Is it a bad idea to eat something at around 8PM (I go to sleep anywhere from 12 to 2am)? If I don't eat every 4 hours, my blood sugar tends to drop and that's not fun, and 8 is the last 4 hr mark where I eat before bed. I usually eat something like a small bowl of popcorn and a big glass of water to help fill me up.

I was just wondering if that's a mini-sabotage and if I could lost .numberhere if I stopped or if it really isn't that big of a deal. My mom says not to eat this late because it slows down my metabolism, but if I don't have something I just KNOW in 2/3 hours time I'll be starving, and that's how most of my binges happen (binge free for 12 days though!)

So yeah, is it okay to eat when you're not hungry a few hours before bed, or should I start avoiding it all together?

if it helps you stop binging and its not a huge snack it sounds like its helping more then hindering, plus the too late to eat thing is kinda false, while your metabolism slows during the night it is still working, plus since you dont go to bed until that late your body has pretty much processed most of it anyways

I seem lose more when I don't eat after 10. It also means I wake up hungry and I feel like my breakfast is more satisfying.
I'm a salty snacker, so maybe it means I'm not retaining salt while I'm sleeping and can't be drinking water to flush it through my system.

Sounds like you've got a plan that works for you, maybe mix up the snack as an experiment, fruit one week, your popcorn the next, etc. You may be able to see a difference in the kind of calories you are snacking on.

Mine only crashes if I go 4+ hours without eating. I've cut back on carbs/sugars, but I've always had this problem.

That's how I feel too. I've always eaten my dinner around 8pm and I don't feel like it's been detrimental. It's better than eating dinner with my kids at 5 and bingeing once they're in bed.

That said, if you're worried about your blood sugar levels try a high protein snack instead of the popcorn .

Well that's the thing, according to livestrong I already get way too much protein. I don't have diabetes and it doesn't run in my family so idk what's going on.

Yeah. I need the fiber, and I like it. It makes me think I'm getting a treat. I can eat popcorn (not bagged), because I only allow myself pasta or bread (one or the other) two times a week.

I know.

My bloodsugar isn't crashing from a spike (I'm pretty sure anyway??). I'm eating to avoid a low, because waking up in cold sweats because I haven't eaten in xx amount of hours before bed isn't fun.

I eat my breakfast at 8am, I eat my lunch at noon, I eat again at 5-6 (depending on when we have dinner) and then I like to eat the popcorn at 8. I don't do it every single night, I only really do it when I didn't eat my total daily calories. Today for example I only had 1161 (busy, unplanned day out of nowhere) and if I don't eat enough/eat often enough I experience lows.

If I am "spiking" I must be really stupid but in all fairness you could be a bit nicer

ETA: what happened where'd you go?

That's what I figured. It's just the little things I like to be sure of. Makes me feel more prepared I guess?

Waking up in the middle of the night from hunger is not good... That indicates your blood sugar is, in fact, spiking.

Well... I don't know when, then. It used to happen a lot, but now not so much, maybe once every month or so. I have a diabetic dog and take my BS randomly at times, and I've never gotten a high reading, except for right after eating (for obvious reasons).

guess I'll have to ask a doc when I finally go see one

I think what you're doing is fine. Just don't go later than 8 pm--maybe set that as your "finish time."

I always planned a snack in the evening because I ate dinner around 5 pm. By 8, I would be feeling hungry. Sometimes I had popcorn, but other times I would have something with a little more protein, like some low-calorie bread with a TBSP of peanut butter, or half an apple and a dozen almonds. The protein tends to slow down any blood sugar rushes.

Different plans give different amounts for how much protein to eat--I was aiming at 100 grams a day because I was working out 5-6 days a week, but I rarely made it there.

With regard to "spiking blood sugar," remember that none of us here are medical professionals. We may not even be using terms correctly. It depends on how much popcorn you eat. If you limit it to "1 serving" as listed on the microwave bag (a little less than half the bag) then it's about 120 calories and 20 carbs. For a snack, probably best not to go much over that, carb-wise.

This is just my opinion. I'm not a doctor or health care professional.

Jay

Everyone really is different, so I don't think there is a one-size-fits-all answer. That's why I think food journals are so important - you can experiment and over time your journal can tell you what works best for you.

If you're happy with your results, you don't have to experiment, but a food journal gives you that option. I started a health journal at a doctor's suggestion when I was having a lot of strange symptoms. From that point, I didn't just record my food, I also recorded a lot of other things (the weather, my health symptoms, my emotions....).

I was able to link some of my health issues with my food choices. I learned that wheat and large amounts of junky carbs trigger some of my health issues. They worsen the pain of arthritis and fibromyalgia and trigger skin issues including acne, dry/flakey skin, rosacea like redness, swelling of the skin - and at worst a rash my husband calls "face rot."

Personally, my hunger signals are very unreliable, so eating when hungry isn't a realistic option. I'm either hungry all of the time, or I'm not hungry until my blood sugar is so low that I'm irritable and dizzy.

Eating small amounts every few hours works best. If the percentage of carbs is too high, I get so hungry that it's very hard to avoid bingeing.

Do what works best for you, and if you don't know what works best, use journaling to help you discover it.

Your body needs how many calories it needs. The idea that eating after a certain time will hurt weight loss is absolutely false. Your body does not burn as many calories when you are sleeping as when you are awake, this is true, but your metabolism does not change when you are sleeping. It is still the same metabolism. Your body needs its calories on a daily or weekly basis, not on a minute to minute basis. If this was the case, then you should eat all your meals on the treadmill, yes? If it were the case, then just one day of bad eating (either way low, or way high) would change our metabolism instantly. We know this is not the case. If your body needs 1700 calories on tuesday, it will burn 1700 calories on tuesday. When you give your body those calories is irrelevant. If it needs 1895 on friday, that is what it will burn. Now eating late at night can give some heartburn...some people have a hard time going to sleep with a full stomach as well. But that has nothing to do with metabolism.
As for the sugar spiking at night..that is something I know nothing about, I'm afraid I can't help any with that.