IS IT OK TO EAT SNACKS AFTER DINNER

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Hi!

This is my first day to use myfitnesspal and I am loving it!

So, i have this question in mind, as the subject says... Today I was 118 calories below my limit but failed to check on my sugar. I was 24g over! hehehe

Damn those bananas and papayas! If only I knew earlier today. Anyway, tomorrow is another day.

These were my stats today

Remaining 118 0 3 10 2 -24
Calories Carbs Fat Protein Fiber Sugar

So ok, back to question... I ate a half a green salad after dinner with some tuna flakes and lite mayo ( i love the dressing :-( i know i have to get rid of it)

Still my calorie limit for today was less than recommended.

My point again (for the nth time, and sorry for delaying you)

Can i eat after dinner? LIke around 9-10pm? My dinner was at about 6-7pm.

I am a night person and I usually eat my breakfast around 10am, lunch at 2 and so on...

Help

Replies

  • kimdatumanong79
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    sedentary to little activity,

    my work requires me to sit down most of the day but i do take short walks, 5 minutes walks, twice a day... just that.. :-(
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    you can eat whenever you want, meal frequency and timing are irrelevant to weight loss, assuming you maintain a caloric deficit
  • dizzielizzie82
    dizzielizzie82 Posts: 12 Member
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    i read somewhere that it doesnt matter what time you eat. if you eat 200 cals at 4pm or 10pm it is still 200cals

    i say if your in your allowance go for it! i do, if i have enough cals after dinner i will have some toast!! (i lose about 2lb a week)

    good luck and enjoy MFP its the best
  • sharonsjones
    sharonsjones Posts: 574 Member
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    As long as your within your calories it won't hurt you at all. I eat a snack after supper almost nightly, I just make sure I don't go over my daily calories. So snack on!!

    I'm over my sugar almost daily because I eat alot of fruit and I don't worry about it.
  • cajunlady56
    cajunlady56 Posts: 151 Member
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    ^^ what he said

    Also, I don't worry about going over if it is only natural sugar
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    Short answer: Wont matter if you're hitting your targets.

    Slightly longer answer:
    Hit your calorie and macronutrient goal by end of day. When you eat is largely irrelevant as it pertains to your fat loss goals.

    Schedule your meal timing to your personal preference and gym performance.

    EDIT: Acg-replybot2000 is fast today.

    =)
  • Christina1007
    Christina1007 Posts: 179 Member
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    I'm exactly the same. I eat dinner ealirer but then I am hungry by the time I go to bed. Maybe we should go to bed earlier. :)
  • alyssamiller77
    alyssamiller77 Posts: 891 Member
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    You can eat anytime you want. And why do you feel you have to get rid of the dressing? If you're coming in at a calorie deficit, you're going to lose weight, period. This is one of the few tried, true, repeatedly proven and simply indisputable truths about the human body.

    There is this myth that you shouldn't eat too close to going to sleep, well it's exactly that, a myth and nothing more. While your metabolic rate may slow slightly because you're not moving around, your body still needs energy and the digestive system continues to function.

    Personally, I'm in the exact opposite camp, I try to eat shortly before going to bed. Your body does much of its recovery work (repairing muscles, replenishing energy stores, etc) while you sleep. To help ensure that my body has the resources it needs to help in that recovery, I make sure to have a snack and a Casein (slow digesting) Protein shake shortly before I go to bed. As you can see in my ticker, this approach has been successful for me and didn't seem to slow my weight loss pace one bit (I was losing an average of 2.8lbs per week until I hit my goal).
  • andiechick
    andiechick Posts: 916 Member
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    I always like to have a snack with a cup of tea later on and make sure I have some calories free to allow this, but I always try and eat a low option, like a kitkat or 99 cal choc bar, if I need a sweet fix, or maybe a few crackers and jam,

    I wouldn't eat anything too big late at night as you're not going to burn it off.

    I would advise you to try and step up your exercise a bit more too....I try and do 20-30 minutes each day, although there are some days this just isn't possible. I've been doing this a few weeks now and have lost a steady 1lb per week, just by keeping to the rules above.

    Feel free to add me as a friend, my diary is open to view, I dont' have a perfect diet...I'm not a huge vegetable lover, but I've made small changes here and there and it seems to be working..

    Good luck :flowerforyou:
  • barwood
    barwood Posts: 48 Member
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    Get you an HRM band and watch. It helps you keep track of the calories when you walk or move around at work . You will be amazed at how many calories you burn at work. My daughter sits at a desk all day and she told me about this.If you exercise, you can have a snack I usually eat popcorn at night. Hope this helps you.
  • kimdatumanong79
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    Thank you so much for the replies! I am so feeling the "love". :-) (and I am drinking tea right now, a nightly regimen for me ever since)

    Yes i am in a deficit today, and I am so full, eating all the time. I ate 7 times today, 7!!!!

    And it feels good. :-)

    I will try to follow all the advices herein, which makes me feel so glad. It means that I can eat whatever I want at anytime provided the plan allows it.

    55 lbs to go!!!
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    It means that I can eat whatever I want at anytime provided the plan allows it.

    Point of clarity before someone else goes off about the above: If you can fit it into your cals/macros and you don't have any intolerances, then yes you will still lose weight eating anything that fits -- BUT, it would be in your best health interests if you choose mostly nutrient dense and "healthy" foods.
  • alyssamiller77
    alyssamiller77 Posts: 891 Member
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    I wouldn't eat anything too big late at night as you're not going to burn it off.

    This statement simply isn't true. Look at it this way, say you even sleep for just 6 hours at night. That's six hours of energy your body needs during a time when you will be essentially fasting. Anything you ate prior to going to bed will be digested and burned during these hours. Could you go six hours while awake without eating? Or if you ate right before a six hour fast in the middle of the day would you doubt for a moment that your body would "burn it off"?
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    As long as you stay within your calorie goals you can eat whenever you want.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
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    I wouldn't eat anything too big late at night as you're not going to burn it off.
    Not true. How does that even make sense?
  • kimdatumanong79
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    It means that I can eat whatever I want at anytime provided the plan allows it.

    Point of clarity before someone else goes off about the above: If you can fit it into your cals/macros and you don't have any intolerances, then yes you will still lose weight eating anything that fits -- BUT, it would be in your best health interests if you choose mostly nutrient dense and "healthy" foods.

    noted... i kept on looking at labels all day and browsing the net for healthy alternatives... i think that's the reason why i had a deficit today... if not for the green salad tonight, the deficit would have been almost 300 calories..

    I am so determined to eat right. It is a healthy way to live since i do not want to die young... I think if i keep on eating my chocolates and sugars all day, my 4 kids will be motherless in 5 years... One of the reasons why I want to lose weight and change my lifestyle.
  • ladybg81
    ladybg81 Posts: 1,553 Member
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    If it fits into your calorie count, yet. I do it almost everyday.