How many hours should my last meal/snack be before I go to bed?

[BodyReconstruct]

Hey Guys,

Can someone please let me know How many hours should my last meal/snack be before I go to bed? Also what supplements might I take to right before I hit the sack, if any.

I'm looking to lower my bodyfat percentage by at LEAST 20%, if not more.

I'm a self proclaimed ENDOMORPH

The ENDOMORPH
The body of the extreme endomorph is round and soft. Where much of the mass has been concentrated in the abdominal area.

Famous Endomorphs
John Goodman, Jack Black.

Also what supplements might I take to right before I hit the sack, if any.

[Mr. Someday]

I am also an endomorph, but I eat right before bed and often in the middle of the night if I wake up. For me, I need to adhere to carb cutoffs (like at 5 or 6 pm) and stick to protein/fats only at night. I also have to keep cardio in year around.

[CrazyEnough]

I use Zinc and magnesium before bed, along with either cottage cheese and 1 oz almonds OR a casein shake... I usually have this last ''meal'' 1-1.5 hours before bed. :)

[BodyReconstruct]

THANKS for your input man. I never thought of the carb cutoffs.


I am also an endomorph, but I eat right before bed and often in the middle of the night if I wake up. For me, I need to adhere to carb cutoffs (like at 5 or 6 pm) and stick to protein/fats only at night. I also have to keep cardio in year around.

[BodyReconstruct]

Sounds great. Someone else mentioned casein shake on another site, so thank you. I was wondering in what forms do you take zinc magnesium? Tablets? Powder?


I use Zinc and magnesium before bed, along with either cottage cheese and 1 oz almonds OR a casein shake... I usually have this last ''meal'' 1-1.5 hours before bed. :)

[chodan9]

sometimes I like to do a casien shake before bed,
my thinking being it takes longer to digest, shortening the night time fast.
I dont think for me waking up to eat is a good idea, the rest at that time is more important than the nutrition, especially if I had some protein right before bed.

[CrazyEnough]

Sounds great. Someone else mentioned casein shake on another site, so thank you. I was wondering in what forms do you take zinc magnesium? Tablets? Powder?

mine are tablets.

Casein and cottage cheese are bow slow digesting protein sources...Thus why they are often suggested for a pre-bed meal

[Hikemike]

I eat 1 cup of cottage cheese plus about 1/2 to 3/4 oz of almonds or natural peanutbutter just before bed. And I also cut out the carbs at my last meal, about 6 pm, but I've cut them down quite a bit anyway.

[Capt_Lou]

About 30 min before bed I eat a cup of cottage cheese. Since I hate the taste of it, I mix in a half scoop of protein powder to sweeten it up a bit and some cinnamon.

[BodyReconstruct]

Thanks for the input Mike! Cottage cheese sounds great.


I eat 1 cup of cottage cheese plus about 1/2 to 3/4 oz of almonds or natural peanutbutter just before bed. And I also cut out the carbs at my last meal, about 6 pm, but I've cut them down quite a bit anyway.

[bulldog71]

Cottage cheese is your friend! lol Learn to love it. I usually have a cup or more of the fat free variety right before I hop in the sack. The ZMA supp works well, but you can't take it anywhere near dairy or iron, so the timing of it can get tricky. I hope this helps.

[BodyReconstruct]

Cottage cheese is your friend! lol Learn to love it. I usually have a cup or more of the fat free variety right before I hop in the sack. The ZMA supp works well, but you can't take it anywhere near dairy or iron, so the timing of it can get tricky. I hope this helps.

Yeah, I've had a great many "cottage cheese" responses...what is the ZMA supp?

Thanks for your input man!

[BodyReconstruct]

Thanks for the input Chodan!


sometimes I like to do a casien shake before bed,
my thinking being it takes longer to digest, shortening the night time fast.
I dont think for me waking up to eat is a good idea, the rest at that time is more important than the nutrition, especially if I had some protein right before bed.

[BodyReconstruct]

So ya don't like the taste of cottage cheese, hugh? Interesting. I learned to love it.

Thanks for your input man!


About 30 min before bed I eat a cup of cottage cheese. Since I hate the taste of it, I mix in a half scoop of protein powder to sweeten it up a bit and some cinnamon.

[bulldog71]

ZMA is a Zinc, Magnesium, Aspartate(I believe that's the combo) stack that will help to raise your test, IGF-1, and GH levels overnight. Search the bodybuilding.com store for ZMA and google the research on it. It's good stuff.

[BodyReconstruct]

ZMA is a Zinc, Magnesium, Aspartate(I believe that's the combo) stack that will help to raise your test, IGF-1, and GH levels overnight. Search the bodybuilding.com store for ZMA and google the research on it. It's good stuff.

Thanks man but I'm not sure what "test" you're refering to, or what IGF-1 and GH levels are...

could ya help me out?

:-)

Thanks

[johnrich69]

The others have hit on a few good things to eat in your later meals, but to answer the question of how many hours should my last mean be. Well for me, I've found that if I'm not HUNGRY for the most important meal of the day (breakfast!!) Than I know that I ate too much the nite before, and this usually results in weight gains around my abs and also starts the "bad" cycle of eating again for the next day! (A very common mistake) among alot of Americans. This and portion control explains alot of our obesity problems in this country! As a reminder because it was already stated upbove that cutting back on carbs in the later meals should also help alot. Hope that this has been helpful, it certainly was for me!!!
My rule of thumb has always been: Breakfast like a king!
Lunch like a prince
Dinner like the homeless
(With clean small portion snacks inbetween) Johnny R

[DVFlyer]

About 30 min before bed I eat a cup of cottage cheese. Since I hate the taste of it, I mix in a half scoop of protein powder to sweeten it up a bit and some cinnamon.

You could add a cut up orange in your cottage cheese. Helps me eat it. I actually like it now. :)

[Joe Go]

These are on my plate for a night meal because they are all very slow burning foods. It helps keep the cravings down for me. I don't eat all this, but these are the typical foods I'll go after if I need something. The salad is pretty much a staple for a before bed meal. Everything else fluxuates.

Cottage cheese
Steak
Chicken
Almonds & walnuts mixed with rasins
salad with broccli (sp?), lettuce, spinich, carrots, green peppers and tomato's

[Capt_Lou]

You could add a cut up orange in your cottage cheese. Helps me eat it. I actually like it now. :)

Fruit for me is a no go, allot of carbs (I eat no carbs after 6) in a orange plus the sugars. I supplement my vitamin C in a daily vitamin.

[rea99]

A good form of casin that makes a filling snack is greek yogurt, its much creamier than reg. yogurt and more filling IMO. Also the protein to carb ratio is better than reg. yogurt. About equal to cottage cheese. Original my son was using this because he couldn't stand cottage cheese, but I like it now too. I believe variety is great, stops me from breaing out the oreo's... most the time.

***e total 0 greek yogurt
8oz. 120 calories, 20g protien, 9carbs(sugar)

no fat cottage cheese
8oz 123 calories, 25g protien, 3carbs(sugar)

no fat reg. yogurt plain
8oz 137 calories, 14g protien, 19carbs(sugar)

that being said I eat dinner about 6 then w/else it is I am going to eat about 30 mins. before bedtime. Just long enough to close down the house, brush teeth, etc. afterwards.

[liftiron68]

Now I do the same with carbs and stop around 6pm (bedtime around 9pm), however I have a half serving of a gainer protein shake right before bed. However, my goal is to gain muscle and I have read this is a good thing to do.

I am wondering if it would help lose weight as I can feel my "heat" turn up in the middle of the night. Usually it's my wife telling me to move over cause I'm on fire.

Not sure if that would work for you or not... just a thought.

[kevin1313]

i prefer 1 to 30 min before bed if is a full meal like cottage cheese or greek yougurt
and if its caisen shake 15 before bed
my favorite last meal is 1 scoop of ON whey and 200g of greek yougurt with 100g frozen blueberries
or sometimes 100 greek your 100g cottage cheese
hope it helps

[Brackneyc]

exactly one hour.

[Joog]

Preferably an hour but sometimes it's ten minutes.

200g fat free cottage cheese/tablespoon of natural peanut butter. (macros 30/15/17)
I used to hate CC but now I'm used to it, it tastes like peanut butter flavored ice cream...

or

30g whey protein powder/200g fat free natural yoghurt/dozen raspberries (macros 41/20/3.5)

[EjnarKolinkar]

Hey Guys,
Can someone please let me know How many hours should my last meal/snack be before I go to bed? Also what supplements might I take to right before I hit the sack, if any.
Also what supplements might I take to right before I hit the sack, if any.

Are you hungry at night? I mean that is the real question. I am and always have been. I dropped 90 pounds usually eating 2/3 cup high fiber cereal, 3/4 scoop casein protein, and 1/2 cup milk plus a little water about 30 min before bed. This kept me from getting up at 2 AM and eating a 7 pound roast.

If your not ripping the door off the fridge late at night eating less is ok, just a little slower digesting protein is generally accepted as a good thing. Some people like to go the fat and protein mix route like a piece of meat and a tablespoon of peanut butter. Mixed meals are supposed to digest slower.

Don't be afraid to tailor it a bit to your preferences as long as you meet your goals for the day macro wise.

[flatiron]

I usually find it a challenge to eat all the calories I am supposed to. I try to get it done with at least 30 minutes before bed, preferably an hour but that's usually not the case. I have some egg protein mixed with a cup of milk right before hitting the sack.

When I eventually cut, I am afraid I'll need to be more careful about how approach bedtime, carb cutoffs, carb cycling, etc. But until then I am not going to fret it.

[bigtallox]

Can someone please let me know How many hours should my last meal/snack be before I go to bed?


I eat a snack in bed before I fall asleep, and I get up at 3:30 AM to eat another snack.



Also what supplements might I take to right before I hit the sack, if any.


I can't answer that without knowing more about your diet and what supplements you need because of wholes in your diet.




I'm a self proclaimed ENDOMORPH


Labels like that tend to be self fulfilling prophecies.




The ENDOMORPH
The body of the extreme endomorph is round and soft. Where much of the mass has been concentrated in the abdominal area.


Sounds like somebody who doesn't lift.

[yakabebe]

without igniting a firestorm...Im not sure the body has a time that it wants you to eat before bed.

Without sheeting the notion home to broscience...is there any empirical basis for a timed end of eating?

Otherwise Im with:

exactly one hour.

On the button.