Join Our Community!
Nutrition > Nutrition Forum > Eating Before Bed
Avatar
Q: Eating Before Bed
asked by: 11firecrackers on June 17th, 2007
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
I have read many times that eating before bed is bad because your metabolism slows down when you sleep, so the calories from the food you ate will not be burned and you will gain weight.

So, how long should I be waiting after I eat to go to bed? I usually find myself going to bed about 2 1/2 hours after I eat my snack, which is usually a banana and about two spoonfulls of dry cereal. Sometimes it's strawberries, or pineapple--always fruit, so it's not like I'm eating any junk.

Do you think that 2 1/2 hours is a long enough wait?
Did you find this post useful?
|
Quick Reply


Replies(3)
User Profile
Llewellyn replied on June 18th, 2007
Extremely EHEALTHy
I would think two and half hours is fine. Are you trying to lose weight?

Keep in mine that people have different metabolisms. Mine is fast, so I eat a lot right before bed to get me through the night.
Did you find this post useful?
|
Avatar
erinshesse replied on June 22nd, 2007
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
If you try to increase the gap between last meal and bedtime you are probably going to do more harm than good. I am sure you have heard all the "new" theories about eating more small meals during the day instead of 3 large meals. First off, the 3 meal-a-day routine is new, and promoted by the American food industry. The reason you should eat more often is because it actually regulates your metabolism more effectively. Eating regularly keeps your body from reverting to "starvation mode." When you go long periods of time without eating, your body assumes it will not be fed again soon. Therefore, the next time you eat, it stores as much of the food as possible as fat.

So here's the point. If you are sleeping for 8 hours, then you are already going a long period without any nutrition. If you don't eat a couple hours before bed, you've increased that to 10 hours! Once you eat breakfast...KAPOW, you are gonna store a lot of that food as fat. If you add to that the crappy carbohydrate filled junk most Americans eat for breakfast (cereal, breakfast bars, etc.) you are almost asking to get fat.

Tip: eat a slow digesting protein (cottage cheese, casein protein blend) before bed with some fruit/veggies perhaps. It will keep your body out of starvation mode and into calorie burning mode. Don't eat cereal...ever, most are horrible for you.
Did you find this post useful?
|
User Profile
goldiestar replied on July 1st, 2007
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Eating before bed is not a good idea. You already answered your own question. However, should you feel hungry try to drink some water to fill the void and take away the craving. The time between the last meal and bed time should be 2-3 hours. This allows for proper digestion and minimal chance of weight gain.
Did you find this post useful?
|
 
Subject
Message
Jump to: