Eating late at night?

As long as you don't go over calories it shouldn't cause problems with losing weight. I think the bigger issue for some people is that eating late at night can impact sleep. For some people not getting adequate sleep leads to over eating. Unless it causes you to over eat or get poor sleep it is fine.

Meal timing is not important.

TaraTaraTara76 wrote: »

Hi, I have heard a million times to not eat at night yet I always seem to but I don't go over my calories. Since I'm still in my calorie range won't it be ok? Has this been debunked yet, is it true or false that you'll gain because of this? PS add me as a friend if you want, need more.

As others pointed out, it doesn't really matter (neither does meal frequency), but its a strategy to limit the ability to take in calories for those who don't calorie count.

Eat when you are awake. Calculate your calorie deficit in intervals of 24 or 168 hours. People are awake, generally, 2/3 of the day and sleeping 1/3 of the day. It does not matter where the sun is when you are awake. Just eat within your calorie deficit when you are awake.

There are things you can eat that will cause water to stay in your body for a few hours. Those things are called "salty foods". There are a few things you can do that will cause water to stay in your body for a few hours. Those things are called "stress". There is one thing you can do to promote the bodily discharge of the excess water caused by salt and cortisol (which comes from stress), and that is "drink water, a lot of water, and then more water".

If you eat salty foods shortly before sleeping and neglect to drink water, a lot of water, and then more water before sleeping, you will gain water weight in the morning. If instead you eat salty foods before sleeping and then drink water, a lot of water, and then more water before sleeping, you will not sleep well. Pick your poison. Or just don't eat salty foods close to bedtime.

I was starving last night (8pm) after a second workout so I had three bowls of cereal haha.
I woke up to my weekly weigh in and I still lost weight.
Calories in vs calories out.

But i still wouldnt recommend eating so late because if you go straight to bed it can cause digestive problems >__< (cramps, bloat, gas, trouble sleeping etc)

Don't worry about it. The problems arise for most people when they mindlessly snack at night after eating their calories for the day. That's what that general advice is supposed to be directed towards. Even at that, the body doesn't run on a 24 hour clock and automatically gains 5 lbs because you ate a big meal at 10pm. That's why MFP shows a weekly Net Calories. You can overeat for 3 days in a row, but if your calorie deficit for the next 3 or 4 cancels that out, you will still lose weight that week. Consider how Weight Watchers allows you to bank points for a week. The body is an organic machine: add fuel to the tank in various levels on various days and regardless of timing, the fuel levels don't go to storage. Only when there's excess fuel compared to consumption does storage happen.

It's fine, I always have a big bowl of oatmeal at night, if I eat lots of carbs early in the day I'm just hungry all day and I HATE having to go to bed hungry, it's one thing I just refuse to do.

okay so it seems to be okay if you stay within your calorie range and you still get your sleep.

VeganFaceHole wrote: »

Oh I was speaking from personal experience hehe.
But Im the type to get queesy and sick really easy so my stomach is naturally weak.
Im jealous!

Oh, haha, I thought you meant people in general. It's a funny thing, but some mornings if I wait too long to eat, I get nauseated. Yet nothing else bothers my digestion. Not greasy, fried foods, not heavy foods, not even my daily high dosage iron pill. I think I've only ever even been sick from a hangover once in my life. Mind you, that's possibly why I can manage to put on weight so easily. Perhaps if it bothered me a little more, I wouldn't indulge as much.