hi! Im not sure if this is the right board but Im looking for support something thats been bugging me and I was wondering if anyone knew the answer ...
I usually eat dinner around 5 P.M. 6 at the latest .... but because I'm a college student I don't get to bed around 2 A.M. I have heard time and time again that you need to eat every 3 to 4 hours but not within 2 hours of going to sleep. So even if I am just sitting and reading or typing up a paper, can you still say that my body is going into starvation mode? I've been looking for the answer and I can't find it so I hope someone has some insight for me hehe

I have no medical background, but I would say no. I saw in Oprah's boot camp (more info is on her site) that she did not allow anyone to eat after 7:30pm. I would say that what you are are doing is fine. Sitting up typing a paper and being to busy to eat, is not the same as purposely not trying to eat.

As long as you are eating enough during the day you should be fine even in the wee hours. However, I know when I pulled late nighters in college I needed a little nutritional boost. If that is the case for you just be sure to plan those snacks into your over all calorie intake. Of course, it varies from person to person, but I've never needed to adhere to the no eating after a certain time rule. While it is important to establish eating guidlines for yourself you have to have a flexible enough plan to apply during various stages of your life. Your lifestyle in college is likely to be much different than it will be once you have graduated and started your career. So, it may just be that you will have to the adjust "rules" to suit your current needs.

Good luck on those last 10 pounds!

I love Oprah as much as the next person. I think she gives a lot of great advice and I know how strongly she feels about not eating after 7:00, but I think that theory is crap. If you want to know why, read the great book that was reviewed on this site called Fat-Free Truths. In a nutshell, there's no science to support the theory that eating after a certain hour or within a certain number of hours before you go to bed will make you gain weight (or keep you from losing weight). As long as you're taking in fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its current weight (no matter what time of day you eat them), you should lose weight.

That being said, there may be other good reasons not to eat after dinner such as if you can't control your snacking or tend to eat mindlessly and consume more calories than you wanted. But unless you have some sort of personal challenge related to eating in the evening, there's no reason not to eat after six, expecially if you're going to be up for another eight hours. Just make sure you eat healthfully and don't exceed whatever calorie limit you've set for yourself.

Josie

I agree with Josie! The idea that you shouldn't eat within X hours of sleeping (the number varies depending on what guru you're talking to) is bogus. I think for some people, developing the DISCIPLINE of not eating after a certain time is a good habit to replace all-night grazing. Also, the idea of eating every 3 or 4 hours IS valid, so if you've eaten on that schedule during the day, you may not have any late-evening calories to spare. But, as long as you're not overeating overall, and as long as eating at night doesn't tempt you to keep eating out of habit, then don't worry about it.

I think making hard and fast rules for everyone is not going to work. Apparently, one of Oprah's triggers for binging is eating late at night. If that is your problem, then perhaps it will help, but I couldn't do it. I often don't eat my dinner until after 7. And since I don't eat breakfast until after 7am, I would be going without food for more than 12 hours - I think that would force me to binge.
I do try to avoid eating for an hour or two before I go to sleep because of heartburn and other digestive problems, but since I don't go to bed until midnight, that gives me quite a bit of leeway.

thanks for the replies! I don't have a problem with binging at night I just happen to eat dinner really early, and you know how all the advice from "experts" can start to mess with your mind hehe looks like I'm just going to have to save some calories in case I get hungry .. thanks again!

As long as you are eating enough calorie throughout the day, you will not go into "starvation mode" and slow your metabolism.

I do think that it IS better if you are on a reduced calorie diet to eat smaller meals and snacks more often-rather than eat one or two large meals. Not just for weight loss, but for energy and blood sugar levels as well. (So-no skipping breakfast so you can eat a double cheeseburger for dinner and still stay in your calorie range! )

I personally find that mini-meals work better for me-because I don't get hungry this way. I do eat before bed-but it is a small 150 calorie or less snack-and a healthy one like yogurt or fruit.

It isn't the eating before bed that makes you gain, it is the comparison of calories eaten vs. calories burned through the entire day.

I do agree that people have different times where they have to be careful. If Oprah's problem is night binging-then maybe it is best for her to just avoid the kitchen after dinner completely-if she can't stop at a small snack.
For me-my bad time is between lunch and dinner-at around 2-4 pm. I usually try to have a cup of hot flavored tea or keep really busy during that time to avoid food. You have to develop individual coping strategies for your personal overeating triggers.

If you're hungry while studying, have a nutritious snack - a piece of fruit with string cheese, yogurt, etc. If you're not hungry, I wouldn't worry about it.