I was just curious as to the responses for this. Usually my work out is at the end of the day, often ending close to 10 pm. I get in my protein shake and usually fiddle around with something around the home. Maybe just getting lunch ready for the next day, resting, or bunches of other things. Anyway, so it gets closer to 11 pm or a bit later and my stomach starts growling. My first reaction is go get something to eat. But is that good? I mean I'm a lifter and would like to keep my muscle. I figured if I'm hungry at 11pm how much more hungery I'll be at 7 am.

But I'd also like to lose a bit of fat. I always heard sleeping on food turns it all to fat since you aren't really doing anything but snoring :D

Any insight for me? Should I just suck it up and go to bed on an empty stomach or indulge? And if I do eat, what would be a good suggestion??

If you are lifting and trying to gain mass, eating later at night is fine. Your body will be craving nutrients for several hours after your workout, so it's not going to "just turn to fat" as you suggest. I've seen diet plans for intense weight training where it's recommended that you set an alarm to wake you from sleep to "eat" (usually a protein shake or something) in the middle of the night. Personally, I enjoy what little sleep I get to do that...

I eat at supper at around 6 pm and then before I go to bed at around 9:40 I just have a glass of milk and a protein bar. I have read about this a while ago and it sounds like the stuff you eat just sits in your stomach because sleep slows down the digesting process. I'm not sure if it turns to fat, but I know your metabolism slows down before and while you sleep so I would assume that more of your food would be stored as fat.

I think eating before bed is always a good idea. Just make sure it's something slow digesting, like milk, cottage cheese, etc. The way I see it, we're all worried about not going more than 3 hrs or so without eating all day, so it just doesn't make sense to stop eating 1-2 hours before going to sleep and then sleeping another 6-9 hours (depending on the person) without eating.

the majority of HGH is released during sleep, and consequently most of your body's recovery is accomplished during sleep. It makes sense to have a slow digesting protein available to your body throughout the night.

johnd

If you're trying to lose fat, you shouldn't eat right before going to sleep. If you have about an hour between your last meal and going to bed, then a little protein or maybe fibrous veggies are ok. Otherwise, try drinking a glass or two of water shortly after your post workout shake/meal. It will help keep you feeling fuller without adding extra calories.