Is eating at night time bad?

snacking at night

Yes, I have had a really hard time trying not to eat after 8pm, I would get really hungry before bed time and it was making me gain alot of weight. She said women that keep on weight after having children are in a habit zoon of eating anytime they wanted for 9months or more with out worry of gaining weight when they are prego. So automatically they dont stop and think, the body still thinks and works like it prego until at least a year post prego. I was still stuck there, habits hurt. Did I ask why what?

If you are wondering why he/she I have 2 docs
(nutritionst (he)and gyneocologist (she)
 
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jennifer_07 said:
Yes, I have had a really hard time trying not to eat after 8pm, I would get really hungry before bed time and it was making me gain alot of weight.
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The eating after 8 is not the cause of the weight gain. Its the total you eat throughout the day that causes weight gain. You might still be eating like you did when you were pregnant, but its not just because you eat after 8. If you're hungry, you need to eat. You have to feed your body when its hungry, plain and simple. Otherwise you will be miserable and upset.

Frequent eating and knowing your daily total intake are steps in the right direction.
 
For me, if I eat within 2-3 hours before bed I will not lose weight period. It's just a choice you have to make, do you want to lose or not?
 
Different for different people

tonymcclellan said:
Well, old habits and thought processes are hard to break.
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Eating at night is a touchy subject since it affects everyone differently. For me eating after 8pm is a guaranteed recipe for disaster. Its not so much about gaining weight as it is discomfort. Myself, and others here in the group who eat late at night have restless sleeps and night sweats and as embarassinf as it is to say, gurantees I will have a sort of uncomfortable semi-diarhea in the morning. (feels like I gotta go badly, but only a little comes out, up to 10 times before it settles down). Then with that uncomfotable bowel, I would completely lose any interest in eating breakfast and sometimes even lunch. Why risk adding more food to a digestive system that has had you on the toilet all day?? Bottom line is, it sucks!

So even though I respect the hell out of guys like Steve, I could never do like he does and wolf down 600 calories 10 minutes before sleeping. And I know this to be fact in my case because I recently put it to the test. For 2 months I completely cut off after dinner snacking, making sure I got my calories in during the day instead. And my wife was soooo pleasantly surprised to find my constant and never ending night sweats, which soaked the bed sheets and made my pillow stink terribly, stopped all together! Bang Gone! And I felt like a new man come morning, no waiting 3 hours before daddy was able to leave the house for the day.

However, for 2 nights, with her as my witness, I did some snacking 1 hour before bed, around 10pm just to see if what others in this thread were saying had any validity. But for me, nope, nada, zip. One night I had some veggies and fruit the next I had some popcorn (no butter or salt). Not unhealthy snacks at all, yet the next day I woke up tired, irratated and yes, in wet bed sheets again. And once again the upset stomach and toilet troubles made me less inclined to even consider eating breakfast, let alone lunch. Another danger area for us weight loosers.

Now just looking at Steve's pic I can see the man is a horse and with all those muscles his body is burning calories even when he is sleeping. I have no doubt he could wake up, sleep walk to the fridge and chow down at 3am and he would be fine. But for some of us, might as well stay up all night scarfin dorritos, because it has that dramatic an effect on us. Oh how I wish it wasn't so, but sometimes (like in my case) it really is. If anyone could suggest a cure that would stop those night sweats and allow me to get a solid sleep without worrying about what time I eat, please please please let me know. But for some of us, night time eating/snacking simply isnt an option, physically or psychologically. The time is irrelevant really. Some say 6,7,8 whatever. But for me and others I know, eating 3-4 hours before bed is a guranteed way to get the rest my body needs to workout 3 hours a day and still hold down a full time job. Anything else simply doesnt work....

sirant
 
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Ermmm... night sweats... try air-conditioning?? hahaha..

Well that's strange though, the first time I heard that snacking late at night will bring trouble to your digestive system... :confused: Maybe I've just never known anyone who has that problem.. haha..

Anyway at least you find out what works for you, that's the important thing. As for me, I still love that occasional chocolates at night.. ;)
 
Sirant,

Thats a totally different issue than not eating because one thinks that eating at night will cause weight gain. Thats what I and others are trying to address. However if you have a different problem, like you stated, then eating at night or before bed may not be possible. I cant even try to give you a reason for what happens to you. I do know that before I started eating breakfast everyday, that eating breakfast actually caused me to have stomach pains.

Now after realizing the benefits I eat breakfast with no problems. I would assume that my body was not use to this eating pattern and now has adjusted.

However if you dont eat because you think you will somehow gain weight while sleeping, thats nonsense.
 
Nobody is suggesting that eating at night is optimal for weight loss. I think... at least, I have not read the entire thread.

We are just saying that if your schedules make it so that you must eat late at night in order to meet your caloric goals, there is nothing wrong with this.

Or, if you are stopping yourself from eating after 6 PM and are hungry at night, and the only reason you are stopping yourself is because of some fallacy of eating at night makes you fat, than stop it.

But if you can't stomach food at night, this if fine too. Just make sure you reach your caloric goals by an earlier time.

My case specifically, b/c I am shooting for so many cals each day, I am locked into eating right up until I go to bed. Unless I want to be uncomfortable from eating giant meals during the day.

Bottom line is, total energy balance is what matters, so it really doesn't matter too much when you eat. Do what works for you.
 
Hi, does anyone know if eating at night time is bad? Ive read things in the past that you should stop eating at a certain time, because if you eat at night you can put on weight?..if this is right... what time do you have to stop eating by??
 
I stop eating 3 hours before bed. If I eat before bed, I don't get a chance to burn off the food I've just eaten, so it will sit in my stomach and I'm most likely going to gain a little bit.

The idea is to have a big breakfast, medium lunch, smaller dinner. You're (most people..) are more active during the day, and less active at night. Also if you exercise around bed-time, you're not likely to fall asleep as you normally would. I'm wide awake after exercising, not sleepy.
 
Mandie said:
Hi, does anyone know if eating at night time is bad? Ive read things in the past that you should stop eating at a certain time, because if you eat at night you can put on weight?..if this is right... what time do you have to stop eating by??
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The difference it makes is infinitesimally small. What really counts is whether you're in a deficit or a surplus. When you eat has no bearing on that, except insofar as cutting out night snacks may reduce your overall calorie input.
 
The way I see it is a calorie is a calorie, you could stop eating at 5pm sharp every night but if you're eating over your limits during the day its not going to make a blind bit of differance. Conversly, eating a balanced diet all day within your calorie limits isnt going to be irreparably sabotaged by having dinner after 7 or 8 or what ever time you choose.
But I could see this as a useful technique for people who eat healthy during the day but have a habit of snacking away their success in the evenings.
Hope that helps :)
edit: as tomo just said, which I just read, sorry! :)
 
Thanx guys, that has put my mind at rest. I work shifts..and sometimes have my evening meal at 9.30pm sometimes..although yes i feel a bit full when i go to bed..I cant sleep if i dont eat anything.
 
I absolutely hate waking up with a growling stomach because it prevents me from sleeping in. So I make sure I have enough food before I go to bed, even if it means eating at 12AM.
 
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