Thread: eating late at night

I'm sure this is a re-post, but I tried searching and got nothing close to anything relavant.

I've read from several credible sources (sorry i'm unable to cite them) that eating shortly before sleep is detramental to the digestive process; however, I've also heard that 'calories are calories', regardless of what time of day they are consumed.

Does anyone know, without a shadow of a doubt, if there is a certain amount of time you should allow for food to start being digested before laying in bed? I know laying down immediatly after eating can cause heart burn because gravity can pull stomach acid into your esophogus. My question lies in the nutrition part of the dilemia. Do we absord maximal nutrients/vitamins and does the food just 'sit' after we fall asleep.

I beleive that eating shortly before bed isn't benificial, and perhaps may complicate the GI tract, because your body cools down, your heart rate slows, and that leads me to beleive your metabolism wants to hibernate as well.

Thanks for any factual information you guys can lead me to, and not a bunch of conflicting opinions. You guys rock at laying down the science on these things.

I have seen no differences one way or the other.

The problem with eating late at night is that for most, it is a time when you start getting those "hunger" for "junk" food. People tend to lose control late at night, especially if they're on a special diet.

For example, Atkins (or however you spell it) diet suggests that you go low-carbs (note, I'm not saying you should go on this diet, or any type of diet plan that makes bogus claims). I remember reading somewhere that it was suggested by Atkins to not eat after a certain timeframe. The reason for this, one might argue, is that your body craves carbs, so late at night, you begin to eat lots of carbs (candy, cookies, etc) therefore, you lost what you have worked for all day.

So basically, I see it as a control method rather than a scientific method. Not eating late at night is punishing yourself so that you can maintain control. Also, eating late at night promotes eating quick meals that you can grab such as fast food (Taco Bell, etc are open late for this very reason), cookies, candies, snacks, etc). However, if you are eating within your daily calories needs, then eating late at night would make no differences, provided that you are eating good, solid, healthy food and not things like cookies, cakes, tv dinners, and other fast meals.

Different people respond differently to certain food before going to bed. You just have to find what you like to eat before going to bed. Sometimes I drink some whey before going to bed, or eat a banana, or have an apple, or cottage cheese.

Doesn't matter when you eat. Most of my calorie intake comes in the evening

Originally Posted by Derwyddon

It does matter when you eat, Phate. If you eat all your calories at one meal, you will not get the same results if you ate the same calories over the course of the day.

Sumo wrestlers eat all their calories in one or two meals a day; it doesn't seem to do them any harm

Lol, I like to eat every few hours to make sure my body is never catabolic and that includes a decent sized meal before bed

As for actual research, the only tests results I've seen were on Monkeys and they showed that eating before sleep didn't cause extra fat storage. I'll see if I can find a source for you

I like to eat before bed because I fall asleep quicker if I'm not hungry. I had a few strawberries and a banana last night. I don't eat junk at any point in the day.

Originally Posted by Derwyddon

It does matter when you eat, Phate. If you eat all your calories at one meal, you will not get the same results if you ate the same calories over the course of the day.

He didn't say to eat all your calories in one meal. He just said most of your calories come from the evening, which is true for a lot of people because they go to work all day, eat breakfast, have a small lunch, then come back home for a large dinner and snacks throughout the evening until bedtime.

In anycase, there isn't sufficient evidence that eating your entire daily calories in one meal is bad or good. Some studies have shown that certain micronutrients don't work well in absorbing when taken at once, but other studies have shown that there isn't sufficient proof that absorbing your micro at once will do any harm or even if absorbing it over time will do any harm. So basically, there isn't enough proof of this matter. However, if you are exercising, and such, you might get a hunger strike in mid-day even though you ate your entire calories need for the day.

Originally Posted by Dallen

He didn't say to eat all your calories in one meal.

I'm sure she knows that, the example she gave may have been extreme but it highlights the reason why saying "doesn't matter when you eat" is wrong.

Here's the research I mentioned http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0202080832.htm

Eating at night won't make you fat but it will help prevent your body becoming catabolic during the night so IMO eating late is a good idea

Eating at NIGHT will support the Fat FIGHT if the deficit calories of the day are RIGHT;

Eating at NIGHT will keep the Bulking in SIGHT if the surplus calories of the day are TIGHT;

Therefore eat TONIGHT and you will be ALRIGHT


HEHEHEHE...................>


ROCK ON!


Best wishes






Chillen

How did I fail reading comprehension? Eating whenever you want doesn't mean eating it all at once. I'm sorry to have to bring it up again.

Originally Posted by Dallen

How did I fail reading comprehension? Eating whenever you want doesn't mean eating it all at once. I'm sorry to have to bring it up again.

Derwyddon didn't say that eating whenever you want is the same as eating it all at once. She just used illustrated her point that meal timings matter by using the example of eating just once a day

I disagree. Eating whenever you want means... eating whenever you want; not all at once.

So by using your example, a person who owns a gun is suicidal because you can point a gun anywhere you want, and one of the possible directions you can point a gun is to yourself, therefore, using your logic, that would mean everyone who owns a gun is suicidal because if you can point a gun in any direction, then you can point it to yourself.

In fat loss, meal frequency and timing have very little effect on results as compared to manipulating caloric end result. Meal frequency has little effect on raising metabolism as compared to manipulation of calories.

Thats my 2 cents.......hehehe

Okay, smack me.......>

I'm sorry to sound like an a**. lol.

Anyway, I think the board is divided. Half says, "You can eat whenever you want," the other half says, "You can not eat whenever you want."

So basically, in the end, what matters is how your body responds to your daily calorie intakes. I usually go with 5 meals a day, sometimes 3, sometimes 2 large meals (usually on weekends when I'm doing a whole lot of stuff). I still lost weight. Not really sure how good I look, lol, but I lost weight nonetheless. I found it didn't matter what time you ate.

Personally I love it whenever a topic like this comes up, though. Whenever topics like this comes up, someone always says the opposite of everyone else. Try asking a question about if cardio is good or not, and watch how divided everyone is. No real scientific fact can be said with one way or the other. One research says this, another says that. There is really no proof one way or the other. It’s interesting to see the responses, and on top of that, no one person is really right or wrong, in my opinion. Although most people tend to listen to the one who is the best looking.

I would love to see how many people would follow some fit guy on TV selling pens that he swears builds muscles when you use it instead of a regular pen.