@a1235 Me too! It sucks. I've had no many nights where I just couldn't sleep through the night if I didn't eat right before bed. And I'm a long sleeper-- I can't function on less than 8 hours. So one night of not great sleep really affects me the next day. It's hard having to remember to save those calories before sleeping!
I have to eat 1/3 of my calories before bed or I can't sleep..
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siralex172
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@a1235 Eating right before bed will not negatively affect your health/ weight. This is a myth.
I regularly eat 30 - 50% of my daily calories between when I get back from the gym (8 PMish) and bedtime (10 PMish). There are a couple of reasons for this:
I regularly eat 30 - 50% of my daily calories between when I get back from the gym (8 PMish) and bedtime (10 PMish). There are a couple of reasons for this:
- A breakfast of 4 eggs is only only 240 calories, and generally keeps me full until close to 12, because I work in an office. My mid morning snack is usually only between an additional 45-150 calories.
- I generally eat a larger lunch consisting of 3-5 cups of veggies, some healthy fats, and 30-45 grams of lean protein. Lunch is between 450 and 650 calories. That keeps me full to close to the end of the day, when I eat a pre gym snack, which is typically a few berries and 1/2 serving of peanut butter.
- I like to eat most - all of my starchy carbs post workout. I aim for 135 - 180ish grams of carbs per day depending on workouts... This means I'm eating a ton of carbs after I workout.
- I often eat dinner with my boyfriend, and sometimes like to have a beer or a glass of wine. I leave room to easily fit this if I want it.
- At maintenance, I need about 2,300 calories per day. Prior to my post workout, multi-phase dinner, I'm usually somewhere between 1,000 and 1,400 calories. This means I'm eating a pretty big meal. When I am trying to "cut" a little, I'm probably between about 850 and 1,100 calories before this meal. That still leaves me with a large dinner.
shoeshavetongues
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@a1235 I mean, I know you're joking, but if you really wanted to, you could probably get pretty close. My BMR isn't really that high. If I haven't lifted in the last 24 hours, it's likely between 1,250 - 1,350 per day. It might be a little towards the higher end, because I carry a larger than average amount of muscle, and each lb of muscle burns a little bit more than a lb of fat to sustain each day. It's not a big difference though. The remainder of my burn comes from normal, everyday movement, crossfit workouts, the fact that lifting heavy weights raises your resting calorie burn for hours, while your body repairs. I'm straight lifting 6ish days a week at this point, and doing crossfit on many of those days. My metabolism is just corresponding to my activity level.
@a1235 Haha... genetics plays a part too. It just plays a smaller part than a lot of people think. I'm also not "kicking your ass". I've dedicated a percentage of my time, effort, resources to working out, that fits my lifestyle and goals. You've also dedicated a percentage of your time to working out that fits your lifestyle and goals.... We just have different goals and different ways we want to divide up our time to meet them. There's nothing wrong with either! Both have pluses and minuses. I get to eat more food, but I have at least 2 baskets of clean, unfolded laundry in my room right now, because by the time I get home, I just want to eat everything, snuggle a cat, and fall asleep. My shoulders once again don't fit into most of my suit jackets (I've already purchased and tailored jackets once because of this). I've also been to happy hour maybe 2-3 times in the last year.
@a1235 Workout out late in the day can keep you up at night--have you tried changing your workout schedule?
The 'nighttime eating causes weight gain' myth has been debunked; only overall caloric intake matters: http://health.usnews.com/health-new...l-eating-at-night-really-make-you-gain-weight
The 'nighttime eating causes weight gain' myth has been debunked; only overall caloric intake matters: http://health.usnews.com/health-new...l-eating-at-night-really-make-you-gain-weight
@a1235 I have a very similar issue! You're definitely not alone. I find if I don't eat before bed, I'll wake up about an hour after going to sleep where my reptilian brain kicks in and I don't have much of what feels like a conscious choice but to snack.
I keep my calories at 1500 a day, as well, and eat the majority of my cals between 6pm - 10pm. It's now become a habit,
and I've yet to hit a plateau regarding weight loss so I'm not too worried about it
. As long as I'm not ignoring hunger signals or depriving myself, I feel mentally healthy.
I keep my calories at 1500 a day, as well, and eat the majority of my cals between 6pm - 10pm. It's now become a habit,
and I've yet to hit a plateau regarding weight loss so I'm not too worried about it
. As long as I'm not ignoring hunger signals or depriving myself, I feel mentally healthy.@samtp77 Whoa! You sound like my food and sleep twin. With my dinner included, I too end up eating most of my 1500 cals between 6-10 pm precisely. That's excellent news you've still been able to lose despite this. I sort of hit a plateau about a year ago but I think that was because it's a number my body naturally doesn't like to go below. This is more about maintenance for me now (and an upcoming wedding). I guess if it ain't broke don't fix it? I'd like to lose a couple of lbs to tone up before the wedding but I'm not gonna stay awake for a month trying, either.
@a1235 Woah! Twins for sure! I graze on protein and cheese throughout the day, then eat a big meal (~700-800) for dinner, then greek yogurt with fruit (~200) then calorie-dense snacks (~250). To make it even easier, my big meal tends to be the same thing every day. I'm currently on a "loaded nachos" kick.
I don't think I would want to go below 1500, ever. For me, it's a perfect volume of food. If I wanted to lose faster, I think I would add more time in the gym, or switch up the type of workout I was doing, but certainly not decrease food intake. I will also say that on the weekend, I go a bit harder at the gym, so I'll bump up my cals to 1900 on a day. Ultimately, I try not to think about it TOO much. I find I'm less stressed about food this way and firmly feel that stress is the leading cause of retaining weight!
I don't think I would want to go below 1500, ever. For me, it's a perfect volume of food. If I wanted to lose faster, I think I would add more time in the gym, or switch up the type of workout I was doing, but certainly not decrease food intake. I will also say that on the weekend, I go a bit harder at the gym, so I'll bump up my cals to 1900 on a day. Ultimately, I try not to think about it TOO much. I find I'm less stressed about food this way and firmly feel that stress is the leading cause of retaining weight!
cowboysfan22
New member
@a1235 Just came to share in the frustration. I don't have much to lose but it feels impossible to lose weight sometimes because of the same problems. Even at only a 250 calorie deficit, my sleep was horrible last night because my tummy felt so hungry. 
Some days I don't have that issue and I think it depends on the types of food I eat -- maybe need to start keeping a log to figure out what will help me stay asleep.
Some days I don't have that issue and I think it depends on the types of food I eat -- maybe need to start keeping a log to figure out what will help me stay asleep.@cowboysfan22 I should probably do the same. I haven't figured out if any foods in particular are better at keeping me asleep. It seems to just be a calorie issue and a mix of macros right before bed does the trick. But I'm with you, lying awake at 3 am trying to decide between sleep and maintaining your weight is an absolute DRAG.