[tigger175]

Ok I have a question. I try to eat every 3 hours to keep my metabolism going. I have also heard that one should not eat for a couple hours before going to bed. On nights when I eat dinner at 6 or 7 and am planning on going to bed at 11 or 12 should I make sure to have a snack, even if i'm eating it an hour before bed? will going those 4-6 hours without eating slow my metabolism?

Dee

[ndnguy85]

you can eat in bed and still be fine. haha

calories in vs. out over a long period of time is what matters.

best thing to eat are slow digesting protein and healthy fat. carbs are not useful or advised.

every night before i sleep i eat 2 tbsp of peanut butter and a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese.

if you know about proteins..now would be a good time to take in a casein protein. whey wouldnt benefit since it peaks too soon.

[kaplods]

There's really no strong evidence that eating before bed, even right before bed is necessarily a problem. The studies that were used to support the claim, found that people people who ate most heavily at night, tended to be more overweight and eat more calories than people who didn't. So, it's the overall food amount, not when it is eaten, that affects weight loss.

Eating small meals more frequently can boost metabolism, though some people overeat when they graze as opposed to meal times. If neither is an issue for you, eat when you want to.

[Glory87]

I never put a time limit on when I would stop eating. I often ate a big dinner at 9:00 and was in bed around 11:00. No problems losing weight or keeping it off. I find it very hard to sleep when my tummy is rumbly. Some folks find it hard to sleep if their stomaches are too full. You should figure out what works for you!

[mamaspank]

I eat about and hour and a half before bed and I have never had a problem losing weight. I will eat chips or crackers 45 minutes usually before going to bed every night too.

[ndnguy85]

Originally Posted by kaplods

Eating small meals more frequently can boost metabolism.

this is another one of those things that have been blown out of proportion along with the lifting weights to build muscle to burn more calories crap.

a) research suggests that the amount of meals you eat does not matter as much as the total calories at the end of the day. I can spread that out over 5-6 small meals or, I can eat 3 large square meals. Either way, research showed that there was no difference between the two.

b) Taking that into consideration, if I am eating 4000 calories a day, obvisouly, 6 small meals a day is going to be much easier than eating 3 huge meals a day. So, that is one reason why you might consider the smaller, more frequent feedings.

c) A female on the other hand, who might be eating very low calories, may not want to eat 6 meals a day. For example, 6 meals of 200 calories would be extremely small meals and might not be satisfying at all. So, they may opt to eat 3 larger meals to feel like they are actually eating something.

d) the idea that your body goes into starvation mode if you don't eat after 3 hours is pretty ridiculous, so we can throw that one out. Also, given that the research suggests 24-hour metabolism is more important than the number of meals, it doesn't make a difference.

e) Probably the most important part of the 5-6 small meals and the reason why I suggest it as being the best option is because it keeps people from being hungry and snacking. If I eat 3 meals a day, no matter how large, the length of time between those meals is significant enough that I will get hungry, snack and then increase my daily total caloric intake, ultimately throwing off my diet. Also, those that have a large length of time between meals tend to get hungry and eat crap food and make crap choices because they are so hungry. It is mentally more satisfying to eat more frequent meals.


So, from a physiological stand point, eating the smaller meals doesn't matter as much as 24-hour metabolism does. From an overall health and mental standpoint, the more frequent meals appear to be the way to go.

source: http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/di...ml#post1652182

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2nd source: http://www.nocrave.com/fm_small_meal_myth.php

In order to dispel the myth of frequent small meal eating, consider some of the theories proposed as to why it works. For example, does it really "supercharge" our metabolism? The answer is "no". While it is true that there is a temporary increase in the metabolic rate associated with the ingestion, absorption and metabolism of food, it only amounts to about 10% of your calorie intake and is independent of meal size. So, whether you eat 3 meals of 900 calories or 6 meals of 450 calories (both totalling 2700 calories) you will only increase you metabolism by 270 calories per day. Unfortunately, the frequent small meal option reduces your leptin levels, which actually lowers your metabolic rate!

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i eat smaller meals because i get hungry every 3 hours no matter what i eat within a reasonable amount of calories. the longest i can go before getting "hungry" (about 5.5 hours) is when i make a "pancake" with: 6 egg whites, 1/2 oatmeal, 1tbsp of flax seed milled, some cinnamon and 2tbsp of peanut butter.

[ddc]

I just saw on a tv show, that your body needs to repair itself at night and should not have to be digesting food also.
So, this doctor recommended not eating before bed.

????????????

[ndnguy85]

Originally Posted by ddc

I just saw on a tv show, that your body needs to repair itself at night and should not have to be digesting food also.
So, this doctor recommended not eating before bed.

????????????

and did this doctor have any study or research to back up this claims?

[ddc]

Well, she just said it to a client. I am unsure of her research or sources.

I think she was relating more to the idea of proper digestion instead of gaining weight if you eat before bed.

[plaidkitty]

Yes, heavy eating will get you, not time of day. But I find it's helpful to limit nighttime calories just because it's a nice ritual that cuts down on overall eating.

[JulieJ08]

I find that some fruit after dinner gets me to bed without hunger, but is light and doesn't keep me awake.

[Markoni]

Originally Posted by tigger175

Ok I have a question. I try to eat every 3 hours to keep my metabolism going. I have also heard that one should not eat for a couple hours before going to bed. On nights when I eat dinner at 6 or 7 and am planning on going to bed at 11 or 12 should I make sure to have a snack, even if i'm eating it an hour before bed? will going those 4-6 hours without eating slow my metabolism?

Dee

eat 2 hours before you go to bed , but no carbs , I would suggest cottage cheese and some green vegetables , also you can use micellar casein , that is protein powder , and it will give you enough protein during a sleep

[PhotoChick]

Bottom line is that this is going to be highly individual. There is no medical reason why someone should NOT eat before bed. But there might be individual ones.

I personally don't have a problem with eating right up until the very moment I go to bed. I still lose weight (as long as I'm eating healthily).

However, if I eat something heavy, or starchy before going to bed it will give me heartburn, which keeps me awake.

Also I find that if I limit my carbs in the evening, I tend to lose weight faster, so other than popcorn (which is a favorite evening snack) I try to not eat a lot of carbs after dinner. If I do eat carbs (like popcorn) I try to balance it out with some kind of protein.

The other thing is that the idea of eating frequently is less about supercharging your metabolism ... it's more about leveling out your blood sugar so that you don't have huge swings in hunger. For some people this is key to being successful (it is for me). If I only eat three meals a day, then I get hungry between meals and am more likely to eat too much by the time I get to lunch or dinner. Whereas if I eat a planned snack in the afternoon, I'm not ravenous by dinner time, so I'm more likely to be satisfied with regular amounts of food.

Basically you can listen to and read all "rules" you want ... but the bottom line is that we're all different and we all have to figure out what works for us. Take the guidelines you hear and think about them, certainly. Think about how they fit into your life - but don't be rulebound when it comes to diet. We each have to figure out what works for us and our bodies. And that's different for everyone.

.