This is a super-common question we see a lot — what time is best to eat, or conversely, when is the worst time to eat?
Is There a ‘Late Night Eating’ Myth?
If we’d been writing this article a few months ago, there’s no doubt we would have quoted a few common responses online, and told you that in the end, there’s zero evidence to support time-of-day eating theories. A calorie in is a calorie out, in other words, and your body doesn’t process food or calories different when you’re sleeping than when you’re awake.
If you do a search online, you’ll find lots of evidence for this theory. Take a quick look at these quotations:
The common assumption is that eating late at night will not give your body the chance to burn off the calories and you will gain weight. The truth is that your body processes calories the same way at night and during the day. The problem with late-night eating is that people tend to indulge in junk food rather than something healthy and that is what leads to weight gain.
There is no magic time after which the body stores fat. For instance, if you eat the same exact meal at 6 pm or at 8 pm, is one more caloric than the other? No, each meal has the same number of calories. What really matters is the total amount of food and drink you have over the course of a week, or a month or longer, and how much energy you expend during that timeframe.
This is a very commonly-believed weight loss myth. But it doesn’t really matter when you eat, only how many calories you eat and burn in a day. Whether you’re eating in the morning or at midnight, your body turns any extra calories into fat.
So It Seems Like a Myth. But Hold On…
But then, hang a second — there’s a BBC article floating around from last September that seems to go against what all these studies are saying:
Scientists found that when mice ate at unusual hours, they put on twice as much weight, despite exercising and eating as much as others.
The study, in the journal Obesity, is said to be the first to show directly that there is a “wrong” time to eat.
In the end, what does this tell us? We have one study that shows a definite link in mice. We have lots of other studies (some with monkeys) that show no link whatsoever. And we have lots of circumstantial evidence that points to bad eating habits getting worse at night. That shouldn’t really be a surprise — when we aren’t sitting down for a proper meal, but rather just scarfing food out of the fridge, all those things that kick in: portion control, the sense of taking more time to eat, talking with someone else at the table — they just aren’t there.
Everyone’s a Scientist (Including Us!)
But there’s a larger issue here: we’re at risk of being snowed over by studies and facts, and there’s nothing like a good diet study to make everyone (ourselves included) an amateur scientist. Really, is there any other aspect of our lives in which we trumpet (or parrot, or dismiss) the results of scientific studies so much as with diet and exercise?
I’m not trying to push an anti-science approach, but there have been tons of studies that both prove and disprove many of the big nutritional theories out there. Michael Pollan addresses this science-fixation quite well in In Defence of Food
The Internet Makes it Easy to Prove Either Side.
Just as a reminder, if you search online for “eating late at night”, you’ll get two BBC articles on the first page of results. One is called ‘Eating at night myth exploded’, and the other is called ‘Eating late at night adds weight‘. Both report scientific studies in a way that’s accessible to the general public. One is right, one is wrong; or wait — both are wrong. Or maybe both are right.
In the end, we think it’s best to move past the minutia of studying mice and monkeys to figure out if it’s a good idea to eat that sandwich at 2AM. If you’re doing everything else right, eating well and with lots of variety, in moderation, and working out, these are the kinds of debates you can start to forget about.
What About Spain?
After all, there’s a very healthy Mediterranean country out there by the name of Spain. They eat notoriously late, but they also eat very well. While obesity has doubled in Spain over the last 23 years, it’s not due to some epidemic of late eating, which has gone on for a very long time. Rather it’s the same old culprits — prepared and fast food, and increased ignorance of traditional cuisine.
So — if you’re already eating well, you probably don’t have much to worry about. On the other hand, there is some new evidence that suggests cutting out late night eating might make a big difference — to both the healthy and the not-so-much among us.
Over to You!
We’re curious about your experiences — have any of you cut out eating late at night? Did it make a difference? Are there any of you following a great nutritional plan, exercising regularly, who still hit the fridge (or eat meals) really late, with no effect? Are you in a country (like Spain, or Italy) that eats dinner closer to 9PM than 6PM? Tell us about it!
This is the way I think of it. Let’s say I eat a regular hamburger in the morning, well I am going to be moving around and burning off the calories that were in the burger, But if I were to eat one at night I’m going to store the calories instead of burning them off because your body isn’t very active when you sleep right?
Even though I do believe that late night eating will make you gain weight I still do it once or twice a month. Especially since I started doing Zuzana’s workouts, I’ve been getting hungrier and hungrier more often than usual, I don’t know if that’s good or not, but I seriously can’t help but increase how much I eat
That hunger thing is true. I’ve been having some massive protein cravings now that I’m exercising
I do love snacking late, do it almost every day and I do not gain any weight coz I work out like 3-4 times a week. However I noticed if I cut down snacking late I lose weight right away.
I have been living in Spain, where as mentioned already people eat dinner very late 9 or 10pm, for 2 years now and still struggle with the eating times. The problem for me is that having eaten so close to bedtime I then wake up the following morning feeling full and with no appetite whatsoever. I then find it difficult to eat breakfast and have to force myself to eat even a piece of fruit. Everyone I know here eats a very light breakfast (glass of milk or coffee with a piece of toast or a few biscuits) and even though they seem perfectly healthy and slim it just seems wrong to start off the day like that having being raised in Ireland always being told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Hi. I’m from Girona, Spain. All I can say about our increasing problems of weight is that young people don’t eat as our parents. Youngsters don’t have enough time to cook and modern life has broken healthy habits.Fast food is very popular to teenagers. It’s a general problem of all the countries.
Dear Ms. Zuzana and Fred,
I’ve been hearing rumors about making breakfast the largest meal and dinner the smallest. Do you know if this is a myth or not? I was wondering because the logic behind it is that making the 1st meal the largest will be burned off easily since people are most active during the day, but eating a very small dinner is best since metabolisms slow down at night supposedly. Is that a bad way of thinking?
Also on another note, can people with scoliosis do your workouts? They seem like they’d be hard on the spine and hips which is where most people with scoliosis have trouble.
Thanks!
I’m also very curious about this question’s answer.
Is that a myth or not? Most people say that metabolism slows down at night because of that don’t eat too much for dinner.
Generally information on internet is so confusing i feel like i’m overdosed with information. I only trust and take advices from this site.
Thanks
Hi! I’m from Sevilla, Spain. I agree with Jordi, the young people eat less and less, but we still eat healthy. Most people here eat a lot of vegetables in each meal (almost all of our recipes have a lot of them), a lot of fish (almost in the south of Spain) and much fruit.
Of course we eat fat too, but we have a varied diet and I think fairly balanced.I’m very happy with our culinary customs!!
It’s true that we have dinner too late, about 10, but we have a light breakfast compared with other countries.
I’ve studied Holistic Nutrition off and on for several years, and through my studies I have found that the problem with eating late at night (as in right before bedtime) is that sleep is the time the body uses to repair and regenerate itself on a cellular level. When we eat right before bedtime, the body now has to use this time to digest the food we just consumed, instead of utilizing the resting period for regeneration. Therefore, if you absolutely must have a snack before you turn out the lights for the night, choose a small piece of fruit, which only takes around 20 minutes to digest, compared to 4-6 hours for more complex carbohydrates or proteins.
great point! must keep in mind not to eat too much meat for dinner. i eat my last meal no later than 5-6 pm. my wife an i walk an hour later…
it is hard no to sknack at night
Great post, thanks!
I was wondering if you guys have any suggestions for easy-to-prepare health(y)(ier) late night snacks, for when I have to pull all-nighters, like right now: low on time, patience, and in a panic, wishing I had a gigantic bag of chips.
Much appreciated.
actualy i think the problem is most people want to crave sweets and overindulge at night.
I have always been one of those persons who had dinner quite early… I’ve always tried not to eat after 7pm.
I grew up listening to my mom saying: You need the breakfast of a queen, lunch of a princess, and dinner like a homeless! Which means we always had some light dinners, like soup and salad.
Two months ago, I moved to France. I’m still basically eating the same amount of food as before (or even less I would say), but in different hours… Because they have dinner quite late here (around 8pm – late for me), I am eating a lot less for breakfast and lunch. And lunch now is usually just a simple salad or soup. In 2 months, I gained 4 pounds! I exercise, I take care of absolutely everything I eat, but I am positive that the reason for my weight gain is because my body doesn’t have time enough to process my dinner!
So yeah! The time we eat does make a difference!
I’m not a scientist or biologist, but it is my understanding that carbohydrates and sugars cause spikes in our insulin which trigger fat storage…One of the earlier post mentioned that the body rebuilds during sleep which is true…I feel that if you must have a late night snack, it should be a piece of lean meat, a cheese stick, or cottage cheese…anything high in protein(It has been shown that protien has zero effect on blood insulin), yet low in fat and carbohydrates…the body can use the proteins it digests to rebuild the body during the night…JMO…
Best Wishes To All
Until Next Time
Be Safe
Have Fun :)
Hi,
As a person who is studying human nutritional science to become a dietitian, I feel it’s very important to mention that insulin is not just a fat storage hormone, it is one of the body’s most important ANABOLIC hormones, meaning that it initiates the building of body protein as well as muscle glycogen. Fat storage only occurs when there is an excess of calories present. Even then, the body’s main source of energy during sleep comes from fat stores. This is not to say that a person should eat a tonne of simple sugars late at night expecting not to gain weight, be sensible everyone!
My opinion is that timing of food intake should be more closely related to when activity happens for a person during the day: if they sit down all day but work out in the evening, it is totally appropriate for them to eat more in the evening, within reason. If they are very active during the day and tend to sit more in the evening, then eat more during the day and less at night. Truly, there is no definitive ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ time of day to eat, what is important is meeting your body’s needs throughout the day to maximize your energy and workout recovery, and minimize tissue damage.
Zuzana’s recommendation to eat smaller portions many times a day is very good, and if a person eats this way, you likely will not have any issues. Great workouts too :)
Also, protein does cause the pancreas to secrete insulin, as it stimulates cells to absorb the amino acids in the protein we eat, just to a lesser extent then carbohydrates :)
read an article on a youth pastor sometime ago who went from heavy weight (300 lbs?) to a skinny 150 lbs. he stopped eating after 3 pm. his picture on the article was impressive.
well heres my problem.i kinda have no choice to eat very late cause i work the grave yard shift 10pm -50am. im hoping that wont be an issue because i usually eat big meals during work
All I know is that for those with diabetes, it’s important to eat a small snack of complex carbs & protein about an hour before bedtime so that the blood sugar levels don’t dip too low overnight & cause a real serious problem in the morning.
I eat whenever I feel like it, not a regular lunch dinner etc.. I try not to feel hungry so that muscles aren’t eaten away and I never feel bloated, I ‘ve been eating late at night for years no – and I exercise regularly… have a lean and very muscular body and feel great about myself.
Hey there =)
it’s not that difficult to understand why eating late is less healthy than eating before 6 pm.
It’s a question of habits:
As in Spain, everyone is used to eating late, their digestive system is used to “working” until late.
So if we eat late and sleep directly afterwards, our digestive system falls asleep, too. And our meals kinda ferments in our stomach. Toxic substances can’t get out and have to be “stocked” in fat so that they can’t harm our argans etc.
So it’s only unhealthy to eat late if you’re not used to it and if you sleep afterwards. (Don’t mess it up with a short sleep after lunch…you get up and work afterwards and your digestive system is used to it!)
…The best way is to find your own rythm…and don’t change it too often!
Here’s my simple way of accounting for weight gain/loss -calories in (eaten) vs. calories out (expended). It’s a pretty simple equation in my mind. Matters not when you eat, but matters the total calories you eat vs. what you expend during your (24 hour) day.
Cheers…
I lost a whopping 40 pounds just by eating 5 to 6 times a day every few hours and exercising about 4 to 5 times a week. i took in originally about 300 calories per meal but now i eat about 500 calories for breakfast 150 calorie snacks in between meals and i try to eat a little less calories for dinner. i went from size 33 pants to size 29. i still can’t lose that lower abdominal region. waist is at 32 inches around the naval area and i want to knock it down to 30 but it keeps fluxtuating….:( i am male 5’6″ 142 lbs. 15% body fat.
end of the day its calories in vs calories out..eating late shouldn’t make a big difference, if any at all :)
every day i eat my golden delicious apple at 9:30-10:00 and then a while after that ill have a peice of dry multigrain bread or something, complex carbs. but i find that as long as your not stuffing yourself, and its all healthy that a late snack, or even a very EARLY snack ( 4:56 in the morning lol ) dosent make a difference at all. its more about portion suze and what the food youre eating is thatn the time your eating it. :)
HI again guys !!! u’ve became my late night habit lol… cant go to bed without checkin your site to see if there is a new workout o fashion haul or read a topic. tonight i found this really interesting one
I think its not the the time u eat but what u eat that matters…
im from uruguay but been living in argentina for the past four years, and like Julia said(post http://www.bodyrock.tv/2010/02/09/eating-late-at-night-does-it-matter/comment-page-3/#comment-33472) here we dont have dinner before 9 or 10 pm (nor in uruguay though people there isnt as used to go out for dinner on weekdays as here) and u rarely see obese people.
In my case having dinner at 8 would be reaaallllly early !! and almost impossible. I work till 7pm… stress myself to get to the gym a min before the 8pm taebox class starts (most days im not that lucky), then do some weight training [for the past month zuzana's workouts!! ;)] and finally get home round 10.30/11 pm craving for sthg sweet and end up eating the first thing i find at 11 or 11.30… and then go to bed at 2am or more. Don’t have dinner much earlier at weekends either.. And i’m not even close to fat !! Of course im not skinny cause i have horrible eating habits… love chocolate, biscuits, sandwiches, and drink lots of coke [not diet coke.. just coke :S] and i must say that they are to blame for my extra pounds (i would be looot better if i dropped 3 or 4 kgs) not the fact that i dont have dinner at 7 or 8 pm.
Hope your week rocks !!!!
I just discovered your website and I must say I am fascinated :)
I don’t think that the eating hours matter the most, but your daily habits. For example, for myself I discovered that if I eat a heavy breakfast, a medium-light lunch and just an apple or a yogurt for dinner I lose weight fast, I tend to feel better in the mornings and I sleep better at night. But that is because my daily habits go like this: early morning through late afternoon – full time job; at 5 pm I usually go to the gym or do some jogging; I spend the peaceful evenings with my family and usually I get very sleepy at 10 pm.
So for me this program of eating works. But for someone who is a night owl and manages to fall asleep only at 4 am, obviously it wouldn’t work to have the last meal of the day at 6 or 7 pm (that would be 10 hours of not eating anything).
Different things are right for different people…
It has been suggested to me that it be healthier to eat long enough before that nights sleep so as to not be starting the sleep cycle with a significant amount of food to digest. Reasoning being that ones body can achieve better rest when it is not working to digest food.
My poor eating habits are at odds with this approach – likely be one of the contributing factors to why I carry 10+% more fat than I need and I am nearly always tired.
Hi guys!
I am from Bulgaria and want to share with you that in my country we have a dinar after 7-8 p.m and usually lasts longer. I think it is too late for any meat but most people here do not think like me :) They like to eat and drink after a long day to relax and like on the table to have diverse food. This is a bad habit.
I am absolutely agree with Moldoveanka. We have almost the same daily :)
Ori Hofmekler seems every bit as fit as I’d ever want to be. He advocates consuming almost all of your calories at the end of the day (he’s one of those paleo diet types, I believe). Seems to me that you’d have to eat very clean foods in this method or you’d suffer terribly trying to get to sleep at night…
http://www.warriordiet.com
(I have no affiliation with him… but I’ve read some of his nutrition articles.)
Hi,
Just discovered this site after going to a Boot Camp yesterday. Great to see how to extend some of the things I learned and mix and match what I can fit in and when.
I wanted to suggest a good source for diet advice — oops, this sounds like a solicitation but it’s not. The Berkeley Wellness Letter is a bunch of real scientists (http://www.berkeleywellness.com/) and probably a better source than About or AskMen… .
Oh, and the photo of the sandwich being thrust out, triumphant, from the comforter, cracked me up. Good core workout!
I read that eating late at night messes with your sleep quality because your body has certain maintenance functions it performs while you sleep, and digestion takes energy away from those processes. (I don’t remember where I read that, but it seems pretty obvious) I also read that getting too little or poor quality sleep can mess up your horomones and cause you to not only have more cravings but also cause your body to store more fat. (that’s from a recent article in “Body + Soul” magazine) Maybe that’s how they’re linked? If they are?
Plus, I read in an Ayurvedic health book that the body goes through energy cycles/depending on which tasks the body is performing, and it’s best to eat around that schedule…
similar to the concept that eating fatty foods when you’re stressed makes them stick to you because your body has different levels of horomones, etc. and reacts to foods differntly when it has stress horomones interacting with the food… (from a Shape magazine)…
When I eat late, I’m not hungry for breakfast. And there is nothing like satisfying a hungry tummy with an awesome morning meal. It just feels wrong to eat breakfast without feeling like you “need” it.
Totally agree! I love waking up hungry and enjoying tasty breakfast. It a perfect start of a day.:)
My rule is eat when I’m hungry and stop when I’m satisfied. With this way of eating i usually eat about 6 to 9 times a day, and yes that includes in the middle of the night. This often means that I won’t finish a meal in one sitting but then I simply pack it up for later. Also, I always make sure I have some sorta snack in my purse (usually dried fruit or granola) just in case I get hungry while I’m on the go. This has worked for me when i first started I was slowly loosing weight but now I’ve been maintaining the figure I want, plus I love not feeling bloated after I eat or weak from not eating enough. However if I’m in the mood for the munchies I make homemade popcorn (I use a air popcorn microwave bowl i got from target, it doesn’t even need oil to pop) or I will chew gum if I’m on the go. I know this doesn’t exactly answer the question but i find its better to eat in the middle of the night, plus your digestive system doesn’t have to stop “before you break the fast” at breakfast, just make sure if you do eat in the middle of the night its something on the healthy side.
They way I look at questions like these are to simplify them as much as I can and look at nature for my answers. If you are hungry you should eat. Your body is telling you it needs food. It is what you eat that matters and not so much when you eat. If you ignore hunger you will notice that you will get hungry less and less often. That is your metabolism slowing down and that is not what most of us want. So, I usually try to eat all natural, unprocessed, and whole foods before bed. Stay active, eat healthy, and learn to listen to your body.
excellent, totally agree ! :)
agree if you are skinny and don’t overeat. problem comes when you are overweight and you think you are hungry and you pack on the calories. hunger is not a good sign, for most, whether or not you should be eating. occasionally, i try to repress hunger so that i know i can control my hunger when i want to.
I believe in calories in – calories out. Even “IF” you store calories eaten late at night – if you burn them off the next day, or the day after that – the end result should still be the same. However I believe in eating something an hour or two before bedtime to reduce the night fasting time.
Eating late is bad–with some exception. The best analysis I have seen for this is on the Hammer Nutrition website, and a recent article from the USA Triathlon news letter. To summarize both sources (which are pretty well researched, though I won’t go into sources here): First, a large purpose for eating is to replace glycogen stores. During sleep, the mechanism for glycogen synthesis is suspend–it won’t work. Hence, during sleep, food content (calories) either goes to the blood stream and/or begins its storage as fat. Is that a big deal? Well my traditional response would be “No.” As pointed out by another reader/writer, the same calories should have the same effect, “right?” BUT, humans aren’t quite the same as “gas tanks”–we have a lot of other stuff going-on. Insulin, in sleep, shuts down the bodies HGH production, a critical element for body repair–which is highest during sleep. So, the late food–especially food creating an insulin spike–has a negative element. Next, by taking calories later in the day, blood sugar could be low during the workout portion of the day–affecting both energy for the workout, and motivation. Finally, being in “fasting mode” during sleep sustains the heart reate in a position/function which is pretty good for fat metabolism. Protein–especially something highly digestible–and certain amino acids can increase HGH production. So, whey prot., or an essential amino, arginine blend, could be good at night–both staving hunger (whey does this pretty well) and helping increase HGH. I suspect that some vegtable (celerly and almond butter, which is satiating) could be useful if needed too. I break form myself too regularly, but think the best way is timing your calorie intake around training.
I agree with a few of the posts on here. If I eat at night I usually only have cottage cheese to avoid a raise in blood sugar levels, also anything to heavy or sugary makes sleeping harder for me.
I am also a believer in the fact that if you eat food and are constantly active during the day then your body will try and use calories for fueling your activity.
Surely it stands to reason that if people in sedentary jobs often struggle with weight gain due to eating whilst inactive then eating before sleeping would have a similar effect.
This is purely my view though, I’m not a nutritionist but it works for me. I am 30, 74kg, 12% body fat and 30″ waist and I don’t really suffer from weight gain even though I am in a sedentary job.
hello everyone,I`ve hear that the more muscle you have in your body that more calories you will burn even wen you are sleeping, so I believe that all depends on how much muscle you carrieand your body percent of fat.
I find no difference whatsoever, I work backshift and eat all NIGHT and I’ve lost 45lbs!
I feel better in the morning if I don’t eat anything 1-2 hours before bed. I also suffer from Acid Reflux Disease and when I eat or drink anything other than water around 9pm (an hour or so before bed), I suffer a lot more from the acidic burning than I do normally. Also, by not eating past 7pm, my ARD medication seems to work better.
Hi guys. :)
Well, personally I don’t need to eat before I sleep or dhort time before sleeping. But I have a friend who eats some time before sleep because of the bloodsugar… She sleeps bad if she don’t get the food. And sleep is important for us to function.. So i guess it is about habit and what you are feeling are the best for you. And of course what you eat.
Take care. :)Great side. :D
As a for i have been work at night many many times and truth is that you need to eat something at some point. I find it easier just to go sleep when i dont eat about in 2 hours before sleeping. Also same goes when i wake up 2 hours i will be wake before i eat anything.
But that myth i find pretty much to be one way to scare childrens not to eat at night and get them to sleep early :D
This is a great question along with an excellent point about the massive amount of contracting information that is readily available to “prove” any side of most arguments. Now, more than ever, we have to be extremely critical of what we read and believe.
I encounter the “I don’t eat past xx:xx p.m.” statement often. I am a firm believer that the calories in vs. calories out argument holds true given a reasonable diet consisting of a fair split between macronutrients. If 2000 calories go in, every day, and 2000 calories are expended every day, no weight is gained or lost, excepting water weight. If the calories are mostly consumed in the evening, the calories not used for the repairing of tissues and restoring of glycogen will be stored as fat. But… the following day we can expect another period of fasting until it’s time for the night time feast again. During this period of fasting those calories stored from the evening prior will be burned, assuming everything remains the same. So, again, 2000 in and 2000 out become a wash regardless of when consumed, if we are consistent in our daily habits.
The problem with late night eating isn’t the storage of fat during the night. The problem is that night time eating often pushes us over our alloted calories for the day. People often use their own example of weight loss using this technique as proof of the theory, but the weight loss was not due to the night time fat storage theory. The weight loss is due to the calories that they didn’t consume that they normally would have. Probably, by not eating past 6 p.m. they are consuming about 500-1000 calories less than they would normally. That equates to 1-2 pounds of weight loss per week.
The problem with NOT eating in the second half of the day is that it neglects the benefits of eating small frequent meals throughout the day. By not eating past 6 p.m. a person that eats breakfast at 7 a.m. is fasting for 13 hours! That also only leaves 11 hours to get at least 1 gram of protein per pound of ideal bodyweight, and only about 30-45 grams of protein can be usefully processed per meal.
Cheers,
Mark
Simply put, the problem is not what time you eat, but what time you eat before you go to bed! If you eat 4-5 hours before you go to bed, then your body would have had to to digest and begin breaking down the food, thus, leaving you with an empty stomach before nap-time. However, if you eat late at night, then an hour later, jump to bed, you are really doing harm. This can cause obstructive sleep apnea and snoring (its not by chance that 70%-80% of plp with sleep apnea are obese). When you lay down, food goes from your stomach to the throat, the body’s response is to narrow the respiratory tract to prevent the food from entering the trachea. However, this defense mechanism stops one’s breathing which can lead to decrease in blood oxygen level….to oxygen shortage to the heart muscle (The Enzyme Factor, 88-89).
During sleep you burn 400 calories =) that’s good =) but i still don’t like to eat late at night because i can’t sleep then…
I have a theory that says, keep your core empty and allow your body to float on air. but in order to do this you must first be able to regulate ur own wieght with your diet and exercise. then you can eat as your body needs based off the amount of activity i
I have a theory that says, keep your core empty and allow your body to float on air. but in order to do this you must first be able to regulate ur own wieght with your diet and exercise. then you can eat as your body needs based off the amount of activity in your days. you dont need to clean that full plate if your body dosnt need it. save that small mean for later, and save money
here in Greece we have that bad habit of eating late at night. We usually eat about 9pm or even 10pm and most of the times we don’t eat light… After a little while we go to bed. We know that it is very unhealthy but it has become a way of living… we cannot fall asleep with an empty stomach!!!
We usually eat dinner at 10:30 p.m! and I sleep at 1:00 a.m.
I found that if I don’t eat anything after 8:oo my weight will still constant or maybe I’ll lose some. But this is not a theory! it’s maybe because when I eat alone I eat less.
Thanks for your articles.
I agree with the comments that say it can personally be good or bad. I always want to stay up at night, eating and reading, and end up eating much more that way. Even when it’s just fruit, it’s still eating when I don’t need to, so I don’t think it’s a great idea. And compensating by eating less for breakfast? Forget it. I love breakfast!
Hey guys,
Could really use your advise on something.
I currently work 12 hrs a day in China, and go to the gym at 8:30 – 10pm every night. Thus by the time I get back home, and have dinner, its already 10:35pm. Seeing the various posts, our metabolism is slower at night and our body normally uses sleep time to regenerate n stuff. But since I eat dinner so late, that too lots of protein, chicken n stuff, my body uses sleep time to burn it off.
Basically, I wil not be able to change my gyming timings. Is there any advice on eating at night in my situation? Any particular foods that would digest quicker, but still give me the nutrients I need to fuel my body after working out?
Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Hi,
I am alway really hungry a few hours after dinner, and I find that eating at night has no effect, but I always eat something healthy like vegetables, fruit, or a piece of cheese maybe. Since I’m still a teenager I have a huge appetite, but as long as I make sure everything I eat is good for me, I have no problem whenever I eat it. However this also may be because I play sports and workout everyday. I know that for my dad he always does his unhealthy snacking late at night, so I think it depends on what you choose to eat at that time.
Hi, I think it depends on what is your goal. If you only want to keep the weigh you have {or loose few kilograms] or if you need to loose a lot. I lost about 25 kilograms in 1 year. My way to achieve this was 30 min cardio before breakfast using fat burner, breakfast like yoghurt with oats, before lunch fruits or vegetable, lunch 1/2 portion of some healthy food composed of meet, vegetable and only a little of side dish, after lunch again fruits or vegetable in few portions, then I went to gym for at least 1 hour, for dinner I had something light like salad, or steamed vegetable, sometimes tuna. I stopped drinking alcohol completely for several months, now I drink only occasionally white wine. From my experience you should go to bed with the feeling you have empty stomach and you are already looking forward for a breakfast. Whenever I ate my dinner later or even when I ate before sleep something small like piece of cheese or some fruit, I did not lose weight but I even put on some however the total amount of food per day was the same as other days. To avoid late eating I drink psylium {fibre] which makes you feel bit full and then I brush my teeth. Cause when my teeth are brushed I don’t want to eat anything else, cause I would have to brush them again:o] I also go to sleep before midnight most of the time. I suggest to you guys who normally eat at night and don’t put on, continue to do that. If you want to loose something, continue to do that as well but make sure that you eat something light like vegetable or fruits. Don’t do dramatic changes because I think if you decide not to eat at night all from sudden, your body will automatically get used to it and whenever you return back to your night eating habit, you will start putting on weight.
sorry never mind! :)