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    Eating before bed = weight GAIN

    Posts: 92 Member
    edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
    My wonderful mother keeps telling me this thing she heard on Oprah 10 years ago. Apparently a doctor on that show said if you eat right before bed, all those calories will go towards fat.

    Is there any truth to this?

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    Replies

    • Posts: 181 Member
      Nope, your body doesn't operate on a 24 hour schedule for energy consumption. What matters is a calorie deficit over a larger amount of time, not what time of day these calories are eaten.
    • Posts: 666 Member
      I nearly always eat before bed. It has made no difference to my weight loss.
    • Posts: 9,487 Member
      Was it Dr. Oz by chance? He was wrong.
    • Posts: 96 Member
      Quite the contrary, if you are following a weight training program its actually beneficial to eat something directly before you go to bod to help your body repair muscle damage.
    • Posts: 20 Member
      Its all about calories. Eat less than your daily goal, you wont gain. Before or after does not really matters.
    • Posts: 3 Member
      So I don't quite understand the goals here . Are you supposed to eat less then the goal? If so why is it a goal ?
    • Posts: 2,248 Member
      I sometimes eat 1200 cals before bed....weight will still go down as long as I'm in an overall deficit. You metabolism doesn't shut down when you go to sleep
    • Posts: 7,097 Member
      brynnaewilliams wrote: »
      So I don't quite understand the goals here . Are you supposed to eat less then the goal? If so why is it a goal ?

      You don't want to go over your goal or you won't lose weight.

      You don't want to be too far under your goal or you risk health problems and burnout.
    • Posts: 398 Member
      Nope.
    • Posts: 439 Member
      Saddam Hussein was still alive and Twitter was just being born. A lot has changed in 10 years.

      Stop living in the past.
    • Posts: 125 Member
      @Mavrick_RN Right on. ; )
    • Posts: 14,261 Member
      People need to understand that their food does not digest immediately upon being swallowed. Most people are constantly digesting food from prior meals, morning, noon, and night. Eating right before bedtime doesn't change that process to put the food toward fat stores.
    • Posts: 17 Member
      This did work for me for a while, but purely because that meal before bed was an extra meal. Which obviously meant extra calories.
    • Posts: 8,399 Member
      OP--where are you coming up with these myths? This is the 2nd one. No, it's not true. I advise you to follow the boards on MFP and learn a few truths instead.
    • Posts: 769 Member
      I like to eat at any time. B)
    • Posts: 245 Member
      Nope. I snack before I sleep most nights.
    • Posts: 2,113 Member
      The only time eating right before bedtime causes weight gain is if you weigh yourself first thing the next morning (while the food/waste is still in your body). Completely artifactual.
    • Posts: 92 Member
      snowflake954 wrote: »
      OP--where are you coming up with these myths? This is the 2nd one. No, it's not true. I advise you to follow the boards on MFP and learn a few truths instead.

      Did you read my original post? I said in the first sentence that my mother told me this. She means well.
    • Posts: 92 Member
      Mavrick_RN wrote: »
      Saddam Hussein was still alive and Twitter was just being born. A lot has changed in 10 years.

      Stop living in the past.

      Sort of an odd response.

      Nothing to do with living in the past. Simply asking if it was true.
    • Posts: 13,454 Member
      edited March 2016
      Microscopes wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      Sort of an odd response.

      Nothing to do with living in the past. Simply asking if it was true.

      Editing because I clearly can't forum before coffee.

      The post was a joke because you referenced dated weight loss advice.

      Tell your mom to stop watching Oprah reruns. Eating before bed doesn't hinder weight loss.

    • Posts: 3,498 Member
      No, it isn't true.

      In fact, sleep could be classed (loosely) as a low intensity form of exercise and as such burns a greater % of fat to carbs so is good for fat loss ;)
    • Posts: 92 Member
      WinoGelato wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      Editing because I clearly can't forum before coffee.

      The post was a joke because you referenced dated weight loss advice.

      Tell your mom to stop watching Oprah reruns. Eating before bed doesn't hinder weight loss.

      Ok.

      I guess the "stop living in the past" part sounded a little harsh to me. Didn't sound jokey.

      But it's alright.
    • Posts: 11,233 Member
      oprah had a lot of advice but not all of it was true. She used to listen to dr oz. she tried fad diets.
      i wish it were true. i think it was an idea originally based on late night snacks are frequently high calorie-like ice cream or pie
    • Posts: 7,692 Member
      edited March 2016
      My mom says the same thing and ya it's not true. She is stuck in that mindset and I don't think it will change anytime soon.

      You would think my little brother who has always bordered on being underweight would be enough proof for her (he always eats a big meal before bed). Nope. She just says he has a freakishly fast metabolism.
    • Posts: 2,032 Member
      I always have a snack before I go to bed! If you have stomach issues with food when you lie down that's a different story.
    • Posts: 184 Member
      My husband tried to tell me that the other day... the guy that cant(wont) try to lose a pound and has researched nothing...lol
    • Posts: 420 Member
      For some people, late night eating is unplanned extra eating that brings them to a calorie surplus. This will lead to weight gain; but it would lead to just as much gain if it was done at 11:00 A.M. The time one eats does not matter.
    • Posts: 17,890 Member
      It could be, if eating late means eating lots of calorie dense foods, and if that isn't balanced by eating less during the day, so that you all in all eat more calories than you burn.

      It has nothing to do with timing of intake. The body burns calories round the clock.

      Calorie counting makes that kind of strategies redundant. It's so strange to see these ideas put forward here ALL THE TIME.
    • Posts: 8,399 Member
      edited March 2016
      Microscopes wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      Did you read my original post? I said in the first sentence that my mother told me this. She means well.

      I'm talking about your other post--"can't lose weight eating carbs+sugar". Another myth in one day. And I'm sure your mother is lovely and means well.
    • Posts: 13,342 Member
      Utter tosh!! if you keep to your calorie allowance it does not matter one bit what time you eat.
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