New? Read This: Eating Before Bed

[Scooter4]

Personally, I am tired of the multiple threads that are posted every day asking about eating before bed. I am hoping either this (or another thread with more scientific facts) can be made into a sticky to help eliminate these threads.

There is nothing wrong with eating before bed. Weight gain/weight loss is determined by how many calories you eat during the day, not when you eat it. As long as you fit whatever you are eating before bed into your daily calorie/macro count, there is no harm done.

As for the best foods to eat before bed? The best foods to eat would be some form of casein protein (cottage cheese, milk, casein powder, etc) along with a fat source (olive oil, peanut butter, etc). The reasoning behind this is that casein protein is slow digesting and fat slows the digestion of protein. This results in your body receiving a slow release of nutrients throughout the night where your body is fasting and not receiving any food. However, as stated earlier, you can really eat whatever as long as you fit it in your macros. It doesn't have to be protein and fat... Carbs are just fine as well.

[Gusthebus]

This is true ^^^ people always ask" is it ok to eat before bed?" and the answer is yes ^^^ good post maybe it will open the eyes of the people who lack knowledge

[tagun]

Such threads have been created many times in hopes of stopping the ridiculousness you're describing.

Sadly they have all failed at their mission.

Eating before bed, eating carbs, eating sugar and eating every 2 hours will always be 90% of nutrition subsection threadage.

[Scooter4]

Such threads have been created many times in hopes of stopping the ridiculousness you're describing.

Sadly they have all failed at their mission.

Eating before bed, eating carbs, eating sugar and eating every 2 hours will always be 90% of nutrition subsection threadage.

Hey I can try, can't I?

[j4ck3d_N_Y]

good thread...i just read a thread about this that literally made me facepalm irl

[Sick96stang]

Not trying to defend the people scared of eating carbs before bed but just wondering does anybody have any evidence that there really is no difference if you eat carbs at night? I realize weight loss/gain is pretty much completetley dependent on overall calories but fat gain/loss has other factors that come into play. Will eating carbs before bed have a negative effect on fat gain/loss at all? Is there any studies in regards to this issue?

[Popsicles]

Not trying to defend the people scared of eating carbs before bed but just wondering does anybody have any evidence that there really is no difference if you eat carbs at night? I realize weight loss/gain is pretty much completetley dependent on overall calories but fat gain/loss has other factors that come into play. Will eating carbs before bed have a negative effect on fat gain/loss at all? Is there any studies in regards to this issue?

If I had to guess, and this is completely a shot in the dark.. but I think the reason this myth has been perpetuated is because carbs + water = bloat..so you wake up weighing more ? Because of water weight..

[AlwaysTryin]

If I had to guess, and this is completely a shot in the dark.. but I think the reason this myth has been perpetuated is because carbs + water = bloat..so you wake up weighing more ? Because of water weight..

and the fact carbs were always talked about as "energy" and being asleep you don't use "energy" so they always said you can't have them before bed as you won't use any "energy" and they will get stored...

[ErickStevens]

I had a dream... That the bb.com gods saw fit to finally give us what we want. Two new sub-forums: Diet Critique and Beginner Nutrition. Some day perhaps. Some day.

[AlwaysTryin]

I had a dream... That the bb.com gods saw fit to finally give us what we want. Two new sub-forums: Diet Critique and Beginner Nutrition. Some day perhaps. Some day.

Or a system block on any new threads with a partial similarity of 60% or more in text matching software

[SUPER_MANLET]

Guy check these threads just need more support from you all..

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=125735173 = this one i posted in give us your ideas section


and here where it began

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...5111231&page=3 <<<<


check both

[waatsgood]

Wouldnt doubt it if something like this was posted before, but good post anyways, repped.


Can someone please make this a sticky so we can stop seeing the same question?

[Scooter4]

I had a dream... That the bb.com gods saw fit to finally give us what we want. Two new sub-forums: Diet Critique and Beginner Nutrition. Some day perhaps. Some day.

And a Nutrition log section.

[Sick96stang]

and the fact carbs were always talked about as "energy" and being asleep you don't use "energy" so they always said you can't have them before bed as you won't use any "energy" and they will get stored...

Yea this is the most popular idea I hear for why carbs should be avoided at night. Which logically it makes sense but sometimes logic doesnt always hold true

[EmperorRyker]

No, logically it doesn't make sense, because you DO use energy at night. If you don't, however, and your metabolism completely shuts down, then you have more pressing matters to tend to than worry about carbs.

[Sick96stang]

No, logically it doesn't make sense, because you DO use energy at night. If you don't, however, and your metabolism completely shuts down, then you have more pressing matters to tend to than worry about carbs.

You use a very minimal amount of energy while sleeping.

[steelo79]

you know what I'M getting sick of? this whole "as long as it's in your macros" bullsht. it's so not the case (regardless of what it says in the ever-changing pre/post/during, sticky). for example...why are you even recommending a pre-bed meal, if it doesn't matter? and why are you recommending a slow digesting protein, if TECHNICALLY it doesn't matter what protein is used, as long as the numbers match up? exactly.

and no offense to you...this post is just the straw that broke the camels back with me. i'm so tired of people acting like nothing matters anymore, "as long as it's in the macros". it DOES MATTER.

/rant

[UCFBuilder]

I always LOL when i tell people my night time meal has almost 40g of fat from PB, 60g of Protein and 30g of carbs from a mix of PB and SF chocolate pudding and i eat it 5 mins before i pass out for the night..they gasp like im gonna gain 10 pounds of pure fat..i tell them i lose weight while doing that and they cant grasp the concept...the average persons nutritional knowledge is so far down the drain..im afraid nothing beyond them doing hours of thier own research will help

creating thread like this wont help either..but at least u gave it a shot..tomorrow i promise a whole new breed of "what to eat at night" thread will arise like they always do

[drive4greatness]

you know what I'M getting sick of? this whole "as long as it's in your macros" bullsht. it's so not the case (regardless of what it says in the ever-changing pre/post/during, sticky). for example...why are you even recommending a pre-bed meal, if it doesn't matter? and why are you recommending a slow digesting protein, if TECHNICALLY it doesn't matter what protein is used, as long as the numbers match up? exactly.

and no offense to you...this post is just the straw that broke the camels back with me. i'm so tired of people acting like nothing matters anymore, "as long as it's in the macros". it DOES MATTER.

/rant

No it doesn't matter. None of that crap matters.

[Scooter4]

you know what I'M getting sick of? this whole "as long as it's in your macros" bullsht. it's so not the case (regardless of what it says in the ever-changing pre/post/during, sticky). for example...why are you even recommending a pre-bed meal, if it doesn't matter? and why are you recommending a slow digesting protein, if TECHNICALLY it doesn't matter what protein is used, as long as the numbers match up? exactly.

and no offense to you...this post is just the straw that broke the camels back with me. i'm so tired of people acting like nothing matters anymore, "as long as it's in the macros". it DOES MATTER.

/rant

Calm down bro. Of course there a things that are better to eat at certain times. Does that mean if you don't eat them at the right time you will not meet your bodybuilding goals? No. For example, it is BEST to drink a whey protein shake right after your workout. Is it necessary? Absolutely not. Will eating a meal be just as beneficial? Of course. Is eating casein and fat before bed the best route to go? Possibly. Is it that big of a deal? Not at all. Please explain to me why the claim that "as long as it fits in your macors" is bull**** when it comes to body composition? Now if we are talking about general health, that is a whole different topic.

I am pretty sure I made that all pretty clear in my original post.

[Avaric3]

I had a dream... That the bb.com gods saw fit to finally give us what we want. Two new sub-forums: Diet Critique and Beginner Nutrition. Some day perhaps. Some day.

that would just split the nutrition section into 2 lol

[RealMenDeadLift]

You use a very minimal amount of energy while sleeping.

No less than sitting on your ass watching TV or on the computer.

[4ca_mma]

you know what I'M getting sick of? this whole "as long as it's in your macros" bullsht. it's so not the case (regardless of what it says in the ever-changing pre/post/during, sticky). for example...why are you even recommending a pre-bed meal, if it doesn't matter? and why are you recommending a slow digesting protein, if TECHNICALLY it doesn't matter what protein is used, as long as the numbers match up? exactly.

and no offense to you...this post is just the straw that broke the camels back with me. i'm so tired of people acting like nothing matters anymore, "as long as it's in the macros". it DOES MATTER.

/rant

well that rumor got started here and the new generation of manlets believe it...its not going to change just let it go like i did, because your not gonna get anywhere...ive gotten so much neg rep arguing this exact subject...

[BookMonkey]

you know what I'M getting sick of? this whole "as long as it's in your macros" bullsht. it's so not the case (regardless of what it says in the ever-changing pre/post/during, sticky). for example...why are you even recommending a pre-bed meal, if it doesn't matter? and why are you recommending a slow digesting protein, if TECHNICALLY it doesn't matter what protein is used, as long as the numbers match up? exactly.

and no offense to you...this post is just the straw that broke the camels back with me. i'm so tired of people acting like nothing matters anymore, "as long as it's in the macros". it DOES MATTER.

/rant

Well, it does matter, sorta. If you're a beginner and don't know much about the specifics, then the basics are calories in vs calories out. But that really isn't bodybuilding nutrition. A step beyond would be macros. A step beyond would be supplements. A step beyond would be meal timing.

I am, of course, generalizing, but the point is that it matters to some people, but doesn't apply to everyone. Each of the steps are basically forms of fine tuning one's diet. But if you aren't hitting your macros, then meal timing won't really mean jack. Same goes for supplements if you aren't eating the calories you need to be eating.

Not all rules apply to everyone. Except rule #34 (no flame).

[ironwill2008]

Hey I can try, can't I?

Sure you can. But by the time this thread drops onto the 3rd page, a dozen new threads asking about eating at night will appear. Putting anything into "sticky" form is an automatic kiss of death on this entire site, not just this forum.


Thus, it always was, and thus it shall always be.

[AngelicMotive]

You even burn a lot of calories in your sleep...
So whats the problem? lol

[TBU720]

I wouldn't say that there is zero effect of eating before bed. Or at least, I wouldn't say that calories consumed per day is the only thing that matters.

Sumo wrestlers gain thier fat by following an ancient method of training fasted all day, eating, take a nap, then eat again, and sleep for the night.

So will a normal person have problems if they eat a small meal before bed? No. But I don't think it is correct to say that timing your meals has NOTHING to do with the way your body handles the food.

[steelo79]

reps for those with common sense

[agvares]

I wouldn't say that there is zero effect of eating before bed. Or at least, I wouldn't say that calories consumed per day is the only thing that matters.

Sumo wrestlers gain thier fat by following an ancient method of training fasted all day, eating, take a nap, then eat again, and sleep for the night.

So will a normal person have problems if they eat a small meal before bed? No. But I don't think it is correct to say that timing your meals has NOTHING to do with the way your body handles the food.

this ancient method is being widely practiced by american citizens. it's called eating like a goddamn pig.

timing is important, but the overall food value is crucial and is #1 when it comes to bulking\gaining.

[determined4000]

I wouldn't say that there is zero effect of eating before bed. Or at least, I wouldn't say that calories consumed per day is the only thing that matters.

Sumo wrestlers gain thier fat by following an ancient method of training fasted all day, eating, take a nap, then eat again, and sleep for the night.

So will a normal person have problems if they eat a small meal before bed? No. But I don't think it is correct to say that timing your meals has NOTHING to do with the way your body handles the food.

sumos arent fat because of meal timing
they eat 15,000-20,000 calories a day
I also train fasted and eat my biggest meal before sleeping (all calories in final 6hrs of the day)