late night eating..

[tblair7788]

I work from 2 30 til 11pm ... i eat lunch at 7 30 pm.. But when i get home i am hungry.. if i am trying to lose some weight is it wrong for me to eat before i go to bed.. I dont have a five course dinner but about 300-500 calories.. Thanks

[Joe Black]

I think the late eating this will put on wieght is a myth..

I mean in some ways it is better... The later you eat the less time your body goes without food while you sleep which is better for your metabolism and better for you to burn fat....

Perhaps some peeps here can fill you in better.. Ie what is best to stay away from etc...

[Avatar]

I don't believe its a myth. Whether or not its to the extent some people think, I'm unsure.
Excess carbs that the body doesn't use gets stored as fat and late at night we aren't as active (our metabolism slows down) so there is a great chance of carbs being converted to body fat.

While I'm cutting, I eat no carbs after 6:30pm but I still have 2 meals of protein at 9:00 and again before bed.

[Spiderman]

I agree with Avatar... Carbs at nite really will be of no benefit to you at all. Just have a protein shake or two and call it good.

[gino]

I disagree. Carbs being stored as fat has much to do with your body's REACTION to carb intake, not necessarily your metabolism - calories are calories, so what type of calories you eat has little bearing on your body's ability to process them. A slow metabolism will have trouble properly burning calories from ANY source. If you consistantly eat a steady amount of carbs with each meal throughout the day, carbs before bed are OK, because your carb sensitivity will be minimal. If you haven't eaten carbs consistantly throughout the day and then eat them before bed, your body may react with a rapid increase in blood glucose. This RAPID increase will result in your body overcompensating by producing too much insulin. This, in turn, will result in some of the carbs being stored as fat. I eat SOME carbs before bed every night - not a lot, but some. My carb source of choice with my before bed meal is a slice of wheat bread - a very easy source of carbs for your body to process. Give it a try, THEN make your decision. Personal experience beats scientific evidence or opinions from a "fitness guru" any day.

[Yaz]

Guess that's why I haven't gotten fat with the carbs right before bed. I am not sure if there is any scientific proof of this, but I notice if I do take SOME before I sleep... I get a much better rest overnight, and a much better pump in the gym the day after.

Then again, it could ALL be mental. Probably is. I'm a carb freak, and taking them in makes me feel good.

[The_Chicken_Daddy]

Avatar, that theory only works if all your carbs stores are full. If the lad hasn't eaten since 7:30pm, then eating a small amount of carbs at 11pm will not make him fat.

The liver can store up to 60g of carbs, once full then the muscles hold some.

Only once all the stores are full will the body convert the carbs into body fat.

So it is indeed a myth.

[Avatar]

Where did you get that info CD?
I'd like to read up on it.

[The_Chicken_Daddy]

Bio book sorry Av.

[tblair7788]

I just wanted to thank all you guys for all your opinions and advice.. You are helping me alot.. The best option for me is ..not to eat.. a empty stomach at night is a leaner stomach in the morning..got that from mens health.. thanks again..

[Maki Riddington]

Originally posted by gino
Personal experience beats scientific evidence or opinions from a "fitness guru" any day.

Interesting.
What is the definition of a "fitness guru"

[Cackerot69]

"The best option for me is ..not to eat.. a empty stomach at night is a leaner stomach in the morning..got that from mens health.. thanks again.."

That is the worst thing you could do. The second worst thing you could do is read Men's Health.

[Maki Riddington]

Funny guy.

[Hock]

Is Oatmeal a good choice for carbs at night i am trying to add muscle while keeping bodyfat to a min. I am 160lbs 18 yrs. 5'10" bodyfat 10% or less I take in over 200grams of protein around 40-50g of fat and 160g of carbs including the bowl of oats before bed

[gino]

Mac - There is no existing definition - I thought it would be self explanatory. A "fitness guru" is probably someone like the guy who wrote the article he read in Mens Health.

Why do you find that interesting? Is personal experience, trial and error, not the best way to learn?

[Ronan]

Carbs before bed interfere with growth hormone release. Remember growth hormone is probably the key hormone for staying lean

I havent eaten carbs in my last meal before bed for years,its strange how I never get fat and stay lean easily.

a small amount of low gyclemic carbs before bed wont make you fat but if your looking to get ripped I would think again.

[gino]

As with just about anything, it's dose related. I doubt that my 14 grams of carbs from wheat bread affects my GH release. I wouldn't, however, suck down 16oz of grape juice before bed, though.

I have been eating a small amount of carbs before bed for a year now. I have no trouble staying lean, either. In fact, I was able to reach 6% body fat while eating over 250 grams of carbs every day - 7 meals, 35-40g carbs with every one. Before bed, 14 grams. I now eat between 350 and 400 grams every day and have maintained 8-9% body fat for 2 months now. 95% of my carbs come from wheat, oatmeal, and fruit. Everyone is different, though. Like I said, personal experience is the best knowledge to have, so try both.

[Cackerot69]

" I havent eaten carbs in my last meal before bed for years,its strange how I never get fat and stay lean easily."

maybe the clen has something to do with it?

[Ronan]

how was you able to get down to 6% eating so much carbs. did you compensate by increasing your cardiovascular work?

I am going to keep my cals higher this time and do more cardio as a means of creating a caloire deficit, to see if I will mentain more lean muscle

[Ronan]

10 days on clen I do not think so

[Anthony]

Ronan, 30+ tabs in 10 days @ 17 years old? As a fitness guru, aren't you concerned with side effects this could have on you?

And if you had no trouble getting lean ... why would you use it in the first place?

Just a couple of honest questions.

[Maki Riddington]

Originally posted by gino
Mac - There is no existing definition - I thought it would be self explanatory. A "fitness guru" is probably someone like the guy who wrote the article he read in Mens Health.

Why do you find that interesting? Is personal experience, trial and error, not the best way to learn?

I wasn't questioning you on what you said,I agree with you.Personal experience does work wonders but don't turn your head to science, it helps with the process and can lead you in the right direction.

It's not often I see someone use the term "fitness guru"
Usally it is someone who has amassed a following of people who can't make up their mind what to believe in.

[gino]

Ronan - I did very little cardio - only tuesday/thursday mornings for 30 minutes. I'm not sure, but I'd guess that achieving a caloric defecit without cardio would better support muscle growth/maintenance. As you know, cardio will deplete glycogen stores. Of course, glycogen can easily be replenished, but I'll bet that achieving a caloric defecit through diet would be better.

[Frankster]

Ronan.. I thought it was just one tab?
also what happened with that tread in your competition forum?

[The_Chicken_Daddy]

Originally posted by tblair7788
I just wanted to thank all you guys for all your opinions and advice.. You are helping me alot.. The best option for me is ..not to eat.. a empty stomach at night is a leaner stomach in the morning..got that from mens health.. thanks again..

Hey man, i just noticed this. Cack is right, this really is the worst thing you could do.

Eating at 7:30pm then not again until breakfast is a long wait. What you wanna do, if you don't wanna eat carbs, is eat something that is all protein and then whip in a bit of 'good fat' to send your body into 'anabolic overdrive'!

An example would be tuna (straight from the can) with some flax, sunflower or olive oil. Or you could scramble some egg whites and whip one or two yolkes in there for taste and fat.

I'm sure there's plenty more examples.