing to do with it.1 -
allaboutthecake wrote: »Interesting debate. I switched from allowing myself the calories for later at night (which made me grumpy during the day), to eating my calories during the day and going to bed a tad on the "li'l empty" side but not starving. A few other changes in my intake, other than this, finally dropping weight like crazy. Is it cuz I have longer of a "fast" so to speak? Whose to say. But I am happier stuffing my face during the day and not eating anything sometimes as long as 16hrs till next day. You could also say am more of a "breakfast/lunch" person than a "dinner" person. Very rarely do I find myself wanting to munch at night on chips or treats or even uncomfortable enough to graze the kitchen. And hey, no cleanup!
you just created a calorie deficit….going to bed full or not has 100% nothing to do with it.
Same amount of calories as when I ate it later in the evening.
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allaboutthecake wrote: »allaboutthecake wrote: »Interesting debate. I switched from allowing myself the calories for later at night (which made me grumpy during the day), to eating my calories during the day and going to bed a tad on the "li'l empty" side but not starving. A few other changes in my intake, other than this, finally dropping weight like crazy. Is it cuz I have longer of a "fast" so to speak? Whose to say. But I am happier stuffing my face during the day and not eating anything sometimes as long as 16hrs till next day. You could also say am more of a "breakfast/lunch" person than a "dinner" person. Very rarely do I find myself wanting to munch at night on chips or treats or even uncomfortable enough to graze the kitchen. And hey, no cleanup!
you just created a calorie deficit….going to bed full or not has 100% nothing to do with it.
Same amount of calories as when I ate it later in the evening.
so you just magically started burning more calories because you were not as full before bed? Sorry not buying it…
were you using a food scale during this time?
logging every bit of food?
etc, etc...1 -
1. Going to bed hungry and miserable while in a calorie deficit = weight loss
2. Going to bed full (or content) and happy while in a calorie deficit = weight loss
I choose door number 2.6 -
The trick is to eat before bed! But just eat the right foods before bed; slow-digesting protein, like cottage cheese or a piece of skinless chicken, coupled with low-carb fruit or vegetables3
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allaboutthecake wrote: »allaboutthecake wrote: »Interesting debate. I switched from allowing myself the calories for later at night (which made me grumpy during the day), to eating my calories during the day and going to bed a tad on the "li'l empty" side but not starving. A few other changes in my intake, other than this, finally dropping weight like crazy. Is it cuz I have longer of a "fast" so to speak? Whose to say. But I am happier stuffing my face during the day and not eating anything sometimes as long as 16hrs till next day. You could also say am more of a "breakfast/lunch" person than a "dinner" person. Very rarely do I find myself wanting to munch at night on chips or treats or even uncomfortable enough to graze the kitchen. And hey, no cleanup!
you just created a calorie deficit….going to bed full or not has 100% nothing to do with it.
Same amount of calories as when I ate it later in the evening.
so you just magically started burning more calories because you were not as full before bed? Sorry not buying it…
were you using a food scale during this time?
logging every bit of food?
etc, etc...
1. Could be magic? Who knows. I like eating all of my food during the day. so all my allotted calories were burned up...er...eaten... usually by 3pm.
2. Yep.
3. Yep.
It could be hard for you to understand...not knowing any of my health history. So I'll give you that.
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The trick is to eat before bed! But just eat the right foods before bed; slow-digesting protein, like cottage cheese or a piece of skinless chicken, coupled with low-carb fruit or vegetables
Others told me I would sleep better if I had some carbs before bed. What's the reason behind your recommendation?1 -
I cant sleep if I go to bed hungry, I always eat at least 200 calories less than an hour before going to bed1
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Going on 1am, and I'll eat a little more before going to sleep. Spread your calories out through the day as it suits you. For me, that doesn't include being hungry when I go to sleep.2
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lemurcat12 wrote: »The trick is to eat before bed! But just eat the right foods before bed; slow-digesting protein, like cottage cheese or a piece of skinless chicken, coupled with low-carb fruit or vegetables
Others told me I would sleep better if I had some carbs before bed. What's the reason behind your recommendation?
Slow-digesting protein repairs muscles while you sleep, and low-carb vegetables help you sleep.1 -
allaboutthecake wrote: »allaboutthecake wrote: »allaboutthecake wrote: »Interesting debate. I switched from allowing myself the calories for later at night (which made me grumpy during the day), to eating my calories during the day and going to bed a tad on the "li'l empty" side but not starving. A few other changes in my intake, other than this, finally dropping weight like crazy. Is it cuz I have longer of a "fast" so to speak? Whose to say. But I am happier stuffing my face during the day and not eating anything sometimes as long as 16hrs till next day. You could also say am more of a "breakfast/lunch" person than a "dinner" person. Very rarely do I find myself wanting to munch at night on chips or treats or even uncomfortable enough to graze the kitchen. And hey, no cleanup!
you just created a calorie deficit….going to bed full or not has 100% nothing to do with it.
Same amount of calories as when I ate it later in the evening.
so you just magically started burning more calories because you were not as full before bed? Sorry not buying it…
were you using a food scale during this time?
logging every bit of food?
etc, etc...
1. Could be magic? Who knows. I like eating all of my food during the day. so all my allotted calories were burned up...er...eaten... usually by 3pm.
2. Yep.
3. Yep.
It could be hard for you to understand...not knowing any of my health history. So I'll give you that.
Does your health history allow you to defy physics?
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lemurcat12 wrote: »The trick is to eat before bed! But just eat the right foods before bed; slow-digesting protein, like cottage cheese or a piece of skinless chicken, coupled with low-carb fruit or vegetables
Others told me I would sleep better if I had some carbs before bed. What's the reason behind your recommendation?
Slow-digesting protein repairs muscles while you sleep, and low-carb vegetables help you sleep.
The others said carbs would help me sleep.
Weird to call vegetables low carb, as they are mostly carb -- they are just low calorie. But the one thing I usually have before bed is protein and vegetables (that's always part of my dinner, which is late) so whatever. (Cottage cheese doesn't seem all that slow digesting, and I don't eat boneless skinless chicken breast much, because there are much tastier protein options.)
Your claims are inconsistent with the other stuff I've read about nutrient timing (protein plus carbs after a workout or within a few hours of one), but since I don't think I'm at a level where I really need to worry about nutrient timing I'm not going to fret much.0 -
allaboutthecake wrote: »allaboutthecake wrote: »allaboutthecake wrote: »Interesting debate. I switched from allowing myself the calories for later at night (which made me grumpy during the day), to eating my calories during the day and going to bed a tad on the "li'l empty" side but not starving. A few other changes in my intake, other than this, finally dropping weight like crazy. Is it cuz I have longer of a "fast" so to speak? Whose to say. But I am happier stuffing my face during the day and not eating anything sometimes as long as 16hrs till next day. You could also say am more of a "breakfast/lunch" person than a "dinner" person. Very rarely do I find myself wanting to munch at night on chips or treats or even uncomfortable enough to graze the kitchen. And hey, no cleanup!
you just created a calorie deficit….going to bed full or not has 100% nothing to do with it.
Same amount of calories as when I ate it later in the evening.
so you just magically started burning more calories because you were not as full before bed? Sorry not buying it…
were you using a food scale during this time?
logging every bit of food?
etc, etc...
1. Could be magic? Who knows. I like eating all of my food during the day. so all my allotted calories were burned up...er...eaten... usually by 3pm.
2. Yep.
3. Yep.
It could be hard for you to understand...not knowing any of my health history. So I'll give you that.
Does your health history allow you to defy physics?
? ? I don't understand your question.
1
This discussion has been closed.
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