Hunger before bed?

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I'm used to eating late - well snacking late. Thing is it's recommended not to eat a few hours before sleep right? But what if your belly is like STARVING and a glass of water only exacerbates the problem? I don't wanna go into starvation mode.... :(

Replies

  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    If you dont want to be eating a couple hours before bed, then you need to re-evaluate your daily intake and determine how you could be better at meal planning.

    I find that if you are dedicated to eating only real, whole, fresh foods (no junk, no artificial garbage, no prepackaged processed convenience foods, etc), and are very good at getting a variety, those late night cravings wont exist.

    Matter of fact, I just prepped up about 10# of vegetables this morning and cant wait to be working with them for meals - because that is going to contribute to being 'satisfied'...when served with a balanced meal.
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
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    It's all about calories in vs. calories out. Eating right before bed isn't going to make you gain any more than eating at another time of day. However, people tend to make less healthy choices and eat more than they planned during those nighttime snacks, so you've got to be careful :)
  • HelloSweetie4
    HelloSweetie4 Posts: 1,214 Member
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    If it's in your calorie goal than eat right before. The only risk you take it getting heartburn if it's literally right before bed. Most research is realizing now that it doesn't matter what time you eat, it matter what you eat.
  • weeblex
    weeblex Posts: 411 Member
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    We were hungry yesterday right before we went to bed, a handful of baby carrots fixed that by being healthy, filling and I think all that mastication (I've always wanted to use that word in a sentence) hit the spot
  • mamavanryan
    mamavanryan Posts: 49 Member
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    I bought proteine powder especially for my late night hunger.
    I mix a tablespoon with 150 low fat yoghurt (I also add a tablespoon flaxseed and lecithin, but that might not necessary for you)
    It's a real filler!!! Bye bye late night munchies ;)
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Eat whenever it suits you. Just make sure you have the calories left to be snacking on.
  • Kalraii
    Kalraii Posts: 89
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    We were hungry yesterday right before we went to bed, a handful of baby carrots fixed that by being healthy, filling and I think all that mastication (I've always wanted to use that word in a sentence) hit the spot

    HAHA that made me giggle the mastication part :P Thanks for your input guys. I just had someone mention "insulin resistance" which I never though b4. My nan is type 2 diabetes but since it's a result of poor diet I can see the link. I am a FUSSY eater since a child; being fed chips and beans every night for years doesn't help but what can you do when your family is fussy too? :P So I shouldn't feel guilty eating before bed? I was thinking like a rivita with peanut butter? xx
  • donnabirch123
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    or an apple with peanut butter, thats the best :P
  • mgram2
    mgram2 Posts: 128 Member
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    If you're hungry -- I say eat! A small snack is usually worth it to me versus feeling like I'm going to pass out or get the shakes! Just be smart about it and stay in your calories! Last night I couldn't sleep because I still felt really hungry.. so I had an apple. This morning I woke up to more weight loss.

    I try not to care about the time so much .. as long as I stay in calories and make good choices.
  • dillonfc123
    dillonfc123 Posts: 29 Member
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    Starvation mode only occurs after a prolonged period of time of not eating, so you really don't have to worry about it unless you have been starving yourself for a while... save calories and eat something before head, no sense going hungry, its just demotivating!
  • brisbaneangie
    brisbaneangie Posts: 12 Member
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    If you like PM snacking, don't give it up, just remember the 12 hour window rule. Be mindful of your body needing to detox... we should be leaving 12 hours between out last bite at night and our first one the next day. This is because your body takes approximately 8 hours to fully digest whats inside, and then a proper clean takes about 4 hours... this cleansing is in your intestinal track, your liver, your cells, etc.

    When we constantly eat late at night and early in the morning we can cause build up in our bodies. Until very recently in our history we had regular periods of famine where our bodies got the chance to do this cleaning, but not any more!

    I have always been a big late snacker.. I started the 12 hour window rule and it made me feel in control but not deprived, and I often ended up forgoing the evening snack because I didn't want to have to pack my breakfast and eat it at work (just another hassle!)

    Oh and tea. I have all kinds of fancy loose leaf teas, and a cute pluger ceramic cup, which I drink all the time and have kind of persuaded myself to like until I actually did - now I can sometimes manage with a tea instead of a snack. Fake it till you make it as they say!

    Hope this helps.
  • aprilsoroko
    aprilsoroko Posts: 3 Member
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    I've been eating just a half cup of frozen fruit (mangos and strawberries) before I lay down...I have found that it really takes the edge off. If it is particularly burning I will eat a couple of saltines as well.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    If you like PM snacking, don't give it up, just remember the 12 hour window rule. Be mindful of your body needing to detox... we should be leaving 12 hours between out last bite at night and our first one the next day. This is because your body takes approximately 8 hours to fully digest whats inside, and then a proper clean takes about 4 hours... this cleansing is in your intestinal track, your liver, your cells, etc.

    When we constantly eat late at night and early in the morning we can cause build up in our bodies. Until very recently in our history we had regular periods of famine where our bodies got the chance to do this cleaning, but not any more!

    I have always been a big late snacker.. I started the 12 hour window rule and it made me feel in control but not deprived, and I often ended up forgoing the evening snack because I didn't want to have to pack my breakfast and eat it at work (just another hassle!)

    Oh and tea. I have all kinds of fancy loose leaf teas, and a cute pluger ceramic cup, which I drink all the time and have kind of persuaded myself to like until I actually did - now I can sometimes manage with a tea instead of a snack. Fake it till you make it as they say!

    Hope this helps.

    There's no such thing as a "12 hour rule." 100% myth. It actually takes about 3 days for a meal to completely travel through your digestive system. Meal timing is completely irrelevant compared to total caloric intake.

    While there are benefits to intermittent fasting, it has nothing to do with "detoxing" or "causing buildup." It's personal preference.
  • peachyxoxoxo
    peachyxoxoxo Posts: 1,178 Member
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    I think it's completely fine to have a snack before bed. Don't eat to the point where you're stuffed -- that's not good! But just have something small, it will not do any harm. I eat a cup of cereal and a bit of dark chocolate almost every evening.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    I can tell you from my experience that eating before bed has not hindered my weightloss one bit... The last 36 months I have went to bed with a 500 calorie snack and lost a few pounds.... Best of Luck!
  • brisbaneangie
    brisbaneangie Posts: 12 Member
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    W
  • brisbaneangie
    brisbaneangie Posts: 12 Member
    Options
    If you like PM snacking, don't give it up, just remember the 12 hour window rule. Be mindful of your body needing to detox... we should be leaving 12 hours between out last bite at night and our first one the next day. This is because your body takes approximately 8 hours to fully digest whats inside, and then a proper clean takes about 4 hours... this cleansing is in your intestinal track, your liver, your cells, etc.

    When we constantly eat late at night and early in the morning we can cause build up in our bodies. Until very recently in our history we had regular periods of famine where our bodies got the chance to do this cleaning, but not any more!

    I have always been a big late snacker.. I started the 12 hour window rule and it made me feel in control but not deprived, and I often ended up forgoing the evening snack because I didn't want to have to pack my breakfast and eat it at work (just another hassle!)

    Oh and tea. I have all kinds of fancy loose leaf teas, and a cute pluger ceramic cup, which I drink all the time and have kind of persuaded myself to like until I actually did - now I can sometimes manage with a tea instead of a snack. Fake it till you make it as they say!

    Hope this helps.

    There's no such thing as a "12 hour rule." 100% myth. It actually takes about 3 days for a meal to completely travel through your digestive system. Meal timing is completely irrelevant compared to total caloric intake.

    While there are benefits to intermittent fasting, it has nothing to do with "detoxing" or "causing buildup." It's personal preference.

    Where is your source from on this? Ever since I have adopted the 12 hour rule, my skin is clearer, my stress is lower, my IBS has greatly improved, I feel better and I find I am able to manage my eating habits better. Digestion takes less than 8 hours, by which point food is in the large colon. Your stomach, gall bladder, liver, and small intestine are all empty at this point. The topic was about opinions on eating late, and I shared my experiences in how I have managed this better by still allowing evening snacking if I manage it with eating in a 12 hour window.

    If you say it's 100% myth but don't back it up then whats the point? I whole heartedly believe in the 12 hour window and its helped me so much in my journey to health, so I wanted to share it with others.
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    Options
    If you like PM snacking, don't give it up, just remember the 12 hour window rule. Be mindful of your body needing to detox... we should be leaving 12 hours between out last bite at night and our first one the next day. This is because your body takes approximately 8 hours to fully digest whats inside, and then a proper clean takes about 4 hours... this cleansing is in your intestinal track, your liver, your cells, etc.

    When we constantly eat late at night and early in the morning we can cause build up in our bodies. Until very recently in our history we had regular periods of famine where our bodies got the chance to do this cleaning, but not any more!

    I have always been a big late snacker.. I started the 12 hour window rule and it made me feel in control but not deprived, and I often ended up forgoing the evening snack because I didn't want to have to pack my breakfast and eat it at work (just another hassle!)

    Oh and tea. I have all kinds of fancy loose leaf teas, and a cute pluger ceramic cup, which I drink all the time and have kind of persuaded myself to like until I actually did - now I can sometimes manage with a tea instead of a snack. Fake it till you make it as they say!

    Hope this helps.

    There's no such thing as a "12 hour rule." 100% myth. It actually takes about 3 days for a meal to completely travel through your digestive system. Meal timing is completely irrelevant compared to total caloric intake.

    While there are benefits to intermittent fasting, it has nothing to do with "detoxing" or "causing buildup." It's personal preference.

    Where is your source from on this? Ever since I have adopted the 12 hour rule, my skin is clearer, my stress is lower, my IBS has greatly improved, I feel better and I find I am able to manage my eating habits better. If you say it's 100% myth but don't back it up then whats the point? The topic was about opinions on eating late, and I shared my experiences in how I have managed this better by still allowing evening snacking if I manage it with eating in a 12 hour window. My own experiences show that there is benefit, and anyone who has done Dr. Junger's program would attest the same.


    http://www.livestrong.com/article/441273-how-long-does-it-take-a-meat-diet-to-digest-compared-to-a-vegetarian-one/
  • brisbaneangie
    brisbaneangie Posts: 12 Member
    Options
    If you like PM snacking, don't give it up, just remember the 12 hour window rule. Be mindful of your body needing to detox... we should be leaving 12 hours between out last bite at night and our first one the next day. This is because your body takes approximately 8 hours to fully digest whats inside, and then a proper clean takes about 4 hours... this cleansing is in your intestinal track, your liver, your cells, etc.

    When we constantly eat late at night and early in the morning we can cause build up in our bodies. Until very recently in our history we had regular periods of famine where our bodies got the chance to do this cleaning, but not any more!

    I have always been a big late snacker.. I started the 12 hour window rule and it made me feel in control but not deprived, and I often ended up forgoing the evening snack because I didn't want to have to pack my breakfast and eat it at work (just another hassle!)

    Oh and tea. I have all kinds of fancy loose leaf teas, and a cute pluger ceramic cup, which I drink all the time and have kind of persuaded myself to like until I actually did - now I can sometimes manage with a tea instead of a snack. Fake it till you make it as they say!

    Hope this helps.

    There's no such thing as a "12 hour rule." 100% myth. It actually takes about 3 days for a meal to completely travel through your digestive system. Meal timing is completely irrelevant compared to total caloric intake.

    While there are benefits to intermittent fasting, it has nothing to do with "detoxing" or "causing buildup." It's personal preference.

    Where is your source from on this? Ever since I have adopted the 12 hour rule, my skin is clearer, my stress is lower, my IBS has greatly improved, I feel better and I find I am able to manage my eating habits better. If you say it's 100% myth but don't back it up then whats the point? The topic was about opinions on eating late, and I shared my experiences in how I have managed this better by still allowing evening snacking if I manage it with eating in a 12 hour window. My own experiences show that there is benefit, and anyone who has done Dr. Junger's program would attest the same.


    http://www.livestrong.com/article/441273-how-long-does-it-take-a-meat-diet-to-digest-compared-to-a-vegetarian-one/

    Really? A Livestrong link? Not exactly textbook.
  • Carolyn_79
    Carolyn_79 Posts: 935 Member
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    If you're starving then you should eat. I like to snack on a slice of watermelon at night. It's low calorie and satisfies me.