I personally HATE going to bed hungry. I pretty much know to stay on my calorie level what I need to eat a day, and I have heard that not eating before you go to bed helps you lose weight is a myth (I have actually woken up then so starving I can't even get out of bed.) I usually save a fruit or yogurt for right before bed.
It's a myth, for sure... Think about it: Why do you not go 8 hours during the day without eating (well, why shouldn't you)? Because it slows down your metabolism, so you don't burn as many calories. So, figure you eat dinner at 7 and eat breakfast at 8, you think going 13 hours without food is healthy or helpful or good for you? Certainly your metabolism slows down when you sleep anyway, but to not eat for so long doesn't help matters...
I agree, I like feeling hungry as a reminder too. Like, "look, my body works! I haven't eaten ridiculous amounts of food today!" But I'm happy about it working and then I give it the fuel it needs. I do not see the purpose of letting yourself remain hungry.
Your metabolism slows at night anyway. 8 hours of sleeping requires fewer calories than 8 hours of being awake and alive. I'm sure for some people, going 8 hours without food isn't the best idea. However, I would bet for most people if you have even a snack after dinner and cut off eating 2 hours before bedtime, they may WANT to eat, but wouldn't necessarily need to eat to maintain a healthy metabolism.
And this is what I was trying to explain earlier.. from ediet's Bob Greene page...
"Why It's Good to Be Just a Little Hungry at Bedtime
I want to reiterate that I don't advocate going to bed feeling starved. If you are voraciously hungry, it means that you didn't do a good job of managing your meals throughout the day. Perhaps you skipped breakfast or another meal, or maybe you just skimped on calories all day long. Either way, you may feel virtuous, but it just means that you missed a number of opportunities to give your metabolism a boost by eating. It also means that by allowing yourself to get ravenous, you may be setting yourself up for a binge. What I want you to feel instead is slight hunger. That feeling is your brain saying, "Feed me or I'm going to dip into your fat stores for energy." That, of course, is exactly what you want to happen. It's your guarantee that your body is burning the fat you are working hard to lose.
If, on the other hand, you follow your brain's directive and eat close to bedtime, your body will not dip into the fat it has stored away, and will probably even store some more. Every time you eat, your metabolism increases slightly. But this effect is lost or minimized late at night. You don't get the same metabolism-boosting benefit when you eat just before bed, because a couple of hours after dinner, your body begins preparing for sleep. This natural slackening of your metabolic rate overrides any metabolic boost you might get from eating. So once you hit the pillow, the only calories you're going to use are the basic calories you need to keep your heart beating and your lungs breathing and allow your eyes to move in REM sleep. And that, all told, is a minimal number of calories.
You also won't take advantage of the energizing effects of eating. Had you eaten 300 calories in the morning instead of just before going to sleep, you'd feel invigorated and would move more throughout the day, burning those calories. But when you're downshifting into bedtime mode, you're going to feel too sleepy to increase your activity. The opportunity to burn off those 300 calories is lost.
Believe it or not, eating late at night can also inhibit your calorie-burning potential the next day. Say, for instance, that you treat yourself to a big bowl of cereal topped with sliced bananas at 10 P.M. one night and are fast asleep by eleven. When your alarm goes off the next morning at seven, the last thing on your mind is going to be breakfast -- you're still full from the cereal and bananas you ate the night before. Chances are, you're going to skip breakfast and lose all the metabolism-boosting benefits you'd get from eating a morning meal.
During sleep, digestion all but shuts down so that the food you've consumed has extended contact time with your digestive tract. That may increase your risk of various ailments and disease, including certain cancers. Consider, too, that fat and protein take longer than carbohydrate to digest so if you snack on a bowl of ice cream or a steak sandwich before bed, the contact time may be even longer. Eating late can also just make you feel plain lousy. It's harder to get a good night's sleep on a full stomach, and it makes you more susceptible to heartburn. "
As always, I think everyone has to do whatever they feel is best. I've seen articles that say it's as simple as calories in vs. calories out no matter what time of day and for some people that might work. However, most of the people who are in the best shape do not consume the majority of their calories at night.
That's really interesting Lizzie. I've always felt better when I go to bed a little hungry and wake up hungry...I guess I was doing something right without even knowing it!!
I like Bob Green a lot. I have Get with the Program and it's piled with tons of good info! If only I could just stick with it I really try to stop eating a few hours before bed. I've been noticing lately that when I feed my dog (she eats late) that I have a little snack, which it's usually an hour or so before bed. Before I was just grazing while I fed her...it was like a free for all
Since Ive been on this journey Ive had this same problem. Try drinking water during this time and also drinking water before I eat, during my meal, and after has helped too. I also follow Bob Greenes rule of having a cut off time on eating dinner. I go to bed late so I stop at 8pm sharp.
Another thing is that food eaten right before bed can cause digestive problems like acid reflux or heart burn. If you must eat after dinner do so at least a couple hours before you go to bed.
I really try to stop eating a few hours before bed. I've been noticing lately that when I feed my dog (she eats late) that I have a little snack, which it's usually an hour or so before bed. Before I was just grazing while I fed her...it was like a free for all 
