Is eating at night bad, if you have the calories for it?

it dont matter... tbh.... ive heard docs say its fine

It's fine, your body doesn't know what time it is. As long as you have a calorie deficit, you're good.

Just the opposite, it is good. The only reason people say not to eat at night is because they tend to eat junkfood, and too much of it. If you can eat healthy in the evening, that is the best thing for you, IMHO.

You're probably going to get a variety of answers for this one, but I think it has to do with your metabolism and what you eat exactly. You should always eat light (fruit, granola, veggies, etc) at night because your metabolism slows down while you sleep. But you can eat at night - especially if you have the calories! If it makes you feel any better, I've lost all the weight I have and I always eat after 9 pm because we exercise after he gets off work around 9. Know your body!

My husband and I always end up eating at night after dinner, while the kids are falling asleep and we're watching t.v. Ever since joining MFP I make sure I have enough calories to have my nighttime snack and it's almost always a healthy snack. I've heard that eating at night can be bad for you and lead to weight gain, but I've also heard it's just a way to not eat as many calories. So, is it okay for me to be eating late at night, or would it be better for me to eat all of my calories during the day and not save any for late at night?

I eat the majority of my calories between midnight-4am. Have done since i started, and I'm doing fine!

The only reason late night snacking gets a bad rep is because most obese people eat their normal amount during the day, and THEN snack at night, thus adding extra calories, taking them into a surplus. If you still eat at a deficit, doesn't matter when you eat.

I always right before bed since I am nightshift worker. I never had any problems in losing weight because of this.

I've tried arranging my calories in different ways, but I always end up hungrier in the second half of the day. I usually end up hungry again within the last two hours before bed, so I eat. I have lost almost 30 lbs, and in fact, I have been able to maintain my goal weight without a problem even with night eating. :-)

If you eat too soon before bedtime, your body won't metabolise the calories quite as efficiently as when you're awake. Better to graze during the day to make sure you don't feel hungry when you collapse in front of the TV. A drink would be OK though, and often helps with the hunger.

This is a myth. Your bodies metabolism does not stop at night, it keeps working along. In fact at night it is quite active repairing the damage and stress that is put on your body through your daily activity. Some people have issues with heart burn if they eat close to bed, but the OP didn't ask about digestive issue, but caloric issues.

To the OP, it is fine as long as you stay within your calorie budget. I often eat late at night and it has not harmed my weight loss at all. I am much more likely to go off the rails from eating many small meals through the day than from eating at night.

Just the opposite, it is good. The only reason people say not to eat at night is because they tend to eat junkfood, and too much of it. If you can eat healthy in the evening, that is the best thing for you, IMHO.

I agree 100% with this. (Yes, your body does slow down your metabolism at night - but that's only after a certain amount of REM sleep and then it's good, because you have the longest gap between meals between dinner (or your last snack) and breakfast. If your body didn't slow down your metabolism you'd wake up starving!)

I almost always have extra calories left at night, so I will have a snack to make sure I at least hit 1200 calories for the day. I always make it a healthy snack like fruit or some Special K treat. Occasionally, if I'm really low on carbs that day I'll have a small bowl of oatmeal. Just try not to let that snack push you over your daily calorie goal; as others have said, it's all about the calorie deficit.

It is for me! If i go straight to sleep I do not burn off those calories while sleep.

As far as I understand it, the reason why eating at night is bad (some people say you shouldn't even eat after you get home from work) is because you eat excess calories which your body won't burn off entirely while sleeping/watching television and that becomes fat. So if you want to eat at night, eating light and healthy is probably the best option and it probably won't have any negative effect on you.

It depends on how your body responds to it. I've heard/read in several places cases both for and against. For me it comes down to the fact that my body responds MUCH better when I don't eat at night. I sleep better, I feel better in the morning, and I'm more likely to lose weight.

As far as I understand it, the reason why eating at night is bad (some people say you shouldn't even eat after you get home from work) is because you eat excess calories which your body won't burn off entirely while sleeping/watching television and that becomes fat. So if you want to eat at night, eating light and healthy is probably the best option and it probably won't have any negative effect on you.

That sort of thinking completely misunderstands how the body works. The vast majority of what you burn in a day is your body just doing what it does to keep alive. Much of that happens at night while you sleep. Thus, your body will most certainly use those calories for something other than fat.