Going to bed hungry

Whenever I am hungry, I eat something. To hell with calories- I can make that up later. I have actually woke up in the middle of the night (sometimes like 2am), felt hungry, and eaten rice cakes and almond butter. When I had a 12am to 4am diary category, all kinds of strange things appeared there.

In summary- I'm not doing anything hungry, definitely not trying to sleep with a rumbling stomach.

Lol so what day did you post your middle of the night snacks to? The day prior or the next day? Technically it would be the next day, but I'm just curious...

Next day- I end the "day" at midnight. "On paper" only though. I actually see this whole thing as a fluid time span and work and trending towards even.

Going to bed hungry for me is a reminder of my victory and strength over food for the day. I'm not famished at bedtime, but I do get some stomach grumbles and feel hungry. I go to bed most days feeling totally strong and empowered that I am in control of my eating decisions and that food no longer controls or dictates itself to me. Sounds lame I'm sure, but I love it!

Whoa. That is really serious. I feel like I control food all the time. It wasn't always that way; I used to binge and hide it, but the greatest victory to me is that I am in control in general, whether I eat or not. I don't down a package of Oreos (though I occasionally do damage to gingersnaps), but I eat when I feel hungry. I don't see food as a foe.

I usually never go to bed hungry. But that's because my meals are a little unbalanced. I eat about 700 calories in breakfast, lunch and snacks, and another 700 calories at dinner. That is enough to keep me happy until bed time.

I like going to bed a bit hungry. I seem to sleep better and oddly enough I'm not as hungry in the morning as when I go to bed full. If I think I'm seriously hungry I try a large glass of water, and if I'm still seriously hungry then I eat (love the grapefruit idea, it's light and takes a while to eat too!). But I've learned that just a bit empty is good.

I agree that it sounds a little crazy, but I got to be 360 lbs by allowing food, cravings, and lack of willpower own me. I've lost the weight by taking control of my eating habits, and subtle reminders like a tummy grumble, make me feel fully in control. If I want to have an apple or a small snack, I will,

I also do intermittent fasting where I consume all my daily calories between 11 am and 7 pm, then fast till the next day at 11. The whole key is finding what works for you and what is sustainable. I see no reason why I can't continue to eat like this forever, and I know you are wondering, if I am really hungry in the morning, I will have my coffee with skim milk, and if I'm still hungry, then I eat, but it is my decision. Willpower and control over my eating decisions have changed my life!

I make sure I have calories so I can eat before bed. I cannot sleep if I am hungry. My cut off time for eating it when I run out of calories.

I agree with Steven... If you are having good nutritious food - you shouldnt be hungry (well not after the first few initial days of shock to the body anyway!).

I eat 1200 calories and seem to be eating all day. I never go to bed hungry!

I always save 50-100 calories each day for a bedtime snack because I get cranky when I go to bed hungry - and I like to eat a little something while I'm reading before going to sleep. I do not claim to be the super healthiest eater - tonight's snack is Jujyfruit candy. But I've lost 55lbs total so far, so it seems to work for me.

If I'm hungry at bedtime, I grab a snack. Usually a graham cracker with peanut butter or a handful of nuts. If I have to go over to do it (which is almost never), I still wouldn't feel guilty because I think my body is telling me to eat for a good reason.

I can't stand being hungry, especially at night. I always save 100-200 calories to consume before bedtime. What has worked best for me is warmed up unsweetened soy milk with a little molasses. (protein + essential minerals and carbs). I don't know what is "BEST", but I know I can't lose weight if I go to bed hungry because it makes me feel deprived and then I obsess about food the next day, feel sorry for myself, then eat things I shouldn't.

6 very small meals per day isn't as effective as 3 full meals at telling your brain that you're full (for most people), so there are pluses and minuses to evenly distributing your calories. I plan on 3 meals and 3 snacks, and I try to keep my carbs down so I'm not hungry an hour after eating, among other reasons. The last snack is usually less than hour before I go to sleep, unless I have a big dinner (or a late one) and am not hungry. It helps that I work out in the evenings, after dinner, so I know my calorie deficit for the day and whether I need to eat more to keep it reasonable. I get 4-6 cups of water in at night too. Being busy during the day helps me defray hunger, but when I wake up hungry, I get nauseated. So going to bed hungry, for me, is a bad idea.

I agree with those that said if you're hungry before bed eat a little something. It doesn't have to be much-- some carrots or a handful of almonds or a small cup of milk. No need to be hungry every night, that sounds miserable.

I heard taking a casein slow absorbing protein before bed can be beneficial for this reason. I believe it takes about 7 hours to be absorbed and provided a constant stream of amino acids. This can be great if you are trying not to lose all that hard earned muscle!

Totally agree with you. Here's a little write up about the benefits of casein, how much it helps the average fitness buff I do not know. But I definitely have it before bedtime, so do many of the heavyweights in the gym.

Casein protein is the predominant protein found in milk. It makes up about 80% of the protein in cow’s milk, while the remaining 20% of protein in milk is whey protein. Casein protein is extracted from the milk through ultra filtration, without the use of chemicals. This process increases the amount of bioactive milk peptides that support immune function as well as enhance muscle growth.

Casein protein has an excellent amino acid profile and is primarily known as “bed time protein” because it takes up to 7 hours to be absorbed by the body making it ideal for before bed.

Casein protein is a slow-digesting protein because it forms a “gel” in the gut, which results in a steady release of amino acids into the blood stream over time. Research shows that when you consume casein, you will reach a peak in blood amino acids and protein synthesis up to seven hours. Whey protein, in comparison, reaches a peak in blood amino acids and protein synthesis in about 40 minutes and the total release ends in about an hour.

Since casein protein slowly enters the blood stream, it has very little impact on protein synthesis. It has a powerful effect, however, in suppressing protein breakdown. In other words, it’s an awesome muscle-sparing protein. This makes it ideal for times of the day where you do not need protein immediately, like before bed or mid afternoon/morning. casein would not be suitable for a post-workout drink.

Muscle growth is dependent on the balance of protein synthesis and protein breakdown. To tip the balance in your favor, you want to increase protein synthesis and decrease protein breakdown. You can achieve this by supplementing with whey protein (fast absorption/promotes protein synthesis) and casein protein (slow absorption/suppresses protein breakdown).

To effectively take advantage of whey and casein proteins, you need to use them at the right times of the day. Casein protein is the only protein you should be taking before going to sleep. The reason is because your body needs to be sustained for six to eight hours during your sleep without food. You don’t want your hard-earned muscle being broken down in your sleep, so a protein that is slowly released over time is best. If you took whey protein before going to bed, it would do very little since whey is absorbed and used within an hour.

There are three forms of casein protein:
1.Calcium caseinate
2.Micellar casein
3.Milk protein isolate.

Calcium caseinate is the lowest quality among the three forms and is commonly used as a food ingredient. Micellar casein and the casein in milk protein isolate are identical. While micellar casein is 100% casein, milk protein isolate has both micellar protein and whey.

Almost all supplements you’ll find for sale in bodybuilding supplement stores are Micellar Casein. We recommend taking casein supplements before bed only. The vast majority of muscle repair is done whilst sleeping and you cannot afford to “starve” your body of protein and amino acids for that period.

When you starve yourself you will start storing fat. On the other hand when you starve yourself a bit your stomach will shrink. The golden formula should be in the middle.

When I am hungry I tried to eat fruits or yoghurt at night, but there are days when I can't leave alone one toast with whatever I feel like. I am still not sure what trigger my hunger swings. Most likely my body cry for more nutrients.

Usually I am in my daily calories but there are days when I go over. I am still learning calories and each week I discover some calories "BOMB". If you’re a big eater drink 1 glass of water before each meal, this will feel your stomach a bit and reduce your portion.

go to bed hungry, wake up ripped.