How late is too late?

Cherishanne
Cherishanne Posts: 50 Member
edited September 29 in Health and Weight Loss
I notice I struggle with late night eating. How late is too late to eat? I think I would like to stop eating after 7PM but is that reasonable?

Replies

  • kellyscomeback
    kellyscomeback Posts: 1,369 Member
    It's a personal choice. I sometimes eat at 7:30 or 8 (small bowl of popcorn, pistachios, fruit, etc.), if I go to bed hungry I don't sleep well.
  • trimblt
    trimblt Posts: 14
    My favorite evening snack is a glass of milk and a scoop of chocolate protein powder. Its just like a glass of chocolate milk - but with lots of protein. And who can't use a little bit of extra protein in their diet?? I normally have this around 8 and head to bed about 10.
  • Ginger1384
    Ginger1384 Posts: 42
    I try to stop eating around 8 pm. Usually I'm not hungry after that. I found that when I was eating late it was just bored eating so I've had to make myself stop. Try drinking some water before you eat. Sometimes when we fell hungry we are actually thirsty.
  • cici1028
    cici1028 Posts: 799 Member
    Most nights I try to stop eating after 8:30... But sometimes I don't even get home until 8:00 from the gym or from work and dinner doesn't happen until 9. If that is the case, no snack! :)
  • future_marathoner
    future_marathoner Posts: 170 Member
    It all depends on when you go to bed. You want to give you boday 2-3 hrs to digest your food before going to sleep. So if you are going to bed around 10, then 7 is fine. If you going to bed around 11, then 8 is fine. And so on and so forth. :o)))
  • editara13
    editara13 Posts: 384 Member
    I never eat after 9:00pm, so the best suggestion is between 7:00-9:00 pm.......... :-)

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  • zml_mom
    zml_mom Posts: 270 Member
    i read an article that said that it's not really the time you eat it's what you eat. if your going to eat close to bed or late at night then eat something healthier and that will turn into a good sugar and not a bad one
  • twistygirl
    twistygirl Posts: 517 Member
    I read this article from a Dr. can't remember where:( but he said it doesn't matter what time you eat if it's in your calorie allotment then it's ok to eat before you go to bed. It's a matter of can your system handle it. If eating before bed doesn't keep you wake at night or upset your stomach (like acid reflux) then it is a matter or preference BC eating before bed or at night doesn't make you fat, it's going over the number of calories your body needs.

    So don't sweat the small stuff.
  • rure13
    rure13 Posts: 86
    I struggle with this too. Lately I've been eating my dinner at 6:30 pm and then having a snack at 8-8:30pm
  • cjjones007
    cjjones007 Posts: 602
    My favorite evening snack is a glass of milk and a scoop of chocolate protein powder. Its just like a glass of chocolate milk - but with lots of protein. And who can't use a little bit of extra protein in their diet?? I normally have this around 8 and head to bed about 10.

    I'm all about that - I try to stop about 1 hour before bed - I'm not "full" and I'm not "hungry" either - when you are restricting calories AND working out - the "don't eat 3 hours before bed" rule is not the big deal it once was thought to be...

    I'm all about the protein shake at night...

    I personally also do a big batch of frozen veggies - that has become my "Munchie" for nighttime :)
  • mynika
    mynika Posts: 312 Member
    That is a very good question, because I feel most times like I just need a little something before I go to bed, maybe it is a lifetime of eating before bed, I don't know, but I do try to keep it small.
  • MrsRadder
    MrsRadder Posts: 207 Member
    Depends on the person. I can't eat after 6-7 or I wont sleep well.
  • sasham100
    sasham100 Posts: 24 Member
    It's really a personal thing. I tend to get hungry after dinner, especially if I eat earlier (6 pm). If I'm hungry and have calories left for the day (which is often a problem for me, since I eat so many veggies), I'll have a bowl of cereal with fat free milk or simply a glass of milk. I'm always looking for ways to get more calcium and studies have shown that a small bowl of cereal before bed can actually help you sleep better. But, it's important not to eat simply because you have calories left. If you aren't truly hungry, you shouldn't eat.
  • perne11
    perne11 Posts: 46 Member
    It doesn't really matter for me. I always have a night snack. As long as I don't go over my calories, I don't worry about it.
  • Jenscan
    Jenscan Posts: 694 Member
    I don't have an "official" cut off time; my cut off is either running out of calories or bedtime. I typically work out in the evenings and like having a snack afterwards.

    The "don't eat late at night" rule to me is a bit of a myth. Weight gain due to eating in the evening has more to do with people that snack a lot after supper and eat more calories than they should, but if you're tracking and you're under, then it doesn't really matter.

    The body is a 24/7 shop and doesn't tell itself "oops, a sandwich and it's 7:10! Store all as fat!"

    It's an individual choice really. It you want to make the rule, will you be able to stick to it, or will it cause you undue stress? Some people can work it very effectively; some, no.
  • maureendonahue
    maureendonahue Posts: 468 Member
    It's what works best for you. I don't get home until after 6 some nights, and I still need to make and eat dinner, so 7:00 would not be reasonable for me.

    I also find that going to bed even slightly hungry (I notice I'm hungry, but my tummy's not growling) I don't sleep well, and often wake up during the night with the tummy going crazy!

    If you are hungry, and really hungry-not bored or angry/frustrated or thirsty, then have something small to eat (popcorn, fruit, toast and peanut butter).

    Good luck!
  • Thriceshy
    Thriceshy Posts: 708 Member
    In our house sometimes dinner isn't until 9 pm or later because of our schedules. While that's not my favorite time for dinner, it doesn't seem to be hurting me any.

    Kris
  • sent4rmabove23
    sent4rmabove23 Posts: 148
    On the Tyra Banks show they did a little expirement where this girl would eat past 7 pm sometimes as late as 11 pm but she would wait at least 2 hours before sleeping and she did not gain any weight - dont remember if she lost. The point they were trying to make is that you need to stay up and active 2 hours after a meal before falling asleep. I have a very hectic lifestyle sometimes I eat dinner close to 9 pm but I don't fall asleep until 11 ish.. it hasn't affected my weight loss. My next weigh in is in two weeks so let's see then...
  • curvygirl512
    curvygirl512 Posts: 423 Member
    I'm a late night snacker as well. I even have a meal on my food diary called late night bite. Sometimes it's just a bite of food to tide me over until morning, and sometimes it's more. I find that if I'm feeling like the munchies after about 9PM, I'm not hungry, I'm just tired. It would be healthier for me to just go to sleep rather than snack. Easier said than done.
  • kimmerroze
    kimmerroze Posts: 1,330 Member
    The "don't eat before bed time" rule is a myth... your body still burns calories when your sleeping It just burns a lot less... as long as you are eating something healthy and it is in your calorie range, then you are fine...

    Now whether or not your body can handle the time in which you eat is a different story... I can eat at midnight and go to bed right after and be totally fine. or I can stop eating at 7 and be totally fine.

    I usually however will settle with a glass of chocolate milk as my evening snack. YUMM!
  • bobbybdoe
    bobbybdoe Posts: 472 Member
    Wouldn't recommend this, but my fitness coach told me (when I asked) that the whole "not eating after 8" thing is a myth. I sometimes eat at 11 PM (if I wake up late some days). As long as the food you're eating is healthy it's okay to eat late apparently. Haven't had any problems with that so far.
  • lemonychick
    lemonychick Posts: 81 Member
    Whatever time I eat, I just make sure I go to bed at least 2 hours afterwards.
  • kapeluza
    kapeluza Posts: 3,434 Member
    I try not to eat anything after 7pm. If I get really hungry I just eat some peanuts + water.
  • Beebs33
    Beebs33 Posts: 262
    It really doesn't matter if you eat 1 minutes before you go to bed or 4 hours before you go to bed. Some trainers will say do not eat after 7 or 8 or whatever. I normally try to eat my dinner between 6:30 and 7:30 just depending on my schedule. Then I do strength training sometime after that and then my protein shake with spinach in it. And that's normally not until between 9 or 10 depending on my workout. And if I'm tired after that, I got to bed. If I'm not tired, I stay up. What matter is that you are getting healthy food in you that are full of the things you need. I prefer a protein shake because it's like having a dessert.
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