A random question, I know...but I've wondered this just about forever. I've never read anything on it...so I'm coming to you, my fellow health and fitness nuts to see what the verdict is.
Eating before you go to bed....for better or for worse?
Here's the scenario:
You eat a late lunch (say 3-4 o'clock) and have a busy evening. Don't get time to eat dinner until you're home for the night (say 9-10-11 o'clock). You're STARVING. You're exhausted.
What do you do? Do you eat and then conk out? (seems like a "waste" of calories) or do you go to bed with your stomach growling (seems cruel) and just binge in the morning?
I did this on Saturday. The kids and I ate a light lunch/early dinner at 4. Then we headed off to our town's freedom festival for the evening. I got the kids smoothies and nachos and pizza while there, but all I "allowed" myself was a pickle. By the time we got home (after the fireworks), it was about 10:30. By the time I got them all cleaned up and into bed it was 11. It was at about that time that I realized I was SOOOOO hungry. I opened up the fridge and saw that I had a left-over bowl of chopped lettuce and some cut-up celery in a baggie that I could easily and quickly eat. I shut the fridge and pondered the prospect. I thought "It would probably be better for me to just go to bed and not eat" and then my stomach said "GRRRRrrrrr" and I thought "but this is at least very healthy and low-cal so no harm." In the end I decided to eat. I sat in my bed munching on lettuce drizzled with light ranch dressing, 4 kashi whole-grain crackers and a baggie of celery with 1 TBSP. of natural peanut butter. Doesn't sound awful, right?
Well, when I got done, I set my bowl down and felt STUFFED. Then I immediately was mad at myself for eating. "WHYYYYY didn't I just go to sleep?" I mentally tallied up how many calories I had just consumed and came up with somewhere around 300. Eeek. For salad and celery?
So...what do you guys think/do in these kinds of situations. I know that at LEAST I ate healthy food instead of fast-food or junk, so that's good. But would it have just been better to have went to bed hungry?
4 years ago
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3 comments:
I have been told so many times that it is better to go to bed hungry, then with a full stomach. I've also been told that it is better to have a very large breakfast and a tiny dinner so that you do not have any food in your stomach when you go to sleep.
:)
Mark Briggs said it best last week on a Team Fit Revolution Webinar "Nutrition Simplified". It was during the Q & A time that Robert Hudgens help with.
http://www.viddler.com/explore/results1st/videos/2/
(Link here is of the Webinar played twice; hence the (2:22 min time)
He mentions eating before bed at 11:10 in the webinar and Answers the question again at 26:50.
His answer: If you are hungry close to Bedtime, mix 1 or more scoops of whey protein powder with water. (I opt for some fat free milk) The protein will not store as fat and it is used to help your muscles when you are sleeping. Protein also makes you fill full.
I've been a firm believer that "eating" something liquid (ie/ protein shake, half a scoop of shakeology, meal replacement shake) is best because your body can quickly absorb the food. It won't just sit there in your tummy when you're sleeping. I find myself doing this a lot and it helps a ton!
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