Not eating at night?

jdp21
jdp21 Posts: 155 Member
edited September 20 in Food and Nutrition
Alright, so, it's no secret that eating at night is bad for you. I've been trying to avoid this lately, because all I wanna eat is total junk at night. However, well, is there ever a point where it's unhealthy?

Yesterday, I had plenty to eat during the day and then I had a big supper before work -- that was at about 5:00 pm. I was about 100 calories under my recommended intake and a little over my fat for the day, so I figured it made sense to not eat. I had tons of water and tea for the rest of the evening while at work, however. But I felt absolutely starving, and I don't think that what I ate was unhealthy for me yesterday. At least not overly. But yes, I was starving. I was told that it's best not to get this feeling because it hurts your metabolism, but at the same time, I'm told not to eat late. So did I make the right choice? Or should I have had something on hand -- maybe some celery, carrots, or whatever -- to help satisfy my hunger?

Replies

  • LAWYERMOM3000
    LAWYERMOM3000 Posts: 4
    I am a late night snacker, with ice cream and chips being the two worst! I totally struggle with it.

    Last night I tried having a flavored yogurt. It was 100 cal., 2 g of fat and flavored like pumpkin pie. Totally fit the need for me! Dont deny yourself anything, try and plan something that you can "look forward to" that is not just the first thing that you see.
  • sara1786
    sara1786 Posts: 101
    Last night I tried having a flavored yogurt. It was 100 cal., 2 g of fat and flavored like pumpkin pie.

    what brand was this? sounds delicious.
    I dont know what to tell you. I don't eat after 8pm. At first it was hard and I was hungry but eventually I got used to the feeling. Thats just me though.
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 22,173 Member
    There are different schools of thought about eating close to bedtime. Some say you should never do it, and some say it doesn't matter when you eat, just as long as your overall calories for the day are good. I know myself, and I am hungry a couple of hours after dinner, so I always allow for a healthy snack of about 200 calories in the evening. Sometimes it's a couple of hours before bedtime. Sometimes it's only an hour. I'm getting good results doing what I'm doing, and if I didn't do this, I believe I would go nuts and totally blow it. Would I lose faster if I didn't eat at all in the evening? Possibly. But as long as I can keep losing and keep from being miserable, I'll stick with what's working for me.

    Good luck!

    Jill
  • akgrant
    akgrant Posts: 293 Member
    I think the idea of not eating late is more for people who are going to sleep after eating too much and not having the chance to burn the calories. In your case, since you work nights, I don't know if this is a good idea for you. Since you are up all night, you are still burning more calories than someone who is sleeping so it would make sense that you are hungry. If it was me, I would treat the hours before you go to sleep as your "late night" and refrain from eating at that time but during your work schedule snack like the rest of us would while working!

    Hope this helps!
  • ranibauer
    ranibauer Posts: 73
    What time do you work? If you are working for over a few hours after dinner, I would cut your pre work dinner in 1/2 and eat the other 1/2 on a break at work or right when you get home. You should try and not eat a couple of hours before bed, but if you are working a night shift your body will need something. Protien would probably be the best to eat if you are going to eat before bed. Don't feel bad if you need to eat later, your schedule is different so your body needs food at different times. As long as you watch WHAT you are eating, you will be fine! Good luck!
  • jdp21
    jdp21 Posts: 155 Member
    Thanks!

    I typically work 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm, and sometimes until midnight. I usually try to make sure there's something for me to snack on at work, and I drink a lot of water. My biggest challenge at work is avoiding what's there, since I work in a cafe. There are tons of cookies and sweet drinks. Haha. Fortunately, I've only been drinking chai tea with about a teaspoon of honey.
  • Georg
    Georg Posts: 1,728 Member
    There are different schools of thought about eating close to bedtime. Some say you should never do it, and some say it doesn't matter when you eat, just as long as your overall calories for the day are good. I know myself, and I am hungry a couple of hours after dinner, so I always allow for a healthy snack of about 200 calories in the evening. Sometimes it's a couple of hours before bedtime. Sometimes it's only an hour. I'm getting good results doing what I'm doing, and if I didn't do this, I believe I would go nuts and totally blow it. Would I lose faster if I didn't eat at all in the evening? Possibly. But as long as I can keep losing and keep from being miserable, I'll stick with what's working for me.

    Good luck!

    Jill
    I agree.
    I think the key is try some different approaches until you find what works for you & your lifestyle. Since you work after dinner, you may need to save some calories for a healthy break snack.
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
    Eat when you're hungry...I mean REAL hunger. I eat any time I want as long as I have the calories- somtimes I need more calories than I have left, so I take the loss and try to plan better. It's really important to keep wasted empty calories to a minimum so we can really fill up on good stuff.
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
    Eat when you're hungry...I mean REAL hunger. I eat any time I want as long as I have the calories- somtimes I need more calories than I have left, so I take the loss and try to plan better. It's really important to keep wasted empty calories to a minimum so we can really fill up on good stuff.

    Exactly,

    While there are a few general concepts to follow, you need to create a plan that works for you. And I'm not convinced eating before bed will hinder your weight loss, and I'm even less convinced it will make you gain weight.

    Eating more calories than you need makes you gain wieght.
  • Phoenix_Rising
    Phoenix_Rising Posts: 11,417 Member
    My daughter and I have a bed time snack most nights. It's usually string cheese or yogurt, maybe a couple crackers and cheese, or sometimes a cookie or two. I don't have a problem with EATING something late at night, so long as I don't BINGE.
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
    Eat when you're hungry...I mean REAL hunger. I eat any time I want as long as I have the calories- somtimes I need more calories than I have left, so I take the loss and try to plan better. It's really important to keep wasted empty calories to a minimum so we can really fill up on good stuff.

    Exactly,

    While there are a few general concepts to follow, you need to create a plan that works for you. And I'm not convinced eating before bed will hinder your weight loss, and I'm even less convinced it will make you gain weight.

    Eating more calories than you need makes you gain wieght.

    What they said.
  • Advengirl
    Advengirl Posts: 88 Member
    I tend to go for the 100 calorie bags of popcorn when I'm close to going over but about to gnaw my arm off :)
    If your microwave doesn't scorch it before it's done- the serving size looks HUGE. And it's crunchy/butter- so it makes me feel like I'm eating 'something.'
    Plus- popcorn has a good amount of fiber in it and will help with the late late night munchies.
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