I heard that when Hugh Jackman was bulking up to play Wolverine, he would set his clock every 3 hours to get up and have a protein shake so that he would not loose muscle during sleep. This seems a little extreme but it seemed to work for him
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:
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Joel, I was going to email you and ask about Milk in general. It was not mentioned in your Cheat Your way Thin program package, so I wanted to check with you.
a) Is it allowed on the Low-Gi and Higher-GI days, and if so, how many servings are you allowed on these days?
b) can I have chocolate milk (as this is allowed on a low-GI diet) with the Sugar-Free syrup on the low-gi and high-gi days? Or should this only be used on a cheat day?
I was curious, because in your diet plan, milk wasn’t mentioned, but all the books i’ve read about “low GI diets”, milk is a staple in the diet plan.
Thanks,
Sam
There are so many populations that don’t eat on our simple 3-squares before 7pm schedule… this myth deserves to be discredited.
How about a cup of slivered almonds, crushed walnuts and a bit of honey? I also like 1 slice of whole grain bread with real peanut butter.
Couldn’t agree more Joel ! I discovered about 18 months ago that snacking on a high protein “hunger busters” just before bed time hasn’t hindered my results one little bit. Here are my “hunger busters” for my current fat loss stage, from which I choose one :
chocolate protein shake : 200ml low fat milk + 25g chocolate whey protein powder (keeps me off the cookies and sweets too.) Total : 170 cals.
fruit (yes ! sugary carbs ! pineapple, water melon, apples… approx. 200g) + low-fat yoghurt (130g) Total : 200 cals
cottage cheese (100g) only 60 cals !
Yaaay !
Good info. I do seem to do better when I at least have a protein shake at night, but if I have carbs or juice I can tell my blood sugar levels do the loopty loo.
i agree with that 100%, ive been doing that already and ive gained a lot of muscle and lost fat.
Joel,
I don’t see how you can state not eating for 12 hours is “bad for your muscles” when there have been several studies involving participants incroporating either fasting or severe caloric deficits ALONG WITH a structured strength training program that have not encountered loss of lean mass.
If you are dealing with aerobic exercise in the presence of caloric deficit, then I could see the loss of lean mass, especially if utilizing HIIT.
What research articles for the “12 hours without food” statement can you provide that provides proof of this? I would be interested in reading them.
Thanks!
Scott
i totally agree with you- i like low fat cottage cheese with a few raisins, nuts and gratted fresh ginger!
I just noticed your comment about soy milk above and I wanted to know about that. I substitute soy milk for regular since I realized I had a very low-grade reaction to milk for most of life. I only found out about it when I quit drinking milk. Cleared sinuses and a lot less phlegm were the result. Now, what is the deal with soy milk? Are there issues regarding drinking it? I do eat a bowl of muesli w/ soy milk after 7 in the evening and was curious.
Thanks,
Tom
PS: if you are going to address this in a later post I’m interested.
…Many thanks for the great article (your articles are ALL great!). At about 11:00 PM I have a protein shake. I use that Isopure brand, which has no fat, and no carbohydrates. It delivers 50 grams of protein, and 200 calories if made with cold water. I go to bed feeling full, and confident that my muscles have something on which to feast overnight.
Hey Joel,
It’s funny you should mention this, you see, I actually do that and I swear I sleep better. When I wake up in the morning, I feel energized and much leaner, although I don’t really know if I’m actually leaner. This is also a great way for me to get in the rest of my meals, I can’t always stop and eat throughout the day. Anyways great blog .
I LOVE late night eating or even in the middle of the night to keep my muscles fed, but all I eat is meat and Romaine lettuce. Love it.
Thanks Joel!
A little snack a couple of hours before bedtime really hits the spot. Thanks goodness for protein shakes and bars. There are finally some great products out there from which to choose from. They take the edge off and offer some good nutrition to boot plus its so easy and quick.
you think protein shakes is good enough?
i like to have whey shake with low fat milk and that works perfect !!!
good stuff!
Hey Joel, I personally eat low fat cottage cheese with a small amount of low carb low sugar berries or non fat plain yogurt with berries.
I also eat raw green low carb vegetables with homemade non fat, low sodium, no sugar ranch. But then again I am on a no sugar low carb, healthy fats, high protein diet. And I also train like a wild man.
One more thing, I also eat 1oz swiss and about 10-15 raw no salt almonds.
The last one will do the trick every time.
@Seth – Hey Seth I also eat the same thing. I forgot to say that in my last post. That one really rocks for sure!!!!
I eat full comlex carb + protein meals all the way up to 8pm.
And, i go sleep at 10 pm. But i take 2 scoop Whey protein with only 2 carbs per serving before sleep.
I do this all the time and it works well.
Hi, I often have a late night snack, as recently I have to go to bed at about 2:00 after midnight. So I agree eating afer X shouldn´t be “forbidden”- it depends very munch on the circumstances. And- my favourite things to eat at 22:00-23:00 are some almonds(30-50gr),but never roastet and salted, or some kind of cheese(I prefer “light”(9-16% fat) with cucumber or other veggetables
dont get dis hold thing of eating latenight……so what if u consume ur maintance calories but consume a seving of unprocessed carbs at night …. will that make u gain weight even though u didnt go over ur maintance…bc i ususally consume a serving of cabs and protein 2hours befor i go bed
Thank you for not slavishly following rules, but questioning what really works. I’ve always been a big believer in experimenting on myself in regards to various rules – not just about eating and fitness. I am a night owl, and a nightime snack about an hour before I go to bed is just right. Usually yogurt with fruit. I often work out fairly late, in which case it’s a smoothie, with fruit, protein powder, and yogurt or kefir.
thats right!
12 hours is too long to wait to eat unless you are fasting. Even if you are trying to lose weight feeding the muscle won’t hurt. I always try to eat lean protein an hour or 2 before going to bed.
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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...