How late is too late to eat?

To all the people who are saying this myth was busted a long ago - here is an article from NATURE (you know, one of the most respected scientific journal out there) from 2009 written after an extensive research - http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/v17/n11/full/oby2009264a.html

You are not a rat.

Oh yeah, that's right. I forgot humans are a lot simpler creatures so for them it would only be calories in and calories out.

To all the people who are saying this myth was busted a long ago - here is an article from NATURE (you know, one of the most respected scientific journal out there) from 2009 written after an extensive research - http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/v17/n11/full/oby2009264a.html

You are not a rat.

Oh yeah, that's right. I forgot humans are a lot simpler creatures so for them it would only be calories in and calories out.

Humans also know where and when our next meal is coming, therefore we don't need to gorge ourselves. We also have self-control (in theory), and we understand about calories. Rats don't.

Can I ask, without any tone of sarcasm I might add, purely out of curiousity:

The studies that say it *does* matter and that you *should not* eat after a certain point, are those studies looking at 'average' people who are not counting calories, or are they looking at people who observe and maintain very specific calorie goals? I feel like the MFP population is very different than the general population that does not know their BMR, TDEE, exercise calories, daily goal etc. For the general population that is not aware of or concerned with those numbers, I can see late-night snacking as being a problem b/c it could very well lead to eating more than what is needed for maintenance or weightloss. But I'm just not so sure that it makes a difference for the majority of the MFP, calorie-conscious and counting population. Giving advice on MFP, from my personal experience I say if you have the calories leftover (and if you have no specific medical conditions to consider) go right ahead and snack as late as you want, as long as you count it. But if I were giving advice to someone who wanted to lose weight or stop gaining without counting calories, I'd say hey stop snacking b/c you don't know how much you're eating. I think it's different when you consider the audience.

Well Ron,

although humourous, your reply really wasn't helpful. I'm well aware that the eat when you want brigade is making the loudesyt noise. However the information that I passed on came from health professionals who I expect to know what they are on about, backed up by internet research. Think that makes it a bit more credible than prattling on about elves. Obviously the body performs differently in a conscious and uncounscious state, brain activity change heart slows as does metabolism. I am not an expert, but It's a bit naive to think that the body functions exactly the same in a waking and sleeping state. I 'm happy to stand corrected by any coherent researched answers from reliable sources. I am not prepared to back down just cos somebody makes a loud noise.

You're missing the whole point.

In the LONG RUN, it just doesn't matter.

Sure, you burn less calories in your sleep. That makes sense to me. But so? It's just not going to matter in the LONG RUN whether you eat 5 minutes before bed or 3 hours before bed.

In general, you're supposed to stop eating 1.5-2 hours before you go to bed so you don't disrupt sleep patterns (which is important for weight loss). When your metabolism is up and running, it will prevent your bodily functions from shutting down and prevent you from entering the REM sleep stage.

Can you back this up? This sounds wrong to me.

http://www.fitnessandpower.com/nutrition/136-stop-eating-before-bed

Don't know if this is super accurate, but it's something i found. I've also been under the impression that you should stop eating an hour or 2 before bed so you have ample time to digest everything properly and whatnot.

Can I ask, without any tone of sarcasm I might add, purely out of curiousity:

The studies that say it *does* matter and that you *should not* eat after a certain point, are those studies looking at 'average' people who are not counting calories, or are they looking at people who observe and maintain very specific calorie goals? I feel like the MFP population is very different than the general population that does not know their BMR, TDEE, exercise calories, daily goal etc. For the general population that is not aware of or concerned with those numbers, I can see late-night snacking as being a problem b/c it could very well lead to eating more than what is needed for maintenance or weightloss. But I'm just not so sure that it makes a difference for the majority of the MFP, calorie-conscious and counting population. Giving advice on MFP, from my personal experience I say if you have the calories leftover (and if you have no specific medical conditions to consider) go right ahead and snack as late as you want, as long as you count it. But if I were giving advice to someone who wanted to lose weight or stop gaining without counting calories, I'd say hey stop snacking b/c you don't know how much you're eating. I think it's different when you consider the audience.

You are getting at the crux of the issue, I believe. But - don't laugh - it's similar to the muscle/fat arguments in that people are interpreting things differently. Are we talking about strictly defining calories in at 6:00pm vs. calories in at 10:00pm (right before bed)? Or are we talking more broadly, including people's behaviors and sleep patterns? If you pose a vague enough question (like "how late is too late to eat?") you can get a variety of answers that are all correct, depending how you interpret the question and how you support your argument.

ETA example:

Q: Does muscle weight more than fat?

A1: Yes, one cubic centimeter of muscle weighs more than one cubic centimeter of fat because muscle is more dense.

A2: No, one pound of muscle weighs exactly the same as one pound of fat.

Both answers are correct.

But worthy of pages of debate.

To all the people who are saying this myth was busted a long ago - here is an article from NATURE (you know, one of the most respected scientific journal out there) from 2009 written after an extensive research - http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/v17/n11/full/oby2009264a.html


If everything was so simple - calorie in and calorie out, we wouldn't have these people who can eat 'anything' and not gain any weight. Also you wouldn't have a problem with all of a sudden putting on weight after you reach certain age.

People with hormonal imbalance wouldn't be putting on weight easier and faster than other people.
You have to realize there are actually many factors that come into play.

When you sleep your metabolism (as well as ALL other bodily functions, like heartbeat) slow down, your temperature drops and the body goes into a somewhat standby mode.

All that said, it is impossible for us to get the real full picture so I would say it is best to do it the old school way, that is just by listening to your body and manage that calorie intake in general.

Okay... interesting article. Thanks for posting it.

BUT... consider this: the hardest part of any long-term calorie-restrictive diet is actually sticking to the diet. That's always been my problem- sticking with it! I'll do fine for a month, two months, and then I go back to my old life-style and gain back the weight I lost.

So if "stick with it" is the hardest part, why on earth would I obsess over the 'when to eat'? Why would I tell someone else to obsess over 'when to eat'? It's hard enough worrying about the 'how much to eat'.

I try to stop eating about 2-3 hours before bed. That gives your body time to digest and burn more during sleeptime. Plus I can't ever sleep with a full tummy.

To all the people who are saying this myth was busted a long ago - here is an article from NATURE (you know, one of the most respected scientific journal out there) from 2009 written after an extensive research - http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/v17/n11/full/oby2009264a.html


If everything was so simple - calorie in and calorie out, we wouldn't have these people who can eat 'anything' and not gain any weight. Also you wouldn't have a problem with all of a sudden putting on weight after you reach certain age.

People with hormonal imbalance wouldn't be putting on weight easier and faster than other people.
You have to realize there are actually many factors that come into play.

When you sleep your metabolism (as well as ALL other bodily functions, like heartbeat) slow down, your temperature drops and the body goes into a somewhat standby mode.

All that said, it is impossible for us to get the real full picture so I would say it is best to do it the old school way, that is just by listening to your body and manage that calorie intake in general.

Okay... interesting article. Thanks for posting it.

BUT... consider this: the hardest part of any long-term calorie-restrictive diet is actually sticking to the diet. That's always been my problem- sticking with it! I'll do fine for a month, two months, and then I go back to my old life-style and gain back the weight I lost.

So if "stick with it" is the hardest part, why on earth would I obsess over the 'when to eat'? Why would I tell someone else to obsess over 'when to eat'? It's hard enough worrying about the 'how much to eat'.

I agree which is why I don't advocate it. The main issue is always just overeating, that is pretty simple, the rest is minutiae.

I just didn't like it how everyone was implying that girl who originally posted it was ignorant, urban myth believer.

I never said apply directly.

But you jumping on that girl like she is telling you the earth is flat is just bad form.

The truth is we don't know for sure. and it definitely is not as simple as calorie in and calorie out. although, if you do obey the calorie in and calorie out, you should be fine, because this is the biggest problem usually.

Personally, I have tried different ways of handling the same calorie number and I have noticed that if I eat more in the morning and less in the evening I tend to lose weight quicker. I also sleep better, therefore I have more energy the next day, therefore I probably burn more calories as well.

Did you change the time of day you weighed in to account for the times of day you were eating? Eating more at night you are going to have, um, more bulk in you intestines when you wake up then if you ate most of your calories early in the day. If it works better for you to eat at a certain time of day, then you should eat that way. That doesn't mean that your answer is the one that will work for me. I don't eat breakfast most days, and I don't eat several small meals a day. I eat most of my calories at one time. That works best for my schedule and my body is happiest that way. That doesn't mean I think everyone should do it that way. There are people that wake up starving. They should eat. I am not hungry and forcing myself to eat usually ends up with my losing my breakfast. Even if I see as study that says I must eat within an hour of waking up, I know that won't work for me and won't be sustainable.