but can't you even eat some fruit? like grapes or a banana or apple or tomato, maybe a kiwi, nothing?

Why do you want to eat right before bed? Do you get hungry at night? Or is it just like a mental thing where you think you need to eat something. If you really are hungry then, I think eating small fruit would be okay. I usually go for a cup of unbuttered popcorn, because its low in calories and it fills me up.

i don't know, cuz i usually watch tv right before going to bed i guess, and i always eat during watching tv, or i do something else, like fixing my eyebrows, i dunno, i just have to do something...

but is it really bad then, eating fruit before going to bad? it seems alright to me..

Hello, There should be nothing wrong with eating before you go to bed, if you don't need to loose weight and you aren't gaining weight from it. Fruit at night is not going to kill you. If you have a weight problem, then that is a different issue. I balance my food intake all day, so I can snack at night. I snack at night, because I get hungry easily and there is no way I could sleep with hunger pains. My brother-in-law used to say that if you eat peanuts or anything else before bed, you'll get a tummy ache; however, he was skimping on money so he could have an affair and didn't want to spend his precious money on food for his kids. My mother always said it's better to go to bed on a full/happy stomach than go to bed hungry. If it's just a case of keeping busy and you really aren't hungry, you can always read a book.

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Magpie

from all your other posts, u are trying to lose weight.

if you are getting hungry before u head to bed, check your dinner , perhaps you're getting to many simple carbs which digest fast (so u get hungry faster)

why eat before you go to bed. you're just going to sleep and the energy you would get from eating those calories is more likely to be stored.

ok thanks, ill just try to get controll over me then and not eat before going to bed at all, 2 hours before sleeping eh? ok thanks you all http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif it's been very usefull information

Eating right before you go to bed is not "bad" for you.
Take a look at these points:

1) It is the TOTAL amount of calories you consume during the day that counts for weight loss, not WHEN you eat them.

2) You burn more calories sleeping than you do sitting watching TV and that a fact.

3) Eating carbs before you go to sleep can interrupt your sleep patterns and that's not good for health or weight loss. If you're going to snack late at night rather snack on something with a higher protein content than carbs.

Originally posted by Rogue:
Eating right before you go to bed is not "bad" for you.
Take a look at these points:

1) It is the TOTAL amount of calories you consume during the day that counts for weight loss, not WHEN you eat them.

2) You burn more calories sleeping than you do sitting watching TV and that a fact.

3) Eating carbs before you go to sleep can interrupt your sleep patterns and that's not good for health or weight loss. If you're going to snack late at night rather snack on something with a higher protein content than carbs.

1) you are right that calorie balance at the end of the day will be the determining factor, however, she is trying to lose weight. therefore, there's no advantage to eating late at night when those calories will be likely to be stored. because she is trying to lose weight, a calorie deficit will aid in weight loss.

2)when your body is at rest (sleep), the metabolism automatically slows down. this is why people who train seriously *eat* first thing in the morning, to avoid catabolism since the body is in a semi-fasted state and also kick start their metabolism. i'm curious about what u read/heard that you dont feel this is true.

3) if there's surplus calories at the end of the day, whether they come from protein, carbs, or fat..they can be stored as fat.

Then again if you have acid reflux, the last thing you want to do is eat before going to bed.

Chopstix gal,

Firstly let me say that eating right before bed is not "bad for you. It 's not the best thing for your sleep or weight loss efforts but it is NOT bad for you.

1) + 3) It is the total amount of calories that counts. It doesn't really matter when you eat your calories, if your intake is more than what you burned during the day there will be a surplus that will be stored. It's as simple as that.
But no, it's not the best thing for weight loss to eat before you are totally inactive. This brings me to ...

2) It is a fact that a person will burn more calories sleeping than when watching TV motionless. So if you have a choice of eating before sitting in front of the telly for a few hours or eating before you go to sleep, for weight loss purposes it would probably be better to eat before you sleep.

Everyone has a different metabolism, and you are the only one that knows yours. Some people can eat at midnight, go to bed and wake up fine and never gain a pound, others need only look at food after 8pm and gain 5 pounds. total calories counts but it also has alot to do with activity. High input,(calories) low output(exercise, some activity) equals gain(weight) If you are really hungry try crunching on a celery stick dipped in a little peanut butter to see if that helps.

Originally posted by Rogue:
Chopstix gal,

Firstly let me say that eating right before bed is not "bad for you. It 's not the best thing for your sleep or weight loss efforts but it is NOT bad for you.

1) + 3) It is the total amount of calories that counts. It doesn't really matter when you eat your calories, if your intake is more than what you burned during the day there will be a surplus that will be stored. It's as simple as that.
But no, it's not the best thing for weight loss to eat before you are totally inactive. This brings me to ...

2) It is a fact that a person will burn more calories sleeping than when watching TV motionless. So if you have a choice of eating before sitting in front of the telly for a few hours or eating before you go to sleep, for weight loss purposes it would probably be better to eat before you sleep.


hi rogue, i didn't mean to imply that eating before bed is "bad", we are both saying the same thing http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

as for #2..u stated "this is a fact", ? have u heard that breakfast is recommendation to 'kick start" metabolism? this implies that your body goes into "fasting" mode when u are sleeping.

Chopstix_gal,

Yes, your body goes into fasting mode when you're sleeping.
Why?
Because you're not eating for about 8 hours (fasting) not because it's not doing anything.

jmars, you're right, it doesn't really matter.

I personally eat my at about 7pm at night and have a snack around 8:30 or 9:00.
I've lost 50 pounds doing this because my total calories for the day are less than the calories I burn through the day.

But some people can't eat after a certain time at night - either for physical or mental reasons.

What you are all missing is that eating late and then going to bed puts a strain on the heart and digestive tract, believe it or not the heart and digestive tract do need rest and that is the time during the entire day it gets it. Most naturopaths and md suggest limiting the amount of food intake late at night for just that reason. Everyones metabolism is different but the need for rest doesn't change when it comes to the digestive tract and heart muscle, they are muscle and like any other in the body need rest as well.

NancyH, I don't think jennifer was referring to eating a big meal late at night but rather a small snack to keep her hunger at bay.

A small snack is hardley going to have the consequenses on your body that you have described.