Personally I work 2nd shift, and mother always taught me never to eat after 7, but when I get home at 11, or sometimes the mid-day shift at 8, I've worked up quite an appetite. I know that those late night cravings have done me in weight wise, but does the moderation rule work for eating at night?
I personally don't mind late night eating..... (I am a night owl) and if I stay within my calories it doesn't matter when I eat it.
If you do find that late night snacking does you in maybe you can make sure you eat a larger lunch and breakfast to keep you fuller during the day. Maybe you can also eat small before you come home so you don't attack the food as soon as you get home.
Oh, and plenty of water - I didn't believe at water filled me up but as soon as I started to carry water around with me I snack less often.
i think the 'no late-night eating' rule also depends on what time you're going to bed... if you come home at 11 and you're in bed by 11:30, then yeah, by all means skip it. however, if you come home and need to unwind for 2-3 hours before going to bed, you're going to need to eat something.
personally, i agree with Taylor86 - if it's in your calories, no big deal.
I've always been a late night snacker so I plan for it. It's usually some kind of fruit and a protein shake (often eaten at different times, but both after 9pm). It stops me from wandering into the kitchen later and picking something at random. Dinner for us is usually just before 7pm and often the salad ends up being eaten closer to 8pm in front of the TV. In fact, come to think about it I seem to eat all through the day... but it works for me, so who cares.
I'd say as long as you're eating within whatever plan you've set for yourself don't worry about when you're eating it.
I think as long as you eat something healthy it doesn't matter if it's late at night or before bed. Theres been a big commotion that you don't work off what you eat late at night, but if you're active during the day then that's not the case. You still need food to survive if all you do is sleep, so don't worry about it. Just be healthy
So I read up on the "myth" of late night eating. I found out that late night eating won't really pack on the pounds (if you stay within your calorie count) but it could effect the way you sleep and digest the food.
If you eat a big meal before you go to bed you should wait 3 hours so your body has time to put it's energy into digestion so when you do sleep your body can fully focus on reaching REM and taking care of itself while you sleep.
As for food being digested while you sleep - if you eat a big meal and then go to bed is it more likely to wake up bloated because the food was not properly digested while you slept.
So I read up on the "myth" of late night eating. I found out that late night eating won't really pack on the pounds (if you stay within your calorie count) but it could effect the way you sleep and digest the food.
Interesting...I've never heard that nice tidbit of info before
I don't mind eating past 7 or 8, but I try and really limit my carbs after that time. I mean, at 8 o'clock at night I'm not really planning on doing anything involving energy, so why should I eat something that gives me energy? There's also research out that shows that eating carbs late at night, in certain circumstances, can lead to an increase in weight gain because your body just stores the carbs as fat. I think the gaining weight while late at night thing stems from the fact that people usually eat junk late at night. Of course, if you're going to eat cake and chips at 10 o'clock...chances are you're going to gain some weight.
I work from 8 PM - 430 AM so I have to eat after 7 PM. lol. My latest intake is around 3 or 330 AM...as I don't go to sleep till 530 ish. Even when I do, I still keep the very last meal as something smaller, like fruit or small veggies. You mentioned something about you working up an appetite. Is it possible for you to pack small snacks to work? i got myself a small cooler thing for work, as I drive about 40-45 minutes one way to work. If I get hungry or something, I take out my ziplock bag of something..like baby carrots, fruits, and stuff. Would that be possible?
I ate midnight chow (army 4thmeal. LoL) every single day I was in Iraq and went to bed right after and I didn't notice my weight going crazy. I did get occasionally have some weeeeird dreams, but that's about it. If you're working that late I don't think it's going to mess with your weight. I think the night snacking gets people in trouble because primarily it's an after-dinner snack and everybody wants treats. I don't think it applies to actual meals.
If eating doesn't work out for you, try having a glass of milk instead. Milk is my diet wonder-drink. I love it!
Late night snacking...never?
