Eating late at night vs eating too few calories.

Options
imkegoal
imkegoal Posts: 156 Member
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?
«1

Replies

  • mallory3411
    mallory3411 Posts: 839 Member
    Options
    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: 2,383 Member
    Options
    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
    Options
    Eating late is not bad for you. Myth.
  • Sl1ghtly
    Sl1ghtly Posts: 855 Member
    Options
    I ate at 1:15am this morning, I'm not obese yet. I think its ok.
  • Graciecny
    Graciecny Posts: 303
    Options
    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
    Options
    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
    Options
    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
    Options
    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
    Options
    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
    Options
    Eating late is not bad for you. Myth.

    ^ this
  • HiKaren
    HiKaren Posts: 1,306 Member
    Options
    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
    Options
    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
    Options
    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
    Options
    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
    Options
    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
    Options
    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
    Options
    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
    Options
    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: 682 Member
    Options
    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
    Options
    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.

Categories