hungry!

[pumpedupgurl]

i get hungry at night...is this okay??? is it okay to eat lots of healthy food at night..im tlaking like before bed...??? are carbs( like oatmeal) okay before bed even if ur cutting?

[imperfectly_lou]

You've posted 2 recent threads on

1. Wanting more muscle
2. Only eating 1200cals per day

and now you are posting you're hungry!

My dear, of course you are hungry on 1,200cals per day! I would recommend a minimum of 1500cals and if you want more muscle, even more!

[TigerAngelLeigh]

Eat sufficient food regularly throughout the day to minimise your evening hunger. Having said that, it makes no difference what time you eat - eating in the evening doesn't make you any fatter than eating during the day; it's just that most people are more likely to come home from work and eat out of boredom or stress and grab junk food and ready meals. Yes, these extra calories may be stored as fat rather than used up straight away, but your overall calorific intake determines how much energy you store as fat - not when you eat. A lot of people have no choice but to eat in the evenings: I work from 3pm til 8:15pm with only a fifteen minute break (not long enough to eat a meal, even if healthy food was available), so I have to eat my dinner at about 9pm by the time I get home and cook it. It hasn't made any difference to my weightloss.

[mommy*2*3]

Hi there! Well, I read your journal to see where you are at with your diet and calories. There's a couple of things that I noticed. You really are not eating enough. You need more protein if you want to stay low carb. I noticed some meals you have like 3 broccoli flowerettes. That is nothing ...have like 1 cup or more. This will not cause you to gain weight...it's mostly fiber. Also post workout you need to have a protein shake with quickly digesting carbs like fruit or dextrose.
I noticed that you want to look like some of the pro figure girls. OK, those girls do not look like that year round. You will make yourself sick trying to look like that. There is a lot that goes into a photoshoot or a competition. IT is unhealthy to stay that lean year round and your body will pay for it later. Also it's pretty hard to gain muscle when you are not eating enough. So please eat more Like I said, if anything add more protein to your diet. If you are hungry at night then have a protein shae...20 to 30g of protein is not going to do any damage. I think oats before bed is not a good idea but you can try it and see how your body reacts. Maybe it will benefit you since you're not eating enough.

[pumpedupgurl]

Hi there! Well, I read your journal to see where you are at with your diet and calories. There's a couple of things that I noticed. You really are not eating enough. You need more protein if you want to stay low carb. I noticed some meals you have like 3 broccoli flowerettes. That is nothing ...have like 1 cup or more. This will not cause you to gain weight...it's mostly fiber. Also post workout you need to have a protein shake with quickly digesting carbs like fruit or dextrose.
I noticed that you want to look like some of the pro figure girls. OK, those girls do not look like that year round. You will make yourself sick trying to look like that. There is a lot that goes into a photoshoot or a competition. IT is unhealthy to stay that lean year round and your body will pay for it later. Also it's pretty hard to gain muscle when you are not eating enough. So please eat more Like I said, if anything add more protein to your diet. If you are hungry at night then have a protein shae...20 to 30g of protein is not going to do any damage. I think oats before bed is not a good idea but you can try it and see how your body reacts. Maybe it will benefit you since you're not eating enough.

what do u mena not a good idea to eat oats?why?

[mommy*2*3]

what do u mena not a good idea to eat oats?why?

You're not going to be using up the carbs from the oats at night when you're sleeping. Like I said, you can try incorporating them into your diet and night and see if it helps with the hunger cravings.

[pumpedupgurl]

If im craving oats at night is that ok to eat them?

[Miranda]

If im craving oats at night is that ok to eat them?

if you lift in the pm and are trying to bulk and really are hungry i see no reason not to eat oats.

[pumpedupgurl]

iam trying to cut, but sometimes i crave oats...can i eat theM??? if not what is the best before bed snack???

[mommy*2*3]

iam trying to cut, but sometimes i crave oats...can i eat theM??? if not what is the best before bed snack???

If you're cutting then I would not advise on eating oats before bed, have a protein shake. If you really want the oats then just have them...it's not going to kill you to have them one night. It sounds to me like you want someone to tell you to go ahead and have the oats. I just told you that you really should eat more throughout the day then maybe you wouldn't be craving the oats so badly at night.

[pumpedupgurl]

If you're cutting then I would not advise on eating oats before bed, have a protein shake. If you really want the oats then just have them...it's not going to kill you to have them one night. It sounds to me like you want someone to tell you to go ahead and have the oats. I just told you that you really should eat more throughout the day then maybe you wouldn't be craving the oats so badly at night.

thanks for the advice

[gymjunkee01]

I wouldnt recommend oats before bed. While its a good carb source, its a simple carb.

I would suggest eating things such as green veggies, cottage cheese or protein shake. I also eat nuts at night every now and then to hold me over through out the night. I also quit eating at 8-9pm no matter what time I go to bed (which is usually between 10 and 12).

and like the others have said, you need to eat more! i did 1300 cals for about 6 weeks, and yea I lost weight- but it was mostly muscle. I got tired, weak and crabby. When I went to eat more to see what that would do, my body held on to it for dear life! And I gained those 6 lbs back pretty quick.

[pumpedupgurl]

I wouldnt recommend oats before bed. While its a good carb source, its a simple carb.

I would suggest eating things such as green veggies, cottage cheese or protein shake. I also eat nuts at night every now and then to hold me over through out the night. I also quit eating at 8-9pm no matter what time I go to bed (which is usually between 10 and 12).

and like the others have said, you need to eat more! i did 1300 cals for about 6 weeks, and yea I lost weight- but it was mostly muscle. I got tired, weak and crabby. When I went to eat more to see what that would do, my body held on to it for dear life! And I gained those 6 lbs back pretty quick.

first i would disagree (not be bitchy) about oats being simple carbs becasue they are one of the purest complex carbs....but i was wondering about what u said about eating more and the "6lbs" you gained back...was that all muscle or was it fat??? what "held on to it for dear life"?
please clarify

[imperfectly_lou]

iam trying to cut, but sometimes i crave oats...can i eat theM??? if not what is the best before bed snack???

I thought you wanted more muscle???

[gymjunkee01]

first i would disagree (not be bitchy) about oats being simple carbs becasue they are one of the purest complex carbs....but i was wondering about what u said about eating more and the "6lbs" you gained back...was that all muscle or was it fat??? what "held on to it for dear life"?
please clarify

My mistake, I'm not 100% sure on where oats fall as far as being simple or complex, but they are good for you- no doubt. I'm no nutritional expert. However, I've always been told to not eat that kind of stuff right before bed.

When I lost about 6 lbs, I was eating 1300 calories and working out 5 days a week (3-3 split w/ cardio and lifting). School got out, and I got really off track and my boyfriend and I did some research and concluded that maybe 1300 was too low. So I went up to about 1700-1800. My body held onto it. I can only guess that at 1300 my body thought that it was being slightly starved. I continued to lift and my lifts were going up decently fast. If I had to guess, it was probably mostly muscle with a little bit of fat (my diet wasn't as clean as it could've been).

My body held onto the food so much because before it probably thought it was starving. WHen you do that and then go feed it a lot, it holds on to the food more to save it for energy thinking that it will need it when it starts to "starve" again.

[MuscleSusie]

Hi, just thought I would jump in here because I am starving right now! But, I just ate a little lowfat cottage cheese, so that should help. I am trying to clean up my diet, but at the same time my main goal is to gain muscle mass, because I do have some fat to lose, and for me muscle is the best way to go. Anyway, Im always hungry, escpecially at night. I have to say, like I have been learning, is if your starving, then your really not eating enough during the day, and if your worried about carbs at night, just before going to bed, I have been told to eat something like cottage cheese, tuna, whey protien, and a non starchy veggie, so that what I have been doing. Its going to take some time for my body to get use to it, and it took a while for me to fully understand that I have to eat several small meals during the day, that keeps your metabolism high. I was doing it all wrong, I would eat just couple times a day, then evening comes and I was so hungry, I would eat anything! which turned out to be sugary crap. Sorry to ramble here, but I just want to say your not alone, but these forums are great, I have learned a lot!

[aprilai]

Nothing beats the calorie deficit in the end.

Carbs or not before bed, if you want to lose weight, you have to
1. exercise more
2. eat less.

Don't you think that you're hungry at night because you're not eating enough earlier in the day??? And 1200 IS very low...That's like 11cals/lb bodyweight. I am shorter than you by about an inch and my maintenance is around 1700.

[TigerAngelLeigh]

Nothing beats the calorie deficit in the end.

Carbs or not before bed, if you want to lose weight, you have to
1. exercise more
2. eat less.

But not too much less. It may sound like a great idea to eat less and lose weight faster, but it doesn't work like that: if there is too great a calorie deficit (either you exercise too much for your calorie intake and/or you don't consume enough in the first place) then your body will go into 'starvation mode' and become ultra-efficient at storing fat because it thinks it's starving. Any weight you lose in this way will be mainly water and muscle. Obviously losing muscle is bad news: your metabolism will be lower, as muscle is an active tissue and people generally look worse with a lower muscle% compared to bodyfat%.

The main thing is to listen to your body: if your body is genuinely hungry in the evening, then feed it. But make sure you feed it enough during the day too; there's no point in starving yourself all day only to binge at night - believe me, I've been there. As for what is easy to digest or not, again listen to your body. Obviously certain foods are not ideal to eat before bed, but different bodies respond in different ways: one person may not be able to digest a meal of pasta properly just before they go to bed, while others may find it beneficial (complex carbs like pasta actually help you sleep, which is why you may feel sluggish after a pasta lunch). You have to work out what works for you and there's no way to do that but through trial and error.

[serinebean]

1200 calories! No wonder. If you are craving carbs, its probably because your body wants/needs fast fuel.
If you are active and night is the only available time to eat your oats, do it and see how your body reacts. I would eat some fat or protine with it to slow down the digestion.
I like cc and cashew butter before bed, it works out well for me.
But maybe try a few more cals during the day, and yes I know they have told you this already. I think it will help you feel better.

[aprilai]

But not too much less. It may sound like a great idea to eat less and lose weight faster, but it doesn't work like that: if there is too great a calorie deficit (either you exercise too much for your calorie intake and/or you don't consume enough in the first place) then your body will go into 'starvation mode' and become ultra-efficient at storing fat because it thinks it's starving. Any weight you lose in this way will be mainly water and muscle. Obviously losing muscle is bad news: your metabolism will be lower, as muscle is an active tissue and people generally look worse with a lower muscle% compared to bodyfat%.

You still need the calorie deficit. That's what matters in any weight gain or loss. Of course anything EXTREME, or "too much" as you said is not a good idea.

Usually people diet more comfortably if they eat at maintenance or about 10% cals lower and increase their energy expenditure through energy system work.

[TigerAngelLeigh]

^ I didn't say you didn't need he deficit, just that it shouldn't be too big.

[JAmanda]

I can definately understand your situation with being hungry at night. I went through a long stage of eating very little during the day and then along came night time- and I would eat things that I would never touch during the day, shows how deprived the brain gets!!! Now i have started eating protein at each meal- and have increased to 4 meals a day- no more night binging!!!! My calories are stilll far too low, but i am increasing them slowly all the time- even if it means adding an extra egg white!!! little but atleast its a start. Eating the way I use to was a sure recipe for being skinny fat!!! yuck yuck

[hklifter]

I wouldnt recommend oats before bed. While its a good carb source, its a simple carb.

I would suggest eating things such as green veggies, cottage cheese or protein shake. I also eat nuts at night every now and then to hold me over through out the night. I also quit eating at 8-9pm no matter what time I go to bed (which is usually between 10 and 12).

and like the others have said, you need to eat more! i did 1300 cals for about 6 weeks, and yea I lost weight- but it was mostly muscle. I got tired, weak and crabby. When I went to eat more to see what that would do, my body held on to it for dear life! And I gained those 6 lbs back pretty quick.

i'd definately have to disagree aswell with oats as a simple carb. not only are they full of fiber, they are also the entrie grain, and have an huge amount of vitamins and minerals (and protein! although incomplete).

the whole 'no carb before bed' idea is a complete myth. your body does not react to carbs any differently at night then it does in the morning. it is true that your enegery expenditure slows, but so does your digestion rate! for a person looking to increase their energy in the gym, and put on lean muscle, some complex carbs before bed (0.2-0.4g/lb of body weight) is an excellent idea. not only will it spare the protein while you sleep, but also facilitate glycogen sysnthesis and promote the repair of muscle tissue. add a protein source (perferably a slow digesting one such as CC, yogurt) and some fats (any seeds, nuts, etc) to promore hormone production and you have your self an over night lean tissue factory.

the public at large (and most of us here) need to realize the differnt between goodcarbs and bad carbs, and that the goodcarbs ANYTIME of the day are extreemly benificial for us as atheltes and health concious people.