eating big meal before sleeping

[d_mac_224]

Does anyone know how long is the proper amount of time to wait to go to bed after a meal of 600-700 cals? I know that the body's metabolism slows down during sleep, and I don't want the food to be stored as fat. Is 4 hours long enough? Also, does it matter if the meal os mostly protein or mostly carbs? Thanks for the help.

[marcFE]

Try eating a 400 calorie meal aproximatley right before you go to bed, more then that is a bit overkill unless your a metabolic freak.

Also, I'm not sure who came up with the myth that eating before going to sleep is stored as fat. Your body still has to breathe when its sleeping doesn't it? It breathes and regulates body functions for 8 hours in a near fasting state, pre bed meals make or break you since thats where growth occurs and you need the calories readily available for regrowth at this time.

So, Don't wait 4 hours, I'de recommend making the meal smaller but try and make your last meal of the day aproximatley 30 mins - hour before bed at latest.

Try and keep the meal mostly protein and fats, not because carbs are bad etc, but the closer to flat line insulin stays the better and also it takes much longer to break down proteins and fats which provides a constant stream of nutrients (fibrous veges are also very good before bed since theres a very minute insulin spike and the fiber slows digestion alot)

[GSMan300]

I agree with d_mac. The "don't eat before bed" thing is overhyped.

If by eating a 300-400 calorie meal before bed results in you still being in a calorie deficit for the day then go ahead.

[antbrdwar]

I've been wondering this as well.. Is it safe to assume that if you do have a large meal, say about 800 calories, before going to bed, that when you wake up the meal may still be breaking down and you could use that as an energy source for a workout in the morning? Or is it still a good idea to eat a small meal to break the fast?

[d_mac_224]

But if a big meal can't be avoided, would it be better to wait 4 hours to ensure its not stored as fat?

[marcFE]

But if a big meal can't be avoided, would it be better to wait 4 hours to ensure its not stored as fat?

Pretty much, if you aren't going to sleep hungry after 4 hours the meal needs to be cut down. Sure you can wait 4 hours, but I (personally) have to down way to many calories in 1 sitting to stay full for 4 hours most of the time I start getting hungry after about 1.5 hours and this is eating 500- 600 calories a meal.

Best question I can ask is you bulking or cutting?

If you could possibly eat like 400 calories of the meal at one time and then the other 300 - 400 before bed it would work alot better personally.

Also, are you full when you go to bed? The goal is to be satisfied/full but not stuffed and after 4 hours with your metabolism still going I can't imagine you still being full.

Go to sleep full, but not stuffed, if after 4 hours you aren't hungry and still feel satisfied then that is ok, but personally if its gonna be a giant meal try and break it up or try going to sleep aprox 2 hours after the meal, even if eating right before bed is best

[jhov]

There was a post by Alan Aragon/Zachmurphy that summarised answers to your concerns quite well. Here it is, hope it helps man.


Originally posted by Alan Aragon:
do yourself a favor & don't worry about avoiding carbs at night; worry about hitting your macronutrient totals through regular feeding intervals. and don't worry about the out-of-context manipulation of GH either, that's an especially ridiculous objective - don't stress over the reasons why. here's one of the most brilliant posts i've read, and it definitely applies to the no carbs at night myth, courtesy of "zack the mack":


quote:
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Originally posted by zackmurphy
your body doesn't think on a 24-hour clock. I say this a lot, but I can't say it enough. Isolating your food intake and exercise output to a 1-day scale is a real disservice to you, sinc eyou're working hard to do the right thing, but your body is playing by a different plan.

Your body is working on a 1-month or 3-month plan with respect to calorie needs, consumption demands, fat storage, etc., constantly planning for a rainy day, or eventual starvation. Just about the only thing you can get it to change on a shorter time frame is metabolic rate, and even that takes a few days to shift.

So no, it doesn't matter much that most of your calories are later in the day. Over the span of a month, no big deal.
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amen.

[Cronus]

Originally posted by d_mac_224
Does anyone know how long is the proper amount of time to wait to go to bed after a meal of 600-700 cals? I know that the body's metabolism slows down during sleep, and I don't want the food to be stored as fat. Is 4 hours long enough? Also, does it matter if the meal os mostly protein or mostly carbs? Thanks for the help.

if your worried about gaining fat. then eat your carbs in the morning and afternoon and just have a protein shake with no carbs before bed.

[Melkor]

Bad idea. Whey protein is absorbed within half an hour under normal circumstances, and under many circumstances a fair portion of the protein is burned for energy rather than used for muscle creation/repair. Whey is really only a pwo protein guys. Eat a midsized, slow-digesting protein meal with low carbs and low fat (imo) and that is optimal for night time. Fats can be added to slow absorption of protein, but are not neccesary imo.

[Derek0783]

As long as your a healthy eater you can basically eat anything you want as much as you want. For instance, I haven't had fast food in about 6 months and never consume high sugery products like soda and crap and get a lot of my daily carbs from vegetables. I eat about 7 big meals of clean food everyday, and snacks in between and I haven't gained any access bad fat. But, last year, back when I used to eat like shi* (fast foods, lots of processed ****, and high surgar ****) I would gain lots of unwanted fat even if I ate 3 times per day and my main meals were wholesome healthy meals.

Now that I eat healthy...I eat anything I want anytime as long as its "clean". Later

[Melkor]

Wrong.

While food choices obviously lead to more excess fat when poor, you cannot "eat as much as you want" as long as it is clean. Calories in vs. calories out. No matter how clean they are, if you eat too many calories they will be stored as fat.

[Derek0783]

Like I said, I eat everything I want. 7 big meals a day with snacks inbetween and don't gain any unwanted fat. I eat very healthy and my weekly energy output keeps my bodyfat in as much check as possible. I lift hard and eat big, there is no other way to do it. Later

[d_mac_224]

Thanks for the replies, guys. Even on the days I do eat a large meal later in the day, I never go over my alotted daily cals, so I guess I'm alright. Thanks for the help.