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Beware of Late-Night Eating
Don't eat after 7 pm.
It's okay to eat late at night so long as you didn't pig out during the day.
Scratch that. It's not about timing, it's about calories.
No, it's about timing and calories!
Confused? I know, the messages tend to get mixed and muddled. So let me set the record straight (for now) based on a recent finding that will have you thinking twice about that late-night snack.
Northwestern University has just come out with a study that shows what a lot of people don't want to hear: eating when the body prefers to be sleeping (ahem, when it's dark outside and most of your neighbors are in bed) can have an impact on weight gain - regardless of your calorie load for the day. Timing your meals, it turns out, plays a much bigger role in your weight equation than previously thought.
This doesn't surprise me in the least. We've known for quite some time how influential the body's internal clock, or circadian rhythm, can be on its physiology. Recent studies have also confirmed that this clock regulates energy use, suggesting the timing of meals may matter in the balance between caloric intake and expenditure. In other words, time a meal badly in relation to your body's clock, and you'll gain weight. Time it perfectly, and your body will use those incoming calories to burn for energy rather than store them as fat.
Without even getting into the scientific details of how this is so, it's easy to imagine how the body would prefer to not have to work so hard when it wants to sleep. The moment you put something in your mouth when the body is trying to slow down and get some rest, it's screaming back at you: What are ya doing? It's time for bed! I don't want to burn these calories now. Let's save them for tomorrow...and put them on the shelf for now (as fat).
So, based on these findings, let me offer some advice short of writing the new diet book:
- Set a time after which you try not to eat anything prior to bed. Ideally, this time should be at least an hour before hitting the pillow.
- Choose bedtime snacks intelligently. If you eat dinner on the early side, and need a snack before bedtime, go for something that entails complex carbs and a little protein, such as a piece of toast with a small smearing of a nut butter on top.
- Avoid fatty foods before bedtime. This is not the time to be chowing down on hot fudge sundaes, triple-cheese pizzas, and the classic burger and fries.
I've always said that getting good sleep is one of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to lose weight. Now there's one more reason hit the hay on a empty stomach.
Sweet Dreams.
Michael J. Breus, PhD
The Sleep Doctor™
www.thesleepdoctor.com
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Labels: body clock, sleep, weight loss
13 Comments:
this makes so much sense but at times it's so hard to follow...the cookies call me from the closet and the only way ton shut them up is to munch a few
Actually, it is not true. For example, my body doesn't want to sleep. To help me sleep better I take a calming hot bath and also brush my teeth to calm my hunger down. The first thing in my mind is am I really properly fed? In fact, one is not supposed to be continually hungry or thirsty throughout the night. However, I don't usually eat after dinner. And nobody should even eat after 8:00pm.
It is so hard for me to not eat something before I go to bed,. It's like you have to feed a baby before bed time . T tried cereal , it seem to work. But when i needed something salty to eat it usually goes out of control and I end up having this and that and then I am guilty of having eaten all that. That is my worst time of calorie consuming.I feel like taking sleeping pill which could put me to sleep right away so I could forget about food. It is really tough.
a handful of crackers (wheat thins preferably) helps me sleep...but i am probably fooling myself. The other day i ate a whole can of pork and beans while in bed. Ugh!
this is so true, when i didnt eat after 6:00 p.m i lost weight. i ate whatever during the day, but as long as i stuck to the b4 6 program, the weight came off.
This is very true but may not work for everyone. If you can do it, drink water after 6-7 and it will replace the hunger. :)
So many of us like to eat before bed but it isn't good for us. A couple of years ago I had to start on a night time medicine that required you not to eat within a few hours of taking or it decreased the effects. I decided not to eat after 7:00. It was hard at first but when I noticed that I was loosing weight and weight loss has always been a struggle for me; it was easier not to want those evening and night time snacks. I ended up loosing 90 pounds and dropped from a size 18 to size 4.
But if you drink water after 7 pm, you'll be up all night urinating.
This will not work for me because my day at work doesn't end till 11pm. I have to eat dinner around midnight because that is the time I get home. At 6pm I am just getting my first break, the next chance I get to eat is 9pm, by the time I get home I'm starving. I can't go from then till 1pm (the time I get up and have breakfast) the next day without food. I try to eat healthy meals, like cereal or fruit for my dinner but nothing helps.
I am agree with this post.I had suffered alot in my life because of eating at late night.I will only suggest you to do exercise.I would like to say exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!
keep doing exercise...
acai berry
I work straight midnights but not the same set schedule. I start with good intentions to eat healthy but then i get so screwed up from lack of sleep that i eat everything,especially before i go to bed am and pm. Do you have advice on how i can help my body adjust to the constant changes?
I'm concerned for my dad (age 65) because he wakes up numerous times during the night to eat. When he gets up to eat, he's eating cookies, crackers, ice cream, etc. Sometimes he's up 2-3 times a night. He doesn't sleep during the day or nap, and goes to bed around 10-10:30 every night. It doesn't visibly seem like he's "paying for it" during the day except for the fact that is gaining weight. What causes him to want to eat during the night like that? Is it w medical problem?
Your father may suffer from NES or night eating syndrome.I am suffering as well so I have no ideas on a cure.
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