bedtime

[kedg]

Sounds good right now ...

But seriously, I am suffering from information overload on the fat loss thing. I've been doing Metaburn for about a week and have started seeing results, small ones, but trending in the right direction. One of my biggest questions all along, though, has been about how hungry I should be letting myself be going to bed. May sound silly, but here are the two voices playing in my head:

(1) Leigh says you can do a lot of your fat-loss at night, so (and this is my own "so") I should therefore go to bed hungry and be burning stored fat rather than recently provided fuel.
(2) Be careful about going to bed hungry because it may affect sleep quality, and you need your rest to function in general, but also for effective fat loss and also because if you go to bed hungry you may have so much trouble sleeping that you get night muncies. (Note, the former is sometimes a problem for me, but not usually the latter.)

The other thing I'll throw in here is that I've had a lot of nights recently that have wound up with me saying "not tonight dear" because I was so freaking hungry I couldn't face the prospect of not going right to sleep so as to not be aware of it. That's also not something I can or want to keep up for weeks.

So, eating in a deficit, working my ass off, ok so I'll be hungry ... but how empty should I be at bedtime? Thoughts?

thanks.
kedg

[UConnJulie]

I ALWAYS have a bedtime snack ... right now on 1200-1300 calories per day, I am generally having 4 "meals" ... breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a bedtime snack (which I often eat right before bed).

[RedWifey]

And dude, a "Sure, honey, that'd be great!" might totally take your mind off being hungry for at least a few minutes, right!?

All kidding aside, I have very little will power as the day moves on so I generally skip it, 'cause my choice is generally not a good one. But if you can have a healthy snack, then budget it into your calorie balance sheet and go for it.

[wilburaz]

Redwifey ~ I had to comment on the adorable schnauzer!!! Too cute! Mine is sacked out right now after his 2 mile walk...such a baby.

[elisabethd]

I say go to bed hungry if it doesn't interfere with your sleep or sex life, but if it does--have a little snack budgeted. Sometimes I will have two spoonfulls of cottage cheese and a couple of strawberries--only 100 calories but enough so that I don't feel like my stomach is digesting itself. : )

[Leigh P.]

.

(1) Leigh says you can do a lot of your fat-loss at night, so (and this is my own "so") I should therefore go to bed hungry and be burning stored fat rather than recently provided fuel

Note: I never said you had to do this, I listed it as just ONE of methods to control dieting down. I said that if living day by day in a deficit was hard for you you can try "sleeping" it off. I personally stuff myself before bed or I can't sleep.

The other thing I'll throw in here is that I've had a lot of nights recently that have wound up with me saying "not tonight dear" because I was so freaking hungry I couldn't face the prospect of not going right to sleep so as to not be aware of it. That's also not something I can or want to keep up for weeks.

If this is your Achilles Heel then nip it. Fat loss, at its core, is about mixing strategy and education with will power. At the end of the day you have to want it, but, want it all you want you can still make it harder or easier on yourself. If you can't sleep without eating then eat. If you can't keep your hand out of the (enter this box here) then chuck it. As much as you can take away the problems. However, at some point, you have to turn around and say "enough is enough, I got this now, I want it, let's do it" and tough it out.

[perrogrande007]

There's nothing wrong with eating before bed. It's WHAT you eat that controls the hormones. A little protein with some healthy fat will go a long way to INCREASING growth hormone levels and therefore IGF-1, which is what you want!

This doesn't mean to eat a 16oz steak before bed, it means for a woman eating 4 or 5 oz of lean meat and maybe a 1/2 cup of berries. For a guy I would increase the serving size to 7-8 oz depending on the size of the guy.

Also, meats high in tryptophan work well at night like turkey. You do NOT want to eat steak before bed. Red meats are very stimulatory to the nervous system.

Oh, and one of my favorite nighttime snacks is cottage cheese mixed with fiber one cereal and a little xylitol or splenda...except it makes you poop bricks in the morning lol.

[realcdn]

I don't think that I could have lost what I have without planning for a snack before bed. Hunger would often keep me from sleeping, and more often than not, send me into the kitchen looking for food. My late night snack is usually a piece of fruit and a protein shake (just a quick one mixed with water).

[perrogrande007]

Originally Posted by realcdn

I don't think that I could have lost what I have without planning for a snack before bed. Hunger would often keep me from sleeping, and more often than not, send me into the kitchen looking for food. My late night snack is usually a piece of fruit and a protein shake (just a quick one mixed with water).

Good point. Sleep is EXTREMELY important for bodybuilding. And yes, you are all bodybuilders if you are trying to reshape your body.

If you are waking up because of hunger, or waking up because blood sugar issues, then you are not going to get adequate sleep.

[Leigh P.]

Originally Posted by perrogrande007

There's nothing wrong with eating before bed. It's WHAT you eat that controls the hormones. A little protein with some healthy fat will go a long way to INCREASING growth hormone levels and therefore IGF-1, which is what you want!

Actually it is the reverse, eating before bedtime can slow/halt GH.

[perrogrande007]

Originally Posted by Leigh P.

Actually it is the reverse, eating before bedtime can slow/halt GH.

So taking in a small amount of protein within an hour or two before bed does not stimulate growth hormone and IGF-1?

[realcdn]

Originally Posted by Leigh P.

Actually it is the reverse, eating before bedtime can slow/halt GH.

Which is something that really doesn't concern me. Maybe later it will, but at the moment it doesn't. If it stops me from adding a big late night snack it's well worth it.

Just worked it out. I'd say my standard late night snack used to run 750cals. Really, just worked it out using estimates of my fav things to go for (bread and/or tortillas with cheese). Not planned, but eventually eaten when my stomach growled at night. So 250cals planned is well spent.

[UConnJulie]

Originally Posted by realcdn

Which is something that really doesn't concern me. Maybe later it will, but at the moment it doesn't. If it stops me from adding a big late night snack it's well worth it.

Just worked it out. I'd say my standard late night snack used to run 750cals. Really, just worked it out using estimates of my fav things to go for (bread and/or tortillas with cheese). Not planned, but eventually eaten when my stomach growled at night. So 250cals planned is well spent.

That's my feeling too Anne ... and my "treat" has to be yummy and somewhat filling ... or I'll dive into stuff I'm not supposed to!!

One of my favorites is ...

Chop up an apple (whatever grams you need to fit your calories/macros for the day) leaving the skin on.

Put it in a bowl with a tablespoon or two of water.

Microwave on high for a few minutes, until the apple is soft and starting to shrink.

Top with cinnamon (to taste), no calorie sweetener of choice, and cottage cheese (whatever amount/type you use to meet your calorie/macro needs for the day).

To me, it tastes like apple pie and like I am getting a real "treat" ... but has fiber, protein, and fat to fill me up and keep me asleep all night.

[maggieandmommy]

oh yum. That sounds super good, Julie!

[perrogrande007]

That sounds awesome Julie!