Eating late at night vs eating too few calories.

imkegoal
imkegoal Posts: 156 Member
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
hmm, eating enough calories verses eating late at night- what is worse, do you think?

I only just (at 9.35pm) finished my evening meal, which was porridge... so not much of a meal anyway.

I had expected to grap something to eat between meetings. I had a meeting that started at 4.30pm and a meeting that started at 7.15 pm. As I didn't manage to grab a bite to eat, I had some porridge upon my return home minutes ago.

It feels too late to eat anyway, I normally try to eat nothing or very little after 8.00pm, and as I am not hungry, I am reluctant to eat just for the sake of it. However, as I ended up having porridge for dinner, I still have 500 calories to consume, without having considered any exercise I have done today (not much- just walking places- about 30 minutes worth)

So what do you think is worse- eating late or not eating your calories?

Replies

  • mallory3411
    mallory3411 Posts: 839 Member
    Not eating you calories would be worse.

    Unless you suffer from heartburn or find it uncomfortable to sleep after eating there is nothing wrong with eating late at night. I sometimes eat up until midnight to get my calories in.
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,380 Member
    Eating late at night won't hurt you as long as it doesn't give you indigestion and keep you awake.

    I eat my last snack around 30-60 minutes before going to bed and it has not hindered my weightloss. :-)
  • zafferFL
    zafferFL Posts: 402
    Eating late is not bad for you. Myth.
  • Sl1ghtly
    Sl1ghtly Posts: 855 Member
    I ate at 1:15am this morning, I'm not obese yet. I think its ok.
  • Graciecny
    Graciecny Posts: 302 Member
    On some nights I don't get done with work until 8pm, I hit the gym until almost 10pm and then by the time I get home, shower and make something for dinner it is easily 10:30 or 11 at night. I don't worry about it. I just make sure I stay up for a little while so I don't get heartburn/indigestion, and then I sleep like a baby. Nice full tummy, relaxed from working out. I don't know if it would work for everyone, but it sure works for me!! :flowerforyou:
  • imkegoal
    imkegoal Posts: 156 Member
    Amazed with the amount of people who dismiss the 'eating late at night' idea as a myth... How come so many people say it is bad for you then?

    As I never suffered from heart burn so far (apart from when I was pregnant) and that seems the only down side of eating late, it looks like I can start hunting for some more food then. :)
  • zafferFL
    zafferFL Posts: 402
    Amazed with the amount of people who dismiss the 'eating late at night' idea as a myth... How come so many people say it is bad for you then?

    As I never suffered from heart burn so far (apart from when I was pregnant) and that seems the only down side of eating late, it looks like I can start hunting for some more food then. :)

    70% of Americans believe in angels so they must exist.?
    Science > hearsay.
  • HiKaren
    HiKaren Posts: 1,306 Member
    I think not eating would be worse. And if thats the time of day, you can finally eat dinner, I think you should eat that time. :smile:
  • penrbrown
    penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
    I don't sleep very well if I eat an hour before bed but that's just me. Otherwise I think it's okay to eat if it's to fill your daily calorie requirement.

    It IS all very scientific so it's good to make the numbers 'crunch'. ;)
  • bigredhearts
    bigredhearts Posts: 428
    Eating late is not bad for you. Myth.

    ^ this
  • HiKaren
    HiKaren Posts: 1,306 Member
    On some nights I don't get done with work until 8pm, I hit the gym until almost 10pm and then by the time I get home, shower and make something for dinner it is easily 10:30 or 11 at night. I don't worry about it. I just make sure I stay up for a little while so I don't get heartburn/indigestion, and then I sleep like a baby. Nice full tummy, relaxed from working out. I don't know if it would work for everyone, but it sure works for me!! :flowerforyou:

    Cool I can relate. Especially if your one to want to make your own dinner. It kinda takes some time after work, after changing, working out, or walking dogs, to get into the kitchen, and cut, chop, and make something healthy. On average my dinner is eaten around 8 maybe even 9 pm. Psssss don't tell my mom. Just kidden. She was always one to ***** me out if I ate late. Well sure Mom, if I stopped thru a drive thru for Junk Food... That would be quicker, but worse for me. So who cares if I eat my dinner late. I don't.. Heeeee. Its been working for me. I re-named my meals... In case there is something consumed between 12am and 6am... Ssssh.... Haah. Now everything has to go own the diary.

    12am-6am
    6am-12pm
    12pm-6pm
    6pm-12midnight. This way I have a place to log anything at anytime.
  • kaizen31
    kaizen31 Posts: 74 Member
    The latest research shows that it's a myth. The misinformation is still going around because a lot of people haven't heard differently or don't change their minds easily, even in the face of science. ;)
  • kantone999
    kantone999 Posts: 174
    No studies have born out weight gain due to late night eating but studies HAVE shown it increases BMI. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/17/health/17really.html
  • Living4Liz2012
    Living4Liz2012 Posts: 312
    I THINK IT DEPENDS....If you wait till late at night and pack on tons of calories and then lay down I feel it's bad...Yet not eating enough calories hurts you too...I say both are equal...I've done both and going by my results...were all different:)
  • pukekolive
    pukekolive Posts: 237 Member
    I think the reason that eating late is not recommended is that your body needs to focus on digestion after a meal so if you go straight to bed afterwards and sleep, your bodily functions slow down (including digestion) so things are not so efficient. Also, if there is no activity (even just staying awake) then your body does not need to burn the food for fuelling its immediate needs.

    Bear in mind, also, that you will have a change in posture from upright to prone and this may also affect digestion (heartburn?).

    I work evenings til 9pm and don't each much between then and bedtime which is around midnight to 1pm as it does disturb my sleeping patterns if I've eaten (I wake intermittently and don't get a full night's sleep).

    Note - I don't believe that eating late at night is bad for you, just not heavy meals or on a regular basis. I believe that just before sleep is a very inefficient time to eat
  • zafferFL
    zafferFL Posts: 402
    I think the reason that eating late is not recommended is that your body needs to focus on digestion after a meal so if you go straight to bed afterwards and sleep, your bodily functions slow down (including digestion) so things are not so efficient. Also, if there is no activity (even just staying awake) then your body does not need to burn the food for fuelling its immediate needs.

    do you have any scientific fact to back this up?

    I'm all for the theories, but until I see a study proving otherwise this is just old wives tales.

    By the way...here's some info...good reading for this and other myths

    http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/755705.html
    "Myth: Eating after 8 p.m. causes weight gain.
    Fact: It does not matter what time of day you eat. It is what and how
    much you eat and how much physical activity you do during the whole
    day that determines whether you gain, lose, or maintain your weight.
    No matter when you eat, your body will store extra calories as fat."
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    Late night eating is fine for weight loss, but if it keeps you awake or upsets your digestion, you'd probably want to avoid it.

    You could also just not eat all your calories. One day of over- or under-eating is not going to matter.
  • imkegoal
    imkegoal Posts: 156 Member
    You could also just not eat all your calories. One day of over- or under-eating is not going to matter.

    I enjoyed readinng the variety of posts and it has definitly given me a better insight into the 'eating late' discussion.
    However, the above is so true. Although I regularly have evening meetings, I normally make sure I eat before my meetings, as it is a patttern that suites me. however, one day of eating late and eating too few calories isn't going to harm you. Just as 1 day of over eating isn't going to harm you, either....

    everything in moderation. :)
  • PeaceLoveVeggies
    PeaceLoveVeggies Posts: 673 Member
    Eating late at night >_<

    I refuse to eat past 8pm. If I absolutely have to, I'll snack on something healthy, like an apple, a banana, some almonds or a handful of grapes.
  • snookumss
    snookumss Posts: 1,451 Member
    I don't go to bed until 3-5am every day. I eat in bed 75% of the week, right before sleep. Doesn't make any difference.
  • Bentley2718
    Bentley2718 Posts: 1,689 Member
    Amazed with the amount of people who dismiss the 'eating late at night' idea as a myth... How come so many people say it is bad for you then?

    As I never suffered from heart burn so far (apart from when I was pregnant) and that seems the only down side of eating late, it looks like I can start hunting for some more food then. :)

    I think the source of this my is that for a lot of people, eating that takes place late at night is unplanned eating, and puts them over their needed/desired calories. It's not the timing of the eating that is bad for you, it is the excess calories, it just so happens, that for a lot of people they go hand in hand.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    You could also just not eat all your calories. One day of over- or under-eating is not going to matter.

    I enjoyed readinng the variety of posts and it has definitly given me a better insight into the 'eating late' discussion.
    However, the above is so true. Although I regularly have evening meetings, I normally make sure I eat before my meetings, as it is a patttern that suites me. however, one day of eating late and eating too few calories isn't going to harm you. Just as 1 day of over eating isn't going to harm you, either....

    everything in moderation. :)
    This is the right attitude. One day of any eating behavior (short of consuming poison) isn't going to cause a problem. On a regular basis, however, it's better to eat late than not eat enough. Time of day doesn't matter, it's the total calories consumed.

    As far as the "not eating at night" myth, it's been bandied about because many people eat EXCESS calories at night. If you don't track what you're eating and you snack after 7pm, you are more likely to consume more calories than your body burns with the extra being during that time. However, if you're logging calories and know exactly what you're consuming it matters very little at what time of day you eat.
  • JoCam127
    JoCam127 Posts: 39 Member
    *Am sooo glad I read this thread :)

    Thankyou 'imkegoal' for asking the question, & to all the people that have answered & made me realise that I don't have to feel bad if my dinner is not on the table by 7pm ... with 4 children & numerous after-school activities, plus me eating slightly different to the rest of the family at the moment, I am often the last one to eat & it's after they have all gone to bed ;)
  • lilchicksta94
    lilchicksta94 Posts: 118 Member
    I always eat my dinner around 8 pm because my husband works late and then I have a snack around 10pm... Ive been losing without any problems and I was told by my old trainer and my doctor that as long as you have the calories then eat. My new trainer, however, said I almost gave him a "heart attack" when I told him my eating schedule. I followed his advice for a week and didn't lose anything (he wanted me to cut my cals to no more than 1600 no matter how much exercise I was doing). I bumped my cals back up and ate like normal and lost again... so I figure to each their own :-)
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,380 Member
    Amazed with the amount of people who dismiss the 'eating late at night' idea as a myth... How come so many people say it is bad for you then?

    As I never suffered from heart burn so far (apart from when I was pregnant) and that seems the only down side of eating late, it looks like I can start hunting for some more food then. :)

    I think the source of this my is that for a lot of people, eating that takes place late at night is unplanned eating, and puts them over their needed/desired calories. It's not the timing of the eating that is bad for you, it is the excess calories, it just so happens, that for a lot of people they go hand in hand.

    ^^^ Yep, that right there. The whole 'don't eat at night if you want to lose weight' thing is a quick and easy way for people to cut calorie if they don't know anything about calories. If you normally sit down in front of the TV and eat a bag of chips and down a soda or two and all of a sudden you stop doing that, you're cutting calories. Thing is, if you're on MFP, chances are you are more aware of your caloric needs than the average couch-potato snacker, thus you know if you still have calories left in the evening to enjoy perhaps a reasonably portioned snack. By being on MFP, you have more knowledge than some casual dieters that say 'gosh I need to lose 5 lbs, time to stop eating after 7', knowledge is power! Grab a snack if you're still in the green. ;-)

    Now, some people do feel that avoiding snacking just works best for them, perhaps they have a hard time keeping things reasonable if they start snacking so they'd rather avoid it altogether, perhaps they like having larger meals by not spreading their calories out into snacks, that's all good too, it's whatever works for you.
  • rubysphoto
    rubysphoto Posts: 254 Member
    My understanding is your body does not know what time it is so even while your sleeping you can short yourself of food and have your body go in to starve mode, but I try not to eat high fat and simple carbs late at night but go for a high protein snack to keep me full. Just my thoughts and opinion. Hope this helps.
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