Don't eat before going to bed?

[Hapuka]

I was talking to a friend of mine about food, he said to me that its not a good idea to eat a meal before hitting the hay. He said the reason being so is because your body isn't going to use much of it and it will only turn into excess fat.

I like to eat before going to bed and I would have a meal before sleeping.

Now I know where proberly some of my excess fat is coming from.

What I can I do about it besides not eating?

I don't want to wake up in the middle of the night eating the whole fridge out.

Are there any filling low fat snacks out there that would be ok to eat before
sleeping?

Thanks.

[sn11]

You shouldn't eat quite a few hours before going to bed, its true.

Realistically when your asleep your not hungry... Therefore you won't get up and "eat the fridge out" because you'll be asleep untill the next day?

However if you MUST eat something before you sleep. Fruits not a bad option, but something like porridge or weetabix is also good.

The good thing is with the latter its quite low fat content and it fills you up for a much longer time than snacking... Alternatively..

Just dont eat before you go to bed

Exercise after you've eaten and before you've gone to bed?

[CosmicFish]

Not true, Hap, fortunately. :) Your body burns calories non-stop, even when you're asleep. In fact, when you're asleep is when your body will do much of its "repair work" - which requires calories. Even though your body isn't active, it will still require nutrients for the eight or so hours that you're sleeping. Eight hours is a long time to go without food.

I have to disagree with psymon. I think carbs are not the best thing to take last thing at night. You want something that's slow digesting, something that's going to hang around inside you slowly releasing nutrients for as long as possible. Slow-digesting protein is one good option, and explains why so many bodybuilders scoff down a tub of cottage cheese last thing at night - it's laden with slow-burning casein protein. Ironically enough, fat will help slow down the digestion of food, so is a good option for last thing at night too. Obviously, you want to make sure it's good quality fat.

On the subject of fat, please don't fall into the trap of thinking that fat is bad when you're trying to lose weight. What's bad when trying to lose weight is eating more calories than your body needs. Fat gets maligned because it has far more calories per unit of weight than carbs or protein do. E.g.:

Fat = 9 cals per gram
Carbs = 4 cals per gram
Protein = 4 cals per gram

This doesn't mean fat should be avoided, however. Your body needs fat to function properly.

Personally, I'd recommend getting either some good quality protein or a combo of good quality protein and fat in you before bedding down. And as far as your overall weightloss plan is concerned, so long as you factor the calories from your last meal into your overall calorie consumption for the day then it won't be a problem.

[Brad Ellin]

There's another reason not to eat before going to bed (a couple of cookies and glass of milk doesn't count as eating before bed, a full meal does). When you lay down too soon after eating, you will have more of a chance of developing indigestion. The stomach acids will go up to the sphincter muscle between the stomach and esophagus and may get thru. If you have a weak SM, it will get thru and you run the risk of an eopshageal ulcer (like your's truly)

Drink a glass of water a half hour or so before bed. It'll leave you feeling full and when your alram goes off in the morning, you'll have to get up.

[sn11]

Really?

Damn it is true that most Personal Trainers know absolutely nothing about dieting..Even though i was assured what i put was correct at the time when i was told it...

Although as i dont know first hand i'd go with cosmics answer rather than mine.

[bwhite55]

cosmic is right. your body does most of its repairs while you are asleep and it needs protein to repair. most people will agree with not eating right before bed and alot of people cut off all foods at around 6. now if you are like me, i'm active up until around 10, and i normally start winding down at around 10'oclock, and am in bed by 10:30 or 11 at the latest, and alot of my workouts are at around 8 or 9, at night. but if you wake up @ around 6 and lets say you take about 15 mins to prepare breafkast, that is 12 hrs and 15 mins for your body not to have food. casein protein is very good as cosmic said, and i didn't know about the fat slowing down absorption, but good advice from cosmic.

[Hapuka]

So a small bowl of porridge would be fine to eat before going to bed?

[CosmicFish]

Despite being an excellent breakfast choice, porridge is largely carbs so not so great for last thing at night. Cottage cheese is a better option. However, many people find they don't like it. It's a bit of an acquired taste. If you're not adverse to using protein powder - milk protein concentrate (or even calcium caseinate) is also a good option.

If you want other food options, how about nuts, fish or cheese? I've never believed in the whole "no cheese before bed" thing myself. I've eaten a load before bed and never had any problems. Careful with the portion size if you're dieting though - cheese is quite calorie-dense.

[Gary]

If you've been exercising and don't like plain cottage cheese much, try to find some of the cottage cheese with pineapple, the bromelain in it helps recovery and it's very few carbs compared to a bowl of porridge.

[Hapuka]

How about half a sandwich with tuna and cheese?

[Suhosthe]

Great if you leave the bread off! ;)

Turkey, cheese, milk, and eggs all contain tryptophan so they have the added benefit of helping you sleep. If you're asleep, you're definitely not going to be awake and fridge-raiding. Tuna, not so much with the tryptophan but a good source of protein.

Your best bet really is a protein shake.

[bwhite55]

Great if you leave the bread off! ;)

Turkey, cheese, milk, and eggs all contain tryptophan so they have the added benefit of helping you sleep. If you're asleep, you're definitely not going to be awake and fridge-raiding. Tuna, not so much with the tryptophan but a good source of protein.

Your best bet really is a protein shake.

i was always wondering why im always tired after eating turkey. and the bromelain will also help w/ your digestion and is great for inflammation!

[CosmicFish]

Great if you leave the bread off! ;)

Turkey, cheese, milk, and eggs all contain tryptophan so they have the added benefit of helping you sleep. If you're asleep, you're definitely not going to be awake and fridge-raiding. Tuna, not so much with the tryptophan but a good source of protein.

Your best bet really is a protein shake.
Mmmm, mix cheese, tuna and some herbs in a saucepan. Add a little water to stop it getting too thick. Cook, serve and eat. Very nice. :)

[elftengu]

There's another reason not to eat before going to bed (a couple of cookies and glass of milk doesn't count as eating before bed, a full meal does). When you lay down too soon after eating, you will have more of a chance of developing indigestion. The stomach acids will go up to the sphincter muscle between the stomach and esophagus and may get thru. If you have a weak SM, it will get thru and you run the risk of an eopshageal ulcer (like your's truly)

Drink a glass of water a half hour or so before bed. It'll leave you feeling full and when your alram goes off in the morning, you'll have to get up.

We must be the only oldies on the thread Brad!

I haven't quite got an ulcer (to my knowledge) yet but my dad gets chronic reflux, and I myself at 37, sometimes wake up with a vomit taste in my mouth an hour or two after going to bed if I eat too late.

I won't admit to having a weak sphincter muscle or the jokes about living near Brighton will start up again. :D

[Brad Ellin]

Get thee to a gastro. Have yourself checked for Barrett's Esophagus before you end up in the ER like I did, with 2 liters of you blood on the floor.

[spirez]

Why no carbs before bed, especially those of you that are training late?

If you're training late you're going to need to replenish muscle glycogen stores as best you can in the time before you go to bed.

[elftengu]

Get thee to a gastro. Have yourself checked for Barrett's Esophagus before you end up in the ER like I did, with 2 liters of you blood on the floor.

Just when I thought I already had too much to worry about! :eek:

[wrydolphin]

I've actually woken myself up starving in the middle of the night a few times- usually after a heavy training day and sometimes if I just didn't manage to eat enough that day. I sometimes go with plain or low sugar yogurt and some fruit.

The guys offered some great advice- though I probably won't take it I admit. The last thing I want at 3am is turkey.

[Incredible Bulk]

at 9pm i have 2 slices of wholemeal toast with 7 scrambled eggs.

that is my last meal of the day before going to sleep at 11pm

[spirez]

Do you eat 7 eggs every day?

I'm having about 3 per day at the moment for breakfast.

[bwhite55]

i take in about 6 or so throughout the day. i just boil 18 at a time so i have eggs whenever i want for 3 days.

[Incredible Bulk]

Do you eat 7 eggs every day?

I'm having about 3 per day at the moment for breakfast.

yes

[bwhite55]

yes

i dunno how accurate this is, but i read an article comparing different foods for bodybuilders, i think it was the healing article on t-nation, but he said as an allergen doctor, as well as nutritionist that he's noticed people develop allergies to eggs after eating alot for a certain amount of time(depending on the person of course) and if that happens to lay off eggs for about 3-4 months and you should be fine. don't know how valid this statement is, but i trust most of the stuff from t-nation, especially since berardi was the co author of that article.

[Incredible Bulk]

I tend to ignore 90% of articles.... people love to over complicate things to give them (in my opinion) a cop-out as to why they are falling short of their goals.

"oh noes i only lifted 45% of my max that set instead of 55%!"
"oh noes, i am not taking enough scottish pickled squid because of its high X content"
"oh noes, i didnt take 20g of carbs exactly within 5 minutes of finsihing my workout"

seriously.... not ranting at you bwhite but i'm sick to the back teeth of studies.

if people in the 50's, 60's got to sizes and shapes (hell, even sandow in the 19th century) that we call 'built' with no internet studies and reasearch i think we can all get along without knowing what will inhibit/increase X or Y.

By all means, ask your peers about the exercises to do, ask them about what to eat but splitting hairs when most are no where near even getting to the intermediate stage of what is determined as 'built' is stupid.

"but if i can incoporate everything i read from studies that gives the extra 1% then i will be uber big and strong in no time!"

why not jut nail down a basic diet, leave the scottish pickled squid and listen to what the guys in the gym have to offer.... seperate the wheat from the chaff, you'll know whats good or bad after a while.
People all make mistakes so dont be afraid to learn from them, just lose the calculator and the article by Edvard Van Debunk.

/rant

[TheCount]

The theory behind not eating before bed is that your body processes and begins using complex carbohydrate within 4 - 6 hours of it being injested. Ie. if you eat at about 6pm and go to bed at 11 your body will have begun using your carbs or some malarky.
If you eat late, your body is still processing the carbs overnight and reputedly processes it into more bodyfat than usual because you aren't active. I think there is some basis to this however the realistic effect is minimal.

I made a habit of having a 100g bowl of oats with milk before bed to keep me going. Woke up in the morning, bursting with energy with no visible flab (not that I have any anyway) to show for it.

In general it is a bit of a cop-out for Pies to re-boost their faltering ego. "I'm fat because I ate late at night".
Er no... you are fat because you do nothing during the day and even less during the night.

[James Funaro]

I always eat before bed. No fat problems. I couldn't imagine not eating, at any time. I wake up hungry. I can get up in the middle of the night and eat! Never had any problems.

The oppossite: If I go to bed without eating prior I have worse sleep and a hard time falling asleep.

[bwhite55]

I always eat before bed. No fat problems. I couldn't imagine not eating, at any time. I wake up hungry. I can get up in the middle of the night and eat! Never had any problems.

The oppossite: If I go to bed without eating prior I have worse sleep and a hard time falling asleep.

hunger pains + trying to sleep = not good.

[FasterStronger]

From Sherdog I heard you should try not to eat much in the evening as apparantly the later on in the day you eat the quicker it's broken down into fat, however I also heard (can't remember where this came from) that you should eat some lean protein before you sleep so your body has recources to rapir muscles while you sleep. That wont apply if yo dont lift weights.

The only thing I can say for sure, is don't eat sugar based foods before bed, but then you shouldnt be eating that at all anyway.

[bwhite55]

i normally eat something w/ protein and a small fruit. i work out alot at night within a few hours or so of goin to bed. like, i just had judo tonite(my first time, and i think i impressed them big time for a first timer WOOT!) and i'm goin to bed within an hour, so it would have been less than 3 hours from the time it ended to bedtime. but anyway, my bedtime meal was some Peanutbutter, a banana, and some cheddar cheese. i would like to be able to eat eggs before bed, but i can't cook after like 8, cuz my fam goes to bed early :(

[TheCount]

Sleeping is where your body does its building and recovering - Bodybuilders and the like do a LOT of sleeping because that is where the muscles will repair and grow.

During this time you are using less carbohydrate - thus there is the potential for it to turn into fat, however the norm is you eat protein so that your body has something to recover with. To be fair, the fat problem is a bit overrated..

[Incredible Bulk]

At 12am the body doesnt have an internal switch where it says 'right, everything in the stomach...turn it to fat, come on..... shifts over'.

:D

[KICKBOY]

Favorite bedtime snack: Steak lean and with a warm red center. Sirloin is low in fat and cheap, tender loin is great but expensive, deer tender loin is the best IOM and the price is the best too.

[Suhosthe]

i would like to be able to eat eggs before bed, but i can't cook after like 8, cuz my fam goes to bed early :(
Boil them earlier in the day and keep them in the fridge till you want them. Stinky and cold, but tasty as ever. :)