As I sit here and type this, the time reads 11:06 PM. And you know what? I’m eating.
*Gasp*
What?? Eating after 7 PM?! Yes, I know, I’m breaking the rules.
But frankly, that’s what I do.
When rules don’t make sense to me, I simply choose not to follow them (unless, of course, those “rules” are “laws”…not really into the whole illegal activity thing).
But as far as the whole “no eating after 7” nonsense goes, I break that one just about every day.
And so should you.
Here’s why:
Well, first, let me just say that most general rules of thumb in the fitness world are oversimplifications, and the whole “Don’t eat after X o’clock” is no exception.
The recommendation is based on the idea that metabolism slows in the evening hours as you prepare for bed, and eating during this time should be avoided so as not to have those calories stored as fat.
A good premise, but again, oversimplified.
What we really want to avoid in the evening are foods that give rise to insulin, specifically carbohydrates, and for several reasons.
First, when blood insulin levels rise, fat burning takes a dive and a “storage” environment is created within the body. This is a good thing after exercise or after an overnight fast to allow the body to “refuel”, but not so good when metabolism is falling off in the evening hours.
Secondly, something called insulin sensitivity drops drastically in the evening, which simply means that your body is not as responsive to insulin at night as it is during the day. When insulin sensitivity is low, carbohydrates are easily stored as fat.
Needless to say, we can see why eating carbohydrates late at night isn’t a smart move, but that doesn’t mean we can’t or shouldn’t eat anything.
So, what should you eat to curb late-night cravings and support muscle tissue maintenance as you sleep? Simple: a small meal consisting of mostly slow digesting protein and fibrous green veggies within a couple hours of bed works best.
Animal protein (chicken, fish, beef, etc) are great choices for a late night meal, as is something like cottage cheese. Both digest slowly over time, providing a mild, but steady influx of nutrients to muscle throughout the night, all while not interfering with your insulin levels.
Or maybe I’m just a rebel who doesn’t know what the heck he’s talking about? ;-)
Got a favorite late night meal or snack? Agree? Disagree?
Drop the comments below!
Joel
P.S. Want to up your nutrition IQ even more? Watch this video from my good friend Isabel where she reveals 4 other “healthly” foods that you should NEVER eat, along with her TOP 5 foods for a flat belly:
Makes sense to me. I usually can’t go that long (7p to 7a) without eating anyway. What I really like is cottage cheese at night and sometimes I can drink a shake. If I ate dinner late I’ll just have green tea, but another really good thing I have found is to just eat a teaspoon full of fresh ground peanut butter. The fat seems to help me not get hungry.
I usually have some cottage cheese or peanut butter on a couple of crisp breads
@Lisa –
I experimented for a long time with eating before bed, or providing myself with certain nutrients. I took the suppleent ZMA, but ran out and searched for a natural alternative. SO i love nuts before bed, actually peanut butter/almond butter, with some honey. The carb thing before bed is not necessarily true, although insulin sensitivity is low, if you have a few carbs before bed, you will release less stress hormones during sleep. Google “honey before bed” to see what i mean. But the magnesium in the nuts gives me crazy dreams, its great
Can I mix proteinpowder with soymilk? What kind of cream do you mean, when you say that instead of milk I could use cream and water? Whipped cream? Really fatty milk like 6 % fat?
Insulin sensitivity is lowest in the EARLY MORNING! I’m a type 1 diabetic, I need 1 unit of insulin to 15g of carb at night, 1 to 20g in the day and 1 to 10g in the morning! You see? It seems like either everyone is wrong, or it is more complicated and somehow I’m wrong. But the numbers don’t lie…
cottage cheese,yoghurt and handful of frozen berries mixed together with sprinkle of cinnamon. jo(canberra, australia)
Personally I believe if you’re interested at all in preventing muscle loss, and providing your muscles with proper nutrition for muscle gain, that it is necessary for you to eat late night. During the day, for people seeking muscle gain, you eat with a frequency of anywhere from 2-4 hours so your muscles are supplied with proper carbs and protein. At night you fast for 8 hours!!! To prevent muscle loss I suggest having a small snack before bed, protein would be nice but whatever you got is fine. Now on to me. I personally am trying to gain muscle so before bed, especially on workout days i have a high carb and high protein snack, so my muscles can refuel muscle glycogen and repair damaged tissue. For instance yesterday was a workout day, I ate a pop tart (74g carb, 4g protein), glass of 2% milk (12g carbs 8g protein), and a huge ham sandwich (just estimating 20g carb, 15g protein. On any other given night i would try for some slow digesting protein and carbs but i ate whatever i felt like.
Thanks for another good article. I have Protein Freeze and celery at night. That fits the bill. Fills me up and a good mix.
Hi Joel, I have been doing CYWF since Thanksgiving with the interval training etc. My problem has been that I only sleep 3/4 hours and wake up so wired I can’t get back to sleep . Then I have to take a nap in the afternoon ( I’m 75) which only aggravates the situation. I have resisted the late night snacking and am usually hungry when I wake at 2 or 3 in the morning. I am very pleased with the results I am having so now will add some late night munchies and see if that helps. My favourite nuts are macadamias ,,,with a slice of cheese..OK?
Hi Joel,
What about carbs + fat at night on cheat days when following CYWT !?
please reply! thanks1
I was wondering how much insulin and other hormones matter compared to total calories lately.
Like which would be better for a late night snack
A – 200 calorie high GI carb snack or
a – 300 calorie protein and fat snack.
Hi Joel,
I make a chocolate Vega shake and add extra raw cocao powder for extra numminess along with some flax oil. I drink part before bed and the rest in the morning. By the way, I used to alternate with and apple and some cheese but will try my best to wean myself off of that part of the routine.
Very helpful. Thanks.
I found this one out by accident the other day. I was pleasantly relieved to find the cravings disappeared after my late night low carb meal. I caught myself suffering cravings and I said why are you suffering, you are well within the allowed amounts for your low carb day ( I don’t want as much at present, I’m not moving much due to a back injury) go eat. So I did. End of cravings. I’m on the holiday plan, not moving much due to injury and still losing weight. Day 11 and very happy so far with the plan.
cheers
A baked chicken breast holds me over. Gotta love it….
Hai, Joel..
I am kind of new to this post..I just started working out at gym which I usually do it from 8pm to 10pm.. My last meal always at 5pm and after the workout, I often eat fruits only like apples. Is this okay?
Smoked salmon and sliced cucumbers with a few capers and pepper does the trick for me!
Great article Joel.
Rob
Is popped corn considered highly processed if you pop it yourself in oil and add nutritional yeast instead of butter?
Thanks Joel. I never really have had problems with late night cravings ( more like at 4pm I want to go crazy) but have found myself in the last couple of weeks craving something to eat at around 8pm. We have dinner at 6pm every night. Because of the cravings I find myself going to bed earlier and earlier just to avoid eating! I’m afraid I might end up going to bed before the kids do -which is at 8pm :-)
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Hey, it’s Joel! So you want to know a little more about me, huh? Well, I’d be happy to oblige :-)
I guess it all started back in 2001 (my freshman year of college) when I was just a “skinny fat” 19-year old kid. At the time, I was spending close to 2 hours a day in the gym (now my workouts last about 30 minutes), and despite my efforts, you’d probably never guess I worked out a day in my life by looking at me...read more