Hi
I know this seems a bit trivial but i thought i'd ask anyway. I once read that, if you eat late at night and especially soon before you goto bed then the food will be partially digested and re-digested again the next day. Essentially you digest the food twice and therefore get more calories from the food. Anyone know if thats true or is it folk lore? Anyone have a time they stop eating at? Are there any health benefits of doing so?
Thanks for your time
Andy

Hey, Andy,

I don't know the exact reason for it, but if I eat after 7:00 pm, I am STARVING the next morning. I think it's an insulin thing. If I quit eating by 7:00, I'm not hungry at all the next morning, and in fact, can go about 2-3 hours after waking before I get hungry. I'm also much less bloated. I maintain or drop a lb. If I eat later at night, I will gain 1-3 lbs, which I know are water, but I feel pretty yucky.

Amy

Hello shandyAndy,

Nice name...I could just drink a shandy!

My vote goes for folklore. Our digestive system does not go to sleep. The evidence is that most people go to the loo first thing in the morning - after the digestive system has been labouring away while we sleep!

I lived in Spain for years and people there often eat their main meal at 10 or 11 at night - and they aren't overweight.

Thsi is not to say it is a good idea to go to bed with a stomach full. I just think it may not make any difference.

regards,

Robert

The only down side for it to me is a: I am starving in the morning also and b: I dont' sleep well..if your body is in 'full' digestion mode..as in going to bed with a full stomach..then your body can't go into full 'sleep' mode cause it's working

The food isn't digested twice per say no..i dont know of any benefits of doing that really

Hrm.

Once a calorie is burned....there is nothing left. So when food is digested and absorbed as energy, there is nothing left to redigest and get reabsorbed.

As for the "partially digested" well the part that did get digested first is used for energy. The part still hanging around to be digested will be used when it's time is up. This is one of those black and white issues. It is either digested, or yet to be digested, but no way can you count it's calories twice.

Not sure who came up with that, but any biology 101 course would cover that I think.

As for time of day....many people have different opinions on this...

some say don't eat 3 hours prior to bed, reasoning behind this is your body slows down to rest and the food in your stomach digests more slowly....

some say it doesn't matter, the FIFO reasoning. Calories burned to calories eaten should be equal if it's more you gain, if it's less you lose.

Not sure who is right. My personal opinion is if I eat right before bed, I have really weird/bad dreams, so I stick with the 3 to 4 hour rule because I really don't like weird dreams

Chao.

I eat right before I go to bed frequently and never wake up hungry....but I did before I went LC!

I think it's a sugar thing too. And it's an individual thing obviously!

My mom said I'd get nightmares if I ate too late.

So to this day, I don't.

I'll have a small snack just so my stomach's not growling. That's it.

I personally try not to eat past 7pm, even when I pull all nighters. No matter what I eat, I'm up a pound or so on the scale.

If I DON'T eat before I go to bed I don't sleep - really, I can lie awake for hours! Guess we're all different and it's what works for the individual.

(It's midnight as I write and I've just had most of a breast of smoked chicken).

Regards to all,

Robert.