Eating after 8:00 PM

[Kyoshiro Ogari]

My exercise/eating program is getting really screwy. I have a new job and the travel time is absolutely horrid. I have to get up at 6AM and I get back home at 6:45 PM. I have a 25 minute walk from the train station to my house so that's part of my exercise there.

 

Here's the problem. I am at my ideal weight and I want to sculpt my body. I work out 6 days a week at my house, taking Fridays off. I either use the treadmill/bike combo or do body sculping with exercise bands. The problem is, by the time I get home, get changed set up the treadmill, it's already 7:00. When I'm finished, it's 7:30-7:45.

 

If I'm eating fish, I am finished eating at 8:30 since it takes me 25 minutes to prepare/cook it. If I'm eating chicken, I'm done at 9 because it takes longer. I go to bed either at 11 or 12 because I am also collaborating with my high school friend on an animation script and we have meetings three times a week, not including the weekends. So my question is, this myth that you shouldn't eat after 8:00, will that ruin or halt my progress? I have no other choice because I am in the middle of nowhere at my job and I can't get my workout over there. I would leave this job, but it pays well and it's so relaxed it's barely under the definition of working.

 

Will I be ok, or will I not see any progress because of this tight as hell schedule? Thanks in advance.

[RayKay]

Honestly, you will find as many people against this myth as those for it. I think it works for those whom tend to absentmindedly snack/graze at night, or skip meals all day and go overboard at night, and as a way to limit total calories. This is actually initially WHY the rule was invented. It is also true your digestion slows down while you sleep, so digesting food can cause your sleep to be less fulfilling, but everyone's schedule is different. I work out daily/twice a day as well, and often am not eating until 7/8 and eat a bit more later as well, but it's what works for me.

 

It's not always bad to eat later, as it lessens the starvation period overnight (ie from 7 pm to 6 am). And you definitely should be eating sometime after you exercise or that big gap can do you more bad then good, your body needs some fuel to rebuild. You just have to try and eat at least a couple hours before bedtime, and make sure it still falls within your daily calorie requiremenets. Chooser lighter, easier digestable things in evening and make lunchtime your "main meal" of the day. Even if you were to eat at 5, you probably would need a light snack an hour before bed time to keep your metabolism from crashing overnight.

 

I think you would be better off making sure you get a good nights sleep, and enough food in you during day to give you energy, then worry about eating after the "8 O clock rule. Heck bodybuilders will drink a whey shake when they get up to pee at 1 in the morning...so relax. Just make sure you are not going over your calorie needs.

[tyler711]

Not eating after 8, or before bed is a myth, in my opinion. Eating a good meal late will help you sleep. My understanding of pshyiology is not great, but what I remember from the class is that your body diverts blood from other parts of your body to your stomach, which makes you sleepy. Sometimes I eat dinner at 9:00, sometimes I eat at 4:00, and sometimes I don't eat it at all. I notice no difference. Forget those diet books and plans and pills. Eat your food groups as well as you can and skip the junk food and sugar. I'm by no means an expert, so take my opinion for what it's worth!

[Lady Bugg]

I am a hair dresser...and we basically eat when we get a chance to at work...in between clients. I started bringing snacks to work. Basically like 5 snacks ...ie, cheese snacks, yogurt...BUT all my snacks are at about 100 calories each ..maybe a little more. This keeps my metabolism up, keeps my energy level up and I can still have a healthy dinner WITHOUT exceeding my total calrie intake. That's probably between 1,200-1,400 total calories a day. I TRY to work out early in the day if possible..bt if I can't I try to make up for it on one of my 'off" days. I personally prefer an early workout as opposed to a late one...after 8 or 9 pm because it sets the tone of the day for me and I tend to be too wound up to sleep after a late workout.

 

I think it really depends on the individual though....

[Kyoshiro Ogari]

Thank you RayKay, Tyler & Lady Bugg, you all offered some great insight and made my schedule a little easier for me. It's just so hard to have only 3-4 hours of free time, and most of that is used preparing dinner, preparing breakfast/lunch/snack for the following day, the workout and trying to get in a little internet surf. I just have to get used to it. Thanks again guys.

[Mrocza]

You shouldn't eat any BIG meal hard to digest and work off (such as pasta) before bed, but it's not necessarily 8 or 6, as I usually hear.

 

It's actually 4 hours before your bed time that you should stop eating BIG meals. It takes your body 6-8 hours to digest a meal, and when you sleep you can't burn calories as effectively and thus, you tend to gain weight when you eat too late.

 

Why don't you try minimizing your meals and increasing the amount of times you eat during the day? That way you won't be hungry, it'll be easier with your schedule, you won't eat late, and you'll end up speeding up your metabolism

 

Try to google recipes that are healthy and convinient on-the-go.

 

Remember- lots of PROTEIN!

[AntiLove_SuperStar]

Its not when you eat them, its just calories overall that count. If you need, say, 2400 a day from 12 midnight til the next 12 midnight, whether you eat them at 1am, 4am, 3.45pm, 5.34pm, doesnt matter. Ideally of courses you'd spread them out to balance blood sugar and yada yada..

[Kyoshiro Ogari]

Thank you again everyone.

 

I am such a moron when it comes to counting calories. I don't know how much is what. I think I will have to have a smaller dinner like fairie said and spread them out more like Super Duper Star said.

 

I basically eat:

 

Oatmeal with 1/3 apple, 3 strawberries & 1/3 banana for breakfast (9:30)

 

a fruit for snack (11:00),

 

2 pieces of baked chicken or 1 baked flounder for lunch with spinach (1:00)

 

A green salad with nuts for snack #2 (3:30)

 

A salmon steak or 2 pieces of baked chicken for dinner, depending on what I had for lunch. I also drink 1 liter of water with each meal and 1 before bed (using it as my alarm clock I find myself going to bed about 2 hours after eating but I have lost 15 pounds doing this since November and kept my weight at 175 but up until two weeks ago my last meal was 7:30. It's just that now that I have this hectic schedule I was afraid that all my efforts were going to waste since my dinner was late. But ya'll put me at ease, thanks again.

[RayKay]

It sounds like you are eating healthy..but you are missing some possible nutrients.

 

You really should get some whole grains/complex carbs in there, for longer sustained energy, especially since you are working out. Carbs are not all bad, and they definitely have their role! I know carbs often get a bad rap, but pretty unfairly as a whole..did you know most competitive, fit athletes eat 50-60% of their daily diet as a mix of carbs???? You may not need that many depending on you, but you should be getting some at least...they do have many nutrients in them, they are fuel for your brain, and they also give you longer lasting muscle energy. You are also missing out on calcium...low fat milk, yogurt, cheese are all excellent options (and they have been shown to even reduce amount of weight kept around waist!).

 

Overall it sounds like you are doing great though.

 

For calories, it may mean measuring/weighing things, or tracking what you eat in a food journal then looking up their nutrients online for a while until you get a hang of it.

[Kyoshiro Ogari]

Wow, 50-60% of mixed carbs. One of my best friends, who is a personal trainer, did tell me something like that a while back, but I thought that was for bulking hulks. I did forget to mention carbs in my diet, but it all depends on if I buy them on the way home so I don't have them as much. I have spaghetti every saturday and a baked potato or sweet potato one other day during the week, and yellow or brown rice another day. Also I have 2 slices of 8 grain bread for breakfast on saturday. For calcium, I have soy milk in my oatmeal and an occasional slice of pizza. I recently found out that yogurt gives me migranes, which I suffer from every now and again.)

 

Where I used to work there was a snack machine every two steps, I began to think that they were actual paid employees. Now at my new job there's only one snack machine, but it's staring me right in the face, even now as I am typing this sentence I am looking at it's deliciously ominous presense, with it's seductive Snicker bars and Twizzlers a' plenty. ](*,)I am so glad I stopped eating candy as a whole, but these dancing bags of Dorito's Cool Ranch potato chips look so tempting. Say, if I sprinkle M&Ms in my rice, can that be my healthy carb intake for the day? No? Shucks.

 

I am eating 100% differently than 6 years ago where I had fast food at least 5xs a week. Amazingly I never got fat off of it, I guess because all I ate was the fish sandwhiches and fries, but my liver enzymes were up and I pet that had to do with it since my liver checked out fine. Now I just have to make sure I stay on point and not let time dictate my lifestyle.

[RayKay]

LOL, sounds like your diet is pretty great then....you have come a long way, good luck with it! Almost guaranteed your enzymes were up becaue of it - did you ever watch Super Size Me? He ended up having his liver enzymes all out of whack too...there are lots of toxins in fast food!

 

With the soy milk, just make sure you mix it up VERY good. Soy milk tends to deposit the calcium at the bottom of the container meaning you don't get it in your glass, and you have to actually stir it up (shaking may not do it).

 

I think being aware of your "weaknesses" and having them now and then is actually better in the long run as you are more likely to stick to what you are doing. My thing for example is ice cream...and I really can't feel it is satiated with frozen yogurt or light ice cream, I need some good stuff (not Haagen Dazs good, but good) and I have a small serving of it a few nights during the week...but just a 1/2 cup of it, and it fits into my daily calories. Of course I also have a pretty heavy workout schedule so an occasional indulgence is allowable . And I am able to say no to all other cravings because of it honestly. It's just keeping it balanced.

[Kyoshiro Ogari]

I agree, if I had a heavier workout schedule I wouldn't feel so guilty. Friday is usually my binge day since I get home late and I will have a few scoops of ice cream. I know me, I'll begin to pinch my belly to see if the ice cream made it's way. I remember Jack Lalane saying he hasn't had a candy bar in about 70 years. I guess when you stop young, it's no longer a temptation.

 

And yeah, I saw Supersize Me. I am glad I don't eat that stuff anymore, although his project was extreme. If I was still on my fast food diet when I saw the movie, I would've written my will before the movie was over. But I'll never forget the scene, Day 2, in the car, starting to get the McGurgles, the McTummy ache, and then the big chunky McHurl all over the sidewalk.

 

And then the camera mcshowed it!! EEEWWW!

[RayKay]

McGross! Thanks for the McReminder

[tyler711]

What I like to do when I have no time to prepare anything is to get a can of tuna and put it on bread with mayonaisse. This will be a good percentage of your daily protein.