Eating cutoff time?

mabelebam
mabelebam Posts: 150 Member
edited October 1 in Food and Nutrition
Do you observe an eating cutoff time? eg: no food AT ALL after 8pm?

I read that its unhealthy to consume food two hours before bed time, but I still have the habit of munching some nuts, fruits or crackers after 9pm.

Also, some people told me that drinking too much water before bed causes water retention in the body. Has anyone experienced that?

Replies

  • godroxmysox
    godroxmysox Posts: 1,491 Member
    I've never had a problem with either of these things. A lot of times, I realize right before I go to bed that I'm low on calories/water, so I'll eat/drink something. I would assume it varies on the person....
  • auntie_missy
    auntie_missy Posts: 113 Member
    No, and no. It's a myth that eating too late causes weight gain. There are times when it's better to eat certain macronutrients - obviously you don't want to down a big plate of pasta just before bed, but carbs near exercise can be a good thing - but in general, as long as it's within your calorie goal, you're fine. So I eat when I want.

    http://www.askmen.com/sports/foodcourt_250/285_metabolism-myths.html

    And water is water, whenever you drink it. Drinking more prevents retention. Drinking a lot before bed might mean you have to get up in the middle of the night to pee, but that's not a bad thing as long as you can get back to sleep.

    http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/are-there-benefits-to-drinking-water-before-bedtime.html
  • Brittshae
    Brittshae Posts: 29
    I don't have a cutoff time. I tried that and it didn't work for me and I am losing weight. I guess it just depends on the person.
  • mabelebam
    mabelebam Posts: 150 Member
    thanks so much for your opinions/info! :)
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    I stop eating when I'm no longer hungry or when I go to bed. Or if I've hit my calories for the day (usually I am no longer hungry first, yay!)

    There've been reports, books, articles, opinions, etc on both sides of this debate. You're going to get people to tell you 6 pm , 8 pm, 2 hours before bed, and all sorts of other things. There is really little to no scientific evidence (ie controlled studies) to support any of it. Yes, you might want to give yourself a bit of time before bed so you don't get a tummy ache, but other than that, I've never seen anything wrong with eating after a certain time.
  • luvmyjp
    luvmyjp Posts: 49
    Water retention mostly occures with sodium intake (unless you have a medical condition)...you shouldnt stop drinking water unless you get up too much to use the bathroom at night :)

    A study was done at john hopkins university and with the help of Dr. Wayne Anderson (founder of take shape for life) they established rules for healthy living....amoung them was eatting every 3-4 hours through out the day average about 6 meals a day was ideal. The theory is that anything over 4 hours puts your body into starvation mode since your body doesnt know when it will eat again it will store calories/fat for energy it thinks it may need....thats often why people who dont eat all day then eat a moderate amount at night dont lose weight but often time GAIN weight even though they are only eatting about 2000 calories a day.

    I have lost over 30lbs in almost 6 weeks...everyone ask me how...so ill let ya in on my secret...
    I ONLY drink water and usually with 1/2 packet of crystal light energy
    I eat every 3-4 hours up until 30 min before i go to bed
    I only eat about 1000 calories a day but what i eat is high protein and fiber, low fat, calories, sodium and carbs

    My energy level is similar to that when I was a teenager and Im raising 3 young kids...so the 1000cal a doesnt DOESNT make me sluggish or crash....(may not work for everyone though)
    BOTH my bad cholesterols dropped 60 POINTS!! My A1C (blood sugar) dropped from at risk to PERFECT!! And I went from OBESE to overweight in 6 weeks....i still have a ways to go but this is what works for me....
  • melanie3103
    melanie3103 Posts: 246 Member
    Someone told me no carbs after 6pm - but that was impossible to sustain.

    I can't drink too much water before bed (for obvious reasons!)... LOL

    x
  • bhagavatilad1
    bhagavatilad1 Posts: 277
    I believe there is no real cut-off time up to the point of when you go to sleep, sometimes I eat after midnight if I'm hungry. You don't really need to drink the full 8 glasses of water recommended because water is in your food so I end up drinking 3-4 cups per day and usually I need a glass a two in the evening. Otherwise you feel restricted.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    # of calories matter, not when you eat them
  • sandislim
    sandislim Posts: 264
    water at bed doesn't effect me at all (well sometimes I have to get up in the night ;-))
    I observe eating cut off points, but not regularly - I practice intermittant fasting so I tend to have periods of time when I don't eat. It helps me to understand my real hunger signals and respond to them better - I actually enjoy fasting now, its nice. I don't really do set times, I usually just pick any convenient time when I just don't feel like eating. Sometimes its mornings, sometimes its night, sometimes its afternoon - but I do enjoy my breaks from food. I used to eat for every emotion you can think of and I would eat until my stomach was hurting from being full and I then I would eat some more. Giving myself a break was a welcome change.
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